Input device, information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To provide an input device, information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program that can improve the interest of inputting information by touching a touch panel.SOLUTION: An input device includes a main body part made of a non-conductive material, a conductive part attached to the main body part and made of a conductive material, an operation part attached to the main body part and operated by a user, and one or more contacts that can be electrically connected to the conductive part, in which the contacts are provided on an outer surface of the main body part and come into contact with the touch panel. In response to a user's operation on the operation part, a pattern of the contacts detected by the touch panel is switched among the one or more contacts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an input device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are devices (hereinafter also referred to as "input devices") that are brought into contact with a touch panel to input information such as the coordinates of the touch by detecting capacitance, etc. Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a number of input devices having a number of contact surfaces that input coordinates by contacting a touch panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-186806 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In each of the input devices disclosed in Patent Document 1, coordinates are simply input in a standard manner using a plurality of contact surfaces provided on each input device, and there is room for improvement in terms of entertainment value.

[0005] Therefore, some aspects of the present invention aim to provide an input device and an information processing system that can increase the interest of inputting information by touching a touch panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An input device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a main body made of a non-conductive material, a conductive part attached to the main body and made of a conductive material, an operation part attached to the main body and operated by a user, and one or more contacts that can be electrically connected to the conductive part, the one or more contacts being provided on the outer surface of the main body and in contact with a touch panel, and the pattern of the one or more contacts detected by the touch panel is switched depending on the user's operation of the operation part.

[0007] In the above-mentioned input device, the conductive portion is provided with an interlocking portion that interlocks with the operating portion, and the interlocking portion operates in response to a user's operation, thereby switching the electrical connection state between at least one of the one or more contacts and the interlocking portion, thereby switching the pattern.

[0008] In the above-mentioned input device, the operating unit includes a rotating handle that is manually rotated by the user and a cam mechanism that is rotated by the rotating handle, the interlocking unit is a driven shaft, and the movement of the driven shaft due to the rotation of the cam mechanism can switch between electrical connection and disconnection between the contact and the conductive unit.

[0009] In the above-mentioned input device, the conductive portion includes an interlocking portion that interlocks with the operation portion, and at least one of the one or more contacts interlocks with the operation of the interlocking portion in response to the user's operation, so that the contact that interlocks with the touch panel repeatedly comes into contact and does not contact, thereby switching the pattern.

[0010] An information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing system including the above-mentioned input device and a terminal device, wherein the terminal device includes a touch panel, a display unit that displays display information, an identification unit that identifies a pattern of the input device placed on the touch panel, and a display control unit that changes the display information displayed by the display unit based on pattern information indicating the identified pattern.

[0011] In the above information processing system, the display control unit includes a calculation unit that calculates a pattern switching speed based on the pattern information, and can change the display information based on the switching speed.

[0012] In the above information processing system, the display information is information related to the display of the game, the terminal device is equipped with a game execution unit that executes the game and generates a game effect when the switching speed satisfies a predetermined condition, and the display control unit can change the display information in accordance with the game effect.

[0013] An information processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing method in an information processing system including the above-mentioned input device and a terminal device, in which the terminal device displays display information, identifies a pattern of the input device placed on a touch panel, and changes the display information displayed by the display unit based on pattern information indicating the identified pattern.

[0014] A program according to one embodiment of the present invention is a program used in an information processing system including an input device and a terminal device, and causes the terminal device to execute a touch panel, a display function for displaying display information, an identification function for identifying a pattern of the input device placed on the touch panel, and a display control function for changing the display information displayed by the display unit based on pattern information indicating the identified pattern. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to some aspects of the present invention, it is possible to improve the interest of inputting information by touching a touch panel. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a configuration of a stamp system according to an embodiment of the present invention and an example of an external appearance of a stamp. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a stamp according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a stamp according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a structure of a stamp according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the stamp system according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the stamp system according to the embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the stamp system according to the embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a hardware configuration of a terminal device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] An embodiment of the present disclosure (hereinafter, referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, components with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations.

