OPERATION APPARATUS

• US 20150346852A1
• Filed: 05/14/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: JIYAMA, Motoya, MAEHATA, Minoru, KATO, Tetsuya, ISHIKAWA, Tomoaki
• Application Number:
  US14/712,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20150346852A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

An operation panel includes: a surface member that includes a first main surface and a second main surface, the first main surface on which a touch operation is performed, the second main surface facing in a direction opposite to a direction faced by the first main surface; and a touch sensor that is provided along the second main surface of the surface member and that detects a touch operation on the first main surface. The second main surface is a 2D curved surface bent only in a left-right direction and the first main surface is a 3D curved surface bent in two or more directions including the left-right direction. Since the second main surface of the surface member is the 2D curved surface, the touch sensor can be provided along the second main surface.

Claims

1. An operation apparatus that receives a touch operation, the operation apparatus comprising:

a surface member that includes a first main surface and a second main surface, the first main surface on which the touch operation is performed, the second main surface facing in a direction opposite to a direction faced by the first main surface; and

a touch sensor that is provided along the second main surface of the surface member and that detects the touch operation on the first main surface, wherein

the second main surface is a curved surface bent only in a first direction, and

the first main surface is a curved surface bent in two or more directions including the first direction.

2. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in a cross-section of the surface member along a line in the first direction, shapes of the first main surface and the second main surface are substantially a same shape.

3. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first main surface of the surface member is the curved surface bent in the first direction and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and

on an assumption that the second main surface of the surface member is a flat surface, a difference in thickness values between portions of the surface member disposed along the line in the first direction is greater than a difference in thickness values between portions of the surface member disposed along a line in the second direction, each of the thickness values being a distance between the first main surface and the second main surface of the surface member.

4. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the touch sensor is a film-shaped member bent in the first direction.

5. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the touch sensor is printed on the second main surface.

6. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display that displays an image that is used for the touch operation, the surface member being disposed over the display.

7. The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first surface is a three-dimensional surface, and the second surface is a two dimensional surface.