Tdk Corporation

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Fujitsu Ten Limited

Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Masahiko Ishizone

Naoya Hasegawa

Masamichi Saito

Yosuke Ide

Kazumasa Nishimura

Eiji Umetsu

Ryo Nakabayashi

Hideki Gochou

Takashi Sato

Motoki Hirayama

Shuji Yanagi

Yukihiro Gorai

Takuya Seino

Masafumi Kaneko

Hisayuki Yazawa

Toru Takahashi

Fumihito Koike

Hisanobu Okawa

Hiroyuki Yanai

Kiyoshi Hamatani

Motoya Jiyama

Nobuyuki Batou

Naoki Sugamoto

Kohji Miyazato

Ayako Otsuka

Sadaharu Yamamoto

Naoya Hasegawn

A pressure sensor includes a diaphragm on a silicon substrate and a plurality of piezoelectric element areas that change in resistance according the distortion of the diaphragm. The plurality of piezoelectric element areas of the pressure sensor include a first piezoelectric element area, a second piezoelectric element area, a third piezoelectric element area, and a fourth piezoelectric element area. The diaphragm has a maximum deflection area whose stress becomes 80% or more of a maximum stress when distorted by a predetermined pressure. The first piezoelectric element area, the second piezoelectric element area, the third piezoelectric element area, and the fourth piezoelectric element area are disposed in the maximum deflection area.

Pressure sensor

An input device includes a position detection sensor capable of detecting an input operation position of an operation body on an operation surface, a load detection sensor capable of detecting a load in the input operation position, and a control unit capable of executing offset calibration to correct an offset of an output of the load detection sensor based on input operation information resulting from an output of the position detection sensor.

Input device and control method using input device

An input device includes a capacitance type touch panel sensor configured to detect positional coordinates of multiple pressing points that are simultaneously pressed on an operation face, load detection sensors configured to detect barycentric coordinates of and a barycentric load on the pressing points, and a controller configured to calculate loads on the pressing points on the basis of the positional coordinates of, the barycentric coordinates of, and the barycentric load on the pressing points.

Input device and method for detecting loads on multiple points using the input device

There is provided an input device including: means for performing zero point correction on the sensor outputs of the load sensors when an absolute value of an amount of output change of each load sensor is not more than a predetermined threshold a during a certain period of measurement time; means for calculating position data and calculating a total load Z of the load sensors by using the sensor outputs; means for determining that the calculation data pieces are normal when the absolute value |dZ/dt| of the amount of change in the total load Z is not more than the threshold &#x3b2;; means for determining that an input is present in the calculation data pieces when the absolute value |Z| of the total load is not less than the threshold &#x3b3;; and means for removing a predetermined number of first and last data pieces in the calculation data pieces.

Input device and display apparatus

A display device according to an embodiment includes a touch panel, a plurality of detecting units, a blocking unit, and a calculating unit. The display device is incorporated in a vehicle, and the touch panel receives a pressing operation. The plurality of detecting units detect a pressure value on the touch panel.

Display device

An operation body is oscillatably supported by a fulcrum member. One side of the operation body is in contact with a projection of an actuator of a pressing force sensor, and a preload is applied to another side of the operation body by a compression coil spring as a preloading elastic member. By the preload, a detection output of the pressing force sensor is set at a neutral point. An operating force by which the one side of the operation body is pressed and an operating force by which the other side of the operation body is pressed can be distinctly detected with the single pressing force sensor.

Pressing force input device

A sensor substrate includes a plurality of piezoresistance elements. The electrical resistance of each piezoresistance element changes in accordance with an amount of displacement of a displacement portion displaced by an external load applied through a pressure receiving unit. A base substrate supports the sensor substrate. The sensor substrate and the base substrate each include a support supporting the displacement portion such that the displacement portion can be displaced and a plurality of electrically connecting portions electrically connected to the plurality of piezoresistance elements. The supports of the sensor and base substrates are joined to each other and the plurality of electrically connecting portions of the sensor and base substrates are joined to each other. Furthermore, in each of the sensor and base substrates, either the support or the plurality of electrically connecting portions or both extend to the periphery of the sensor substrate or the base substrate.

Force sensor and method of manufacturing the same

A tunneling magnetic sensing element includes a pinned magnetic layer whose magnetization direction is pinned in one direction, an insulating barrier layer disposed on the pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer whose magnetization direction varies in response to an external magnetic field disposed on the insulating barrier layer, and a first protective layer composed of iridium-manganese (IrMn) disposed on the free magnetic layer. Consequently, a high rate of change in resistance is obtained and the magnetostriction of the free magnetic layer is low, compared with a tunneling magnetic sensing element which is not provided with a first protective layer.