[0018] <System configuration and stamp appearance> An example of the system configuration of a stamp system 1 according to this embodiment and an example of the appearance of a stamp 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. For ease of explanation, front, back, left, right, and up and down will be based on what is shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the stamp system 1 according to this embodiment, and is a perspective view showing the appearance of the stamp 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the stamp system 1 includes a stamp 10 and a terminal device 20. The stamp system 1 is one aspect of an information processing system, and the stamp 10 is one aspect of an input device.

[0019] In the stamp system 1, a user, for example, holds and rotates the operation unit 13 of the stamp 10 with the fingers of one hand, and holds the conductive unit 12 of the stamp 10 with the fingers of the other hand to energize it, while performing an operation input to the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 accepts this operation input using the stamp 10 on a touch panel 221 (one aspect of the input unit 220 described later), and performs processing according to the operation input.

[0020] <Stamp> The stamp 10 is, for example, an electronic stamp. The stamp 10 includes a main body 11, a conductive part 12, and an operation part 13.

[0021] The main body 11 is a component (in other words, a housing) that forms the outer shape of the stamp 10, and is formed so as to cover at least a part of the conductive part 12. For example, the upper part of the main body 11 is spherical, the middle part is approximately cylindrical, and the lower part is approximately hemispherical, so that the outer shape of the main body 11 is shaped like a capsule toy (so-called gachapon). Note that the outer shape of the main body 11 is not limited to this, and as another example, the outer shape of the main body 11 may be an approximately cylindrical shape or an N1 square prism shape (N1 is an integer ≧3), etc. The main body 11 is made of a non-conductive (insulating) material such as resin. In addition, one or more contacts 14 that come into contact with a touch panel 221, which will be described later, are provided on the outer surface (the bottom surface in this example) of the main body 11.

[0022] Conductive portion 12 is made of a conductive material such as conductive resin or metal. Conductive portion 12 is attached to main body 11 so that a part of it is exposed. While a part of the user's body (for example, a finger of the non-dominant hand) is in contact with this exposed part, conductive portion 12 is in a conducting state.

[0023] The operation unit 13 is a part operated by the user, and is attached to the main body 11 so as to be movable. The operation unit 13 is, for example, a rotation handle that is manually rotated by the user. In the stamp system 1, for example, the user rotates this rotation handle to control a change in the capacitance between the stamp 10 and the touch panel 221.

[0024] <Terminal device> The terminal device 20 is, for example, a tablet, a smartphone, or a personal computer. The terminal device 20 may include, for example, a touch panel 221 that accepts input by the stamp 10 and a display 231 (one aspect of the display unit 230 described later). The touch panel 221 and the display 231 may cooperate as an integrated touch panel display. The touch panel 221 is, for example, a multi-touch compatible capacitive type. The terminal device 20 executes a predetermined program (hereinafter also referred to as a "terminal program") to accept a predetermined operation input using the stamp 10 on the touch panel 221 and display information corresponding to the operation input on the display 231. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the terminal program is a dedicated application (for example, a native application, etc.) of the stamp system 1 and is installed in the terminal device 20 from a site such as an application store and used, but the terminal program is not limited thereto. The terminal program may be, for example, a general-purpose application (for example, a web browser application, etc.) that the terminal device 20 is provided with for general purposes, or may be both a dedicated application and a general-purpose application. Further, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the terminal program is a game program for executing a game in the terminal device 20. However, this is not intended to limit the terminal program to a game program.

[0025] <Internal structure of stamp> An example of the internal structure of the stamp 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0026] FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in the assembled state of the stamp 10 shown in FIG. 1, showing the stamp 10 in a state where the interlocking part 122b and the contactor 14b are not in contact with each other. FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the interlocking part 122a and the operating part 13 in a state where the interlocking part 122b and the contactor 14b are not in contact with each other. FIG. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in the assembled state of the stamp 10 shown in FIG. 1, showing the stamp 10 in a state where the interlocking part 122b and the contactor 14b are in contact with each other. FIG. 3(b) is a side view of the interlocking part 122a and the operating part 13 in a state where the interlocking part 122b and the contactor 14b are in contact with each other.

