JP2009239649A - Touch switch detection apparatus, and water feeding device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch switch detection apparatus and water feeding device using the same capable of accurately deciding whether touch switch detection is dependent upon manual operation or waterdrop deposition or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The touch switch detection apparatus is provided with: a touch switch section including a touch detection electrode for detecting a change in an electrostatic capacitance due to a touch of a user and a water detection electrode, adjacent to the touch detection electrode, for detecting a touch of a waterdrop; and an operation determination section for determining presence/absence of user operation based on a detection output from the touch detection electrode, wherein, in a case where it is detected based on a detection output from the water detection electrode that a waterdrop is deposited on the touch switch section, the operation determination section changes a setting of a detection threshold that is a determination reference for determining presence/absence of the user operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a touch switch detection device, and more particularly, to a capacitive touch switch detection device and a water supply device using the same.

  In order to prevent malfunction when a user spills water on the capacitive touch switch detection device or the food spilled from the pan hits the touch key, a linear line around the touch key electrode There is one provided with a water detection electrode (for example, Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-166392) performs operation stop, notification, and the like by the output of the water detection electrode.

Here, when the capacitive touch switch detection device is used as an operation switch for a water supply device such as a water supply device, it is necessary to assume that water is directly applied to the vicinity of the touch detection electrode. However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-166392), when water or the like is directly applied to the vicinity of the touch key, the water or the like does not contact the water detection electrode. Therefore, in this case, malfunction may not be prevented. In addition, when a plurality of touch keys are arranged, adjacent touch keys may be connected with water droplets. In this case, even if one touch key is operated, it may be detected that the other touch key is also operated.
JP 2005-166392 A

  An aspect of the present invention has been made based on recognition of such a problem, and a touch switch detection device that can accurately determine whether touch switch detection is performed by a human operation or by water droplet adhesion. And a water supply device using the same.

  According to an aspect of the present invention, the touch switch includes a touch detection electrode that detects a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a water detection electrode that detects contact of a water droplet adjacent to the touch detection electrode. And an operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode, the operation determination unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode When it is detected that a water droplet is attached to the touch panel, a touch switch detection device is provided that changes a setting of a detection threshold value that is a determination criterion for determining whether or not the user has performed an operation.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch switch includes a plurality of touch detection electrodes that detect a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a plurality of water detection electrodes that detect contact of water droplets. And an operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode, the operation determination unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode When it is detected that a water droplet is attached to the touch switch, a touch switch detection device is provided that determines that there is an operation related to the touch detection electrode that outputs a detection output having a maximum absolute value.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the touch switch includes a plurality of touch detection electrodes that detect a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a plurality of water detection electrodes that detect contact of water droplets. And an operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode, the operation determination unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode When it is detected that a water droplet is attached to the touch detection electrode, the absolute value of the difference between the detection outputs of the touch detection electrode and the touch detection electrode adjacent to the touch detection electrode determines whether or not there has been a user operation. When the difference threshold value is within the range, it is determined that the user has not operated the adjacent touch detection electrode. A touch switch detection device is provided.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, any one of the touch switch detection devices described above, an electromagnetic valve that opens and closes a water supply channel, and a water outlet that discharges water supplied through the water supply channel. And a control unit that controls the operation of the solenoid valve based on the determination of the operation determination unit.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the aspect of this invention, the touch switch detection apparatus and water supply apparatus using the touch switch detection apparatus which can judge exactly whether detection of a touch switch is by human operation, or adhesion of a water drop etc. are provided. .

A first invention includes a touch switch unit that includes a touch detection electrode that detects a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a water detection electrode that detects contact of a water droplet adjacent to the touch detection electrode, An operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user's operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode, and the operation determination unit has water droplets on the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode. When it is detected that the user has attached, the touch switch detection device is configured to change a setting of a detection threshold value which is a determination criterion for determining whether or not the user performs an operation.
According to this touch switch detection device, since the water detection electrode is disposed adjacent to the touch detection electrode, it is possible to detect the presence of water around the touch detection electrode by the water detection electrode that detects water. Therefore, it is possible to detect the touch detection electrode in consideration of the influence of water, and it is possible to prevent malfunction due to water droplets.

