JP7195788B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to electronic equipment, and more particularly to reducing erroneous detection of touch operations due to disturbance noise.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an imaging device is equipped with operation members such as cross keys and dials for selecting setting items.

In recent years, products equipped with a touch panel as a display device have become popular, and the user can select/set a displayed setting item simply by touching the item.

In addition, there are also products equipped with a touch sensor as an operation member, and expectations are rising for use as a user interface when shooting moving images with an imaging device.

If settings are made during movie shooting using a conventional mechanical operation member, the operation sound is recorded as noise, but an operation member using a touch sensor can reduce the recorded operation sound.

Touch panels and touch sensors are classified into capacitive systems, resistive film systems, optical systems, and the like, and each system has its advantages and disadvantages, and is widely used depending on the application.

Among them, the capacitive method is capable of accurate detection and is used in many devices.

In Patent Document 1, by arranging the touch operation member around the display screen, the problem of the screen becoming dirty due to the finger directly touching the display screen when using a touch panel is solved.

At the same time, a technique is disclosed that achieves a reduction in the size and thickness of the device itself by reducing the number of mechanical operation members, and improves operability.

JP 2008-236765 A

However, in the prior art disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, the touch operation member is arranged on the exterior around the display unit, but there is no description of the wiring route to the arithmetic unit that processes the signal output from the touch operation member. There is no

In other words, in the detection of the capacitance method, a technique is known in which an electrode pattern is formed on a printed wiring board, a flexible substrate, or the like, and a touch operation is performed by detecting a change in capacitance with the electrodes.

Usually, the electrodes on the flexible substrate used for detecting touch operations are often attached to the exterior where they can be easily touched so that the user can easily operate them.

Therefore, the wiring route of the flexible substrate from the electrodes to the arithmetic unit is inevitably located near the exterior, and tends to be easily touched by the user.

However, since a signal for touch detection is also wired in the wiring path of the flexible substrate, there is a possibility that the wiring path itself may act as an electrode due to the influence of surrounding metal parts or the user's finger.

As a result, the surrounding metal parts, the user's finger, etc. become external noise, which causes erroneous detection and deterioration of operability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device in which erroneous detection of a touch operation member due to disturbance noise is reduced.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a first operating member provided with means for detecting a touch operation and a sliding operation, and an operating surface of the first operating member arranged adjacent to the operation surface of the first operating member in the direction of the sliding operation. and a protruding portion protruding toward the back side with respect to the operation surface of the first operating member, a grip portion to be gripped by a user, and a wiring portion for guiding a signal detected by the detection means to an arithmetic circuit. An electronic device having
a touch sensing surface of the sensing means is divided into at least two sensing surfaces, a first touch sensing surface to an Nth touch sensing surface, in the direction of the slide operation, in order from the projecting portion side;
wherein the grip is closest to the Nth touch sensing surface among the at least two touch sensing surfaces in the direction of the slide operation;
A direction in which the wiring portion connected to the detection means is pulled out is a direction toward the projecting portion and a direction away from the grip portion in the direction of the slide operation.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce erroneous detection of a touch operation member due to disturbance noise.

1 is an external view of a digital camera 100; FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the digital camera 100. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the digital camera 100; FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the top cover 310 having the touch bar 82 as seen from the inside. 3 is a wiring pattern diagram of a flexible substrate 301. FIG. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a tap operation; FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of a slide operation; FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of a full-surface pressing operation;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1A and 1B are external views of a digital camera 100 as an example of a device to which the present invention can be applied.

1A is a front perspective view of the digital camera 100, and FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the digital camera 100. FIG.

In FIG. 1, a display unit 28 is a display unit provided on the rear surface of the camera for displaying images and various information.

The touch panel 70 a can detect a touch operation on the display surface (operation surface) of the display unit 28 .

The outside viewfinder display section 43 is a display section provided on the upper surface of the camera, and displays various setting values of the camera such as shutter speed and aperture.

A shutter button 61 is an operation unit for instructing photographing. A mode changeover switch 60 is an operation unit for switching between various modes.

The terminal cover 40 is a cover that protects a connector (not shown) such as a connection cable that connects a connection cable with an external device and the digital camera 100 .

