Patent ID: 8085243

Claim:
An input device for inputting a command and information to a device, the input device comprising: a touchpad including an operation section having an operation surface for receiving an operation input from a user, such that the operation input is received from the user by the user touching one or more points of a plurality of points on the operation surface of the touchpad, and such that the touchpad outputs coordinate data representing the one or more points on the operation surface touched by the user; a body shape input section for acquiring image data of a range that is wider than the operation surface of the operation section for receiving the operation input from the user; a body shape extraction section for recognizing a shape of a body portion of the user from the acquired image data, extracting a portion, of the recognized body portion, corresponding to an operation range of the operation surface from the acquired image data, and generating a body image based on the extracted portion; a display image generation section for generating a display image, which is a display range corresponding to the operation range of the operation surface and which is necessary for the user to input the command and the information; an image composition section for making a composite image of the display image generated by the display image generation section and the body image generated by the body shape extraction section; a display section for displaying the composite image made by the image composition section; and a calculation section for inputting the command and the information to the device by recognizing the operation input of the user performed on the operation surface of the operation section by the user based on the coordinate data, or recognizing, from the acquired image data, the operation input of the user performed on the input device by a gesture of the user, wherein each of the plurality of points on the operation surface of the touchpad correspond in a one-to-one manner to a plurality of points on a display screen of the display section, such that when the user touches a certain point on the operation surface of the touchpad, the coordinate data represents a contact position of the certain point on the operation surface of the touchpad in relation to a location on the display screen.