INPUT APPARATUS

• US 20120154328A1
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kono, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 9,442,568 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

Provided is an input apparatus having a touch sensor to detect a contact operation to a slide bar displayed and to provide a tactile sensation of shift of the slide bar.

An input apparatus 1 has a touch sensor 11 configured to detect a contact, a load detection unit 12 configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor 11, a display unit 14 configured to display the slide bar, a tactile sensation providing unit 13 configured to vibrate the touch face, and a control unit 15 configured to control the tactile sensation providing unit 13 such that a tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face based on a position of a knob of the slide bar shifted in response to the contact detected by the touch sensor 11 while the pressure load detected by the load detection unit 12 satisfies a predetermined standard.

Claims

1. An input apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor configured to detect a contact;

a load detection unit configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor;

a display unit configured to display a slide bar;

a tactile sensation providing unit configured to vibrate the touch face; and

a control unit configured to control the tactile sensation providing unit such that a tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face based on a position of a knob of the slide bar shifted in response to the contact detected by the touch sensor while the pressure load detected by the load detection unit satisfies a predetermined standard.

2. The input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the tactile sensation providing unit such that the tactile sensation is provided to the object pressing the touch face each time the knob of the slide bar is shifted by a predetermined amount.

3. The input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the tactile sensation providing unit such that a different tactile sensation is provided to the object pressing the touch face based on a shift amount of the knob of the slide bar.

4. The input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the tactile sensation providing unit such that a different tactile sensation is provided to the object pressing the touch face based on a position on the slide bar to which the knob is shifted.