[0027] 2(a) and 3(a), the size of the main body 11 may be, for example, a height (H) of 83 mm and a width (W), i.e., a diameter of the bottom surface, of 54 mm. The spherical upper part of the main body 11 is, for example, hollow.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the conductive portion 12 (the portion shaded with diagonal lines) is attached to the inside of the main body portion 11, and includes a fixing portion 121 and interlocking portions 122a and 122b.

[0029] The fixing portion 121 is attached to the main body 11 so as to go around the inside of the side surface near the middle of the main body 11. The side surface near the middle of the main body 11 is formed into four pillar shapes as shown in FIG.

[0030] The interlocking part 122a is a part that interlocks with the operating part 13. The interlocking part 122b is, for example, a part that has elasticity such as a spring, and as shown in FIG. 2(a), when the interlocking part 122b is raised upward, it does not come into contact with the contactor 14b. That is, the conductive part 12 and the contactor 14b are in an electrically disconnected state. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3(a), when the interlocking part 122a moves downward and is pushed into the interlocking part 122a, the interlocking part 122b comes into contact with the contactor 14b. When the interlocking part 122b comes into contact with the contactor 14b in this way, the conductive part 12 and the contactor 14b are in an electrically connected state.

[0031] 2 and 3, the operation unit 13 includes a rotating handle 13a manually operated by a user, and a cam mechanism 13b rotated by the rotating handle 13a. The interlocking portion 122a is a driven shaft of the cam mechanism 13b, and the interlocking portion 122a in contact with the cam mechanism 13b reciprocates in the vertical direction (for example, a gap (G)=4.5 mm) due to the rotation of the cam mechanism 13b. This vertical reciprocating motion of the interlocking portion 122a can switch between electrical connection and non-connection between the contact 14b and the conductive portion 12 (specifically, the interlocking portion 122b).

[0032] In this example, the cam mechanism 13b is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, but may be any shape other than an N2 polygon (N2 is an integer greater than or equal to 3), such as a substantially triangular or substantially pentagonal shape. For example, when the cam mechanism 13b is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, one rotation of the rotary handle 13a can cause the interlocking part 122a to perform a total of four up and down reciprocating motions. In other words, the number of times the contactor 14b contacts the touch panel 221 per one rotation of the rotary handle 13a can be changed according to the number N2 of corners of the cam mechanism 13b.

[0033] The contactor 14 includes contactors 14a and 14b shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and contactors 14c and 14d shown in Fig. 4. The contactors 14a and 14b are components that can be electrically connected to the conductive portion 12, and are components that are brought into contact with the touch panel 221 to cause a change in capacitance. The contactors 14a and 14b are provided so that a part of them is exposed from the bottom surface of the main body portion 11, and are brought into contact with the touch panel 221. The contactor 14a is attached so as to be in constant contact with the fixed portion 121. On the other hand, the contactor 14b switches between being in contact with the interlocking portion 122b and being in non-contact with the interlocking portion 122b as the interlocking portions 122a and 122b move up and down. That is, in the stamp 10, the interlocking portion 122a operates in response to a user's operation, and thus the electrical connection state between at least one of the one or more contactors (contactor 14b in this example) and the interlocking portion 122a can be switched. By switching the connection state in this way, the stamp 10 switches the pattern of the contacts 14 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "pattern") detected on the touch panel 221. With this configuration, the pattern of the contacts 14 detected on the touch panel 221 can be switched without moving the contacts 14 themselves up and down. This makes it possible to avoid friction between components and friction with the touch panel 221 that occurs when the contacts 14 move.

[0034] The stamp 10 connects one or more of the contacts 14a, 14b to the conductive portion 12 in response to a user's operation on the operation portion 13, and switches the pattern of the contacts 14b detected by the touch panel 221. For example, in a fixed contact pattern, the coordinate position of the contacts 14 is detected as fixed unless the stamp 10 itself is moved on the touch panel 221. With this configuration, the pattern of the contacts 14 detected in response to the user's operation can be switched without moving the stamp 10. Therefore, the stamp 10 can increase the interest of inputting information by touching it to a touch panel.

