Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Katsutoshi Suzuki

Kinji Asaka

Akio Nishijima

Yasuichi Ono

Shinichi Higuchi

Yasuhiko Iwane

Masahiko Mori

Masaru Komatsu

Yuji Inada

Naoya Iwama

Yuko Sonoda

Katsuji Suzuki

Seiichi Suga

Takenobu Horino

Tetsuya Mitsuishi

Hiroo Sonoda

Koichi Saito

Syoji Suganami

Mitsuo Yoshida

A power generation input device includes a rotational magnet body that has a magnet, an N-pole member placed near the N pole of the magnet, and an S-pole member placed near the S-pole of the magnet, the rotational magnet body being supported so as to be rotatable around a rotational center line; a magnetic member; coils; and a manipulation body. The N-pole member has an N-pole end, which extends in a direction more away from the rotational center line than the end of the magnet. The S-pole member has an S-pole end, which extends in a direction more away from the rotational center line than the end of the magnet. The N-pole end and S-pole end are oppositely disposed in a plane parallel to the rotational center line with a gap intervening between them, the gap extending in a direction inclined with respect to the rotational center line.

Power generation input device

First and second opposing ends are formed in a magnetic path forming member on which a power generation coil is wound. A rotating body has a permanent magnet, a first magnetization member and a second magnetization member. When an operating force does not act on an operating member, an end surface of the first magnetization member is opposed to the first opposing end via a gap and an end surface of the second magnetization member is opposed to the second opposing end via a gap. When the operating member is pressed, the rotating body rotates and when the force to the operating member is released, the operating member and the rotating body return. Since the rotating body and the magnetic path forming member do not come into contact with each other, the force required to operate the operating member is relatively weak and large electromotive force can be obtained.

Power generation input device and electronic-apparatus using the power generation input device

A display device of this embodiment includes a first insulating substrate having a display surface; a first resistive layer disposed on a surface of the first insulating substrate, the surface being opposite the display surface; a first electrochromic layer disposed on a surface of the first resistive layer; an electrolyte layer disposed on a surface of the first electrochromic layer; and a plurality of first electrodes connected to the first resistive layer. In the display device, a voltage is applied to the plurality of first electrodes so that a voltage gradient is generated in an in-plane direction of the first resistive layer.

Display device

A display device includes a pair of insulating substrates facing each other, electrochromic elements, and an electrolyte layer. A plurality of electrodes constituting the electrochromic elements are disposed on an inner surface of one of the insulating substrates so as to be spaced from each other. One of the insulating substrates is formed of a flexible member whose outer surface is an input operation surface. A pair of counter electrodes of an input element are disposed between the pair of insulating substrates, the counter electrodes being spaced from the electrodes of the electrochromic elements when viewed in plan. An input operation is performed by bringing the counter electrodes close to each other or bringing the counter electrodes into contact with each other through pressing of the input operation surface.

A polymer actuator includes: a pair of electrode layers made of an ionic liquid, a polymer, and carbon nanoparticles; and an electrolyte layer provided between the pair of electrode layers, wherein the carbon nanoparticles are a mixture of carbon nanotubes (hereinafter, referred to as CNTs) and carbon nanohorns (hereinafter, referred to as CNHs), a ratio by weight of the carbon nanoparticles to the total weight of the ionic liquid, the polymer, and the carbon nanoparticles contained in the pair of electrodes is equal to or higher than 25 wt % and equal to or lower than 80 wt %, a mixing ratio of the CNTs to the CNHs contained in the carbon particles is in a range of (CNT):(CNH)=1:1 to 3:1, and a ratio by weight of the polymer is equal to or higher than 17.7 wt % and equal to or lower than 30.2 wt %.

Polymer actuator

An exciting device capable of producing sound by sound-producing vibration body of a main body of an apparatus is provided. An exciting memberA thin and long in the direction X is provided on a vibration substratethin and long in the direction X. Both ends of the exciting memberA are fixed to the vibration substrate. Further, a piezoelectric elementthat functions as vibration generating means is provided in the middle in the direction X of the exciting memberA. The vibration substrateis directly or indirectly fixed to the sound-producing vibration body. Vibration of the exciting memberA is transmitted to the sound-producing vibration body through the vibration substrateso that the sound-producing vibration body produces sound.

Exciting device

An input device which provides excellent operability and reaction to a user, and which can be easily operated. The device comprises a casing, an operation unit supported parallel-movably in a direction along one surface of the casing, having a member to return to an initial position when the operation unit is not operated, and a signal generation portion which detects moving direction and moving amount of the operation unit, and generates a control signal to control moving direction and moving amount of an object to be operated on an image display device, in accordance with the detected moving direction and moving amount.

