Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Kunio Sato

Masahiro Soma

Yoshihisa Endo

Masahiro Takata

A sensor unit is configured to have an insulating case covering a mobile phone, a conductive substrate provided on the inner surface of the case, and a sensor electrode fixed on the surface of the conductive substrate. When a part of the human body of a user, such as a finger or a hand of the user, touches the surface of the case, a detection unit detects a change in capacitance provided between the human body and the conductive substrate. When it is determined that the user has touched the mobile phone, an activation signal is output and the operation mode of the mobile phone is set to a normal power mode in which power is automatically supplied. With this configuration, the operability of the mobile phone can be improved.

Power-control device, electronic apparatus including the same, and method for activating electronic apparatus

A capacitive input device, capable of stably adjusting the sensitivity of a counter electrode to improve the operability of the input device, and of improving the appearance of an electric apparatus is provided. In the input device, a conductive material is arranged between a counter electrode and an inner surface of a casing.

Input device

An input device capable of easily achieving a high performance is provided. The input device includes an input unit in which an input detecting unit of an electrostatic sensor is disposed on an input portion and an illumination unit in which an illumination portion is disposed on a rear surface of the input portion of the input unit. The input detecting unit of the electrostatic sensor is formed such that it can perform instruction display by illuminating light from the illumination unit.

An input device is provided. The input device includes an input electrostatic sensor having an input electrode. A noise detection electrostatic sensor has a noise detection electrode disposed on a periphery of the input electrostatic sensor. A control unit is operable to receive an output signal from the input electrostatic sensor and a noise output signal from the noise detection electrostatic sensor and is operable to compare the output signal with the noise output signal to detect a noise component. The control unit is operable to discriminate the output signal and the noise output signal and is operable to control an input operation based on the output signal.

A variable capacitance unit is formed between one portion of a human body and an opposed electrode facing it through a casing of a robot toy (electronic device) when the one portion of the human body such as a hand or a finger approaches the surface of the casing of the robot. Since the capacitance of the variable capacitance unit varies according to the facing area and the facing distance of the one portion of the human body and the opposed electrode, it is possible to detect the one portion of the human body approaching or touching the robot toy by detecting this change. Since the opposed electrode forming the touch sensor can be provided within the casing, the touch sensor cannot be seen directly from the outside of the robot toy.

Electronic device having touch sensor

An input apparatus having a reduced-size electrostatic sensor that can precisely detect an input and then output a signal and, thus, has excellent responsiveness and reliability contains the following: clock signal generating means for generating clock signals; delaying means for generating delayed signals by delaying the signal rise time of the clock signal according to the capacitance detected when a human appendage approaches or contacts the electrostatic sensor; AND means for receiving the clock signal and the delayed signal as input signals and then outputting these signals as an output signal; and smoothing means for smoothing and outputting the output of the analog switch.

Growing community of inventors

Fukushima-ken, Japan

Kunio Sato