Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Junji Hashida

Toru Takahashi

Toru Sawada

Atsushi Matsuda

Yoshifumi Masumoto

Minoru Sato

Akihiro Takeda

Koji Tsukamoto

Suguru Wada

Shinichi Higuchi

Tomoyuki Yamai

Takenobu Horino

Sadakazu Shiga

An input device includes an input detection unit including a circuit board, an electrostatic electrode on the circuit board for capacitance detection, a light source on the circuit board, a light guide plate provided on the lower side with respect to an operation surface and the upper side with respect to the electrostatic electrode and having a first side surface that faces the light source and a second side surface that does not face the light source, and a frame-shaped light shielding member surrounding the light guide plate and having a light shielding wall in contact with the second side surface. The neighboring first and second side surfaces of the light guide plate form an obtuse angle, the first side surface is perpendicular to upper and lower surfaces of the light guide plate, the second side surface slopes to face downward, and the light shielding wall slopes to face upward.

Input device

In an input device capable of reliably detecting, when an operator brings an operating body close to or into contact with an operation plane, absolute position information irrespective of a contact area size, third electrode arrays are disposed closer to the operation plane relative to second electrode arrays in a normal direction of the operation plane, the second electrode arrays have a portion protruding from the corresponding third electrode arrays when viewed in the normal direction, and assuming that a change amount of electrostatic capacitance between first and third electrode arrays occurred by an operation of the operating body is denoted by &#x394;C1 and a change amount of electrostatic capacitance between the first and second electrode arrays occurred by an operation of the operating body is denoted by &#x394;C2, a position of the operating body in the normal direction is calculated based on a ratio &#x394;C1/&#x394;C2.

An input device manufacturing method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a lamination step of preparing a first substrate formed from a flat plate of a translucent synthetic resin, a second substrate formed from a flat plate of a translucent synthetic resin, and a sensor film formed from a translucent resin film on which a translucent electrode is disposed, and holding the sensor film between the first substrate and the second substrate to form a flat multilayer body; and a bending step of bending the flat multilayer body into a curved multilayer body retaining a curved shape. Thus, the input device can secure sufficient adhesion between the substrates and the sensor film, and can retain high detection accuracy with the sensor film.

Input device manufacturing method and input device

An input device includes a translucent base material having flexibility, translucent first electrode parts arranged in a sensing region on the base material in a first direction, translucent second electrode parts arranged in the sensing region on the base material in a second direction crossing the first direction, and lead wires that are electrically continuous to the first electrode parts and second electrode parts, the lead wires extending from the sensing region on the base material to a peripheral region allocated outside the sensing region. A bent portion is provided in the peripheral region on the base material. Each lead wire has a flexible conductive member on the bent portion. A covering material is provided so as cover at least part of the flexible conductive member on the base material.

An input apparatus includes a sensor film having a first curved surface and a second curved surface, the first curved surface being light-transmissive and provided in a detection area in which a sensor is formed, the second curved surface being provided in a non-detection area other than the detection area and having a radius of curvature smaller than a radius of curvature of the first curved surface; a resin layer provided on the sensor film and formed of a material containing a light-transmissive resin; and an extension-suppression layer provided in the detection area in the sensor film, the extension-suppression layer suppressing an extension amount of the detection area in the sensor film to be smaller than an extension amount of the non-detection area in the sensor film.

Input apparatus and manufacturing method of input apparatus

First and second substrates are disposed to face each other and allowed to approach each other. A plurality of first electrodes are formed on the first substrate. A plurality of second electrodes are formed on the second substrate and face the respective first electrodes. A facing electrode pair is constituted by each of the first electrodes and a corresponding one of the second electrodes. A switching unit causes each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes to be connected to a driving unit or a detecting unit and switches between a first detection state in which a distance change between each of the first electrodes and a corresponding one of the second electrodes is detected and a second detection state in which the coordinates of a position that an operating body approaches or touches are determined in accordance with detection outputs from the facing electrode pairs.

