CONTACT-PRESSURE DETECTING APPARATUS AND INPUT APPARATUS

• US 20120017702A1
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawabe, Hideo, Ueno, Masatoshi, Kuriya, Shinobu, Kabasawa, Kenichi, Nakagawa, Toshiyuki, Goto, Tetsuro, Tsukahara, Tsubasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,677,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/862.381
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position

Abstract

There is provided a contact-pressure detecting apparatus including a base, at least three pressure-sensitive sensors, and a plurality of plates. The base has an arbitrary shape. The at least three pressure-sensitive sensors are provided on different vertex positions of a polygon having at least three corners, respectively, the polygon being set on each of a plurality of areas partitioning at least part of an area on a surface of the base. The plurality of plates are arranged corresponding to the areas of the base, respectively, the plurality of plates covering the surface of the base by sandwiching the at least three pressure-sensitive sensors with the base.

Claims

1. A contact-pressure detecting apparatus, comprising:

a base having an arbitrary shape;

at least three pressure-sensitive sensors provided on different vertex positions of a polygon having at least three corners, respectively, the polygon being set on each of a plurality of areas partitioning at least part of an area on a surface of the base; and

a plurality of plates arranged corresponding to the areas of the base, respectively, the plurality of plates covering the surface of the base by sandwiching the at least three pressure-sensitive sensors with the base.

2. The contact-pressure detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a calculating section configured to calculate, based on detection results of the at least three pressure-sensitive sensors provided on each of the areas, a pressure applied to the plate corresponding to the area and a pressure-applied position.

3. The contact-pressure detecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

each of the vertex positions of the polygon on the area coincides with any one vertex position of the polygon on at least one other area, and

the pressure-sensitive sensor is provided on each location on which the vertex positions of the plurality of areas coincide with each other, the pressure-sensitive sensor being capable of detecting pressures applied to the plurality of plates corresponding to the plurality of areas, respectively.

4. The contact-pressure detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the base has an arbitrary solid shape, and

the base is covered by the plurality of plates three-dimensionally.

5. The contact-pressure detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a movement detecting section configured to detect a movement in a three-dimensional space.

6. An input apparatus, comprising:

a base having an arbitrary shape;

at least three pressure-sensitive sensors provided on different vertex positions of a polygon having at least three corners, respectively, the polygon being set on each of a plurality of areas partitioning at least part of an area on a surface of the base;

a plurality of plates arranged corresponding to the areas of the surface of the base, respectively, the plurality of plates covering the surface of the base by sandwiching the at least three pressure-sensitive sensors with the base; and

a controller section configured to generate information for controlling a device being a control target based on results detected by the respective pressure-sensitive sensors.

7. The input apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the controller section is configured

to calculate, based on detection results of the at least three pressure-sensitive sensors provided on each of the areas, a pressure applied to the plate corresponding to the area and a pressure-applied position, and

to generate information for controlling a device based on the calculated result.

8. The input apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

each of the vertex positions of the polygon on the area coincides with any one vertex position of the polygon on at least one other area, and

the pressure-sensitive sensor is provided on each location on which the vertex positions of the plurality of areas coincide with each other, the pressure-sensitive sensor being capable of detecting pressures applied to the plurality of plates corresponding to the plurality of areas, respectively.

9. The input apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the base has an arbitrary solid shape, and

the base is covered by the plurality of plates three-dimensionally.

10. The input apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a movement detecting section configured to detect a movement in a three-dimensional space,

wherein the controller section is configured to generate information for controlling the device based on results detected by the respective pressure-sensitive sensors and a result detected by the movement detecting section.

11. The input apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a radio communication section configured to transmit the information for controlling the device generated by the controller section by radio.

12. The input apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

means for returning a response to a pressing operation by a user in real time.

13. The input apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the controller section is configured to generate time-series information on at least calculated pressure-applied positions as handwriting information.