This application claims benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2016-007244 filed on Jan. 18, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an input apparatus mounted in an electronic device, and more particularly to an input apparatus manipulated by a finger or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, input apparatus such as touch pads are frequently used that are mounted in notebook personal computers (PCs) or the like and are manipulated by a finger or the like. In a proposed input apparatus, an input apparatus of this type such as a touch pad is combined with another input device such as push switches or the like so that a variety of inputs can be performed. As the other input device, a load sensor that measures a load has been used in some cases in such a way that the load sensor is attached to the rear surface of an input apparatus (such as a touch pad) so as to be thinned.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-18106 (an example of related art), a force sensor 901 in which piezoresistive elements 913 are used is proposed as the above load sensor.
The force sensor 901 illustrated in
However, there is the possibility that even if an input manipulation is not performed on this type of load sensor (force sensor 901), if a portion in the vicinity of the input apparatus is pressed with a palm or an arm, the load sensor detects a displacement. This has been problematic in that when an actual input manipulation is performed, a malfunction occurs.
An input apparatus has an input device having a manipulation plane manipulated by a finger or another manipulation body and also has a detection device having a movable portion configured to move in response to the deformation or motion of the input device. The input apparatus sends output signals received from the input device and a detection element. The input device has an input determining portion configured to determine an input manipulation to the manipulation plane. The detection device has a displacement detecting portions configured to detect the amount of the movable portion and also has a pressing determining portion configured to determine a pressing manipulation to the input device according to the amount of displacement. If the input determining portion decides that the manipulation body is in contact with the manipulation plane, the pressing determining portion determines the pressing manipulation.
Accordingly, if there is no input manipulation to the input device, even if the movable portion of the detection element is deformed or moved, the pressing determining portion does not determine the state of a pressing manipulation. Therefore, even if any force is applied in the vicinity of the input device, no output signal is sent from the detection device. This can reduce malfunctions of the input apparatus.
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The input apparatus 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention has a rectangular outside shape as illustrated in
First, the input device N1 of the input apparatus 100 will be described.
The input device N1 of the input apparatus 100 preferably has a manipulation panel 11 including the manipulation plane 11p, a conductive member 31, having a plurality of electrodes, which is disposed on the rear surface of the manipulation panel 11, a capacitance detecting portion 51 that detects a capacitance detected by the electrodes, and an input control portion 61 that outputs a command signal (output signal) corresponding to the input information in response to a signal from the capacitance detecting portion 51, as illustrated in
The manipulation panel 11 of the input device N1 is made of a film substrate such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin. A coating with a color tone suitable to the appearance of the applied external device is formed on the rear surface of the manipulation plane 11p, which is opposite to its front side. The manipulator manipulates the manipulation plane 11p, which is the front surface of the manipulation panel 11, with the manipulation body ST such as a finger. Since a translucent substrate is used as the manipulation panel 11, a display pattern of characters, symbols, artwork, and the like visible to the manipulator may be formed on the rear side of the manipulation plane 11p.
As the conductive member 31 of the input device N1, a so-called double-sided printed wiring board (PWB) is used; wiring patterns made of copper foils are formed on both surfaces of an insulated substrate 31C made of an epoxy resin including a glass filler. As illustrated in
The capacitance detecting portion 51 of the input device N1 is formed by using an integrated circuit (IC) having a capacitance detection circuit. The capacitance detecting portion 51 is mounted on a PWB, which is used as the conductive member 31, and is electrically connected to a plurality of electrodes of the conductive member 31 (specifically, a plurality of electrodes of the first detection electrode 31A and second detection electrode 31B) (see
The input control portion 61 of the input device N1 is formed by using an IC as in the case of the capacitance detecting portion 51. The input control portion 61 is mounted on the PWB used as the conductive member 31, and is electrically connected to the capacitance detecting portion 51 (see
The input determining portion 81 of the input device N1 uses the conductive member 31, capacitance detecting portion 51, and input control portion 61, which are constituent elements of the input device N1, and uses an output signal from the input control portion 61, as described above (see
As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the conductive member 31, capacitance detecting portion 51, and input control portion 61, which are constituent elements of the input device N1, are used to form the input determining portion 81. This enables the input device N1 to be structured so as to be simplified and thinned. A deciding portion (not illustrated in
Next, the detection device M3 of the input apparatus 100 will be described.