A main electronic dial 71 is a rotary operation member included in the operation unit 70. By turning the main electronic dial 71, setting values such as shutter speed and aperture can be changed.

A power switch 72 is an operation member for switching ON and OFF of the power of the digital camera 100 .

A sub-electronic dial 73 is included in the operation unit 70 and is a rotary operation member included in the operation unit 70, and can move a selection frame, advance an image, and the like.

A cross key 74 is included in the operation unit 70 and is a cross key (four-direction key) whose up, down, left, and right portions can be pressed.

An operation corresponding to the pressed portion of the cross key 74 is possible. A SET button 75 is included in the operation unit 70, is a push button, and is mainly used for determining selection items.

A moving image button 76 is used to instruct start and stop of moving image shooting (recording). An AE lock button 77 is included in the operation unit 70, and can be pressed in the shooting standby state to fix the exposure state.

An enlargement button 78 is included in the operation unit 70 and is an operation button for turning ON/OFF the enlargement mode in the live view display in the shooting mode.

By operating the main electronic dial 71 after turning on the enlargement mode, the LV image can be enlarged or reduced.

In the reproduction mode, it functions as an enlargement button for enlarging the reproduced image and increasing the enlargement ratio.

A playback button 79 is included in the operation unit 70 and is an operation button for switching between shooting mode and playback mode.

By pressing the playback button 79 in the imaging mode, the mode is shifted to the playback mode, and the latest image among the images recorded in the recording medium 200 can be displayed on the display unit 28 .

A menu button 81 is included in the operation unit 70 , and when the menu button 81 is pressed, a menu screen on which various settings can be made is displayed on the display unit 28 .

The user can intuitively perform various settings using the menu screen displayed on the display unit 28, the cross key 74, and the SET button 75. FIG.

The touch bar 82 is a linear touch operation member (line touch sensor) capable of receiving touch operations.

It is arranged at a position where it can be operated with the thumb of the right hand holding the grip part 90 .

Then, it is possible to accept a tap operation on the touch bar 82 (an operation of touching and releasing without moving within a predetermined period), a left/right sliding operation (an operation of moving the touch position while touching after touching), and the like.

The touch bar 82 is an operation member different from the touch panel 70a and does not have a display function.

A communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens side (detachable).

The eyepiece unit 16 is an eyepiece unit of an eyepiece finder (looking-in type finder), and the user can visually recognize an image displayed on the internal EVF 29 through the eyepiece unit 16 .

The eyepiece detection unit 57 is an eyepiece detection sensor that detects whether or not the photographer is eyeing the eyepiece unit 16 .

A lid 202 is a lid of a slot in which the recording medium 200 is stored. The grip part 90 is a holding part having a shape that allows the user to easily hold the digital camera 100 with his or her right hand.

A shutter button 61 and a main electronic dial 71 are arranged at positions where they can be operated with the index finger of the right hand while holding the digital camera by gripping the grip portion 90 with the little finger, the ring finger and the middle finger of the right hand.

In the same state, the sub electronic dial 73 and the touch bar 82 are arranged at positions that can be operated with the thumb of the right hand.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the digital camera 100 according to this embodiment.

In FIG. 2, a lens unit 150 is a lens unit that mounts an interchangeable photographing lens.

Although the lens 103 is normally composed of a plurality of lenses, only one lens is shown here for simplicity.

A communication terminal 6 is a communication terminal for the lens unit 150 to communicate with the digital camera 100 side, and a communication terminal 10 is a communication terminal for the digital camera 100 to communicate with the lens unit 150 side.

The lens unit 150 communicates with the system control section 50 via the communication terminals 6 and 10 .

Then, the internal lens system control circuit 4 controls the aperture 1 through the aperture drive circuit 2, and the position of the lens 103 is displaced through the AF drive circuit 3 to focus.

The AE sensor 17 measures the brightness of the subject through the lens unit 150 .

The focus detection section 11 outputs defocus amount information to the system control section 50 .

