USER INPUT APPARATUS, COMPUTER CONNECTED TO USER INPUT APPARATUS, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR COMPUTER CONNECTED TO USER INPUT APPARATUS, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140293165A1
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,898,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• 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 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A user input apparatus is provided with user input means for the user to input data or a command by using the user'"'"'s human body, and use-form detection means for detecting a form in which the user uses the user input means by the user'"'"'s human body. A computer connected to the user input apparatus changes the operation of the application being executed by application execution means, according to a detection result obtained by the use-form detection means. Therefore, input operations can be performed without inconvenience even if the user cannot use one hand due to another work.

Claims

1-42. -42. (canceled)

43. An input panel comprising:

a plurality of capacitive sensing electrodes configured to detect conductive materials of two or more points that appear at a same time in or near a plane of the input panel, and to modulate input signals to generate output signals representative of a location of an input on the plane of the input panel, the capacitive sensing electrodes including;

a plurality of first electrodes electrically isolated from each other; and

a plurality of second electrodes electrically isolated from each other, the second electrodes being positioned transverse to the first electrodes, and intersections of transverse lines being positioned at different locations in the plane of the touch panel,

wherein;

each of the first electrodes is coupled to a transmitter configured to supply one of the input signals, and

each of the second electrodes is coupled to a receiver configured to detect changes in charge coupling between the first electrodes and the second electrodes.

44. The input panel according to claim 43, further comprising:

a glass substrate, the first electrodes being disposed on the glass substrate; and

an insulating layer disposed on the first electrodes, the second electrodes being disposed on the insulating layer.

45. An input panel comprising:

a plurality of capacitive sensing electrodes configured to detect conductive materials of two or more points that appear at a same time in or near a plane of the input panel, and to modulate input signals to generate output signals representative of a location of an input on the plane of the input panel, the capacitive sensing electrodes including;

a plurality of first electrodes electrically isolated from each other; and

a plurality of second electrodes electrically isolated from each other, the second electrodes being positioned transverse to the first electrodes, and intersections of transverse lines being positioned at different locations in the plane of the touch panel,

wherein;

each of the first electrodes is coupled to a transmitter configured to supply one of the input signals, and

each of the second electrodes is coupled to a receiver configured to detect a weakened intensity of one of the output signals according to a distance between the conductive materials and the capacitive sensing electrodes.

46. The input panel according to claim 45, further comprising:

a glass substrate, the first electrodes being disposed on the glass substrate; and

an insulating layer disposed on the first electrodes, the second electrodes being disposed on the insulating layer.

47. A device comprising:

a display configured to display a graphical user interface; and

a user input panel superposed over the display and comprising;

a plurality of capacitive sensing electrodes configured to detect conductive materials of two or more points that appear at a same time in or near a plane of the input panel, and to modulate input signals to generate output signals representative of a location of an input on the plane of the input panel, the capacitive sensing electrodes including;

a plurality of first electrodes electrically isolated from each other; and

a plurality of second electrodes electrically isolated from each other, the second electrodes being positioned transverse to the first electrodes, and intersections of transverse lines being positioned at different locations in the plane of the touch panel,

wherein;

each of the first electrodes is coupled to a transmitter configured to supply one of the input signals, and

each of the second electrodes is coupled to a receiver configured to detect changes in charge coupling between the first electrodes and the second electrodes.

48. The device according to claim 47, wherein the input panel further comprises:

a glass substrate, the first electrodes being disposed on the glass substrate; and

an insulating layer disposed on the first electrodes, the second electrodes being disposed on the insulating layer.

49. The device according to claim 47, wherein the display includes a liquid-crystal display.

50. The device according to claim 47, wherein the display includes an organic light-emitting device display.