As illustrated in
The movable portion 13 of the detection element M3 uses a film substrate such as a PET resin. As illustrated in
The main components of the support member 23 of the detection element M3 are a substrate 23K disposed so as to face the movable portion 13 as illustrated in
The substrate 23K of the support member 23 is made of a synthetic resin such as an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymer resin. The substrate 23K is formed like a rectangular plate as illustrated in
The spacer 23S of the support member 23 is cylindrically formed by using a synthetic resin such as a polyoxymethylene (POM) resin, as illustrated in
The elastic body 23D of the support member 23 is cylindrically formed by using an elastic rubber material such as an ethylene propylene rubber. As illustrated in
When a load is applied to the manipulation panel 11 (input device N1), the elastic body 23D of the support member 23 is deformed by the support member 23 structured as described above, as illustrated in
As illustrated in Figs, 3A and 3B, each displacement detecting portion 33 of the detection element M3 preferably has a resistive member 33R formed on the lower surface of the movable portion 13, a conductive body 33C disposed so as to face the resistive member 33R at a distance from it, and a wiring part 33P that interconnects the resistive member 33R and pressing determining portion 83. In addition, in the movable portion 13, resistive elements RF used for reference purposes are provided on the lower surface of the movable portion 13 (the lower surface is the surface on the lower side on which the resistive members 33R are formed), as illustrated in
The resistive member 33R of the displacement detecting portion 33 has a conductivity with a relatively high resistance. As illustrated in
The resistive element RF of the displacement detecting portion 33 has an arbitrary resistance. As illustrated in
The conductive body 33C of the displacement detecting portion 33 has a conductivity with a relatively high resistance. As illustrated in
The conductive body 33C uses an elastic rubber material as a base material. When the movable portion 13 of the detection element M3 is moved downwardly, the conductive body 33C is pressed by the movable portion 13 and is elastically deformed as illustrated in
Therefore, the contact area between the conductive body 33C and the resistive member 33R changes in response to the amount of downward displacement of the movable portion 13, and the resistance changes accordingly. That is, a unit formed by a combination of the conductive body 33C and resistive member 33R functions as a variable resistor. This enables the displacement detecting portion 33 to be structured so as to be thinned and simplified. Although, in the first embodiment of the present invention, four units, each of which is a combination of the conductive body 33C and resistive member 33R, are used, this is not a limitation. Preferably, if a plurality of units are used, they are enough.
In the first embodiment of the present invention, two bridge circuits as illustrated in
The pressing determining portion 83 of the detection element M3 is formed by using an IC as with the capacitance detecting portion 51 and input control portion 61, and is mounted on a wiring board 93 that uses a single-sided PWB as illustrated in
The pressing determining portion 83 is electrically connected to the recording portion 53, which stores a reference value according to which the pressing determining portion 83 determines a pressing manipulation. The pressing determining portion 83 outputs, to the external device, status information about the deformation or motion of the input means N1, which is caused by an input manipulation, and pressing information about a pressing manipulation to the input means N1 (see
Here, a method of detecting a pressing manipulation to the manipulation plane 11p performed by the manipulator on the input apparatus 100 will be simply described with reference to
First, the input means N1 and detection means M3 starts.
Next, the input determining portion 81 of the input means N1 decides whether an input manipulation to the manipulation plane 11p by the manipulator is in progress, according to a signal from the capacitance detecting portion 51 (determines an input manipulation). Specifically, the input determining portion 81 decides whether the manipulation body ST of the manipulator is in contact with the manipulation plane 11p.
If the input determining portion 81 decides that the manipulation body ST is not in contact with the manipulation plane 11p, the displacement detecting portions 33 of the detection means M3 preferably detect the position of the movable portion 13 at that time. Specifically, the displacement detecting portions 33 preferably obtain the output values of four output signals S1, S2, S3, and S4 obtained from the two bridge circuits. At the same time, the pressing determining portion 83 preferably stores, in the recording portion 53, the position of the movable portion 13 at that time, which has been detected by the displacement detecting portions 33 (specifically, output values at that time), as a reference value relative to which the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13 is determined. An initial reference value is stored in the recording portion 53 in advance. Each time the most recent reference value is stored, it overwrites and updates the earlier reference value.
If the input determining portion 81 decides that the manipulation body ST is in contact with the manipulation plane 11p, the displacement detecting portion 33 of the detection element M3 continues to detect the position of the movable portion 13. The pressing determining portion 83 calculates the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13 from the reference value (initial value or most recent value). The pressing determining portion 83 determines a pressing manipulation to the input device N1 according to the amount of displacement, and outputs, to the output device, pressing information about the pressing manipulation to the input device N1.