Based on this, the system control unit 50 controls the lens unit 150 to perform phase difference AF. The focus detection unit 11 may be a dedicated phase difference sensor, or may be configured as an imaging surface phase difference sensor of the imaging unit 22 .

The shutter 101 is a focal plane shutter that can freely control the exposure time of the imaging unit 22 under the control of the system control unit 50 .

The imaging unit 22 is an imaging device configured by a CCD, a CMOS device, or the like that converts an optical image into an electrical signal.

The A/D converter 23 converts analog signals into digital signals. The A/D converter 23 is used to convert the analog signal output from the imaging section 22 into a digital signal.

The image processing unit 24 performs resizing processing such as predetermined pixel interpolation and reduction, and color conversion processing on the data from the A/D converter 23 or the data from the memory control unit 15 .

Further, the image processing unit 24 performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data.

A system control unit 50 performs exposure control and distance measurement control based on the calculation result obtained by the image processing unit 24 .

As a result, TTL (through-the-lens) AF (autofocus) processing, AE (automatic exposure) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are performed.

The image processing unit 24 further performs predetermined arithmetic processing using the captured image data, and performs TTL AWB (Auto White Balance) processing based on the obtained arithmetic result.

Output data from the A/D converter 23 is directly written into the memory 32 via the image processing section 24 and the memory control section 15 or via the memory control section 15 .

The memory 32 stores image data obtained by the imaging unit 22 and converted into digital data by the A/D converter 23 and image data to be displayed on the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 .

The memory 32 has a storage capacity sufficient to store a predetermined number of still images, moving images for a predetermined period of time, and audio.

The memory 32 also serves as an image display memory (video memory).

The D/A converter 19 converts image display data stored in the memory 32 into an analog signal and supplies the analog signal to the display section 28 and the EVF 29 .

Thus, the image data for display written in the memory 32 is displayed by the display section 28 and the EVF 29 via the D/A converter 19 .

The display unit 28 and the EVF 29 perform display according to the analog signal from the D/A converter 19 on a display such as LCD or organic EL.

A digital signal that has been A/D-converted once by the A/D converter 23 and stored in the memory 32 is analog-converted by the D/A converter 19 .

Live view display (LV display) can be performed by sequentially transferring and displaying on the display unit 28 or the EVF 29 . An image displayed in live view is hereinafter referred to as a live view image (LV image).

Various setting values of the camera, such as shutter speed and aperture, are displayed on the viewfinder display section 43 via the viewfinder display section drive circuit 44 .

The nonvolatile memory 56 is an electrically erasable/recordable memory, and for example, an EEPROM or the like is used. The nonvolatile memory 56 stores constants, programs, etc. for the operation of the system control unit 50 .

A system control unit 50 is a control unit comprising at least one processor or circuit, and controls the entire digital camera 100 .

By executing the program recorded in the non-volatile memory 56 described above, each process of this embodiment, which will be described later, is realized.

A RAM, for example, is used as the system memory 52, and constants and variables for operation of the system control unit 50, programs read from the nonvolatile memory 56, and the like are developed.

The system control unit 50 also performs display control by controlling the memory 32, the D/A converter 19, the display unit 28, and the like.

A system timer 53 is a timer that measures the time used for various controls and the time of a built-in clock.

A mode changeover switch 60 , a first shutter switch 62 , a second shutter switch 64 , and an operation section 70 are operation means for inputting various operation instructions to the system control section 50 .

The mode changeover switch 60 switches the operation mode of the system control unit 50 between a still image shooting mode, a moving image shooting mode, a playback mode, and the like.

Modes included in the still image shooting mode include auto shooting mode, auto scene discrimination mode, manual mode, aperture priority mode (Av mode), shutter speed priority mode (Tv mode), and program AE mode (P mode).

In addition, there are various scene modes, custom modes, and the like, which are shooting settings for each shooting scene. A mode selector switch 60 allows the user to switch directly to any of these modes.

Alternatively, after once switching to the shooting mode list screen with the mode switching switch 60, one of the displayed multiple modes may be selected and switched using another operation member.

Similarly, the movie shooting mode may also include multiple modes.

The first shutter switch 62 is turned on when the shutter button 61 provided on the digital camera 100 is pressed halfway (imaging preparation instruction), and generates a first shutter switch signal SW1.

