Object detecting device for detecting object using electromagnetic induction

Abstract

Provided is an object detecting device, which can detect the shape of or the distance from an object made of an electrically conductive or magnetic material, and which can detect the position indicated by an object made of an electrically-non-conductive/non-magnetic material, such as a finger. The object detecting device detects the shape of or the distance from an object to be measured, which is placed on a detection surface and made of an electrically conductive or magnetic material, by using an electromagnetic induction. The object detecting device includes a first loop wire group of a plurality of first loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane, a second loop wire group of a plurality of second loop wires () arranged in parallel on the same plane, and a spacer () for keeping the distance between them at a constant. The plurality of the second loop wires () are individually arranged in a direction perpendicular to the plurality of the first loop wires (). The object detecting device further includes a plurality of electromagnetic coupling portions for electromagnetically coupling the first loop wires and the second loop wires. A driver () drives the first loop wire group, and a detector () detects the change in the couplings of the electromagnetically coupling units from the second loop wire group.