JP2011014384A - Input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device equipped with a detecting means for detecting that a conductor contacts with or approaches a detecting electrode, wherein a wrong input only by touching an input part can be prevented.SOLUTION: The input device includes a touch sensor (9A) for detecting that a conductor contacts with or approaches detecting electrodes (13-16), an acceleration sensor (10) for detecting a shock or a vibration, and an input determination means (8) for determining that there exists an operated input when detection by the touch sensor (9A) and detection by the acceleration sensor (10) are carried out.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device including detection means for detecting that a conductor is in contact with or close to a detection electrode.

  Conventionally, there is an input device including a touch sensor that detects that a conductor such as a human body is in contact with or close to a detection electrode (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2007-170994 A JP 2007-170995 A

  In a conventional input device equipped with a touch sensor, when a hand or finger touches the sensor position even though there is no intention to perform an operation input, the touch sensor reacts to cause an erroneous input against the user's intention. There was a problem that it would end up.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to make it possible to prevent erroneous input just by touching an input unit in an input device having detection means for detecting that a conductor is in contact with or close to a detection electrode. is there.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1
First detection means for detecting that a conductor is in contact with or close to the detection electrode;
A second detection means for detecting an impact or vibration;
An input determination unit that determines that there is an operation input when the detection by the first detection unit and the detection by the second detection unit are performed;
An input device comprising:

The invention described in claim 2 is the input device according to claim 1,
The input determination means includes
There is an operation input when an impact or vibration is detected by the second detection means within a predetermined time after the first detection means detects that the conductor is in contact with or close to the detection electrode. It is characterized by judging.

The invention described in claim 3 is the input device according to claim 1,
The input determination means includes
There is an operation input when the first detection means detects that a conductor is in contact with or close to the detection electrode within a predetermined time after an impact or vibration is detected by the second detection means. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed.

  According to the present invention, in addition to detection of contact or proximity of the conductor to the detection electrode by the first detection means, an operation input is determined when an impact or vibration is detected by the second detection means. Therefore, if a conductor simply contacts or approaches the detection electrode of the first detection means, it is not determined as an operation input, and erroneous input can be prevented.

It is a front view which shows the electronic timepiece with which the input device of embodiment of this invention is provided. It is arrow AA sectional view of the electronic timepiece of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the whole input device of embodiment of this invention. It is a wave form diagram explaining the discrimination conditions of touch input in an acceleration sensor. It is the flowchart which showed the control procedure of the touch input process performed by CPU of a microcomputer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing an electronic timepiece equipped with an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic timepiece 1 has a watch glass 2 attached to the upper center of a watch case via a packing 2a. A watch module 40 is housed in the watch case, and a watch module 40 is housed in the lower portion. The back cover 4 is configured to be attached via a waterproof ring 4a. Under the watch glass 2, transparent electrode portions 13 to 16 are provided as detection electrodes. By touching the upper positions of these electrode portions 13 to 16 with a finger to perform touch input, an internal watch module 40 is provided. It is possible to input an operation signal to.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the timepiece module 40 includes an upper housing 5 and a lower housing 6. A circuit board 7 is disposed between the upper housing 5 and the lower housing 6, and the circuit board 7 includes a microcomputer 8 constituted by an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit) and the electrode parts 13-. A touch detection unit 9 that detects a change in capacitance of 16 and an acceleration sensor 10 that detects a change in acceleration at the time of touch input are mounted. A battery 11 is provided in the lower housing 6 in a state of being electrically connected to the circuit board 7.

  A display panel 42 such as a liquid crystal display element, an EL (electroluminescence) element, or electronic paper is disposed in the upper housing 5, and the display panel 42 is electrically connected to the circuit board 7 by an interconnector 43. Information such as time is displayed on the display panel 42.

  A transparent member 41 is provided between the timepiece module 40 and the timepiece glass 2. The transparent member 41 is made of a transparent film, and is disposed on the collar 1 a provided on the inner peripheral surface of the watch case so as to face the lower surface of the watch glass 2. The plurality of electrode parts 13 to 16 described above are provided on the lower surface of the transparent member 41. The electrode portions 13 to 16 are made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO (indium tin oxide), and are connected to each other through the connection wirings 13a to 16a provided on the transparent member 41 and the interconnector 44 (FIG. 2). The touch detection unit 9 of the substrate 7 is electrically connected.

