Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Kazuhito Oshita

Daisuke Takai

Takeshi Masaki

Satoru Takizawa

Takashi Sasaki

Toshiki Nakamura

Naoyuki Hatano

Yuzuru Kawana

Masahiro Takata

Hajime Shikata

Wataru Sato

Masafumi Takagi

Masaru Komatsu

Hiroshi Shigetaka

Kunio Sato

Hiroaki Takahashi

Manabu Tenjin

Toshio Kawano

An electrostatic input device includes a capacitance detector that is disposed at an operation part to be operated by a living body, and is configured to detect capacitance; and a controller that is formed of an integrated circuit, and is configured to transition the capacitance detector to an activated state in response to an increment in the capacitance detected by the capacitance detector reaching or exceeding a first predetermined value a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period in a case in which the capacitance detector is in a standby state and no contact with the living body is detected.

Electrostatic input device

A door handle apparatus to be attached to a door of a vehicle is provided. The door handle apparatus includes a case, a strain body, and an elastic mechanism. The case includes an outer case provided so as to face a vehicle exterior side and an inner case provided so as to face a vehicle interior side. The outer case and the inner case are integrated with each other. The strain body is provided in the case, has a sensor mounted on a middle portion between one end portion and an opposite end portion of the strain body, and the one end portion of the strain body is fixed to a portion on a center side of the inner case. The elastic mechanism uses an elastic force to press the opposite end portion of the strain body against a fixing portion at an end of the inner case.

Door handle apparatus

A control system includes a contact sensor configured to detect entry of an operation body into a recess formed between a door handle of a door handle apparatus and a body of the door handle apparatus by detecting contact between the operation body and an back face of the door handle, a force sensor configured to detect a force applied by the operation body to the door handle, and a controller configured to control operation of a door when the contact is detected by the contact sensor and the force is detected by the force sensor.

Control system, control apparatus, and control method

In a door handle sensor system, a door handle device includes an electrostatic sensor to detect the user with respect to a door handle, and a pressure sensor to detect the operating force applied to the door handle. A control device determines whether the position of an operation is in a first end section, a second end section, or a center section of the door handle, and controls an unlatched state based on the determination result and the value detected by the pressure sensor. The electrostatic sensor includes a first electrode including multiple first electrode parts and a second electrode including multiple second electrode parts arranged alternately with the first electrode parts. The first electrode part other than the endmost first electrode part in the first direction and the second electrode part other than the endmost second electrode part in the first direction are arranged in the center section.

Electrostatic input device and door handle sensor system

The electrostatic capacitance detecting device includes a first substrate; a detection electrode provided on a front-side surface of the first substrate to detect a proximity of an operating body to an operating face; a stray capacitance coupling conductor provided in a direction with respect to the first substrate, the direction being opposite to a direction of the detection electrode with respect to the first substrate; a first peripheral electrode provided on the front-side surface of the first substrate to surround the detection electrode; and a plurality of lateral electrodes provided side by side to surround the detection electrode, the plurality of lateral electrodes extending along a thickness direction of the first substrate and connected to each of the first peripheral electrode and the stray capacitance coupling conductor.

Detecting device and manufacturing method

A door handle, to be attached to a door, includes an outer case, an inner case integrated with the outer case, and a pressure detector configured to detect pressure applied to the inner case. The inner case includes a recess in proximity to an end portion in a longitudinal direction, and the pressure detector detects a displacement of a first inner wall surface on a center portion side of the inner case in the recess, caused by the pressure applied to the inner case.

Door handle apparatus and controller

A control system includes a contact sensor configured to detect contact between an operation body and a door handle, a force sensor configured to detect a force applied by the operation body to the door handle, and a controller configured to control opening or closing of a door when the contact is detected by the contact sensor and the force is detected by the force sensor.

