ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20150370387A1
• Filed: 03/10/2015
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMAGUCHI, Takeshi, TAKANO, Tomoki
• Granted Patent: US 9,632,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• 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 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

Provided is an electronic apparatus including a casing, a display unit, an electrostatic capacitive touch panel, a gravity sensor, and a step. The display unit is disposed in the casing, has a predetermined shape, and displays predetermined information. The electrostatic capacitive touch panel has a shape substantially the same as the predetermined shape and determines a two-dimensional coordinate indicated by an instructing object which has some conductivity and display of the display unit passes through the electrostatic capacitive touch panel. The gravity sensor enables detection of a perpendicular direction. The step is disposed along a side of the predetermined shape, is low on an inside of the predetermined shape and is high on an outside of the predetermined shape. A nullification region at which the two-dimensional coordinate is nullified is enabled to be disposed along the side and the nullification region is disposed along the side in a perpendicular direction.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a casing;

a display unit that is disposed in the casing, has a predetermined shape, and displays predetermined information;

an electrostatic capacitive touch panel that has a shape substantially the same as the predetermined shape and determines a two-dimensional coordinate indicated by an instructing object which has some conductivity and through which display of the display unit passes;

a gravity sensor that enables detection of a perpendicular direction; and

a step that is disposed along a side of the predetermined shape, is low on an inside of the predetermined shape and is high on an outside of the predetermined shape,

wherein a nullification region at which the two-dimensional coordinate is nullified is enabled to be disposed along the side, and

the nullification region is disposed along the side in the perpendicular direction.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a position of the nullification region disposed along the side in the perpendicular direction is changed depending on rotation of the casing and a change of the perpendicular direction of the casing.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

a height of the step is substantially constant regardless of the side of the predetermined shape.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the nullification region has a predetermined width along the side, and

the predetermined width is substantially constant regardless of the perpendicular direction.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the display unit enables display of the two-dimensional coordinate, and

the display unit does not display the two-dimensional coordinate corresponding to the nullification region.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the predetermined shape is quadrangular.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the touch panel enables determination of the two-dimensional coordinate indicated by the instructing object which is at a predetermined distance from the touch panel.

8. The electronic apparatus of claim 7, wherein

the instructing object is a finger of a person, and

the touch panel enables determination of the two-dimensional coordinate indicated by the finger covered with gloves which have an insulation property.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a transparent member that is disposed to be stacked on the touch panel and has some transmittance,

wherein the touch panel is disposed between the transparent member and the display unit.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the transparent member and the touch panel are integrally formed.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the casing has an edge portion at at least one portion of the surroundings of the touch panel, and

the step is formed between the edge portion and the transparent member.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the display unit performs predetermined display at the nullification region.

13. The electronic apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the predetermined display refers to filling of the nullification region with a predetermined color.

14. The electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the predetermined color is black.

15. The electronic apparatus of claim 13, wherein

the filling with the predetermined color is performed to have some transmittance.