  Further, according to a second invention, in the first invention, a plurality of the touch detection electrodes are provided, the water detection electrodes are provided adjacent to each other between the touch detection electrodes, and the operation determination unit includes: In the case where it is detected that a water droplet has been attached to the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode, the detection threshold value of the touch detection electrode adjacent to the water detection electrode which has detected that a water droplet has been attached. The touch switch detection device is characterized in that the setting is changed. According to this touch switch detection device, even if the respective touch detection electrodes are connected by water, the water detection electrodes are disposed between the respective touch detection electrodes, so that the water between them can be accurately detected. . Accordingly, it is possible to more accurately determine the touch detection electrode operated by the user, such as an operation of pressing a plurality of electrodes simultaneously.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the operation determination unit is configured so that the absolute value of the detection output of the touch detection electrode is greater than or equal to the absolute value of the detection threshold. It is a touch switch detection device characterized by determining that there is an operation.
According to this touch switch detection device, the water in the peripheral portion is determined by the water detection electrode, and the detection output of the touch detection electrode is determined according to the state. Therefore, it is possible to determine that the user's operation has been performed only when the absolute value is equal to or larger than the absolute value of the detection threshold without performing calculation according to the analog value of the detection output of the touch detection electrode. Even if no signal processing is performed, it is possible to simply and more accurately determine human operation and water droplet adhesion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the invention, when the operation determination unit detects that the touch switch unit has water droplets based on the detection output of the water detection electrode, The touch switch detection device is characterized in that it is set to a detection threshold having an absolute value larger than that in the case where it is not detected that the mark is attached.
According to this touch switch detection device, when the water detection electrode detects the adhesion of water, the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode may be connected, and the apparent area of the touch detection electrode is increased. Therefore, the corrected detection threshold value is set. Thereby, even if the electrostatic capacity by the operation increases, it is possible to more accurately prevent malfunction due to water droplets while maintaining good operability.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch switch unit including a plurality of touch detection electrodes for detecting a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a plurality of water detection electrodes for detecting contact of water droplets, and the touch. An operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user's operation based on the detection output of the detection electrode, and the operation determination unit has water drops attached to the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode. When this is detected, it is determined that there has been an operation related to the touch detection electrode that has output a detection output having the maximum absolute value.
According to this touch switch detection device, when water droplets are attached to two or more touch detection electrodes, detection outputs are generated on the plurality of touch detection electrodes. At this time, the detection output of the touch detection electrode decreases as the distance from the operated finger increases. Therefore, the operation can be accurately determined by estimating the touch detection electrode that outputs the detection output having the maximum absolute value as the touch detection electrode operated by the user.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch switch unit including a plurality of touch detection electrodes for detecting a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a plurality of water detection electrodes for detecting contact of water droplets, and the touch. An operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user's operation based on the detection output of the detection electrode, and the operation determination unit has water drops attached to the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode. When detecting that, the absolute value of the difference between the detection outputs of the touch detection electrode and the touch detection electrode adjacent to the touch detection electrode is a difference threshold value that is a determination criterion for determining whether or not there has been a user's operation. A touch switch detection device that determines that the user has not operated the adjacent touch detection electrode when it is within a range.
According to this touch switch detection device, since the determination is based on the relative value instead of the absolute value, the operation can be determined more accurately because it is more resistant to changes in temperature and the like than the determination based on the absolute value.

Moreover, 7th invention discharges the water supplied via the said water supply flow path, the electromagnetic switch which opens and closes a water supply flow path, the touch switch detection apparatus of any one invention of 1st-6th invention. A water supply apparatus comprising: a water discharge port; and a control unit that controls the operation of the electromagnetic valve based on the determination of the operation determination unit.
According to this water supply apparatus, even when a water droplet is applied to the touch detection electrode, it is possible to perform a water discharging operation by making a more accurate operation determination.

In addition, an eighth invention is the water supply apparatus according to the seventh invention, wherein the operation determination unit changes the setting of the detection threshold according to an open / close state of the electromagnetic valve.
According to this water supply apparatus, since a detection threshold value can be changed according to the state of a device on which water droplets are likely to be applied, more accurate operation determination can be performed.

In a ninth aspect based on the eighth aspect, the operation determination unit sets the detection threshold having a larger absolute value when the electromagnetic valve is in the open state than when the electromagnetic valve is in the closed state. It is a water supply apparatus characterized by this.
According to this water supply device, when the solenoid valve is in an open state, the touch detection electrode is likely to be splashed with water, and is often operated with a wet hand when the water is stopped. More accurate operation judgment can be made in consideration of the influence of water droplets on

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same component and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a touch switch unit of a touch switch detection device according to an embodiment of the invention.
1A is a schematic diagram viewed from the front surface side of the touch switch unit, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram viewed from the side surface of the touch switch unit.

  The touch switch unit 200 includes touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c, water detection electrodes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d, switch display units 230a, 230b, and 230c, and a touch panel 240. The touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c are provided on the back side of the touch panel 240. Further, the switch display units 230a, 230b, and 230c are provided on the surface side of the touch panel 240 at positions corresponding to the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c (positions immediately above in FIG. 1B). Yes.