  The touch sensor 9A (refer FIG. 3) as a 1st detection means is comprised by the transparent member 41 and the touch detection part 9 which have the some electrode parts 13-16 among the said structures. The acceleration sensor 10 constitutes second detection means, and the microcomputer 8 constitutes input determination means. Furthermore, the touch sensor 9A, the acceleration sensor 10, and the microcomputer 8 constitute an input device that is an embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating the entire input device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  When a conductor such as a finger is placed above the plurality of electrode portions 13 to 16 with the watch glass 2 interposed therebetween, the touch detection unit 9 is electrostatically formed by the conductor and the electrode portions 13 to 16. By detecting the capacitance Ct, it is detected that the conductor is placed on the electrode portions 13-16. The touch detection unit 9 includes a determination unit 9a for determining the presence or absence of the conductor based on the change in the capacitance Ct, an input / output unit 9b for exchanging the determination result of the determination unit 9a with the microcomputer 8. ing. The input / output unit 9b constitutes a first notification unit and an information output unit.

  The determination unit 9a, for example, a CR oscillation circuit that oscillates in combination with the electrostatic capacitance Ct, a counter that counts the oscillation signal of the CR oscillation circuit, and confirms the count value of the counter at a constant period and is constant. A logic unit or the like for determining the presence or absence of a capacitance Ct exceeding the amount is provided. A plurality of the CR oscillation circuits are provided corresponding to the plurality of electrode portions 13 to 16, respectively. When no conductor is placed on the electrode portions 13 to 16, the oscillation signals having a predetermined frequency determined by the internal capacitance elements Ci1 to Ci4 are counted. On the other hand, when a certain amount or more of capacitance Ct is generated in any of the electrode portions 13 to 16 due to the placement of the conductor, this capacitance Ct or the capacitance Ce coupled to the conductor. The logic unit discriminates the deviation of the oscillation frequency of the CR oscillation circuit by the count value of the counter and determines that the conductor is placed.

  Note that the method of determining the presence or absence of the conductor in the touch detection unit 9 is not limited to the above-described counting method of the oscillation signal by the counter, and various known techniques can be applied.

  The input / output unit 9b includes a data holding unit that holds key information for a certain period of time, and a control unit that inputs and outputs signals to and from the microcomputer 8 via the output terminal INT1 and the data input / output terminal I2C. The key information is data indicating which electrode portions 13 to 16 have a conductor placed when the judgment portion 9a determines that the conductor is placed.

  When it is determined by the determination unit 9a that there is a touch input, a detection signal is output from the output terminal INT1 to the microcomputer 8 by the control unit of the input / output unit 9b. This detection signal is input to the microcomputer 8 as an interrupt signal. Hereinafter, this signal is denoted by a detection signal INT1 with the same reference symbol as the terminal symbol. Further, when a key information inquiry command is input from the microcomputer 8 to the control unit of the input / output unit 9b, the key information held in the data holding unit is transferred to the microcomputer 8 via the data input / output terminal I2C. It is output.

  In the touch detection unit 9, after a conductor such as a finger is placed on the upper part of any of the electrode units 13 to 16, the determination unit 9 a determines the change in the capacitance Ct and from the input / output unit 9 b. A predetermined response time is required until the detection signal INT1 is output. The response time of the touch detection unit 9 is not constant and varies between the maximum response times. For example, in a configuration in which the counting process of the oscillation signal by the counter and the confirmation process of the count value for each fixed period are performed in a time division manner for the plurality of electrode portions 13 to 16, a time period in which the time division processing is assigned to a certain electrode portion In addition, when a conductor is placed on top of this electrode portion, the response time is shortened. On the other hand, immediately after the assignment of the time division process for a certain electrode part is completed, if a conductor is placed on the upper part of this electrode part, the counting process or confirmation regarding the electrode part to which the time division process is assigned next is performed. Since no processing is performed, the response time becomes long.

  The acceleration sensor 10 includes a sensor unit 10a serving as a detection unit that outputs a signal that changes in accordance with acceleration, and a second determination unit that monitors an output signal from the sensor unit 10a to determine an acceleration change at the time of touch input. Part 10b. The determination unit 10b also functions as a second notification unit.

  FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram for explaining the touch input determination conditions in the acceleration sensor 10.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the signal level exceeds a predetermined threshold Gth and the pulse width of the portion exceeding the threshold Gth is identified as a signal whose disc width is shorter than the predetermined time width Tth, as shown in FIG. It is determined that the acceleration changes at the time of touch input, and a detection signal is output from the output terminal INT2 to the microcomputer 8. This detection signal is input to the microcomputer 8 as an interrupt signal. Hereinafter, this signal is denoted by a detection signal INT2 with the same reference symbol as the terminal symbol.

