Input device, terminal device, and computer-readable recording medium

• US 10,224,927 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hattori, Masashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Garcia, Santiago
• Application Number:
  US15/644,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20180062650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 341 33
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/94026 Automatic threshold calibration; e.g. threshold automatically adapts to ambient conditions or follows variation of input

Abstract

An input device, includes: a sensor that outputs an output value dependent on a pressing force; a determination unit that determines that a contacted place is pressed, based on the output value output from the sensor, in a case where a first output value is detected and subsequently a third output value that is less than the first output value and greater than a second output value that is less than the first output value is detected through the second output value; and an output unit that outputs a result determined by the determination unit.

Claims

1. An input device, comprising:

a sensor that outputs output values in a predetermined pattern when an object contacts and presses the sensor once;

a determination unit that determines, upon detecting the output values in the predetermined pattern, that the sensor was pressed once,

wherein the predetermined pattern comprises;

a first output value;

a second output value that follows the first output value and that is less than the first output value;

a third output value that follows the second output value and that is less than the first output value and greater than the second output value; and

an output unit that outputs a result determined by the determination unit.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor is a sensor among a plurality of sensors associated with a plurality of keys,

the determination unit determines, upon detecting the output values in the predetermined pattern, that a key corresponding to the sensor was pressed once, and

the output unit outputs a key code of the key determined to have been pressed once, by the determination unit.

3. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit detects the first output value using a first threshold, the second output value using a second threshold, and the third output value using the first threshold and a third threshold to determine that the sensor is pressed once.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the determination unit detects the third output value when a time when the output value is greater than or equal to the third threshold continues for a predetermined period of time to determine that the sensor is pressed once.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an electrostatic capacitance sensor or a pressure sensor.

6. A terminal device, comprising:

a plurality of sensors that are associated with a plurality of keys, wherein a sensor among the sensors outputs output values in a predetermined pattern when an object contacts and presses the sensor once;

a determination unit that determines that, upon detecting the output values in the predetermined pattern, a first key among the plurality of keys that corresponds to the sensor was pressed once,

wherein the predetermined pattern comprises;

a first output value;

a second output value that follows the first output value and that is less than the first output value;

a third output value that follows the second output value and that is less than the first output value and greater than the second output value;

an output unit that outputs a key code of the first key determined to have been pressed once, by the determination unit; and

an acceptance unit that accepts a key input based on the key code output form the output unit.

7. The terminal device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a display device that displays a keyboard including the plurality of keys; and

an input device provided on the display device with areas that correspond to the plurality of keys,

wherein;

the input device outputs the output values in the predetermined pattern when the object contacts and presses an area among the areas once,

the determination unit determines, upon detecting the output values in the predetermined pattern, that a second key among the plurality of keys corresponding to the area was pressed once, and

the output unit outputs the key code of the second key determined to have been pressed once, by the determined unit.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein an input control program that causes a computer to execute a process comprising:

determining that a sensor is contacted and pressed once upon detecting that the sensor outputs output values in a predetermined pattern,

wherein the predetermined pattern comprises;

a first output value;

a second output value that follows the first output value and that is less than the first output value; and

a third output value that follows the second output value and that is less than the first output value and greater than the second output value; and

outputting a determined result.