Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Shinichi Sagawai

Hirotoshi Terao

Hiroshi Kobayashi

Tatsumi Fujiyoshi

Kunio Sato

Kiyoshi Sasai

Satoshi Nakajima

Satoshi Hayasaka

Hiroshi Wakuda

Takashi Shirakawa

Tomoki Yamada

Takashi Goto

Ikuo Hibino

Ikuyasu Miyako

Toshifumi Nakatani

Hajime Suzuki

Hiroyoshi Zama

Eihin Setsu

Hisashi Hoshino

I Ka

Mitsuaki Yamazaki

Akihiro Takahashi

Shinichiro Kimura

Mitsuo Makino

Tomohiro Osumi

Kazuhiro Kamimura

An input apparatus includes an operating unit on which an input operation is performed by an operator, a detecting unit configured to detect the input operation performed on the operating unit, an actuator configured to impart vibration to the operating unit, and a control unit configured to supply a drive signal to the actuator according to a result of detection performed by the detecting unit. The control unit supplies, as the drive signal, a single pulse signal including a triangular wave or a sine wave and having a signal waveform in which a rising interval and a falling interval are asymmetric about a peak position to the actuator.

Input apparatus

An operation device includes a movable part having an operating surface on which a contact operation is performed by an living body, a vibration exciter attached to the movable part at a position other than the operating surface, and configured to excite the movable part in a first direction along the operating surface, and in a second direction intersecting the operating surface, a base part, and an elastic support, provided between the movable part and the base part, and configured to elastically support the movable part with respect to the base part. The movable part provides a tactile sensation to the living body making the contact operation when excited in the first direction by the vibration exciter, and generates a sound from the operating surface when excited in the second direction by the vibration exciter.

Operation device

An input device includes an operation panel member with an operation surface; a support member contacting a side face of the operation panel member to support the operation panel member, the side face being perpendicular to the operation surface of the operation panel member; and an actuator configured to vibrate the support member in a direction parallel to the operation surface. The support member contacts the operation panel member only at the side face, and the operation panel member vibrates in a direction parallel to the operation surface by transmission of a vibration of the support member from the side face to the operation panel member.

Input device

An input device according to an embodiment includes a first sensor electrode disposed on a substrate, a second sensor electrode which faces the first sensor electrode and which is capacitively coupled to the first sensor electrode, and a detection circuit which detects approach of an operation body to the second sensor electrode based on an electrostatic capacitance of the first sensor electrode.

A data configuration process is repeatedly performed at least twice, and a sum of a value obtained by multiplying a difference between a first temporary value (PA) of element data obtained by the first data configuration process and a second temporary value (PA) of the element data obtained by the second data configuration process by a predetermined proportionality coefficient &#x3b3; and the first temporary value (PA) is calculated for each of M sections Ato Aas values approximated to a convergence value of the element data. By this, the number of times the data configuration process is repeatedly performed is considerably reduced when compared with a case where a convergence value of element data is obtained by repeatedly performing the data configuration process a number of times.

Input device, element data configuration method, and program

A capacitance detection device includes a first voltage output circuit configured to output a first alternating current voltage supplied to a shield electrode provided proximate to a detection electrode, a second voltage output circuit configured to output a second alternating current voltage whose frequency and phase are the same as that of the first alternating current voltage and whose amplitude is less than that of the first alternating current voltage, and a current output circuit configured to output a driving current Is to the detection electrode so that the difference between the voltage of the detection electrode and the second alternating current voltage becomes smaller, and output a detection signal corresponding to the driving current. The second voltage output circuit outputs a second alternating current voltage whose amplitude is adjusted so that the driving current in the absence of the object proximate to the detection electrode.

Capacitance detection device for detecting capacitance between object proximate to detection electrode and the detection electrode and input device used for inputting information according to proximity of object

An input device includes a sensor that detects a degree of proximity of an object in each of one or more detection regions on an operation surface, generates one or more sets of detection data corresponding to the detection result for each of the detection regions, and thereby generates N sets of the detection data in total; and an element data generator that generates, based on the N sets of the detection data, M (M is a natural number greater than N) sets of element data indicating degrees of proximity of the object in M sections that virtually divide the operation surface. The element data generator is configured to repeat a data generation process at least two times.