[0035] <Structure of the bottom of the stamp> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the bottom surface U of the stamp 10. When the stamp 10 is viewed from the bottom surface side as shown in FIG. 4, at least three contacts 14a, 14c, and 14d are arranged on a circle C1 having a center of the stamp 10. Specifically, the centers of the contacts 14a, 14c, and 14d are arranged at points P, Q, and R on the circle C1 having a radius t1 and a center O of the bottom surface U. On the other hand, the center S of the contact 14b is not arranged on the circle C1 having a radius t1 and a center O. In addition, the contact 14b is not arranged on a straight line connecting the contact 14a and the contact 14d. In addition, the stamp 10 is provided with N contacts 14 (for example, N=4 in FIG. 4). The N contacts 14 may be, for example, a conductive member such as a conductive resin. The radius t1 of the circle C1 on which the N-1 contacts 14 are arranged is smaller than the distance t2 between the center O of the circle C1 and the outer surface S of the main body 11, and may be, for example, 7.5 mm. Also, the radius t2 of the bottom surface U may be, for example, 9.5 mm.

[0036] The quadrangle having vertices P, Q, R and a point on the circle C1 is, for example, a square, and each angle of the quadrangle is 45 degrees. Also, the angle of ∠SPR formed by connecting points S, P, and R may be 45 / 2=22.5 degrees.

[0037] The shape of each contact 14 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 4, and may be any shape as long as it has a predetermined contact surface with the touch panel 221. In Fig. 4, the contact surfaces of the N contacts 14 have the same shape, but the shape of the contact surface of at least one contact 14 may be different from the shapes of the other contacts 14. In Fig. 4, four contacts 14 are arranged on the circle C1 of radius t1, but more than four contacts 14 may be arranged.

[0038] <3. Functional configuration> An example of a functional configuration of the terminal device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the terminal device 20 includes a control unit 210, an input unit 220, a display unit 230, a communication unit 240, and a storage unit 250.

[0039] [Control Unit] The control unit 210 includes a specification unit 211 and a display control unit 212. The control unit 210 may also include a game execution unit 213, for example.

[0040] [Specific part] The identification unit 211 identifies a pattern of contact by the stamp 10 detected by the input unit 220. The identification unit 211 identifies, for example, the pattern of the contacts 14 of the stamp 10 placed on the touch panel 221. Specifically, the identification unit 211 may identify an arrangement pattern of the contact positions of each of the one or more contacts 14 of the stamp 10 detected by the input unit 220. The patterns identified by the identification unit 211 may be, for example, two patterns: a four-pattern pattern of detected contacts 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d (hereinafter also referred to as "pattern A"), and a three-pattern pattern of detected contacts 14a, 14c, and 14d (hereinafter also referred to as "pattern B").

[0041] [Display control section] The display control unit 212 controls the display of the display unit 230, such as displaying or hiding display information on the display unit 230. The display information may be, for example, information for displaying game screens A1 and A2 and a setting screen A3 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 described below. The display control unit 212 changes the display information based on, for example, information indicating a pattern identified by the identification unit 211 (hereinafter, also referred to as "pattern information"). For example, the display control unit 112 may change the display of the display unit 240 from default information when the pattern of one or more detected contacts 14 matches a predetermined pattern.

[0042] The display control unit 212 may include, for example, a calculation unit 212a. The calculation unit 212a calculates, for example, the switching speed of the pattern of the contact 14 (for example, pattern A and pattern B). The display control unit 212 may change the display information to be displayed on the display unit 230 based on the calculated switching speed. With this configuration, the display can be changed according to the switching speed of the pattern of the contact 14, that is, the operation speed of the operation unit 13 by the user. Therefore, the user can control the display by operating the operation unit 13 quickly or slowly. This can further increase the interest in inputting information by contacting the touch panel 221 with the stamp 10.

