Input device having coordinate-inputting unit and switching unit

• US 20050275627A1
• Filed: 06/08/2005
• Published: 12/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Soma, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

An input device is provided. The input device contains a face sheet, coordinate-inputting means opposing the lower portion of the face sheet, and switching means opposing the lower portion of the coordinate-inputting means. The face sheet, the coordinate-inputting means, and the switching means are laminated in a thickness direction. The coordinate-inputting means has X- and Y-direction electrodes opposing each other and arranged on both surfaces of a base sheet in a grid manner. The switching means has a substrate with a switch contact portions in a grid arrangement. The switch contact portions are switched by the inversion of invertible plates. Projections are disposed between the coordinate-inputting means and the invertible plates.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a face sheet;

coordinate-inputting means opposing a lower portion of the face sheet; and

switching means opposing a lower portion of the coordinate-inputting means, wherein

the face sheet, the coordinate-inputting means, and the switching means are laminated in a thickness direction;

the coordinate-inputting means comprises a plurality of X-direction electrodes and Y-direction electrodes opposing each other and arranged on both surfaces of a base sheet in a grid manner;

the switching means comprises a substrate having a plurality of switch contact portions in a grid arrangement, the switch contact portions being switched by the inversion of invertible plates; and

projections are disposed between the coordinate-inputting means and the invertible plates.

2. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

protrusions protruding upward from an upper surface of the face sheet at positions corresponding to the switch contact portions.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein

at least one of the plurality of projections and the plurality of protrusions is formed with an ultraviolet curable resin.

4. The input device according to claim 1, further comprising:

bonding means for fixing the coordinate-inputting means to the switching means disposed at intermediate positions between two adjacent switch contact portions and at positions outside an area where the switch contact portions are arranged in a grid manner.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the base sheet of the coordinate-inputting means comprises a plurality of first positioning holes;

the substrate of the switching means comprises a plurality of second positioning holes; and

the base sheet and the substrate are positioned with respect to each other when the first positioning holes and the second positioning holes overlap each other.

6. An input device comprising:

a face sheet;

coordinate-inputting means opposing a lower portion of the face sheet; and

switching means opposing a lower portion of the coordinate-inputting means, wherein

the face sheet, the coordinate-inputting means, and the switching means are laminated in a thickness direction;

the coordinate-inputting means comprises a base sheet having a plurality of X-direction electrodes and Y-direction electrodes that oppose each other and that are arranged on both surfaces of the base sheet in a grid manner;

the switching means comprises a substrate having a plurality of switch contact portions in a grid arrangement, the switch contact portions being switched by the inversion of invertible plates; and

a ground electrode extends over an area where the base sheet of the coordinate-inputting means and the substrate of the switching means oppose each other.

7. An input device comprising:

a face sheet;

coordinate-inputting means opposing a lower portion of the face sheet and comprising a base sheet having a plurality of X-direction electrodes and Y-direction electrodes that oppose each other and that are arranged on both surfaces of the base sheet in a grid manner; and

switching means opposing a lower portion of the coordinate-inputting means and comprising a substrate having a plurality of switch contact portions in a grid arrangement, the switch contact portions being switched by a inversion of invertible plates, wherein

the face sheet, the coordinate-inputting means, and the switching means are laminated in a thickness direction;

the coordinate-inputting means comprises;

a first connector portion protruding from the coordinate-inputting means and having a plurality of printed connecting patterns extended from the X-direction electrodes and the Y-direction electrodes and a printed ground electrode extension;

a second connector portion having the same shape as the first connector portion and having a-ground pattern extended from the ground electrode; and

a connecting portion extending from a base end of the first connector portion and connecting the first connector portion to the second connecting portion; and

the first and second connector portions layered by folding the connecting portion a plurality of times forms a male connector.