INPUT DEVICE

• US 20070262968A1
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sato, Tadamitsu, Hagiwara, Yasuji, Ohshita, Kazuhito
• Application Number:
  US11/746,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20070262968A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation

Abstract

An input device is provided using a capacitive input pad for performing diverse inputs and minimizing an area of a space for arranging a keyboard input unit and an input pad. A multiplex input unit is provided adjacent to input keys constituting a keyboard input unit. The multiplex input unit includes a large-scaled key, a detection switch of which an output is switched when the large-scaled key is pressed, and a capacitive input pad provided on a surface of the large-scaled key. A data processor generates different input signals depending on whether the detection switch is in an OFF state or an ON state when a finger touches the input pad for a manipulation.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

an input pad operable to detect a contact with a manipulation body by the use of a variation in capacitance;

a data processor operable to analyze a contact position with the manipulation body on the input pad; and

a switch including an output operable to be switched when the input pad is pressed,

wherein the data processor is operable to generate different output signals when the output of the switch is switched and when the input pad detects the contact of the manipulation body without switching the output of the switch.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the input pad is provided with a keyboard input unit having a plurality of input keys, and the data processor is operable to recognize that at least one of the input keys of the keyboard input unit is manipulated, and the data processor is operable to generate a key input signal when the output of the switch is switched.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the data processor is operable to acquire a coordinate position where the manipulation body touches the input pad when the output of the switch is switched, operable to generate the key input signal when it is recognized that the contact position with the manipulation body is in a specific key input region, and operable to ignore the switching of the output of the switch or operable to acquire the coordinate position where the manipulation body touches the input pad so as to generate a pad input signal when the contact position with the manipulation body is not in the key input region.

4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the data processor is operable to recognize that a space input key is manipulated and generates a space key input signal when the key input region is located in lines of the input keys of the keyboard input unit, operable to recognize that the output of the switch is switched, and operable to recognize detection of the manipulation body touching the key input region.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the data processor is operable to acquire a coordinate position where the manipulation body touches the input pad and operable to generate a pad input signal when the output of the switch is not switched.

6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the pad input signal is at least one of a signal for moving a pointer on a display screen and a signal for scrolling a displayed state on the display screen.

7. The input device according to claim 1,

wherein the input pad is provided with a keyboard input unit having a plurality of input keys,

wherein a palm detecting section operable to detect a position of a hand at the time of manipulating the keyboard is provided in the keyboard input unit, and

wherein the data processor is operable to generate a key input signal when the palm detecting section detects the hand and the output of the switch is switched, and the data processor is operable to acquire a coordinate position where the hand touches the input pad and operable to generate a pad input signal when the palm detecting section does not detect the hand.

8. The input device according to claim 7, wherein the data processor is operable to acquire the coordinate position where the hand touches the input pad when the palm detecting section detects the hand, and the data processor is operable to generate an input signal corresponding to a specific region when it is recognized on the basis of the coordinate position that the specific region is manipulated.

9. The input device according to claim 8, wherein the specific region is a mouse button input region and the input signal is a mouse button input signal.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the data processor is operable to generate an input signal for moving a pointer on a display screen in accordance with a movement of the contact position where the manipulation body touches the input pad when the output of the switch is not switched, and the data processor is operable to generate a drag input signal when the output of the switch is switched.

11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the data processor is operable to generate a scroll input signal for scrolling a displayed state in one direction on a display screen with a movement of the contact position where the manipulation body touches the input pad when the output of the switch is not switched, and the data processor is operable to generate a scroll input signal for scrolling the displayed state in the opposite direction on the display screen with the movement of the contact position where the manipulation body touches the input pad when the output of the switch is switched.

12. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the data processor is operable to ignore a detection state when the output of the switch is not switched and upon detection that the manipulation body touches a position of a pad input section, and the data processor is operable to generate a mouse button input signal when the output of the switch is switched and upon detection that the manipulation body touches the position of the pad input section.

13. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the data processor is operable to generate different input signals when the output of the switch is not switched and upon detection that the manipulation body touches a position of a pad input section and when the output of the switch is switched and upon detection that the manipulation body touches the position of the pad input section.