Input device, element data generation method, and storage medium

Provided is a sine wave multiplication device of simple configuration, broad input signal level range, and minimal fluctuation in characteristics due to temperature. A signal component that corresponds to a product of an input signal Si and the third harmonic wave of a first square wave Wincluded in an output signal Su; and a signal component that corresponds to a product of the input signal Si and the fifth harmonic wave of the first square wave Wis canceled by: a signal component that corresponds to a product of the input signal Si and the fundamental wave of a second square wave Wincluded in an output signal Su; and a signal component that corresponds to a product of the input signal Si and the fundamental wave of a second square wave Wincluded in an output signal Su

Sine wave multiplication device and input device having the same

An input apparatus includes a sensor section configured to include a plurality of detection units, and to control positive and negative polarities of a detection signal at each detection position, a control unit configured to generate a group of combined detection signals in which polarity patterns are different from each other, and a signal reproduction unit configured to reproduce signal levels of a group of detection signals on the basis of a group of combined detection signals and a group of polarity patterns, in which at least some of the plurality of detection units differ in the number of detection positions, and the control unit selects the group of polarity patterns according to the number of detection positions so that the number of positive polarities and the number of negative polarities included in each of the polarity patterns are similar to each other.

Input apparatus, control method for input apparatus, apparatus and program causing computer to execute control method for input

Threshold values smaller than degrees of proximity of an object indicated by detection data at peak positions are set based on detection data of the peak positions at which a degree of proximity of the object is higher than that of surrounding detection positions. An evaluation value according to an area of a region on a detection surface occupied by a group of detection positions, including the peak positions, in which degrees of proximity of the object indicated by detection data are higher than the threshold values, is calculated, and it is determined whether the object in proximity to the peak position is a finger or a palm based on the evaluation value.

Input device, and method and program for controlling the same

A driving signal is applied to a plurality of driving electrodes using the driving matrix illustrated in FIG.A obtained by removing a row in which a sum of codes is greatest and a column having a transposition relationship with the row in a Hadamard matrix. Distribution of capacitance in intersection portions between a sensing electrode and a plurality of driving electrodes can be obtained using an inverse matrix of the driving matrix illustrated in FIG.B. Further, when decoding is performed using an extended matrix obtained by replacing '0' with '&#x2212;1' in FIG.B, it is possible to average noise and to improve an S/N ratio.

Capacitive sensing device

Disclosed is a disk label printer that includes a slot-in type optical disk driving mechanism and a printing mechanism integrated with each other, has a small size, and smoothly transfers optical disks. The disclosed disk label printer includes: a case that has a slot through which an optical disk is inserted or ejected formed therein; an optical disk driving mechanism that is provided in the case and writes and/or reads signals to and/or from the optical disk mounted to a disk mounting portion; and a printing mechanism that is provided in the case and includes a thermal head which prints a desired image on a label surface of the optical disk. The printing mechanism is provided on a transfer path of the optical disk toward the optical disk driving mechanism between the slot and the optical disk driving mechanism. The thermal head and a platen roller come into pressure contact with each other with the optical disk interposed therebetween on the transfer path, only when the optical disk is transferred during the driving of the printing mechanism. The thermal head and the platen roller are withdrawn from the transfer path so as to be separated from each other, when the optical disk is transferred during operations other than the driving of the printing mechanism.

Disk label printer

When forming an image by superimposing heat-sublimation inks of yellow, magenta and cyan and a heat-sublimation ink of black on each other, an energy to be applied to the heat-generating elements in printing with the black ink is controlled such that the print paper is not deformed thermally. Carriage travel speed in printing with the black ink is made faster than that in printing with the inks of the three colors, thereby preventing the thermal deformation of the paper from occurring. A transparent heat-melt ink is printed over an image formed with the heat-sublimation inks of the three colors, thereby maintaining the resultant print in good quality.

Thermal transfer recording method and thermal transfer printer

A thermal head which can effectively use a thin film ribbon as an ink ribbon, and take a relatively long edge distance. The thermal head has its object to maintain transferring property of the ink to a recording medium and to maintain high printing quality for a long period of time. A heating portion is formed from the top of a heat insulating layer to a slope of the common electrode side of the heat insulating layer, and a gap is formed on the common electrode. The ink ribbon is pressed into contact with the recording medium at a portion of low-temperature of the top of portion of the heat insulating layer falling outside the center portion of the heating portion where a pressure of the printer to the platen is mainly applied.

Thermal head

Disclosed is a thermal transfer printer which makes it possible to perform both recording using an ink ribbon coated with a hot melt ink and recording using an ink ribbon coated with a hot sublimation ink. In the thermal transfer printer, a thermal head mounted on a carriage is driven to thereby effect printing on printing paper while moving the carriage with the thermal head being held in press contact with a platen through the intermediation of an ink ribbon and printing paper, wherein the thermal transfer printer further comprises a control section which makes it possible to selectively switch, in accordance with a mode signal, between a first recording mode in which printing by hot melt transfer is effected on the printing paper by using a hot melt type ink ribbon as the ink ribbon and a second recording mode in which printing by hot sublimation transfer is effected on the printing paper by using a hot sublimation type ink ribbon as the ink ribbon.

Growing community of inventors

Miyagi-ken, Japan

Shinichi Sagawai