INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF OPERATING INPUT DEVICE

• US 20160334932A1
• Filed: 04/11/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: NAKAJIMA, Satoshi, HAYASAKA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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

Abstract

An input device includes a measurement unit configured to measure a physical quantity according to an operation including at least one of touch of an operating object and proximity of the operating object, a determination unit configured to determine an operation state including an operation existence state and an operation nonexistence state, on the basis of at least a base value and the physical quantity, and a base value updating unit configured to update the base value using the physical quantity when a magnitude of a change in the physical quantity per predetermined time falls within a predetermined range, during an operation existence period in which the operation state is the operation existence state.

Claims

1. An input device for detecting an operation of an operating object, the input device comprising:

an operating unit on which the operating object performs the operation, the operation including at least one of touching and approaching of the operating objects;

a measurement unit configured to measure a physical quantity corresponding the operation of the operating object onto the operating unit;

a determination unit configured to determine if the operating unit is in an operation ongoing state or a no-operation state, based on at least the physical quantity and a base value; and

a base value updating unit configured to update the base value using the physical quantity during an operation ongoing period in which the operating unit is in the ongoing operation state, if a magnitude of a change in the measured physical quantity per predetermined time period is within a predetermined range.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein during the operation ongoing period, the base value updating unit updates the base value further using the base value which has been previously updated during the operation ongoing period.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein during the operation ongoing period, the base value updating unit updates the base value further using a correction value which is obtained by accumulating a difference in the physical quantities measured at different points in time.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the base value updating unit terminates the updating during the operation ongoing period if the magnitude of the change in the physical quantity per predetermined time period falls outside of the predetermined range.

5. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the base value updating unit does not use the physical quantity in updating the base value if the magnitude of the change in the physical quantity per predetermined time period falls outside of the predetermined range, and continues the updating even after the magnitude of the change in the physical quantity per predetermined time period falls outside of the predetermined range.

6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the measurement unit measures each of the physical quantities at a plurality of positions,

the determination unit determines an operation state of the operating unit using at least one of the physical quantities at the plurality of positions, and

the base value updating unit updates the base value using at least one of the physical quantities at the plurality of positions.

7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the base value updating unit updates the base value using a minimum value of differences between the physical quantities at the plurality of positions and the base value.

8. The input device according to claim 7, wherein the operating unit includes a plurality of capacitance generation units each having a capacitance which varies in accordance with the operation onto the operating unit, wherein the plurality of positions are disposed in a matrix, and the measurement unit measures the capacitance as the physical quantity.

9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein during a no-operation period in which the operating unit is in the no-operation state, the base value updating unit updates the base value based on at least the physical quantity and the base value which has been previously updated during the no-operation period.

10. A method of operating an input device for detecting an operation of an operating object, the operation including at least one of touching and approaching of the operating object onto an operation unit of the input device, the method comprising the steps of:

measuring a physical quantity corresponding to the operation of the operating object onto the operating unit;

determining if the operating unit is in an operation ongoing state or a no-operation state based on at least the physical quantity and a base value; and

updating the base value using the physical quantity during an operation ongoing period in which the operating unit is in the ongoing operation state, if a magnitude of a change in the measured physical quantity per predetermined time period is within a predetermined range.