Input apparatus

• US 9,590,624 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2010
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Ujii, Junichi, Kuwabara, Megumi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, QUANG
• Application Number:
  US13/387,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20120126962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,414 Days
• Field of Search: 340/407.2
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/00 Details, accessories and auxiliary operations not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/424 against unintended use
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9625 using a force resistance transducer
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96062 with tactile or haptic feedback

Abstract

An input apparatus capable of preventing a user'"'"'s unintentional input by notifying the user of a change in a pressure load is provided.

The input apparatus has a touch face configured to receive a touch operation, a load detection unit configured to detect a pressure load of the touch operation to the touch panel, a vibration unit configured to vibrate the touch face, and a control unit, when the load detection unit detects a pressure load satisfying a standard load to receive an input, configured to perform a control to receive the input by the touch operation. When the load detection unit detects a pressure load satisfying a standard load, lower than the standard load to receive an input, the control unit controls the vibration unit to vibrate.

Claims

1. An input apparatus for preventing a user'"'"'s unintentional input by notifying the user of a change in a pressure load, the input apparatus comprising:

a touch face configured to receive a touch operation by the user;

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

a vibration unit configured to vibrate the touch face; and

a control unit configured to perform a control to receive an input, corresponding to an application, by the touch operation when the load detection unit detects the pressure load of the touch operation satisfying an input standard load to receive the input according to said application, wherein

the control unit controls the vibration unit to vibrate when the load detection unit detects the pressure load satisfying a vibration standard load, which is lower than the input standard load to call the user'"'"'s attention before a reception of the unintentional input due to misadjustment of the pressure load by the user, and

the control unit controls the vibration unit to stop vibrating when the load detection unit detects the pressure load changing from a state failing to satisfy an another standard load to a state satisfying the another standard load and the load detection unit detects the pressure load between the another standard load and the input standard load, the another standard load being lower than the input standard load and higher than the vibration standard load.

2. The input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls magnitude of vibration in accordance with a change in the pressure load lower than the input standard load to receive the input when the load detection unit detects the pressure load between the vibration standard load and the another standard load.

3. The input apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the vibration unit not to vibrate when the load detection unit detects the pressure load lower than the vibration standard load.