  The water detection electrodes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d are provided on the back side of the touch panel 240 in the same manner as the touch detection electrodes. The water detection electrode 220a is provided on the left side of the touch detection electrode 210a in FIG. On the other hand, the water detection electrode 220d is provided on the right side of the touch detection electrode 210c in FIG. The water detection electrode 220b is provided between the touch detection electrode 210a and the touch detection electrode 210b. On the other hand, the water detection electrode 220c is provided between the touch detection electrode 210b and the touch detection electrode 210c.

  The touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c detect a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, as will be described in detail later. Further, the water detection electrodes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d detect the contact of water. When the user touches the switch display units 230a, 230b, and 230c from the front surface side of the touch panel 240, the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c perform detection through capacitive coupling with the finger.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a touch switch detection device according to this embodiment and a water supply device using the same.
The touch switch detection device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a touch switch unit 200 (see FIG. 1) and an operation determination unit 300 that determines the presence / absence of a user's operation. The operation determination unit 300 includes a switching circuit 310, an oscillation circuit 320, a detection circuit 330, an LPF (Low Pass Filter) 340, an amplification circuit 350, a control unit 360, and an electromagnetic valve drive circuit 370. Have.

  The switching circuit 310 receives instructions from the control unit 360, and switches the circuits of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c and the water detection electrodes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d at predetermined time intervals. The oscillation circuit 320 outputs a high-frequency signal, forms a high-frequency voltage based on the high-frequency signal, and applies the voltage to the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, 210c and the water detection electrodes 220a, 220b, 220c, 220d. To do. When the user does not touch any of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c with a finger, the voltage amplitude (oscillation intensity) of the high frequency voltage applied to the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c does not change, It is output to the detection circuit 330.

  On the other hand, when the user touches at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c with a finger, the capacitance between the touch detection electrode touched with the finger and the ground changes. . As a result, the voltage amplitude (oscillation intensity) of the high-frequency voltage applied to the touch detection electrode touched with a finger changes according to the change in capacitance, and is output to the detection circuit 330. The detection circuit 330 outputs the voltage values of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c to the LPF 340 as detection signals.

  The detection signal output to the LPF 340 is output to the amplifier circuit 350 after the voltage in the high frequency band is removed. The detection signal output to the amplifier circuit 350 is output to the control unit 360 in an amplified state. The control unit 360 converts this detection signal (detection output) into an A / D (analog / digital converter), and gives a control command to the solenoid valve drive circuit 370 based on the conversion result.

  The touch switch detection device 100 according to the present embodiment is used in, for example, a water supply device. A water supply device 500 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a touch switch detection device 100, a solenoid valve 520, and a water discharge port 530. Here, the touch detection electrode 210a has a function as, for example, a “hot water / water changeover switch”, the touch detection electrode 210b has, for example, a “flow rate adjustment switch”, and the touch detection electrode 210c has a function as, for example, a “water discharge / water stoppage changeover switch”. Can do.

  The control unit 360 determines the presence / absence of a user's operation based on signals output from the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c, and instructs the electromagnetic valve drive circuit 370 to perform a water discharge operation. The electromagnetic valve drive circuit 370 drives the opening / closing operation of the electromagnetic valve 520 based on the instruction output from the control unit 360. Thereby, the water discharge from the water outlet 530 of the water supply apparatus 500 is controlled.

FIG. 3 is a graph showing the voltage value (actually measured value) after the amplifier circuit output during the dry touch operation of the touch detection electrode.
The vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 3 represents a voltage value (100 mV / div), and the horizontal axis represents time (50 ms / div).

  When the user touches at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c with a dry finger, the capacitance between the touch detection electrode touched with the finger and the ground changes as described above with reference to FIG. However, the detection signal of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode changes. Further, when at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c is touched with a dry finger, the contact area of the finger with the touch detection electrode touched with the finger gradually increases as the fingertip changes. For this reason, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode decreases. Thereafter, this voltage value is inverted and amplified by the amplifier circuit 350. Therefore, as shown in the graph shown in FIG. 3, the voltage value (detection output) output from the touch detection electrode touched by the finger and passed through the amplifier circuit 350 gradually increases. Note that when the amplifier circuit 350 performs non-inverting amplification instead of inverting amplification, when the user touches at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c with a finger, the voltage value via the amplification circuit 350 is It goes down. That is, whether the voltage value through the amplifier circuit 350 when the user touches the touch detection electrode with a finger is determined depending on whether the amplifier circuit 350 performs inverting amplification or non-inverting amplification. . The same applies to the case where water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode (see FIG. 4) or the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger (see FIG. 5). Hereinafter, a case where the amplifier circuit 350 performs inverting amplification will be described as an example.

  When the user touches at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c with a finger, the capacitance between the touch detection electrode touched with the finger and the ground changes (becomes larger). It will remain as it is. Therefore, as shown in the graph of FIG. 3, while being touched with a finger, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode remains increased and is substantially constant.