Shooting preparation operations such as AF (autofocus) processing, AE (auto exposure) processing, AWB (auto white balance) processing, and EF (flash pre-emission) processing are started by the first shutter switch signal SW1.

The second shutter switch 64 is turned ON when the operation of the shutter button 61 is completed, that is, when the shutter button 61 is fully pressed (imaging instruction), and generates a second shutter switch signal SW2.

In response to the second shutter switch signal SW2, the system control unit 50 starts a series of photographing processing operations from signal reading from the imaging unit 22 to writing of the photographed image to the recording medium 200 as an image file.

The operation unit 70 is various operation members as an input unit that receives operations from the user. The operation unit 70 includes at least the following operation units.

The imaging apparatus of FIG. 1 has members such as a shutter button 61 , a main electronic dial 71 , a power switch 72 , a sub electronic dial 73 and a cross key 74 .

It also has a SET button 75 , a movie button 76 , an AF lock button 77 , an enlargement button 78 , a playback button 79 , a menu button 81 and a touch bar 82 .

When the user operates the touch bar 82 attached to the digital camera 100, a signal output from the touch bar 82 is input to the touch bar control microcomputer 82a.

Various operations are detected by the touch bar control microcomputer 82a, and the detected signals are input to the system control unit 50 to change the photographing parameters of the digital camera 100 and the like.

The power control unit 80 is composed of a battery detection circuit, a DC-DC converter, a switch circuit for switching blocks to be energized, and the like, and detects whether or not a battery is installed, the type of battery, and the remaining amount of the battery.

Also, the power supply control unit 80 controls the DC-DC converter based on the detection results and instructions from the system control unit 50, and supplies necessary voltage to each unit including the recording medium 200 for a necessary period.

The power supply unit 30 includes a primary battery such as an alkaline battery or a lithium battery, a secondary battery such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, or a Li battery, an AC adapter, or the like.

A recording medium I/F 18 is an interface with a recording medium 200 such as a memory card or hard disk.

A recording medium 200 is a recording medium such as a memory card for recording captured images, and is composed of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like.

The communication unit 54 is connected wirelessly or by a wired cable, and transmits and receives video signals and audio signals.

The communication unit 54 can be connected to a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

The communication unit 54 can also communicate with an external device using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Bluetooth Low Energy.

The communication unit 54 can transmit images (including LV images) captured by the imaging unit 22 and images recorded in the recording medium 200, and can receive images and other various information from external devices. .

The orientation detection unit 55 detects the orientation of the digital camera 100 with respect to the direction of gravity.

Based on the posture detected by the posture detection unit 55, whether the image captured by the imaging unit 22 is an image captured with the digital camera 100 held horizontally or an image captured with the digital camera 100 held vertically. can be determined.

The system control unit 50 can add orientation information corresponding to the orientation detected by the orientation detection unit 55 to the image file of the image captured by the imaging unit 22, or rotate and record the image. be.

An acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like can be used as the posture detection unit 55 .

It is also possible to detect the movement of the digital camera 100 (pan, tilt, lift, whether it is stationary, etc.) using an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, which is the orientation detection unit 55 .

An eye contact detection unit 57 is an eye contact detection sensor that detects approach (eye contact) and separation (eye separation) of an eye (object) from the eyepiece unit 16 of the finder (approach detection).

The system control unit 50 switches display (display state)/non-display (non-display state) of the display unit 28 and the EVF 29 according to the state detected by the eye proximity detection unit 57 .

More specifically, at least in the shooting standby state and when the switching of the display destination is automatic switching, the display destination is set to the display unit 28 and the display is turned on while the EVF 29 is not displayed.

Also, while the eye is being focused, the display destination is set to the EVF 29, and the display is turned on, and the display unit 29 is turned off.

An infrared proximity sensor, for example, can be used for the eyepiece detection unit 57, and can detect the approach of any object to the eyepiece unit 16 of the finder incorporating the EVF 29. FIG.

When an object approaches, an infrared ray projected from a light projecting section (not shown) of the eyepiece detection section 57 is reflected and received by a light receiving section (not shown) of the infrared proximity sensor.