[0043] The calculation unit 212a may, for example, calculate the number of times the pattern of the contact 14 is switched from a predetermined timing, and calculate the number of times the interlocking unit 122a reciprocates up and down based on the result of this calculation. The calculation unit 212a may also calculate the number of rotations of the rotary handle 13a based on the number of times of reciprocation and the number of corners of the cam mechanism 13b. For example, if the number of corners of the cam mechanism 13b is "4 (corners)" and the number of reciprocations is "8 (times)", the calculation unit 212a may divide the number of times of reciprocation by the number of corners of the cam mechanism 13b to obtain the number of rotations of the rotary handle 13a as "2 (rotations)". The display control unit 212 may change the display information based on the calculated number of rotations of the rotary handle 13a.

[0044] According to the above configuration, the display on the display unit 230 can be changed based on the shape of the cam mechanism 13b and the number of rotations of the rotary handle 13a. Therefore, by operating the stamp 10 with the operation unit 13, the user can enjoy a variety of displays according to the number of rotations, etc.

[0045] The display information may be, for example, information related to the display of a game executed by the game executing unit 213 described later. In this case, the display control unit 212 may change the display information according to the game effect generated by the game executing unit 213.

[0046] [Game Execution Department] The game executing unit 213 executes a game by executing a game program (one aspect of a terminal program) with reference to game data stored in the storage unit 250. The game executing unit 213 may execute games in, for example, game mode 1 and game mode 2. The game executing unit 213 may generate a game effect when the calculated pattern switching speed satisfies a predetermined condition, for example.

[0047] [Input section] The input unit 220 accepts input from a user's operation (e.g., a touch operation, a flick operation, etc.) or the stamp 10. Specifically, the input unit 220 detects the coordinate position of a contact by a user's finger or a contact by the contactor 14 of the stamp 10, and outputs detection information indicating the result of this detection to the identification unit 211, etc. The input unit 220 is, for example, a touch panel 221, etc.

[0048] [Display] The display unit 230 displays display information. The display unit 230 is, for example, a display 231. Note that when the touch panel 221 and the display 231 cooperate as a single unit, such as a touch panel display, the input unit 220 and the display unit 230 may be the same functional unit.

[0049] [Communications Department] The communication unit 240 transmits and receives terminal programs, game data, and various other information to and from other devices via a network (not shown).

[0050] [Storage] The storage unit 250 stores various information related to the game program, game data, and / or display information. For example, the storage unit 250 may store these pieces of data in association with each other. The storage unit 250 may store various pieces of information using a database management system (DBMS) or may store various pieces of information using a file system.

[0051] <4. Screen examples> 6 to 8, an example of the screen of the stamp system 10 will be described. In this example, an example of the screen relating to each of game mode 1 and game mode 2 will be described, but a screen other than the game may be displayed.

[0052] <4-1. Game Mode 1> Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a game screen A1 in game mode 1 and an example of screen transition. As shown in Fig. 6, the game screen A1 includes a stamp placement area a11 on which the bottom surface U of the stamp 10 is placed as a contact surface, a capsule object a12, a goal object a13, and a setting screen button a14 for transitioning to a setting screen A3. For example, the user places the stamp 10 in the stamp placement area a1 and rotates the rotation handle 13a to play the game in game mode 1.

[0053] In the game of the game mode 1, for example, when the number of rotations of the rotation handle 13a of the stamp 10 exceeds a set threshold (5 times in this example), the game execution unit 213 generates a capsule object a12 as the game is cleared. For example, this threshold may be set to a common value in the stamp system 1, or may be dynamically set to a numerical value designated by the user in a number setting form a31 of a setting screen A3 in FIG. 8 described later. FIG. 6(a) shows a display of a state before the capsule object a12 is generated, and FIG. 6(b) and FIG. 6(c) show a display of a state after the capsule object a12 is generated. When the capsule object a12 is generated, it automatically moves along the arrow toward the goal object a13. The display control unit 212 may display a game item (a donut in this example) being taken out of the capsule object a12 when the capsule object a12 reaches the goal object a13.