  After that, even when the dry finger is released from the touch detection electrode touched by the user, the contact area of the finger with respect to the touch detection electrode gradually decreases as the fingertip is deformed, so that the output is output from the touch detection electrode. The voltage value gradually decreases. When the dry finger is completely separated from the touch detection electrode, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode decreases to the voltage value before touching with the dry finger as shown in the graph of FIG. It becomes.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a voltage value (actually measured value) after the amplification circuit that is output when water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode.
The vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 4 represent the voltage value (100 mV / div) and time (50 ms / div), respectively, as in the graph shown in FIG.

  When at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c has a water droplet, the capacitance between the touch detection electrode with the water droplet and the water droplet changes, and the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode is detected. The signal changes. When a water droplet is attached to the touch detection electrode, the contact area of the water droplet with respect to the touch detection electrode spreads faster than when touching with a dry finger. Therefore, as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, the rate of change (increase rate) of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode with water droplets is larger than the rate of increase when touched with a dry finger.

  Here, since the electrostatic capacitance between the touch detection electrode with a water droplet and the water droplet is small compared to the electrostatic capacitance between the touch detection electrode touched with a finger and the ground, the water droplet becomes a touch detection electrode. Even if it remains attached, the voltage value gradually decreases as shown in FIG. This is because the capacitance between the touch detection electrode with the water droplet and the water droplet is relatively small, and the time for which the discharge between the touch detection electrode and the water droplet is saturated is relatively short. Therefore, when at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c has water droplets, the voltage value gradually decreases after increasing to substantially the same voltage value as when touching with a dry finger. .

  Note that when water droplets are attached to at least one of the water detection electrodes 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d, it can be considered in the same manner as when water droplets are attached to at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the voltage value (actually measured value) after the amplification circuit output when the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger.
The vertical axis and the horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 5 represent the voltage value (100 mV / div) and time (50 ms / div), respectively, similarly to the graph shown in FIG.

  When the user touches at least one of the wet touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c with a finger, the water droplet quickly spreads against the touch detection electrode touched. Therefore, the voltage value increases at a higher rate than when there is no water droplet. Furthermore, since the finger is wet with water, the apparent contact area with respect to the touch detection electrode is increased by the wet amount. Therefore, the capacitance is larger than when there is no water droplet. As a result, when the water droplet is present, the voltage value while the user touches the touch detection electrode with a finger is as shown in FIG. When there is no voltage, the voltage value is larger than that while touching with a finger (see FIG. 3).

  Thereafter, when the wet finger is removed from the touch detection electrode touched by the user, a part of the water attached to the finger remains on the touch detection electrode. At this time, immediately after the wet finger is released from the touch detection electrode, the finger and the touch detection electrode are in contact with each other up to a certain height via the water droplet due to the surface tension of the water droplet. Then, at the critical point where the surface tension of the water droplet is broken, the touch detection electrode and the finger are suddenly separated. Since the discharge between the water remaining on the touch detection electrode and the touch detection electrode is already saturated, the voltage value decreases at a higher rate than when the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, a voltage value when at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c is pressed with a dry finger, and a water droplet on at least one of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c. The voltage value with a mark rises to approximately the same voltage value. Therefore, when a water droplet is attached to the touch detection electrode, the operation determination unit 300 may determine that the user has performed an operation and cause a malfunction. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to accurately determine whether the detection of the touch detection electrode is due to a human operation or due to the attachment of water droplets, thereby preventing malfunction. Hereinafter, a specific example of the operation of the touch switch detection device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the case where the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger, and FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the water detection electrode. FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram illustrating voltage values output from the touch detection electrodes. In addition, the vertical axis of the graphs shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C represents a voltage value, and the horizontal axis represents time.

  When the user presses the touch detection electrode 210 with a dry finger, as shown in FIG. 6C, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode gradually increases. On the other hand, the voltage value output from the water detection electrodes 220a and 220b is substantially constant without increasing even when the user presses the touch detection electrode 210 with a dry finger, as shown in FIG. 6B. Become. This is because the capacitive coupling between the water detection electrodes 220a and 220b and the finger is so small that it can be ignored.

  In such a case, the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment does not change the detection threshold that is a determination criterion for determining whether or not there has been a user's operation. That is, the operation determination unit 300 determines whether or not there has been a user's operation based on a detection threshold that is set in advance and is based on a detection threshold when there is no water droplet. As illustrated in FIG. 6C, when the absolute value of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210 is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold, the operation determination unit 300 is operated by the user. The touch switch detection device 100 accepts this operation.

