Input device, control method of input device, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017269784-A1
Application number	US-201615349755-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 11, 2016
Priority date	Mar 15, 2016
Publication date	Sep 21, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An input device includes a sensor unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an interface unit. The processing unit includes: a change amount calculating section for calculating the temporal change amount of the electrostatic capacitance that is detected by the sensor unit and that changes according to the proximity degree of an object with respect to a detection surface; a determination section for determining a touch operation corresponding to an operation on the detection surface using a fingertip, a palm operation corresponding to an operation on the detection surface using a palm, and a grip operation corresponding to an operation on a conductor portion, based on the calculated change amount; and a reset section for performing reset processing in a case where the duration of a state, in which a palm operation is not determined and a grip operation is determined, is a first predetermined time or more.

First claim

1 . An input device for inputting information, comprising:
a detection surface on which an operation is performed by an object to input information corresponding to the operation; a conductive conductor portion disposed along an outer edge of the detection surface; a sensor unit configured to periodically detect an electrostatic capacitance that changes according to a degree of proximity of the object with respect to the detection surface; a change amount calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of a temporal change in the detected electrostatic capacitance; a determination unit configured to determine, based on the calculated amount of the temporal change, a first operation indicating the operation on the detection surface by a fingertip, a second operation indicating the operation on the detection surface by a palm, and a third operation indicating an operation on the conductor portion; and a reset unit configured to perform a reset processing if a set of conditions are met, the set of conditions including:
an occurrence of a first determination state in which the second operation is not determined while the third operation is determined; and
a duration of the first determination state which is equal to or longer than a first predetermined time period.

2 . The input device according to claim 1 , wherein the set of conditions further include:
a peak value equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the peak value being a spatial maximum value of the calculated amount of the temporal change detected on the detection surface.

3 . The input device according to claim 2 , wherein the set of conditions further include:
the peak value equal to or greater than the first threshold value which is maintained for a second predetermined time period after the duration of the first determination state becomes equal to or longer than the first predetermined time period.

4 . The input device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the determination unit determines the first operation if the peak value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

5 . The input device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the determination unit further determines a region on the detection surface in which the calculated amount of the temporal change is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the determination unit determining the second operation if a size of the region is equal to or greater than a predetermined size.

6 . The input device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the determination unit determines the third operation based on the amount of the temporal change in vicinity of the outer edge of the detection surface.

7 . The input device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the change amount calculation unit obtains the amount of the temporal change by calculating a difference between the detected electrostatic capacitance and a base value, the base value being an electrostatic capacitance when no object is close to the detection surface, and wherein the reset processing includes resetting the base value.

8 . A control method of an input device including a detection surface on which an operation is performed by an object to input information corresponding to the operation, and a conductive conductor portion disposed along an outer edge of the detection surface, the control method comprising:
periodically detecting an electrostatic capacitance that changes according to a degree of proximity of the object with respect to the detection surface; calculating an amount of a temporal change in the detected electrostatic capacitance; determining, based on the calculated amount of the temporal change, a first operation indicating the operation on the detection surface by a fingertip, a second operation indicating the operation on the detection surface by a palm, and a third operation indicating an operation on the conductor portion; and performing a reset processing if a set of conditions are met, the set of conditions including: case where a duration of
an occurrence of a first determination state in which the second operation is not determined while the third operation is determined; and
a duration of the first determination state is equal to or longer than a first predetermined time period.

9 . The control method of an input device according to claim 8 , wherein the set of conditions further include:
a peak value equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the peak value being a spatial maximum value of the calculated amount of the temporal change detected on the detection surface.

10 . The control method of an input device according to claim 9 , wherein the set of conditions further include:
the peak value equal to or greater than the first threshold value which is maintained for a second predetermined time period after the duration of the first determination state becomes equal to or longer than the first predetermined time period.

11 . The control method of an input device according to claim 9 ,
wherein, in the determining, the first operation is determined if the peak value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

12 . The control method of an input device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the determining further determines a region on the detection surface in which the calculated amount of the temporal change is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and the second operation is determined if a size of the region is equal to or greater than a predetermined size.

13 . The control method of an input device according to claim 8 ,
wherein, in the determining, the third operation is determined based on the amount of the temporal change in vicinity of the outer edge of the detection surface.

14 . The control method of an input device according to claim 8 ,
wherein, in the calculating, the amount of the temporal change is obtained by calculating a difference between the detected electrostatic capacitance and a base value, the base value being an electrostatic capacitance when no object is close to the detection surface, and wherein the reset processing includes resetting the base value.

15 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program causing a computer to execute the control method of an input device according to claim 8 .

Assignees

• Alps Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakajima Satoshi
• Hayasaka Satoshi
• Kitagawa Kohei

Classifications

• G06F3/0418 Primary

  for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment · CPC title

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F2203/04108

  Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction · CPC title

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F3/0362

  with detection of one-dimensional [1D] translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts · CPC title