[0054] <4-2. Game Mode 2> FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the game screen A2 in the game mode 2 and an example of the screen transition. As shown in FIG. 7, the game screen A2 includes a stamp placement area a21 on which the bottom surface U of the stamp 10 is placed as a contact surface, a lamp object a22 that changes its state from an unlit state to a lit state, a first progress bar a23 for advancing the progress of the second progress bar a22, a second progress bar a24 for lighting the lamp object a22, a character object a25 that changes its expression, etc. according to the change in the lamp object a22, and a setting screen button a26 for transitioning to the setting screen A3. For example, the user plays the game in the game mode 2 by rotating the rotation handle 13a of the operation unit 13a with the stamp 10 placed in the stamp placement area a21. The user clears the game by finally achieving the progress of the second progress bar a24 to the upper limit and lighting the lamp object a22. In game mode 1, the game is cleared simply by the number of rotations exceeding a predetermined threshold, i.e., by rotating the rotation handle 13a a predetermined number of times, whereas in game mode 2, the game is cleared by maintaining the rotation speed, i.e., the switching speed between pattern A and pattern B (hereinafter also referred to as "pattern AB"), within an appropriate range for a set period of time.

[0055] In the game of game mode 2, for example, the user can first rotate the rotary handle 13a of the stamp 10 to advance the progress of the first progress bar a23 according to the switching speed of the AB pattern. Specifically, the game execution unit 213 lights up the number of lamps (indicated by black circles in the example of FIG. 7) in the first progress bar a23 according to the switching speed (in the example of the speed setting form a32 in FIG. 8, one lamp is set to be lit for each switching per second) as a game effect. That is, the game execution unit 213 lights up more lamps the faster the switching speed of the AB pattern is, and on the other hand, the game execution unit 213 reduces the number of lit lamps and makes it impossible to light any lamps the slower the switching speed of the AB pattern is. Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the user can obtain a good judgment by maintaining the number of lit lamps in the first progress bar a23 within a set range (between 3 and 8 in this example) for a set time. Each time the user gets a good result, the user can light up each lamp (indicated by a black circle in the example of FIG. 7) of the second progress bar a24, that is, the user can advance the progress of the second progress bar a24. As shown in FIG. 7(c), when the number of lit lamps on the second progress bar a24 reaches a predetermined upper limit (five in this example), the game is cleared.

[0056] <4-3.Settings screen> 8 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen A3 for setting parameters and thresholds for game mode 1 and game mode 2. In this example, an example will be described in which each setting form on the setting screen A3 is a spin button for inputting numerical values, but the type of each setting form is not limited to this.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 8, the setting screen A3 includes, for example, a number setting form a31 for setting the threshold value of the number of rotations in game mode 1.

[0058] The setting screen A3 includes, for example, a speed setting form a32 for setting the AB pattern switching speed required to light one lamp in game mode 2, a range setting form a33 for setting the range of the number of lamps to be lit within which a good judgment is obtained on the first progress bar a23, and a time setting form a34 for setting a threshold time for maintaining the switching speed within the range of good judgment on the first progress bar a23, which is the threshold for advancing the progress of the second progress bar a24.

[0059] The setting screen A3 includes a reset button a35 for resetting values ​​entered in each form of the setting screen A3 to initial values, and a set button a36 for reflecting the values ​​entered in each form of the setting screen A3 in the game of each game mode. When the set button a36 is designated by the user, the display control unit 212 causes the game execution unit 213 to reflect the values ​​entered in each form of the setting screen A3 in the game of each game mode. Then, the display control unit 212 transitions to either the game screen A1 or A2, which is the transition source.

[0060] <5. Example of operation> An example of the operation of the terminal device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Note that the order of the processes shown below is an example and may be changed as appropriate.

[0061] 9, the input unit 220 of the terminal device 20 detects contact with each of the contacts 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d of the stamp 10 (S10). The identification unit 211 of the terminal device 20 identifies the pattern of the four contacts 14 detected by the input unit 220 as pattern A (S11).

[0062] The input unit 220 of the terminal device 20 detects contact by each of the contacts 14a, 14c, and 14d of the stamp 10 (S12). The identification unit 211 of the terminal device 20 identifies the pattern of the three contacts detected by the input unit 220 as pattern B (S13).

[0063] When the switching speed of the AB pattern satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in S14), the game executing unit 213 of the terminal device 20 generates a game effect (S15). The display control unit 212 of the terminal device 20 changes the display information according to the game effect generated by the game executing unit 213 (S16).