Tunneling magnetic sensing element including free magnetic layer and IrMn protective layer disposed thereon and method for manufacturing the same

A tunneling magnetic detecting element includes an insulating barrier layer having a layered structure including a Ti&#x2014;O sublayer and a Ta&#x2014;O sublayer. The Ta concentration in the insulating barrier layer is set to be more than 0 at % but not more than about 7 at % with respect to a total of 100 at % of Ti and Ta constituting the insulating barrier layer.

Tunneling magnetic detecting element having insulation barrier layer and method for making the same

A tunneling magnetic sensor includes a pinned magnetic layer of which the magnetization is pinned in one direction, an insulating barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer of which the magnetization is varied by an external magnetic field, these layers being arranged in that order from the bottom. A first protective layer made of magnesium (Mg) is disposed on the free magnetic layer. The tunneling magnetic sensor has a larger change in reluctance as compared to conventional magnetic sensors including no first protective layers or including first protective layers made of Al, Ti, Cu, or an Ir&#x2014;Mn alloy. The free magnetic layer has lower magnetostriction as compared to free magnetic layers included in the conventional magnetic sensors.

Tunneling magnetic sensor including free magnetic layer and magnesium protective layer disposed thereon

A tunneling magnetic sensor includes a platinum layer between a pinned magnetic layer and an insulating barrier layer. The platinum layer can probably vary the barrier height (potential height) and barrier width (potential width) of the insulating barrier layer to reduce the absolute value of VCR, thus providing higher operating stability than known tunneling magnetic sensors. In addition, the insulating barrier layer can achieve increased flatness at its bottom interface (where the insulating barrier layer starts to be formed). The tunneling magnetic sensor can therefore provide a higher rate of resistance change (&#x394;R/R) at low RA than known tunneling magnetic sensors.

Tunneling magnetic sensor including platinum layer and method for producing the same

A tunneling magnetic sensing element including an Mg&#x2014;O insulating barrier which can maintain favorable soft-magnetic properties of a free magnetic layer and can have a high resistance change ratio (&#x394;R/R) compared to known tunnel magnetic sensing elements is disclosed, and a method of manufacturing such a tunneling magnetic sensing element is also disclosed. An enhance layer (second magnetic layer) composed of CoFehaving a Fe composition ratio X of about 30 to 100 at % is disposed on the Mg&#x2014;O insulating barrier. With this, the magnetostriction &#x3bb; of the free magnetic layer can be reduced and the resistance change ratio (&#x394;R/R) can be increased.

Tunneling magnetic sensing element having free layer containing CoFe alloy

A tunneling magnetic sensing element is provided, in which an increase in the magnetostriction of a free magnetic layer is reduced and the rate of change in resistance is high. A laminate Tconstituting the tunneling magnetic sensing element includes a portion in which a pinned magnetic layer, a barrier layer, and a free magnetic layer are disposed in that order from the bottom. An enhancing layer disposed on the barrier layer side of the free magnetic layer includes a first enhancing layer on the barrier layer side and a second enhancing layer on the soft magnetic layer side, and the Fe content of a CoFe alloy constituting the first enhancing layer is specified to be larger than the Fe content of the CoFe alloy of the second enhancing layer.

Tunneling magnetic sensing element including enhancing layer having high Fe concentration in the vicinity of barrier layer

A tunnel-type magnetic detecting element is provided. The tunnel-type magnetic detecting element includes a first ferromagnetic layer; an insulating barrier layer; and a second ferromagnetic layer. The first ferromagnetic layer, the second ferromagnetic layer, or both have a Heusler alloy layer contacting the insulating barrier layer. Equivalent planes represented by {110} surfaces, are preferentially oriented parallel to a film surface in the Heusler alloy layer. The insulating barrier layer is formed of MgO and the equivalent crystal planes represented by the {100} surfaces or the equivalent crystal planes represented by the {110} surfaces are oriented parallel to the film surface.

Tunnel-type magnetic detecting element and method of manufacturing the same

A magnetic sensing element is described, including a multilayer film including a pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer disposed on the pinned magnetic layer with a nonmagnetic layer therebetween, wherein a current flows perpendicular to the surfaces of the individual layers of the multilayer film. The nonmagnetic layer is composed of Cu and has a face-centered cubic lattice crystal structure in which the {111} planes are preferentially oriented in a direction parallel to the surfaces of the layer. At least one of the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer includes a CoMn(GeSn) alloy layer, the subscript x satisfying the range of 0.2&#x2266;x&#x2266;0.8; and the CoMn(GeSn) alloy layer has a body-centered cubic lattice crystal structure in which the {110} planes are preferentially oriented in a direction parallel to the surfaces of the layer.

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Niigata-ken, Japan

Masahiko Ishizone