Capacitive input device having two detection modes

An input device manufacturing method includes: a first process in which, in a state in which a sensor film is inserted into a die, the sensor film having a detection area and a non-detection area other than the detection area, the detection area and the non-detection area constituting the sensor, as well as a first surface formed into a curved surface and a second surface positioned opposite to the first surface, a material that includes a synthetic resin having a translucent property is poured into the die to form a resin layer on the same side as the second surface; and a second process in which a decorative film having a decorative area that covers the non-detection area is pasted to the first surface with an adhesive layer intervening between the decorative film and the first surface.

Input device manufacturing method

As an input device capable of suppressing the occurrence of an optical issue and of achieving sufficient strength even if the input device is thin, an input device is provided which includes a first substrate formed into a light-transmissive curved surface and having optical isotropy or uniform optical uniaxial anisotropy in plane, a first electrode layer disposed on a surface of the first substrate, a second electrode layer opposing the first electrode layer, and a space adjusting resin layer disposed between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, being light-transmissive, and having optical isotropy.

Input device and input device manufacturing method

A light-transmitting substrate configuring an input device has a light-transmitting region where electrode parts and light-transmitting wiring parts are formed, and a light-non-transmitting region where light-non-transmitting wiring parts are formed. The light-transmitting region surrounded by an upper end side, both lateral sides, and a bonding boundary part (bend part) is bonded to a panel. The light-non-transmitting region of the substrate is bent inward of a housing from the bonding boundary part (bend part) as a start point, and is connected to a circuit board. The light-transmitting wiring parts are formed of a flexible light-transmitting conductive material layer, and hence the substrate can be bent in the light-transmitting region.

Input device having bent portion in substrate with large light-transmitting region

An input device that enables wires to be bent together with a base material without deteriorating translucency and conductivity of the wires has: a base material having translucency and flexibility; first electrode parts and second electrode parts, both having translucency, that are provided in a sensing region on the base material; and lead wires that are electrically continuous to the first electrode parts and second electrode parts, the lead wires extending, on the base material, from the sensing region to a peripheral region. A bent portion is provided in the peripheral region on the base material. Each lead wire has a flexible laminated body provided on the bent portion. The flexible laminated body has a first amorphous ITO layer provided on the base material, a conductive layer provided on the first amorphous ITO layer, and a second amorphous ITO layer provided on the conductive layer.

Input device with one directional lead wiring

An input device includes a light-transmissive panel made of synthetic resin, an electrode layer, a decorative layer disposed on an inner surface of the panel, and an inner resin layer disposed on a surface of the decorative layer. The inner resin layer has a connection pattern on a surface thereof. The connection pattern is in electrical communication with the electrode layer. The input device further includes a flexible printed circuit board joined to the surface of the inner resin layer by thermocompression bonding.

Input device having flexible circuit board

A first planar input unit includes a transparent first substrate and a transparent second substrate that are stacked on each other. On an electrode formation surface of the first substrate, transparent Y-driving electrodes and transparent shielding layers are formed. On an electrode formation surface of the second substrate, X-driving electrodes and first detection electrodes are formed. At the rear of the first substrate, a display unit, such as a liquid crystal panel, is provided. Since the shielding layers are located between the display unit and the first detection electrodes, a change in the potential of the first detection electrodes is prevented from being adversely affected by noise emitted from the display unit.

The present invention relates to a multi-directional input unit. A thin plate-type operating member having an elastic force is fixed to any one of first and second keytops, and the first and second keytops are elastically urged to a predetermined height whereby a reliable click is generated. A portion of an outer peripheral portion of an operating member is mounted on a fixing plate, a first operating portion or a second operating portion is fixed to either the first or second keytops, the first and second keytops are elastically urged to a predetermined height from the fixing plate, and when either of the first and second keytop are pressed down, either of the dome-shaped first and second keytops are inverted, whereby a switch portion is operated.

Multi-directional input unit

A multidirectional input device is provided. A multidirectional input device includes a keytop capable of moving up and down through pressing. A membrane switch that has a plurality of switch elements and is arranged on the side that faces the reverse side of said key top. A plurality of domed switch operating assembly arranged above said plurality of switch elements are capable of switching on said switching elements. The plurality of switch operating assemblies are connected with strip-shaped joint portions to be integrated. Upon pressing the key top, at least one of said plurality of switch operating assemblies is pressed, and thereby at least one of said plurality of switch elements can be switched on.

Growing community of inventors

Niigata-ken, Japan

Junji Hashida