  The threshold Gth is lower than the peak value of the signal output from the sensor unit 10a when the watch glass 2 is struck with a specified force using a finger, and the finger or palm is applied to the watch glass 2. When placed lightly, it is set to a value higher than the peak value of the signal output from the sensor unit 10a.

  The time width Tth is longer than the pulse width of the portion exceeding the threshold Gth in the signal output from the sensor unit 10a when the watch glass 2 is struck with a specified force using a finger, and When the arm on which the electronic timepiece 1 is fitted is swung around or the electronic timepiece 1 is run around, the pulse width of the portion of the signal output from the sensor unit 10a that exceeds the threshold Gth is shorter. Is set as follows.

  When the touch input is performed with a standard force using a finger by the discrimination method using the threshold value Gth and the time width Tth, the detection signal INT2 is output from the acceleration sensor 10 to the microcomputer 8. When the acceleration is applied to the electronic timepiece 1 by an operation far from the touch input, the detection signal INT2 is not output.

  In the acceleration sensor 10, a predetermined response time is required from when the touch input is performed until the determination unit 10b determines this and outputs the detection signal INT2. For example, in the case where the output signal of the sensor unit 10a is identified by digital processing, the time taken to sample the signal for a certain period and determine whether the signal waveform satisfies the above condition is the response time. Become.

  Next, processing operations relating to touch input in the electronic timepiece 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of touch input processing executed by the CPU of the microcomputer 8.

  This touch input process is started as an interrupt process by the CPU of the microcomputer 8 when the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 or the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 is input to the microcomputer 8 as an interrupt signal. Is.

  When one of the detection signals INT1 and INT2 is input and this process is started, the CPU first determines which of the detection signals INT1 and INT2 is input (step S1). If the detection signal INT1 from the touch detection unit 9 is detected, the process proceeds to step S2. If the detection signal INT2 is detected from the acceleration sensor 10, the process proceeds to step S3.

  When the process proceeds to step S2, it is determined at this step whether or not the other detection signal INT2 is input during a predetermined standby time Tmax. On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S3, it is determined in this step whether or not the other detection signal INT1 is input during a predetermined standby time Tmax. A first discriminating means is constituted by the processes of steps S2 and S3.

  Here, the standby time Tmax is set to the longer one of the maximum value of the response time of the touch detection unit 9 and the maximum value of the response time of the acceleration sensor 10 described above. When the maximum value of the response time of the acceleration sensor 10 and the maximum value of the response time of the touch detection unit 9 are greatly different, the standby time Tmax in step S2 and the standby time Tmax in step S3 are set to different time lengths. You may make it set. For example, the standby time Tmax in step S2 may be set to the maximum response time of the acceleration sensor 10, while the standby time Tmax in step S3 may be set to the maximum response time of the touch detection unit 9. .

  Further, if the response time of the acceleration sensor 10 and the response time of the touch detection unit 9 are short enough to be compared with the cycle of the operation clock of the CPU, the standby time Tmax can be omitted. In addition, if the response time is sufficiently short with respect to the touch input operation time, accurate touch input determination can be performed even when the standby time Tmax is set to a value that is about two to ten times the response time. .

  As a result of the determination process in step S2, if the other detection signal INT2 is not input, it is assumed that there is no touch input, and the touch input process is terminated as it is. Similarly, if there is no input of the other detection signal INT1 as a result of the determination processing in step S3, it is assumed that there is no touch input, and the touch input processing is terminated as it is.

  That is, when the palm or finger just touches the watch glass 2 or when the watch glass 2 is only close to a conductor such as metal, the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 is input to the microcomputer 8. Even if this happens, since the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 is not input to the microcomputer 8, it is determined that there is no touch input. Further, when a minute impact is only applied to the electronic timepiece 1, even if the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 may be input to the microcomputer 8, the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 is 8 is not input, it is determined that there is no touch input.

  On the contrary, as a result of the determination process in step S2, if there is an input of the other detection signal INT2, it can be determined that there is a touch input, and therefore the process proceeds to step S4 to deal with the touch input. Similarly, as a result of the determination process in step S3, if there is an input of the other detection signal INT1, it can be determined that there is a touch input, and therefore the process proceeds to step S4 to deal with the touch input.

  That is, when a touch input is made by tapping any one of the electrode portions 13 to 16 with a finger, the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 and the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 are continuously performed. 8, the process proceeds to the process when there is a touch input.