It is also possible to determine how far the object is approaching from the eyepiece 16 (eyepiece distance) based on the amount of received infrared rays.

In this manner, the eye proximity detection unit 57 performs eye proximity detection for detecting the proximity distance of an object to the eyepiece unit 16 .

When an object approaching within a predetermined distance from the eyepiece unit 16 is detected from the non-eyepiece state (non-approach state), it is detected that the eyepiece has been eyepieced.

It is assumed that when the object whose approach has been detected moves away from the eye contact state (approach state) by a predetermined distance or more, it is detected that the eye has left the eye.

The threshold for detecting eye contact and the threshold for detecting eye detachment may be different, for example, by providing hysteresis.

Also, after eye contact is detected, the eye contact state is assumed until eye separation is detected. It is assumed that, after eye separation is detected, the eye is in a non-eye contact state until eye contact is detected.

Note that the infrared proximity sensor is only an example, and other sensors may be employed as the eye contact detection unit 57 as long as they can detect the approach of an eye or an object that can be regarded as an eye contact.

The touch panel 70a and the display section 28 can be configured integrally.

For example, the touch panel 70 a is configured such that the light transmittance does not interfere with the display of the display section 28 and is attached to the upper layer of the display surface of the display section 28 .

Then, the input coordinates on the touch panel 70a and the display coordinates on the display screen of the display unit 28 are associated with each other.

This makes it possible to provide a GUI (graphical user interface) as if the user could directly operate the screen displayed on the display unit 28 .

The system control unit 50 can detect the following operations or states on the touch bar 82 .
- The finger that was not touching the touch bar 82 newly touches the touch bar 82 . That is, the start of touch (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Down).
A state in which the touch bar 82 is touched with a finger (hereinafter referred to as Touch-On).
- Moving while touching the touch bar 82 with a finger (hereinafter referred to as touch-move).
- Release of the finger touching the touch bar 82 . That is, the end of the touch (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Up).
A state in which nothing is touched on the touch bar 82 (hereinafter referred to as Touch-Off).

When touchdown is detected, touchon is also detected at the same time.

After touchdown, touchon continues to be detected unless touchup is detected. A touch-move is also detected when a touch-on is detected.

Even if touch-on is detected, touch-move is not detected if the touch position does not move.

After it is detected that all the fingers and pens that have touched have touched up, the touch is turned off.

The system control unit 50 is notified of these operations/states and the coordinates of the position where the finger touches the touch bar 82 through the internal bus. It is determined whether an operation (touch operation) has been performed.

As for the touch move, movement in the horizontal direction (left and right direction) on the touch bar 82 is detected. It is determined that a slide operation has been performed when it is detected that the object has moved a predetermined distance or more.

It is determined that a tap operation has been performed when a finger is touched on the touch panel and the touch is released within a predetermined time without performing a slide operation.

The touch bar 82 is assumed to be a capacitive touch sensor in this embodiment. However, a touch sensor of another system such as a resistive film system, a surface acoustic wave system, an infrared system, an electromagnetic induction system, an image recognition system, an optical sensor system, or the like may be used.

(Operation using touch bar 82)
Next, operations using the touch bar 82 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a tap operation, FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a slide operation, and FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a full press operation.

Common to FIGS. 6 to 8, the touch bar 82 and the flexible substrate 301 are omitted, and only the touch sensor electrodes 302 and the operating finger 500 operated by the user are shown.

The touch sensor electrode 302 is composed of three electrodes, a first touch sensor electrode 302a, a second touch sensor electrode 302b, and a third touch sensor electrode 302c, in order from the one closer to the eyepiece 16. As shown in FIG.

A tap operation, a slide operation, and a full-press operation are enabled by the touch sensor electrode 302 detecting a change in capacitance caused by the operation finger 500 operated by the user.

Actually, touch detection is performed by touching the touch bar 82 arranged in front of the touch sensor electrodes 302 with the operating finger 500 of the user.

However, in the following description, it is assumed that touch detection is performed by moving the operating finger 500 away from the touch sensor electrode 302 in order to simplify the description of the tap operation, the slide operation, and the full press operation.