  It is more preferable that the absolute value of the detection threshold that is set in advance when there is no water droplet is set to a low value. Thereby, the sensitivity with respect to a user's operation becomes better, and a normal operation feeling becomes better.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the case where water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode, and FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the water detection electrode. FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram showing the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode. Moreover, the vertical axis | shaft of the graph represented to FIG.7 (b) and FIG.7 (c) represents a voltage value, and the horizontal axis represents time.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7A, for example, when a water droplet is attached to the water detection electrode 220b, the voltage value output from the water detection electrode 220b increases at a large rate of increase as illustrated in FIG. 7B. . At this time, when the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment detects that the voltage value output from the water detection electrode 220b has increased, the setting is changed to a detection threshold having an absolute value larger than the detection threshold when there is no water droplet. can do.

  On the other hand, when a water droplet is attached to the touch detection electrode 210, similarly, as shown in FIG. 7C, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode increases. At this time, the absolute value of the voltage value is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold value when there is no water droplet, but does not exceed the absolute value of the detection threshold value (detection threshold value when there is a water droplet). Therefore, in this case, the operation determination unit 300 determines that there is no user operation, and the touch switch detection device 100 does not accept this operation.

  As described above with reference to FIG. 4, the voltage value gradually decreases even when the water droplet remains on the touch detection electrode. However, the operation determination unit 300 detects the voltage value as the voltage value decreases. It is possible to prevent the absolute value of the threshold from decreasing. That is, the detection threshold value that has been changed can be held with a larger absolute value. Then, when the voltage values output from the touch detection electrode 210 and the water detection electrode 220b are reduced to the voltage value before the water droplet is attached, it can be considered that the attached water droplet is lost. Therefore, when the output voltage value drops to the voltage value before the water drops are attached, the holding of the detection threshold value that has been changed is canceled, and the preset detection threshold value is set to the detection threshold value when there is no water drop. can do.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a case where the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger, and FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the water detection electrode. FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram illustrating voltage values output from the touch detection electrodes. In addition, the vertical axis of the graphs shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C represents a voltage value, and the horizontal axis represents time.

  First, as described above with reference to FIG. 7, for example, when water droplets are attached to the water detection electrode 220 b and the touch detection electrode 210, as shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. The value increases at a large rate of increase. In this case, since the detection threshold value is changed to a detection threshold value having a larger absolute value, the absolute value of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210 does not exceed the absolute value of the detection threshold value that has been changed. . Therefore, in this state, the operation determination unit 300 determines that there is no user operation.

  Subsequently, when the user presses the touch detection electrode 210 with water droplets with a finger, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210 is higher than that without water droplets. Rise to a large voltage value. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, the absolute value of the voltage value may be greater than or equal to the absolute value of the detection threshold value (detection threshold value when there is a water droplet). As described above, when the absolute value of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210 is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold, the operation determination unit 300 determines that the user has performed an operation, and detects the touch switch. The apparatus 100 accepts this operation.

  When a water droplet is attached to the water detection electrode, the detection threshold is changed to a detection threshold having a larger absolute value, but the output signal when the user presses the touch detection electrode also becomes larger, so the operational feeling is It is almost the same as pressing with a dry finger. That is, only when a water droplet is attached to the water detection electrode, the detection threshold value is changed to a detection threshold value having a larger absolute value. Therefore, the touch switch detection device 100 according to the present embodiment maintains good operability. Therefore, malfunction due to water droplets can be prevented more accurately.

Next, a specific example of the operation of the touch switch detection device when a plurality of touch detection electrodes are provided will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the case where the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger, and FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger. 10A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger, and FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit.
9B and FIG. 10B, the vertical axis represents voltage values, and the horizontal axis represents items of touch detection electrodes and water detection electrodes.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, when there are no water droplets on the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode, for example, when the touch detection electrode 210a is pressed with a dry finger, the case shown in FIG. Similarly, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a increases. As a result, since the absolute value of the voltage value is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold, the operation determination unit 300 determines that an operation related to the touch detection electrode 210a has been performed, and the touch switch detection device 100 accepts this operation.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10A, when water droplets are connected to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b, for example, when the touch detection electrode 210a is pressed, FIG. ), The voltage values output from the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b increase. This is because the touch detection electrode 210a, the water detection electrode 220b, and the touch detection electrode 210b are connected by water droplets. Since they are connected by water droplets, the capacitance between the water detection electrode 220b and the touch detection electrode 210b and the ground changes when the user touches the touch detection electrode 210a with a finger.

  Therefore, even when the user presses only the touch detection electrode 210a, the absolute value of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210b may be greater than or equal to the absolute value of the detection threshold. In this case, the operation determination unit determines that the user is pressing the touch detection electrode 210a and the touch detection electrode 210b at the same time. Therefore, the touch switch detection device may perform an operation not intended by the user.

  On the other hand, when the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment detects that the voltage value output from the water detection electrode has increased, the detection threshold value of the touch detection electrode adjacent to the water detection electrode is set to a larger absolute value. The setting can be changed to a detection threshold value having Therefore, even if the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210b increases, as shown in FIG. 10B, the absolute value of the voltage value does not exceed the absolute value of the detection threshold value that has been changed. Therefore, the operation determination unit 300 determines that there is no operation related to the touch detection electrode 210b, and the touch switch detection device 100 does not accept this operation.