[0064] If the switching speed of the AB pattern does not satisfy the predetermined condition (No in S14), the process returns to before step S10 and steps S10 to S13 are repeated.

[0065] <6. Hardware configuration> 10, an example of a hardware configuration in which the above-mentioned terminal device 20 is realized by a computer 800 will be described. Note that the functions of each device can also be realized by dividing them into a plurality of devices.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 10, a computer 800 includes a processor 801, a memory 803, a storage device 805, an input I / F unit 807, a data I / F unit 809, a communication I / F unit 811, and a display device 813.

[0067] The processor 801 controls various processes in the computer 800 by executing a program (e.g., a terminal program) stored in the memory 803. For example, each functional unit of the control unit 210 of the terminal device 20 can be realized by the processor 801 executing a program temporarily stored in the memory 803.

[0068] The memory 803 is a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 803 temporarily stores the program code of the program executed by the processor 801 and data required when the program is executed.

[0069] The storage device 805 is a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The storage device 805 stores an operating system and various programs (for example, terminal programs) for implementing the above-mentioned configurations. In addition, the storage device 805 can also store tables for registering various information such as game data and / or display information, and a DB for managing the tables. Such programs and data are loaded into the memory 803 as necessary, and are referred to by the processor 801.

[0070] The input I / F unit 807 is a device for receiving input from a user. Specific examples of the input I / F unit 807 include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, various sensors, and a wearable device. The input I / F unit 807 may be connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

[0071] The data I / F unit 809 is a device for inputting data from outside the computer 800. A specific example of the data I / F unit 809 is a drive device for reading data stored in various storage media. The data I / F unit 809 may be provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the data I / F unit 809 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB.

[0072] The communication I / F unit 811 is a device for performing data communication via the Internet N, either wired or wirelessly, with an external device of the computer 800. The communication I / F unit 811 may be provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the communication I / F unit 811 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB.

[0073] The display device 813 is a device for displaying various types of information. Specific examples of the display device 813 include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and a display of a wearable device. The display device 813 may be provided outside the computer 800. In that case, the display device 813 is connected to the computer 800 via, for example, a display cable. In addition, when a touch panel is adopted as the input I / F unit 807, the display device 813 can be configured as an integral part of the input I / F unit 807, like a touch panel display.

[0074] It should be noted that the present embodiment is an example for explaining the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the embodiment. In addition, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, a person skilled in the art can adopt an embodiment in which each element described below is replaced with an equivalent, and such an embodiment is also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0075] [Variations] Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiment, the following cases are also included in the present invention.

[0076] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the interlocking unit 122 operates without the contact 14b operating, but the contact 14 used to switch the pattern according to the present disclosure is not limited to this. At least one of the one or more contacts 14 (for example, the contact 14b) may be interlocked with the operation of the interlocking unit 122 in response to a user's operation. The pattern may be switched by repeating contact and non-contact of the interlocking contact 14 with the input unit 220 such as the touch panel 221. With this configuration, the stamp 10 that switches the pattern of the contact 14 detected by the input unit 220 can be easily realized without having components such as the interlocking units 122a and 122b.

[0077] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which two patterns, pattern A and pattern B, are switched as patterns detected by the touch panel, but the number of patterns is not limited to two, and a configuration in which a plurality of patterns can be switched may be adopted. In the case of the stamp 10 configured to switch between three or more patterns, it is possible to convey to the terminal device 20 not only the speed of the user's operation on the stamp 10, but also the direction and amount of the operation.

[0078] For example, in the stamp 10 configured to switch between three patterns, A pattern, B pattern, and C pattern, in response to the rotation of the rotary handle 13a, if the pattern switches in the order of A pattern → B pattern → C pattern → A pattern → ... when the rotary handle 13a is rotated in the forward direction, the pattern switches in the order of A pattern → C pattern → B pattern → A pattern → ... when the rotary handle 13a is rotated in the reverse direction. Therefore, by detecting the order in which the patterns are switched in the terminal device 20, it is possible to detect whether the direction of rotation of the rotary handle 13a of the stamp 10 is the forward direction or the reverse direction.

