OPERATIONAL DIRECTION DETECTING DEVICE

• US 20090225055A1
• Filed: 05/14/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Oki, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,149,226 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners

Abstract

An operational direction detecting device includes a device body that includes an operational area operable in two or more directions, two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs that are formed at direction detecting positions of the operational area and form capacitance between a detection electrode and a drive electrode, and a control unit that decides an entrance direction of an object to be detected from capacitance acquired by each of the two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs when an object to be detected performing an operation enters the operational area. The control unit decides the direction of the area corresponding to larger capacitance as the entrance direction of the object to be detected when the composite capacitance of capacitances acquired at the two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs exceeds a first predetermined value.

Claims

1. An operational direction detecting device comprising:

a device body that includes an operational area operable in two or more directions;

two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs that are formed at direction detecting positions of the operational area and form capacitance between a detection electrode and a drive electrode; and

a control unit that decides an entrance direction of an object to be detected from capacitance acquired by each of the two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs when an object to be detected performing an operation enters the operational area,

wherein the control unit decides the direction of the area corresponding to larger capacitance as the entrance direction of the object to be detected when the composite capacitance of capacitances acquired at the two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs exceeds a first predetermined value.

2. The operational direction detecting device according to claim 1,

wherein when the composite capacitance becomes smaller than the first predetermined value after exceeding the first predetermined value, the entrance direction of the object to be detected, which is decided when the composite capacitance exceeds the first predetermined value, is maintained if time while the composite capacitance is smaller than the first predetermined value is shorter than a second predetermined value.

4. A computer that includes the operational direction detecting device according to claim 1 and performs different operations when being operated by a right hand and when being operated by a left hand.

5. An electronic game board that includes the operational direction detecting device according to claim 1 and is capable of identifying an operator.

6. A switch that is used for a device causing danger when being operated by mistake by a child, includes the operational direction detecting device according to claim 1, is not operated when being operated from below, and is operated when being operated from above.

7. The operational direction detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

four sets of the detection electrode/drive electrode pairs

wherein operations in four directions are detected.

3. An operational direction detecting device comprising:

a device body that includes an operational area operable in two or more directions;

two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs that are formed at direction detecting positions of the operational area and form capacitance between a detection electrode and a drive electrode; and

a control unit that decides an entrance direction of an object to be detected from capacitance acquired by each of the two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs when an object to be detected performing an operation enters the operational area,

wherein the control unit decides the direction of the area corresponding to larger capacitance as the entrance direction of the object to be detected when the variation of the composite capacitance of capacitances acquired at the two or more detection electrode/drive electrode pairs exceeds a first predetermined value.