  In addition, since the user is pressing the touch detection electrode 210a, as shown in FIG. 10B, the absolute value of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold that has been changed. Become. This is because the apparent contact area with respect to the touch detection electrode 210a is increased by the amount wet. Therefore, the operation determination unit 300 determines that there has been an operation related to the touch detection electrode 210a, and the touch switch detection device 100 receives this operation.

  Thereby, the operation determination unit 300 can determine that there is no operation related to the touch detection electrode 210b, and can determine that there is only an operation related to the touch detection electrode 210a. Even in the case where water droplets are connected to adjacent touch detection electrodes, the operation determination unit 300 of this embodiment can more accurately determine the user's operation.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view illustrating the case where adjacent touch detection electrodes are pressed simultaneously with a dry finger. 11A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the adjacent touch detection electrodes are simultaneously pressed with a dry finger, and FIG. 11B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit. It is.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating the case where adjacent wet touch detection electrodes are simultaneously pressed with a finger. 12A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which adjacent wet touch detection electrodes are simultaneously pressed with a finger, and FIG. 12B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit. It is.
In the graphs shown in FIGS. 11B and 12B, the vertical axis represents voltage values, and the horizontal axis represents items of touch detection electrodes and water detection electrodes.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, when no water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode, for example, when the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b are simultaneously pressed with a dry finger, the touch detection electrode 210a And the voltage value output from 210b rises. As a result, since the absolute values of these voltage values are equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold, the operation determination unit 300 determines that the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b are simultaneously pressed, and the touch switch detection device 100 accepts this operation. .

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 12A, for example, when water droplets are connected to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b, the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment performs water detection. The detection threshold value of the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b adjacent to the electrode 220b is changed to a detection threshold value having a larger absolute value. At this time, when the user simultaneously uses the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b, for example, the absolute value of the voltage value output from the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b is equal to or greater than the absolute value of the detection threshold value that has been changed. This is because the apparent contact area with respect to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b is increased by the wet amount. Therefore, also in this case, the operation determination unit 300 determines that the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b are pressed at the same time, and the touch switch detection device 100 accepts this operation.

  As described above, the operation determination unit 300 can change the setting of the detection threshold value of the touch detection electrode adjacent to the water detection electrode with a water droplet to a detection threshold value having a larger absolute value. Thereby, for example, even when water droplets are connected to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b, it is more accurately determined whether or not the user is simultaneously pressing adjacent touch detection electrodes. be able to.

FIG. 13 is a schematic view illustrating the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger. FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger, and FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit.
The vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 13B represents the voltage value, and the horizontal axis represents the items of the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode.

  As shown in FIG. 13A, for example, when water droplets are connected to the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c and the water detection electrodes 220b and 220c, the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment The detection threshold value of the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, 210c adjacent to the detection electrodes 220b, 220c is changed to a detection threshold value having a larger absolute value. Accordingly, as described above, even when the user presses the touch detection electrode 210a, for example, it is determined that there is no operation related to the touch detection electrodes 210b and 210c, and only an operation related to the touch detection electrode 210a is performed. Can be determined.

  In addition, the operation determination unit 300 according to the present embodiment has an operation related to a touch detection electrode that outputs a voltage value having the largest absolute value among touch detection electrodes adjacent to a water detection electrode with a water droplet. Can be determined. That is, in the case illustrated in FIG. 13, the touch detection electrode 210a outputs the largest voltage value among the touch detection electrodes 210a, 210b, and 210c adjacent to the water detection electrodes 220b and 220c. Therefore, the operation determination unit 300 determines that there is only an operation related to the touch detection electrode 210a, and the touch switch detection device 100 receives this operation.

  By doing in this way, even if it is a case where a water droplet is attached to two or more touch detection electrodes, the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment more accurately determines the touch detection electrodes operated by the user. be able to.

  As described above, the touch switch detection device 100 according to the present embodiment is used in, for example, a water supply device. When the electromagnetic valve 520 is open, the water supply device using the touch switch detection device 100 is used by the user, and there is a high possibility that the user's hand is wet. In addition, when the electromagnetic valve 520 is open, the device is used by the user, and there is a high possibility that water droplets will be attached to the touch switch unit 200 due to reflection on the cleaning object. Therefore, the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment estimates that the user is likely to press the touch detection electrode with a wet finger when the electromagnetic valve 520 is open, and detects when there is no water droplet. The setting can be changed to a detection threshold having an absolute value larger than the threshold.