A door handle including a capacitance sensor configured to detect an operation body is provided. The capacitance sensor includes a substrate formed of an insulator and having a surface, at least one first sensor electrode disposed on the surface of the substrate, a plurality of second sensor electrodes disposed on the surface of the substrate, and a controller. The number of the plurality of second sensor electrodes is greater than the number of the at least one first sensor electrode. The controller applies a voltage to the plurality of second sensor electrodes and detects a coordinate position of the operation body, in a case where a capacitance between the operation body and the at least one first sensor electrode is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

Door handle

A force sensor includes a substrate; a first electrode fixed to a first area on the substrate; a second electrode fixed to a second area different from the first area on the substrate, the second electrode extending to a position higher than the first electrode; a capacitance detecting unit configured to detect a capacitance corresponding to a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode; and an operation member including a contact area that is in contact with the second electrode. At least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is provided in plurality. The second electrode is elastically deformed by a load applied to the second electrode by an operation with respect to the operation member, and the distance between the second electrode and the first electrode changes according to an elastic deformation of the second electrode.

Force sensor including a capacitance detecting unit configured to detect a capacitance corresponding to a distance between a first electrode and a second electrode

An operation input device includes a substrate formed of an insulator, a plurality of detecting electrodes provided on a surface of the substrate, and a controller, wherein the controller detects capacitance generated between each of the detecting electrodes and an operation body when the operation body is positioned in proximity to the substrate, and determines that a gesture operation by the operation body is performed when a duration from when the capacitance becomes a first threshold or greater to when the capacitance becomes a second threshold or greater is a predetermined value or greater, or when a length in which the operation body is moved from when the capacitance becomes the first threshold or greater to when the capacitance becomes the second threshold or greater is a predetermined value or greater, the first threshold being a threshold for the capacitance, and the second threshold being greater than the first threshold.

Operation input device and door handle

An input device for detecting a change in capacitance in accordance with proximity of an object is provided. The input device includes: a sensor unit including multiple capacitive coupling parts formed between multiple driving electrodes and multiple sensing electrodes; a capacitance detector for detecting a capacitance value of each of the capacitive coupling parts; and a two-dimensional data generating unit for generating a two-dimensional data matrix consisting of the capacitance values of the capacitive coupling parts. When a target row or a target column in the two-dimensional data matrix matches a first pattern indicating that multiple capacitive coupling parts each having a capacitance value greater than a reference value are arranged consecutively, the input device updates the reference value.

Input device and control method thereof

There is provided an electrostatic input device including a plurality of electrodes, and receiving an input operation according to electrostatic capacitances generated between the plurality of electrodes and an object when the object comes close to a detection surface, the device including a variation detection unit configured to detect variations in the electrostatic capacitances, a determination unit configured to determine whether the object coming close to the detection surface is the fingertip or the palm on the basis of the variations detected by the variation detection unit, and a control unit configured to inhibit reception of an input operation on the detection surface for a predetermined period of time in a case where the determination unit determines that the object coming close to the detection surface is the palm.

When positions of three or more fingers are specified in a sensor unit, it is determined in a determination unit whether a non-fingertip is included in a group consisting of three or more fingers based on a relative position relationship among the three or more fingers. Also, when it is determined that the non-fingertip is included in the group consisting of the three or more fingers, an operation of one true fingertip included in the group consisting of the three or more fingers is identified by an operation identification unit.

Information processing device, method of identifying operation of fingertip, and program

An operation surface includes a pressing operation area and a sliding operation area. When a single operation body is detected in the pressing operation area by an operation position detection unit, an operation process is not performed if a first sliding movement amount of the operation body is equal to or less than a first threshold, and the operation process is performed if the first sliding movement amount is greater than the first threshold. When there is a plurality of operation bodies and at least one of them is detected in the pressing operation area, the operation process is not performed if a second sliding movement amount of the operation body is equal to or less than a second threshold, and the operation process is performed if the second sliding movement amount is greater than the second threshold. At this time, the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

Input device

In a case where a touch position is a peripheral portion, when spatial characteristics which correspond to an area and a length of a touch region exceed a first condition corresponding to a predetermined area and length, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a palm. When the spatial characteristics do not exceed the first condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a finger. In a case where a touch position is a central portion, when the spatial characteristics exceed a second condition corresponding to an area and a length that are larger than those of the first condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a palm. When the spatial characteristics do not exceed the second condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a finger.

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Miyagi-ken, Japan

Kazuhito Oshita