Patent ID: 8284168

Claim:
A user interface device for operating an instrument, the user interface device comprising: a contact position acquiring section that detects a contact position of an operator on an operation surface; a hand shape acquiring section that acquires a hand shape of the operator; a hand shape direction acquiring section that acquires a direction of the hand shape based on the hand shape acquired by the hand shape acquiring section; a GUI (Graphical User Interface) button data storing section that stores GUI button data which represents GUI buttons each of which is uniquely allocated to a function for operating an instrument; a GUI button allocation section that allocates a GUI button allocated to a function, read out from the GUI button data storing section, to a fingertip in the hand shape acquired by the hand shape acquiring section, and reallocates, based only on a direction change of the hand shape, a different GUI button allocated to a different function to the fingertip in the hand shape; a superimposed image creating section that creates a composite image of an image of a GUI button allocated by the GUI button allocation section and an image of the hand shape; and a displaying section that displays the composite image created by the superimposed image creating section.