  Thereby, even if a water droplet is applied to the touch detection electrode, it is possible to perform a water discharging operation by making a more accurate operation determination. In addition, when the solenoid valve is in an open state, the touch detection electrode is likely to be splashed with water, and is often operated with wet hands when stopping the water. In consideration of this, it is possible to make a more accurate operation determination.

Next, a specific example of the operation of the touch switch detection device that more accurately determines the operation of the person and the adhesion of water droplets without changing the setting of the detection threshold will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 14 is a schematic view illustrating the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger. 14A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger, and FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit.
The vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 14B represents voltage values, and the horizontal axis represents items of touch detection electrodes and water detection electrodes.

  When water droplets are connected to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b, for example, when the touch detection electrode 210a is pressed, as described above, the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b are pressed. The voltage value output from the rises.

  Here, when the operation determination unit 300 of this specific example detects that the voltage value output from the water detection electrode 220b has risen, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a and the touch detection electrode 210b. The difference from the voltage value output from is calculated. When the absolute value of this difference falls within the range of a difference threshold that is a determination criterion for determining whether or not there has been a user's operation, the operation determination unit 300 causes water droplets to be applied to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b. In the attached state, it is determined that the user has operated the touch detection electrode 210a, and the touch switch detection device 100 accepts this operation. In other words, the operation determination unit 300 determines that the user has not operated the touch detection electrode 210b adjacent to the touch detection electrode 210a.

  As a result, the touch switch detection device 100 according to the present specific example can more accurately determine whether the detection of the touch switch is performed by a human operation or the attachment of water droplets without changing the setting of the detection threshold. it can. Therefore, it is not necessary to set two or more detection thresholds, and it is possible to simply and more accurately determine human operation and water droplet adhesion.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view illustrating the case where adjacent wet touch detection electrodes are simultaneously pressed with a finger. FIG. 15A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which adjacent wet touch detection electrodes are simultaneously pressed with a finger, and FIG. 15B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit. It is.
The vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 15B represents the voltage value, and the horizontal axis represents the items of the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode.

  When water droplets are connected to the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b and the water detection electrode 220b, for example, when the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b are simultaneously pressed, the voltage values output from the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b are approximately Rise to the same value. Therefore, the operation determination unit 300 calculates the difference value between the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a and the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210b as substantially “0”.

  As a result, the operation determination unit 300 determines that the user has operated the touch detection electrodes 210a and 210b at the same time, and the touch switch detection device 100 accepts this operation. That is, according to the operation of this specific example, not only when one touch detection electrode is pressed, but also when two or more touch detection electrodes are pressed simultaneously, without changing the detection threshold setting, In a simple manner, it is possible to more accurately determine human operation and adhesion of water droplets.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view illustrating the case where the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger. 16A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where the touch detection electrode is pressed with a dry finger, and FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram illustrating a voltage value output from the touch switch unit.
The vertical axis of the graph shown in FIG. 16B represents the voltage value, and the horizontal axis represents the items of the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode.

  When no water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode, for example, when the touch detection electrode 210a is pressed with a dry finger, only the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a increases. That is, the voltage value output from the touch detection electrodes 210b and 210c does not change. Therefore, the absolute value of the difference between the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a and the voltage value output from the touch detection electrodes 210b and 210c is substantially equal to the increase in the voltage value output from the touch detection electrode 210a. Be the same.

  As a result, since the absolute value of the difference is outside the range of the difference threshold, the operation determination unit 300 determines that the user has operated the touch detection electrode 210a with a dry finger, and the touch switch detection device 100 performs this operation. Accept. In other words, according to the operation of this specific example, even when the touch detection electrode is dry, it is possible to simply and accurately determine human operation and water droplet adhesion without changing the detection threshold setting. can do.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the operation determination unit 300 detects that a water droplet is attached to the water detection electrode, the operation determination unit 300 sets the detection threshold having an absolute value larger than the detection threshold when there is no water droplet. Can be changed. Thereby, the touch switch detection apparatus 100 of this embodiment can prevent more correctly the malfunction by a water drop, maintaining favorable operativity. Further, the operation determination unit 300 of the present embodiment can change the setting of the detection threshold value of the touch detection electrode adjacent to the water detection electrode with a water droplet to a detection threshold value having a larger absolute value. Thereby, even if it is a case where it is connected with two or more touch detection electrodes and a water droplet is attached, the touch detection electrode operated by the user can be determined more accurately. Furthermore, when the operation determination unit 300 according to the present embodiment detects that a water droplet is attached to the water detection electrode, the operation determination unit 300 can calculate a difference between the voltage values output from the touch detection electrode. Thereby, it is possible to simply and more accurately prevent malfunction due to water droplets without changing the setting of the detection threshold.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to these descriptions. As long as the features of the present invention are provided, those skilled in the art appropriately modified the design of the above-described embodiments are also included in the scope of the present invention. For example, the shape and arrangement of each element included in the touch switch unit 200 and the like, the installation form of the water detection electrode, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate. The case where the water detection electrode is provided on the left and right sides of the touch detection electrode has been described as an example, but may be further provided on the upper and lower sides of the touch detection electrode. In this way, it is possible to more reliably detect that a water droplet has adhered to the touch switch unit 200.
Moreover, each element with which each embodiment mentioned above is provided can be combined as long as technically possible, and the combination of these is also included in the scope of the present invention as long as it includes the features of the present invention.