(tap operation)
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a tap operation. FIG. 6a is a conceptual diagram of a left tap operation, and FIG. 6b is a conceptual diagram of a right tap operation.

As shown in FIG. 6a, when the user's operating finger 500 touches and leaves the first touch sensor electrode 302a, it is detected as a left tap operation.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the user's operating finger 500 touches and leaves the third touch sensor electrode 302c, it is detected as a right tap operation.

Although two tap operations, a left tap operation and a right tap operation, have been described in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and a center tap operation may be provided using the second touch sensor electrode 302b.

(slide operation)
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of the slide operation. FIG. 7a is a conceptual diagram of a right slide operation, and FIG. 7b is a conceptual diagram of a left slide operation.

As shown in FIG. 7A, after the operating finger 500 touches the first touch sensor electrode 302a on the touch sensor electrode 302, an operation of moving the finger toward the third touch sensor electrode 302c is detected as a right slide operation. .

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 7B, an operation of moving the finger to the first touch sensor electrode 302a after the operating finger 500 touches the third touch sensor electrode 302c is detected as a left slide operation.

The start position of the slide operation is not limited to the first touch sensor electrode 302a or the third touch sensor electrode 302c, and the slide operation may be started by contacting the second touch sensor electrode 302b.

That is, after the operation finger 500 touches the second touch sensor electrode 302b, the movement in the direction of the third touch sensor electrode 302c may be detected as the right slide operation.

After the user's operation finger 500 touches the second touch sensor electrode 302b, movement in the direction of the first touch sensor electrode 302a may be detected as a left slide operation.

(Full press operation)
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a full press operation.

As shown in FIG. 8, when all the touch sensor electrodes 302 of the first touch sensor electrode 302a, the second touch sensor electrode 302b, and the second touch sensor electrode 302c are touched with the operating finger 500 at once, a full press operation is performed. detected as

The operation finger 500 for the tap operation and the slide operation is pressed substantially perpendicularly to the touch sensor electrode 302 , whereas the operation finger 500 for the full press operation is pressed substantially parallel to the touch sensor electrode 302 . do.

In other words, it is an operation that is relatively difficult to input compared to a tap operation or a slide operation, and cannot be performed unless the user consciously performs the operation.

A full press operation does not necessarily have to touch all the touch sensor electrodes 302 as shown in FIG.

Even if a part of the first touch sensor electrode 302a and a part of the third touch sensor electrode 302c are not touched, it may be recognized as a full press operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. FIG. 3 is a rear view of the digital camera 100. FIG.

FIG. 3a is an external view of the digital camera 100 as an imaging device (electronic device) viewed from the rear, and the touch bar 82 is arranged between the upper cover 310 and the rear cover 311, which are the external appearance of the digital camera 100. FIG. there is

The digital camera 100 has a first operation member (touch bar) 82 having touch operation detection means 302 .

Exterior covers 310 and 311 arranged on the outer edge of the first operating member (touch bar) 82 are made of a conductive member, and the first operating member itself is a non-conductive member.

In addition, the digital camera 100 is arranged adjacent to the operation surface of the first operation member 82 in the direction of the slide operation, and has a protruding portion 16 that protrudes toward the rear side with respect to the operation surface of the first operation member 82 . have.

The digital camera 100 also has a grip portion (grip portion) 90 that is gripped by a user, and a wiring portion 312 that guides the signal detected by the detection means 302 to the arithmetic circuit 82a.

The touch detection surface of the detection means 302 is divided into at least two detection surfaces from the first touch detection surface 302a to the Nth touch detection surface 302n in the direction of the slide operation in order from the protrusion side.

N is a positive integer.

In FIG. 3b, it is divided into three electrodes with N=3.

The holding portion (grip portion) 90 is closest to the Nth touch sensing surface 302n among the plurality of touch sensing surfaces in the direction of the slide operation.

The direction in which the wiring portion 312 connected to the detection means 302 is pulled out is the direction toward the protrusion (eyepiece) 16 and the direction away from the grip portion 90 in the direction of the slide operation.