Accordingly, if there is no input manipulation to the input device N1, even if the movable portion 13 of the detection device M3 is deformed or moved, the pressing determining portion 83 does not determine the state of a pressing manipulation. Therefore, even if any force is applied in the vicinity of the input device N1, no output signal is sent from the detection element M3. This can reduce malfunctions of the input apparatus 100.
In the first embodiment of the present invention, the pressing determining portion 83 uses the position detected by the displacement detecting portion 33 as a reference value relative to which the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13 is determined in the calculation of the amount of its displacement. Therefore, even if any force is applied in the vicinity of the input device N1 and the displacement is changed, the displacement changed at that time can be used as the most recent reference value. Accordingly, when a pressing manipulation is performed to the input device N1 subsequently, the pressing determining portion 83 can determine the pressing manipulation according to the amount of displacement from the most recent reference value, enabling the pressing determining portion 83 to reliably determine a pressing manipulation.
As described above, a pressing manipulation performed to the manipulation plane 11p by the manipulator is detected.
Finally, effects of the input apparatus 100 structured as described above in the first embodiment of the present invention will be compiled below.
With the input apparatus 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention, if the input determining portion 81 in the input device N1 decides that the manipulation body ST is in contact with the manipulation plane 11p, the pressing determining portion 83 of the detection means M3 determines a pressing manipulation to the input means N1. Therefore, if there is no input manipulation to the input device N1, even if the movable portion 13 of the detection element M3 is deformed or moved, the pressing determining portion 83 does not determine the state of a pressing manipulation. Accordingly, even if any force is applied in the vicinity of the input device N1, no output signal is sent from the detection element M3. This can reduce malfunctions of the input apparatus 100.
When the pressing determining portion 83 determines the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13, the pressing determining portion 83 uses the position detected by the displacement detecting portion 33 as a reference value relative to which the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13 is determined, so even if any force is applied in the vicinity of the input device N1 and the displacement is changed, the displacement changed at that time can be used as the most recent reference value. Therefore, when a pressing manipulation is performed to the input device N1 subsequently, the pressing determining portion 83 can determine the pressing manipulation according to the amount of displacement from the most recent reference value, enabling the pressing determining portion 83 to reliably determine a pressing manipulation.
The pressing determining portion 83 determines a change in resistance due to a change in the contact area between the conductive body 33C, which is elastically deformed, and the resistive member 33R opposite to it as the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13. This enables the detection element M3 to be structured so as to be thinned and simplified.
Since output signals from a plurality of units (each of which is a combination of the conductive body 33C and resistive member 33R) are output signals from bridge circuits, the pressing determining portion 83 can obtain a plurality of output signals from these bridge circuits. Therefore, the pressing determining portion 83 can determine the amount of displacement of the movable portion 13 from the plurality of output signals, so the displacement of the movable portion 13 can be reliably determined. This enables a pressing manipulation to be reliably determined. In addition, since a plurality of units are disposed at arbitrary positions on the movable portion 13, it is possible to detect a variety of motions of the movable portion 13.
Since the input determining portion 81 determines an input manipulation to the manipulation plane 11 p by the manipulation body ST according to a change in capacitance, the change being obtained from the capacitance detecting portion 51 that detects a capacitance detected by a plurality of electrodes, the input determining portion 81 can easily make this determination. This enables the input device N1 to be structured so as to be thinned and simplified.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. For example, the present invention can also be practiced by making variations as described below. These variations are also included in the technical range of the present invention.
First Variation
Although, in the first embodiment, the displacement detecting portion 33 has been preferably structured by using units, each of which is a combination of the conductive body 33C and 33R, this is not a limitation. A variable resistance method or a magnetism change detection method may be used to detect a displacement.
Second Variation
Although, in the first embodiment, the displacement detecting portion 33 has been structured by using two bridge circuits, this is not a limitation. The displacement detecting portion 33 may be structured by using only one bridge circuit or three or more bridge circuits. Alternatively, the displacement detecting portion 33 may be structured without using a bridge circuit.
Third Variation
Although, in the first embodiment, a method of detecting a capacitance has been preferably used as a method applied to the input device N1, this is not a limitation. For example, a method of detecting piezoelectricity or a method of detecting a strain may be used instead.
Fourth Variation
Although, in the first embodiment, the first detection electrode 31A and second detection electrode 31 B have been used as a plurality of electrodes, this is not a limitation. Only any one of the first detection electrode 31A and second detection electrode 31B may be used.
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The present invention can be appropriately modified without departing from the intended scope of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2016-007244 | Jan 2016 | JP | national |