The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 05, 2013
Filed:
May. 26, 2009
Ikuyasu Miyako, Miyagi-ken, JP;
Ikuyasu Miyako, Miyagi-ken, JP;
Alps Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An operation feeling giving input device includes an operation member that is displaced to an arbitrary operational position according to the operation of an operator, actuators that change the operational position of the operation member separately from the operation of the operator by applying an operational force to the operation member, operational position detecting means that detects the operational position of the operation member, storage means that stores information about display areas of buttons displayed on a predetermined display screen, and control means. The control means outputs a control signal for displaying a pointer on a display screen at an indicated position corresponding to the operational position of the operation member on the basis of the operational position of the operation member, and drives the actuators so that the operational position of the operation member is changed to generate a lead-in force that moves the pointer toward the inside of the buttons displayed on the display screen. If the length of a display area of the button in a vertical direction is different from the length of the display area of the button in a horizontal direction, the control means calculates the magnitude of the lead-in force on the basis of a relative relationship between the indicated position of the pointer and any one of vertical and horizontal virtual central axes extending in the longitudinal direction through a central position of the display area.