Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Sony Corporation

Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co., Ltd.

Masaki Sawada

Tamotsu Yamamoto

Hiroto Inoue

Hiroyasu Okada

Satoshi Yoshihara

Hiroaki Nishiono

Yukihiro Ishihara

Keiji Kaizaki

Hideki Takahashi

Hisanori Kusunoki

Jun Sato

Koji Tanabe

Hiroshi Matsui

Takumi Nishimoto

Hidenori Katsumura

Takefumi Inoue

Hisashi Watanabe

Masahisa Niwa

Takashi Aoki

Mitsuru Satou

Tetsuya Fukuda

Koji Ono

Takaya Nakamura

Katsuichi Minami

Kota Araki

Futoshi Matsui

Takahiro Nishimura

Tomonori Hasegawa

Toshihiro Konishi

Yasuhiro Yoritsune

Hirohito Suzuki

Yusuke Morinishi

Hiroyuki Hoshino

Toyokazu Yasui

Katsuyoshi Onda

Kohei Fudo

An input device includes a contact board, a rotary click cam, and fixed electrodes. The contact board is placed on a front surface of a touchscreen panel. The rotary click cam is provided rotatably around a rotational axis with respect to the contact board. The fixed electrodes are arranged on a lower surface of the contact board. The fixed electrodes are configured to, as the rotary click cam is operated, be switched from an electrically conductive state into an electrically non-conductive state, or vice versa. The fixed electrode includes a first shifted portion shifted by a first predetermined distance with respect to the fixed electrode. The fixed electrode includes a second shifted portion shifted by a second predetermined distance with respect to the fixed electrode.

Input device and input system

A press-type input device includes a first pressing member, a second pressing member, a base, and a holding member. The first pressing member has a pressure receiving surface and a first axis and is tiltable around the first axis. The second pressing member has a second axis and is tiltable around the second axis. The base includes a detection unit configured to detect a tilt of the second pressing member. The holding member is configured to hold, together with the base, the first pressing member and the second pressing member. A location of at least one of the first axis or the second axis is variable in accordance with a pushed location on the pressure receiving surface. When viewed in a direction vertical to the pressure receiving surface, the second axis and the detection unit do not overlap each other.

Press-type input device and press-rotate-type input device

An input device includes a housing, an operation unit, a vibrating body, a piezoelectric element, a picker, and a signal processing unit. The operation unit is movable relative to the housing. The vibrating body has elasticity. The vibrating body includes a first end partially fixed to the housing, and a second end provided so as to be vibratable. The piezoelectric element is provided to the vibrating body. The piezoelectric element is configured to convert vibration energy of the vibrating body into electrical energy as the vibrating body vibrates. The picker flicks the vibrating body to allow the vibrating body to vibrate in conjunction with the operation unit. The signal processing unit is configured to receive power generated by the piezoelectric element to operate and transmit, through wireless communications, detection information to be generated as the operation unit moves.

Input device

An input device has a first electrode, a second electrode, and a third electrode. The second electrode opposes to the first electrode while being spaced apart therefrom. The third electrode is spaced apart from the first electrode and rotatably or slidably provided relative to the second electrode. By the third electrode being brought into contact with or spaced apart from the second electrode, an electrical state between the first electrode and the second electrode changes. Based on this electrical change, a rotary manipulation or a slide manipulation is detected.

A multidirectional input device includes ring-shaped resistance element layer, first conductive layerand second conductive layershaping in arcs corresponding to resistance element layer, and knobhaving ring-shaped protruded sectionD. Resistance element layerhas at least a pair of electrodes and is formed on flexible insulating substrate. Protruded sectionD brings resistance element layerinto contact with first conductive layeror second conductive layerwhen the knob is tilted. When a given voltage is applied to the electrodes and the knob is tilted, resistance element layercomes in contact with first conductive layeror second conductive layer, so that an output signal of a high resolution concerning a tilt angle can be obtained. The output signal is supplied to a microprocessor and calculated, then an angle or a direction is detected and recognized.

Multidirectional input device and electronic apparatus comprising it

A resistive sheet includes a flexible cover sheet, a wiring part provided on the bottom face of the cover sheet, and ring, circular-arc, or spiral resistive layer connected to the wiring part. This resistive layer has an uneven bottom face. The resistive sheet also includes a spacer layer whose bottom face is disposed at a position lower than the resistive layer. The wiring part is sandwiched between the bottom face of the cover sheet and the spacer layer.