It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the touch switch part of the touch switch detection apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the touch switch detection apparatus concerning this embodiment, and the water supply apparatus using the same. It is a graph showing the voltage value (actual measurement value) after the amplifier circuit output at the time of the dry touch operation | movement of a touch detection electrode. It is a graph showing the voltage value (actually measured value) after the amplification circuit that is output when water droplets are attached to the touch detection electrode and the water detection electrode. It is a graph showing the voltage value (actually measured value) after the amplification circuit output when the wet touch detection electrode is pressed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where a touch detection electrode is pushed with the dry finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where a water droplet adheres to a touch detection electrode and a water detection electrode. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pushed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where a touch detection electrode is pushed with the dry finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pushed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the adjacent touch detection electrode is pressed simultaneously with a dry finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the adjacent wet touch detection electrode is simultaneously pressed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pushed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the wet touch detection electrode is pushed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where the adjacent wet touch detection electrode is simultaneously pressed with a finger. It is a schematic diagram which illustrates the case where a touch detection electrode is pushed with the dry finger.

Explanation of symbols

100 touch switch detection device, 200 touch switch unit, 210, 210a, 210b, 210c touch detection electrode, 220a, 220b, 220b, 220c, 220d water detection electrode, 230a, 230b, 230c switch display unit, 240 touch panel, 300 operation determination Unit, 310 switching circuit, 320 oscillation circuit, 330 detection circuit, 340 LPF, 350 amplification circuit, 360 control unit, 370 solenoid valve drive circuit, 500 water supply device, 520 solenoid valve, 530 water outlet

Claims (9)

A touch switch having a touch detection electrode for detecting a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a water detection electrode for detecting a contact of a water droplet adjacent to the touch detection electrode;
An operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode;
With
The operation determination unit sets a detection threshold that is a determination criterion for determining whether or not the user has operated when the touch switch unit detects that a water droplet has been attached based on the detection output of the water detection electrode. A touch switch detection device characterized by changing. A plurality of the touch detection electrodes are provided,
The water detection electrodes are respectively provided between the touch detection electrodes,
When the operation determination unit detects that a water droplet has been attached to the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode, the touch detection adjacent to the water detection electrode that has detected that a water droplet has been attached. The touch switch detection device according to claim 1, wherein the detection threshold value of the electrode is changed.   The operation determining unit determines that the user has operated when the absolute value of the detection output of the touch detection electrode is equal to or larger than the absolute value of the detection threshold. The touch switch detection device according to 1.   The operation determination unit has a larger absolute value when it is detected that a water droplet is attached to the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode than when it is not detected that a water droplet is attached. The touch switch detection device according to claim 1, wherein the touch switch detection device is set to the detection threshold value. A touch switch having a plurality of touch detection electrodes for detecting a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a plurality of water detection electrodes for detecting a contact of a water droplet;
An operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode;
With
When the operation determination unit detects that a water droplet is attached to the touch switch unit based on the detection output of the water detection electrode, an operation related to the touch detection electrode that outputs the detection output having the maximum absolute value is performed. It is determined that there is a touch switch detecting device. A touch switch having a plurality of touch detection electrodes for detecting a change in capacitance due to a user's contact, and a plurality of water detection electrodes for detecting a contact of a water droplet;
An operation determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a user operation based on the detection output of the touch detection electrode;
With
When the operation determination unit detects that the touch switch unit has water droplets based on the detection output of the water detection electrode, the difference between the detection outputs of the touch detection electrode and the touch detection electrode adjacent thereto Is determined to be within the range of a difference threshold that is a criterion for determining whether or not there has been a user's operation, it is determined that the user has not operated the adjacent touch detection electrode. A touch switch detection device characterized by that. The touch switch detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A solenoid valve that opens and closes the water supply flow path;
A water discharge port for discharging water supplied through the water supply channel;
Based on the determination of the operation determination unit, a control unit that controls the operation of the solenoid valve;
A water supply apparatus comprising:   The water supply device according to claim 7, wherein the operation determination unit changes the setting of the detection threshold according to an open / close state of the electromagnetic valve.   The water supply device according to claim 8, wherein the operation determination unit sets the detection threshold having an absolute value larger when the electromagnetic valve is in the open state than when the electromagnetic valve is in the closed state.