Input apparatus and information processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10706231-B2
Application number	US-201615551809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 4, 2015
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

Provided is an input apparatus that can reduce incorrect inputs and improve the operability. The input apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a keyboard module and a control circuit. The keyboard module has a plurality of key areas, and a plurality of sensor devices capable of detecting pressures of keystroke operations for the plurality of key areas, respectively. The control circuit that makes a difference between input sensitivity to the keystroke operation of one key area and input sensitivity to the keystroke operation of a key area next to the one key area on the basis of a pressure information item about each of the key areas next to each other, the pressure information item being detected by the keystroke operation on the plurality of sensor devices at the same time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An input apparatus, comprising:
a keyboard module comprising:
a plurality of key areas; and
a plurality of sensor devices,
wherein each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is configured to detect pressure of a keystroke operation of a respective key area of the plurality of key areas; and

a control circuit configured to:
detect the keystroke operation at a position between a first key area of the plurality of key areas and a second key area of the plurality of key areas;
detect a first pressure at the first key area based on the keystroke operation at the position between the first key area and the second key area;
detect a second pressure at the second key area based on the keystroke operation at the position between the first key area and the second key area, wherein the first pressure and the second pressure are detected at a same time; and
generate a difference between an input sensitivity of the keystroke operation of the first key area and an input sensitivity of the keystroke operation of the second key area, wherein
the second key area is adjacent to the first key area, and
the difference is generated based on the first pressure detected at the first key area and the second pressure detected at the second key area.

2. The input apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to set the input sensitivity of the first key area higher than the input sensitivity of the second key area based on the first pressure of the first key area that is greater than the second pressure of the second key area.

3. The input apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory unit configured to store a plurality of key information items and an input history of the keystroke operation, wherein
the plurality of key information items represents a plurality of text strings, and
the control circuit is further configured to set the difference between the input sensitivity of the first key area and the input sensitivity of the second key area based on the first pressure, the second pressure, the plurality of key information items, and the input history.

4. The input apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory unit configured to store input history of the keystroke operation, wherein
the control circuit is further configured to set the difference between the input sensitivity of the first key area and the input sensitivity of the second key area based on the first pressure, the second pressure, and the input history.

5. The input apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of sensor devices comprises a plurality of capacitance sensors configured to detect the pressure of the keystroke operation as a change of capacitance.

6. The input apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the input sensitivity is a first threshold value of an amount of capacitance change set for each capacitance sensor of the plurality of capacitance sensors.

7. An information processing apparatus, comprising:
a keyboard module comprising:
a plurality of key areas; and
a plurality of sensor devices,
wherein each sensor device of the plurality of sensor devices is configured to detect pressure of a keystroke operation of a respective key area of the plurality of key areas;

a control circuit configured to:
detect the keystroke operation at a position between a first key area of the plurality of key areas and a second key area of the plurality of key areas;
detect a first pressure at the first key area based on the keystroke operation at the position between the first key area and the second key area;
detect a second pressure at the second key area based on the keystroke operation at the position between the first key area and the second key area, wherein the first pressure and the second pressure are detected at a same time; and
generate a difference between an input sensitivity of the keystroke operation of the first key area and an input sensitivity of the keystroke operation of the second key area, wherein
the second key area is adjacent to the first key area, and
the difference is generated based on the first pressure detected at the first key area and the second pressure detected at the second key area; and

a display unit configured to display an image corresponding to the keystroke operation based on an output from the control circuit.

8. The input apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:
determine that a sum of the amount of the capacitance change of the plurality of key areas exceeds a second threshold value; and
determine a validity of the keystroke operation based on the determination that the sum exceeds the second threshold value.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kamata Toshiaki
• Ebihara Munetake
• Wakimoto Hideyoshi
• Fujisawa Akira
• Higuchi Ichirou

Classifications

• G06F3/0202 Primary

  Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device · CPC title

• G06F40/274 Primary

  Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs · CPC title

• H03K17/9622

  using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard · CPC title

• G06F3/04886

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/023

  Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes · CPC title