Resistive sheet, pressure-sensitive switch, and input device

There is provided a pressure sensitive switch including: a cover; a slide portion that is stored in the cover and is slidable by being pressed in a horizontal direction; a pressing unit including a pressure portion that has an inner side face brought into contact with the slide portion and can be moved by being pressed by the slide potion; a sheet resistive body that has an upper face brought into contact with the pressing unit; and a conductive plate that is disposed on the lower side of the sheet resistive body with a predetermined gap arranged therebetween. The slide portion is slidable within a horizontal plane, and the pressing portion presses the sheet resistive body by sliding the slide portion, and a resistance value between the sheet resistive body and the conductive plate changes in accordance with a change in a slide operation force for sliding the slide portion.

Pressure sensitive switch and input device using pressure sensitive switch

An input device has a circular arc resistive layer and a metal plate as a conductive layer that is faced to the circular arc resistive layer, and can detect a position operated by partial contact between them. The input device has an element unit where a linear insulating layer as a contact preventing unit for preventing both ends of the circular arc resistive layer from simultaneously coming into contact with the metal plate during operation is disposed on one end of the circular arc resistive layer.

A movable contact element includes a cover sheet to which a movable contact having a dome shape is bonded and which is stacked on a top surface of a pressure sensitive conductive sheet. The movable contact element is bonded to a top surface of a substrate having a fixed contact formed thereon, thereby forming a switch. Through the construction, it is possible to obtain the movable contact element, which has a simple construction and can perform various operations, and the switch using the same.

Movable contact element and switch using the same

A dispersion-type EL device includes a short-bar contact, a first insulating layer, a back electrode layer, a dielectric layer, a luminescent layer, and an optically transparent electrode layer, which are sequentially formed on a temporary substrate that has been processed with an exfoliation treatment. This configuration realizes a reduction in size in a thickness direction. Furthermore, an illuminated switch unit is provided, in which a dispersion-type EL device peeled off from a temporary substrate and a wiring board having a comb-like contact are connected to each other.

Dispersion-type EL device and illuminated switch unit using the same

An electronic device includes a pad which can detect an operating coordinate position by a touch operation, and a single push-switch provided under the pad. A touch operation to the pad at a given place allows a preliminary announcement of a function, and a further press-down of the pad being kept at the same position prompts the push-switch to work and determine the function preliminary announced. This structure allows excellent operability, and a single push-switch allows reducing the number of components of the operating section, so that the electronic device having these advantages is obtainable.

Electronic device

A neutral position returning mechanism includes an actuator, a spring member including plural elastic extending portions having spiral shapes identical to each other, and a case holding the spring member as to apply a stress to the elastic extending portions. The elastic extending portions extend spirally in a predetermined direction on a predetermined surface from the actuator as a center of each of the spiral shapes. The elastic extending portions extend from the actuator by equal angular intervals about the actuator. The neutral position returning mechanism provides an input device having a low profile.

Neutral position returning mechanism and input device using the same

An input device of the present invention includes a substantially ring-shaped resistor including two pair of electrodes projecting along a Y direction and an X direction orthogonal to the Y direction, a substantially ring-shaped conductor facing the resistor across a clearance, and a controller for successively applying a voltage between the pair of electrodes along the X direction and between the pair of electrodes along the Y direction when the resistor and the conductor contact each other due to pressing. The controller determines an angle which a pressed position makes with high precision, from one of a resultant vector of vectors that are directed in the respective X and Y directions and detected based on voltages output from the conductor when the voltage is applied in the X and Y directions, and a mean value of angles detected based on the conductor's output voltages.

Input device and method for detecting contact position

A switching device having a central actuator and two outer actuators disposed separately from the central actuator on two sides, wherein the central actuator is a cylindrical dial () supported rotatably and depressibly by a pair of spindle bearings () included in a base plate; the base plate () supporting the dial () is fitted in a frame; the outer actuators are pivotable in a direction approximately perpendicular to a direction in which the three actuators are arrayed and about a pivot approximately perpendicular to a direction in which operating surfaces of the outer acutators are pushed to press a contact () disposed on the frame; and each of the outer actuators has a to-be-supported piece () extending to a position where the outer actuator deviates from a lateral edge of the dial () in the rotating direction as viewed from the front. The outer actuator is pivotally attached at the end of the to-be-supported piece () to the frame () and has a center axis crossing the pair of spindle bearings of the central actuator.

Switching device

A hinge mechanism includes flangesA,B, and a swivel mechanism includes swiveling shaft. Springenergizes the swiveling mechanism. Resilient repulsion of springenergizes the swiveling mechanism to swivel toward either end of a swivelable range from a neutral position.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Masaki Sawada