Input device

An input device and detection device each have separate electrodes with one electrode for detecting input in a vertical direction and a plurality of electrodes for detecting input in a horizontal direction. An elastic body has a conductive portion opposite to the electrodes with a thin portion opposite to the vertical-detection electrode. A storage depressed portion is formed on the thin portion. A space between the elastic body and the electrodes changes by input. A slider is connected to the elastic body and is movable only in a horizontal direction, a hard pressing body stored in the storage depressed portion of the elastic body, and a key top opposite to the pressing body and vertically movable. When the slider is moved horizontally, the elastic body deforms and the space between the conductive portion of the elastic body and the horizontal-detection electrodes changes, and when the key top is pressed, the thin portion of the elastic body deforms through the pressing body and the space between the thin portion and the vertical-detection electrode changes.

Capacitance change-based input device and detection device

An input device for a personal computer or the like has an elastic member, a slider horizontally movable on the elastic member, and a key top operatively connected to the elastic member through the slider. The elastic member has a coupling portion provided with a flange which vertically movably fits in a fit hole formed in the slider. A horizontal movement of the key top causes the wall of the fit hole of the slider to press the flange, which in turn causes deformation of the flange and of the movable electrode, with the result that the size of the gap and, hence, capacitive value between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode are changed, whereby the direction of movement of the key top is detected with a high degree of accuracy.

A operation member drives an X encoder and a Y encoder. According to the output pulses of both encoders, a figure displayed on a screen moves or rotates. When a finger touches a touch-sensitive switch immediately after the operation member is operated, the figure continues moving or rotating on the screen at the same speed as the operation speed at which the operation member was operated. When the finger is released from the touch-sensitive switch, the figure stops moving or rotating. When the touch-sensitive switch is again touched, the figure resumes moving or rotating.

Data input apparatus

When one of rollers Xa and Xb rotating about the X axis rotates, an image on the screen moves in the X direction; when both rollers rotate in the same direction at the same time, the image rotates about the X axis; and when both rollers rotate in opposite directions to each other at the same time, the image rotates about the Z axis. With rollers Ya and Yb, movement in the X direction, rotation about the Y axis, and rotation about the Z axis can be input. When a roller Za rotates, the image moves in the Z direction. With the above structure, movement data and rotational data in the three-dimensional space can be input.

There is provided a track ball type data input apparatus which can input data showing the movement in the direction vertical to the image or the rotation around the axis vertical to the image and visually and easily assures the operation flexibility in the threedimensional inputs. In this apparatus, the first encoder and the second encoder are driven by rotating the spherical manipulator called a track ball and the pulse outputs obtained from the encoders cause an object displayed in the image to move or rotate. When the attitude sensor detects inclination of the body case, the coordinate axes are rotated depending on the direction and angle of inclination and are then converted. Thereby the object can be moved or rotated with reference to the converted coordinate axes. Moreover, the moving operation control mode and rotating operation control mode can be switched by manipulating the mode switching button.

According to the present invention there is provided an input device not requiring a flat operating surface, easy to operate, and capable of being used with a feeling more accurately matching the human sense. The input device indicated at 1 comprises a case having a bottom a bottom surface having the shape of a cubic curve, two angular velocity sensors housed within the case, a signal processing section for converting sensor output into control signals, and selecting switches. The first angular velocity sensor, whose central axis is fixed along Z axis, detects rotation in a horizontal plane of the input device. The second angular velocity sensor, whose central axis is fixed along X axis, detects rotation in a vertical plane in the longitudinal direction of the input device.

In a data input device, an X-encoder 2 and a Y-encoder 3 are driven by a track ball 1 called a track ball and pulse outputs can be obtained from the respective encoders. Switches SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4 are disposed around the track ball 1. When the track ball 1 is rolled about a Z-axis by a finger F while depressing a peripheral portion of the track ball 1 with the finger F, the finger F successively touches the switches SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4. At the time, since the outputs from the X-encoder 2 and the Y-encoder 3 are converted into data on a Z-axis coordinate in response to the outputs from the switches, data about the Z-axis can be input. With this arrangement, the data input device can input Z-axis coordinate data which cannot be input by prior art track ball type data input devices.

Data input device

A thermal printer that performs thermal printing by employing a commonly-used thermo-sensitive recording sheet. In the thermal printing, a thermal head starts heating the recording sheet from the back side of a base that covers a recording surface in order to print, so that the recorded information is effectively hidden from view. When the thermal printer performs thermal printing by using a two layer thermo-sensitive recording sheet, high quality images with sharp edges can be reliably recorded. The thermal printer uses two types of thermo-sensitive sheets to perform thermal recording. When the first type of thermo-sensitive recording sheet is used, a heating control device is switched to a reversed or inverted image heating control mode causing the thermal head to start heating the recording sheet from a carrier sheet side of the first type of thermo-sensitive recording sheet that has not yet undergone a change in color to a recording material of the sheet, whereby the recording material undergoes a change in color, resulting in the recording of images with their sides reversed or inverted.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi-ken, Japan

Katsutoshi Suzuki