INPUT DEVICE

• US 20120242580A1
• Filed: 03/07/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAMOTO, TAMOTSU
• Application Number:
  US13/413,989
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242580A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An input device including a touch panel, and a control circuit which is electrically coupled to the touch panel and which determines a pressing force on the touch panel. When the pressing force is not larger than a predetermined first value, the control circuit sets the touch panel to an input state; when the pressing force is larger than the first value and not larger than a predetermined second value, the control circuit sets the touch panel to a standby state; and when the pressing force is larger than the second value, the control circuit decides an input to the touch panel and sets the touch panel to the input state.

Claims

1. An input device, comprising:

a touch panel; and

a control circuit electrically coupled to the touch panel and operable to determine a pressing force on the touch panel, wherein;

when the control circuit determines the pressing force is not larger than a first predetermined value, the control circuit sets the touch panel to an input state,

when the control circuit determines the pressing force is larger than the first predetermined value and not larger than a second predetermined value that is a larger value than the first predetermined value, the control circuit sets the touch panel to a standby state, and

when the control circuit determines the pressing force is larger than the second predetermined value, the control circuit decides an input to the touch panel and sets the touch panel to the input state.

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

a display element disposed at a rear side of the touch panel and operable to display a key for allowing the control circuit to carry out processing.

3. The input device according to claim 2,

wherein in the standby state, the control circuit changes a display of the key.

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

a display element operable to display a result after the input is decided.

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

a pressure-sensitive sheet disposed at a rear side of the touch panel and electrically coupled to the control circuit,

wherein the pressure-sensitive sheet is operable to perceive the pressing force on the touch panel.

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

a display element operable to display a display part for notifying of the standby state,

wherein in the standby state, the control circuit displays the display part on the display element.

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

a vibration part operable to provide notification of the standby state,

wherein in the standby state, the control circuit vibrates the vibration part.

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

a sound generation part operable to provide notification of the standby state,

wherein in the standby state, the control circuit generates a sound from the sound generation part.

9. An input device comprising:

a pressure-sensing device operable to sense an amount of pressure applied by a user against the input device and operable to provide an output based upon the pressure applied by the user;

a control circuit operable to receive the output of the pressure-sensing device, determine a pressing force based on the received output of the pressure-sensing device, and set a state of the input device based upon the determined pressing force, wherein;

the control circuit sets the input device to an input state when the control circuit determines the pressing force is not larger than a first predetermined value;

the control circuit sets the input device to a standby state when the control circuit determines the pressing force is larger than the first predetermined value and not larger than a second predetermined value, the second predetermined value being larger than the first predetermined value; and

the control circuit accepts an input into the input device and sets the input device into the input state when the control circuit determines the pressing force is larger than the second predetermined value.

10. The input device according to claim 9, wherein the input state is a state in which the input device is made operable to await a user selection, and the standby state is a state in which the user is prompted to confirm a user selection.

11. The input device according to claim 10, further including a display part operable to display a plurality of keys, wherein in the input state, the input device awaits a user selection of one of the plurality of keys and, in the standby state, a display of the selected one of the plurality of keys is changed to prompt the user confirmation.

12. The input device according to claim 11, further comprising a user notification part operable to notify the user of the selected one of the plurality of keys when the input device is in the standby state.

13. The input device according to claim 12, wherein the notification part is either a sound generation part operable to output a sound or a vibration part operable to output a vibration.