[0079] As an example, by providing two sets of cam mechanisms 13b and interlocking parts 122a on the rotating handle 13a and adjusting the angular positions of the two cam mechanisms 13b so that the phase of the up and down reciprocating motion of the two interlocking parts 122a is shifted by a predetermined amount (for example, 1 / 4 phase), a stamp 10 can be configured that switches between four 2 x 2 patterns in response to the rotation of the rotating handle 13a.

[0080] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment, the rotating handle 13a is used as an operating unit, and the pattern is switched in combination with the cam mechanism 13b. However, the operating unit for switching the pattern is not limited to this, and any means can be used. For example, instead of the rotating handle 13a, the pattern may be switched by turning a switch on / off, reciprocating a lever, or any other means.

[0081] [Variation 4] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the bottom surface of the stamp 10 is used as the contact surface for the touch panel 221, and the contactor is provided so as to be partially exposed from the bottom surface of the main body 11, but the contact surface may be any surface as long as it is an outer surface of the main body. The contactor may be provided so as to be partially exposed on the side surface of the main body, for example. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1...stamp system, 10...stamp, 11...main body, 12...conductive part, 13...operation part, 14...contact, 20...terminal device, 210...control part, 211...identification part, 212...display control part, 212a...calculation part, 213...game execution part, 220...input part, 221...touch panel, 230...display part, 240...communication part, 250...memory part, 800...computer, 801...processor, 803...memory, 805...storage device, 807...input I / F part, 809...data I / F part, 811...communication I / F part, 813...display device.

Claims

1. A main body portion made of a non-conductive material; a conductive portion attached to the main body portion and made of a conductive material; an operation unit attached to the main body and operated by a user; one or more contacts that can be electrically connected to the conductive portion, the one or more contacts being provided on an outer surface of the main body and in contact with a touch panel; switching a pattern of the one or more contacts to be detected by the touch panel in response to an operation of the user on the operation unit; Input devices.

2. The conductive portion includes a linking portion that links with the operation portion, The interlocking unit operates in response to an operation by the user to switch an electrical connection state between at least one of the one or more contacts and the interlocking unit, thereby switching the pattern. The input device of claim 1 .

3. The operation unit includes a rotary handle that is manually rotated by a user, and a cam mechanism that is rotated by the rotary handle; the interlocking portion is a driven shaft, and the movement of the driven shaft caused by the rotation of the cam mechanism switches between electrical connection and disconnection between the contact and the conductive portion; 3. An input device according to claim 2.

4. The conductive portion includes a linking portion that links with the operation portion, At least one of the one or more contacts is linked to the operation of the linking unit in response to the user's operation, and the linked contact repeatedly makes contact and non-contact with the touch panel, thereby switching the pattern. The input device of claim 1 .

5. An information processing system including the input device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and a terminal device, The terminal device The touch panel; A display unit that displays display information; an identification unit that identifies the pattern of the input device placed on the touch panel; and a display control unit that changes the display information displayed by the display unit based on pattern information indicating the specified pattern. Information processing system.

6. The display control unit is a calculation unit that calculates a switching speed of the pattern based on the pattern information, The display information is changed based on the switching speed.

6. The information processing system according to claim 5.

7. the display information is information related to a display of a game, the terminal device includes a game execution unit that executes the game and generates an effect of the game when the switching speed satisfies a predetermined condition; the display control unit changes the display information in accordance with an effect of the game.

7. The information processing system according to claim 6.

8. 5. An information processing method in an information processing system including the input device according to claim 1 and a terminal device, comprising: The terminal device, Display information, Identifying the pattern of the input device placed on the touch panel; changing the display information to be displayed based on pattern information indicating the specified pattern; Information processing methods.

9. 5. An information processing program for use in an information processing system including the input device according to claim 1 and a terminal device, The terminal device, The touch panel; A display function for displaying display information; an identifying function for identifying the pattern of the input device placed on the touch panel; and a display control function for changing the display information displayed by the display function based on pattern information indicating the specified pattern. Information processing program.

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