SENSOR APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20110157087A1
• Filed: 03/09/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Honda, Hidetoshi, Kawaguchi, Hiroto, Ishigaki, Masato, Kanehira, Hiroki
• Granted Patent: US 9,354,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A sensor apparatus and an information processing apparatus having excellent operability are provided. A sensor apparatus includes a touch panel, a casing, and a pressure-sensitive sensor. The touch panel includes an input operation surface and detects a position at which an operator comes into contact with the input operation surface directly or indirectly. The casing accommodates the touch panel. The pressure-sensitive sensor includes a first electrode fixed to the touch panel, a second electrode fixed to the casing, and an elastic body arranged between the touch panel and the casing and elastically supporting the touch panel with respect to the casing. The pressure-sensitive sensor detects a pressing force input to the input operation surface, as a change of a capacitance between the first and second electrodes.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A sensor apparatus comprising:

a touch panel that includes an input operation surface and an electrode pattern to detect a coordinate position at which an operator comes into contact with the input operation surface directly or indirectly;

a casing configured to accommodate the touch panel; and

a pressure-sensitive sensor that includes a first electrode fixed to the touch panel, a second electrode fixed to the casing, and an elastic body arranged between the touch panel and the casing and elastically supporting the touch panel with respect to the casing, and detects a pressing force input to the input operation surface, as a change of a capacitance between the first and second electrodes.

18. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the touch panel includes a substrate on which the electrode pattern is formed, and

the first electrode is formed on the substrate.

19. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the first electrode has a shape different from that of the elastic body.

20. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the elastic body has Young'"'"'s modulus of 0.001 to 2 MPa and a response speed having a recovery time of 400 ms or less.

21. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the input operation surface has a rectangular shape, and

the pressure-sensitive sensor is arranged at each of four corners of the touch panel.

22. The sensor apparatus according to claim 21, wherein

the elastic body is formed in an annular shape along a circumference of the touch panel.

23. The sensor apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the first electrode is formed correspondingly to each of the four corner positions of the touch panel, and the plurality of first electrodes are electrically connected to each other.

24. The sensor apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the first and second electrodes are each formed in the annular shape along the circumference of the touch panel.

25. The sensor apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising

a judgment unit configured to judge the pressing force based on a combined value of capacitance changes detected by the respective pressure-sensitive sensors.

26. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the touch panel includes a first substrate having a first electrode pattern, a second substrate having a second electrode pattern, and a bonding layer that bonds the first substrate and the second substrate to each other, and

the first electrode of the pressure-sensitive sensor is formed on the first substrate of the touch panel.

28. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a first conductor layer provided to correspond to the second electrode; and

a first dielectric layer that is provided between the first conductor layer and the second electrode, and has a dielectric constant smaller than that of the elastic body.

29. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising:

a second conductor layer provided to correspond to the first electrode; and

a second dielectric layer that is provided between the second conductor layer and the first electrode, and has a dielectric constant smaller than that of the elastic body.

30. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the touch panel is a capacitive touch panel.

31. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising

a judgment unit configured to judge presence/absence of an input made with the operator based on a magnitude of a variation in temporal change of an output from the pressure-sensitive sensor.

25-1. The sensor apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the first electrode includes two electrode portions that are opposed to the second electrode with the elastic body being interposed therebetween.

32. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a touch panel that includes an input operation surface and an electrode pattern to detect a coordinate position at which an operator comes into contact with the input operation surface directly or indirectly;

a casing configured to accommodate the touch panel;

a pressure-sensitive sensor that includes a first electrode fixed to the touch panel, a second electrode fixed to the casing, and an elastic body arranged between the touch panel and the casing and elastically supporting the touch panel with respect to the casing, and detects a pressing force input to the input operation surface, as a change of a capacitance between the first and second electrodes; and

a display panel that is arranged on a back surface side of the touch panel and accommodated in the casing.