  When the process proceeds to step S4, first, the CPU inquires which of the electrode parts (referred to as “touch keys” in FIG. 4) 13 to 16 has been turned on to the touch detection part 9 (step S4). Key information indicating which of the electrode sections 13 to 16 has been turned on is input from the section 9 (step S5: information input means). And based on this key information, the operation process corresponding to the electrode parts 13-16 in which ON input was carried out is performed (step S6). Then, this touch input process is terminated.

  As described above, according to the input device and the electronic timepiece 1 of this embodiment, there are both the detection of the proximity of the conductor by the touch detection unit 9 and the detection of the vibration that is generated by the touch input by the acceleration sensor 10. In this case, since it is determined that there is a touch input, erroneous determination of the touch input can be remarkably reduced as compared with the case where the touch input is detected only by the touch detection unit 9.

  Further, according to the touch detection process described above, it is determined that there is a touch input when the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 is input within the waiting time Tmax after the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 is input. Therefore, even when the response time of the acceleration sensor 10 cannot be ignored, it can be reliably determined that there is a touch input when a touch input is made.

  Further, according to the touch detection process described above, when the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 is input within the standby time Tmax after the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 is input, it is determined that there is a touch input. Therefore, even when the response time of the touch detection unit 9 cannot be ignored, it can be reliably determined that there is a touch input when a touch input is made.

  Further, according to the touch detection processing described above, first, after determining the presence or absence of touch input based on the detection signal INT1 of the touch detection unit 9 and the detection signal INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10, only when the touch detection unit determines that there is a touch input. 9 is inquired about which electrode unit 13 to 16 has been touched to obtain key information, and therefore, when the detection signal INT1 is output only from the touch detection unit 9, unnecessary exchange of key information is omitted. Thus, the load on the microcomputer 8 can be reduced.

  Further, the acceleration sensor 10 discriminates an impact or vibration at the time of touch input by a discrimination method using a signal level threshold Gth and a time width Tth defining a pulse width with respect to a signal that changes according to acceleration. Since it is a structure, only the detection of the vibration which generate | occur | produces with a touch input is performed, and the unnecessary detection when acceleration is applied by the operation | movement far from a touch input can be omitted.

  Further, since the detection signals INT1 and INT2 of the acceleration sensor 10 and the touch detection unit 9 are input as interrupt signals to the microcomputer 8, the touch detection process can be started as an interrupt process, and the load on the microcomputer 8 is reduced. Can be achieved.

  In the touch detection process, the time TMAX for waiting for the other detection signal INT1 (or INT2) to be input is set in accordance with the response time of the acceleration sensor 10 or the touch detection unit 9. It is possible to reliably detect a touch input when a touch input is made without waiting for a uselessly long time.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the example in which the acceleration sensor 10 is used as the second detection means for detecting shock or vibration has been shown, but a vibration sensor that detects a certain level of shock or vibration without using a signal indicating acceleration may be applied. Good. Even when the acceleration sensor 10 is used, it may be determined that there is an impact or vibration when an acceleration of a certain level or more occurs. In addition, the first detection means is not limited to the capacitive touch sensor 9A, and various types of touch sensors such as a method for detecting a current or voltage change generated when a conductor comes in contact with an electrode can be applied. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the determination unit 9a of the touch detection unit 9 and the determination unit 10b of the acceleration sensor 10 are configured separately from the microcomputer 8. However, the microcomputer 8 may include these configurations. good. In the above-described embodiment, the embodiment in which the input device according to the present invention is mounted on an electronic timepiece has been described. However, the input device of the present invention is applied to a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone or a PDA (personal digital assistant). In addition, it can be installed in stationary electronic devices. In the case of mounting on a stationary electronic device, a second detection means for detecting impact and vibration may be arranged on the touch surface. In addition, the details shown in the embodiments can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic timepiece 2 Timepiece glass 8 Microcomputer 9A Touch sensor 9 Touch detection part 9a Discrimination part 9b Input / output part 10 Acceleration sensor 10a Sensor part 10b Discrimination part 13-16 Electrode part 41 Transparent member Ct Electrostatic capacity INT1, INT2 Detection signal Gth Threshold Tth time width

Claims (3)

First detection means for detecting that a conductor is in contact with or close to the detection electrode;
A second detection means for detecting an impact or vibration;
An input determination unit that determines that there is an operation input when the detection by the first detection unit and the detection by the second detection unit are performed;
An input device comprising: The input determination means includes
There is an operation input when an impact or vibration is detected by the second detection means within a predetermined time after the first detection means detects that the conductor is in contact with or close to the detection electrode. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed. The input determination means includes
There is an operation input when the first detection means detects that a conductor is in contact with or close to the detection electrode within a predetermined time after an impact or vibration is detected by the second detection means. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the determination is performed.

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