The direction in which the circuit board 301 is pulled out is the direction in which the protrusion 16 is approached in the direction of the slide operation and the direction away from the holding portion (grip portion) 90 .

(Explanation of touch bar 82)
FIG. 3b is an enlarged view of the area enclosed by the dotted line in FIG. 3a, with the touch bar 82 and top cover 310 hidden.

As shown in FIG. 3a, the thumb standby position 300 is generally located above the position where the grip 90 is projected on the back side, and rubber or the like is attached to indicate the position and enhance the grip feeling. There are many things.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a flexible printed circuit board 301 (hereinafter referred to as “flexible circuit board 301”) is arranged behind the touch bar 82 .

The flexible substrate 301 is attached and fixed to the touch bar 82 with a double-sided tape (not shown) or the like.

By providing the touch bar 82 with bosses as shown in the figures and providing the flexible substrate 301 with the positioning holes 303, the flexible substrate 301 can be attached to the touch bar 82 with higher accuracy.

The flexible substrate 301 is formed with a touch sensor electrode 302 made of a conductor such as copper for sensing by a capacitive method.

As a result, when the user touches the touch bar 82 with a finger or the like, the touch sensor electrodes 302 on the flexible substrate 301 fixed to the touch bar 82 detect changes in capacitance, thereby enabling various operations.

(Description of the touch sensor electrodes 302 of the touch bar 82)
The touch bar 82 is also arranged adjacent to the sub-electronic dial 73 and a thumb standby position 300 which is the position of the thumb when the grip 90 is gripped with the right hand to hold the camera.

The standby position 300 of the thumb is generally located above the position where the grip 90 is projected on the back side, and as shown in FIG. I often raise it.

Since the touch bar 82 is adjacent to the thumb standby position 300, it is arranged such that it is easy to perform a tap operation and a left/right (X-axis direction) slide operation with the right thumb while gripping the grip portion 90 as described above. there is

The touch bar 82 can be assigned functions according to operations.

For example, it is possible to assign a function to change exposure-related set values that can be set with the main electronic dial 71 and the sub electronic dial 73 of the operating members.

The setting values related to exposure are shutter speed (Tv), aperture value (Av), ISO sensitivity, and exposure correction value in auto exposure mode.

For example, when a tap operation is performed at the left half position, a function of setting the shooting ISO sensitivity of the digital camera 100 to 1/3 step low sensitivity is assigned.

When a tap operation is performed at the position coordinates of the right half, a function of setting the shooting ISO sensitivity to 1/3 step high sensitivity is assigned.

Further, when a slide operation is performed, a function is assigned to increase or decrease the shooting ISO sensitivity of the digital camera 100 by 1/3 step for each slide step.

These assigned functions are customizable by the user.

For example, when a tap operation is performed at the left half position, a function of automatically setting the shooting ISO sensitivity of the digital camera 100 is assigned.

When a tap operation is performed at the position coordinates of the right half, it is possible to change such that a function of setting the shooting ISO sensitivity to the maximum ISO sensitivity is assigned.

At this time, an erroneous operation will occur if the operation determination is not performed accurately with respect to the user's operation intention.

However, depending on the distance of the touch bar 82 from the standby position 300 of the thumb and the positional relationship with other members on the device, the agreement rate may decrease.

For example, the ease of touch changes depending on the distance from the thumb standby position 300 .

Specifically, the touch bar 82 is easy to touch in the vicinity of the thumb standby position 300 , and the closer the eyepiece 16 is to the vicinity of the eyepiece 16 , the more difficult it is to extend the thumb.

Also, the touch bar 82 can be assigned white balance setting, AF mode, drive mode setting, and playback image forwarding in addition to exposure-related setting values.

Also, in movie shooting mode, it is possible to assign functions such as adjusting the recording level of the microphone and fast-forwarding and reversing movie playback.

Also, the eyepiece unit 16 is an eyepiece finder for visually recognizing an image displayed on the internal EVF 29 as described above.

However, for the purpose of securing a comfortable eye point and for the purpose of making it difficult for the nose to touch the display section 28 in the eye-focused state, the convex shape protrudes toward the exterior side (back side).

In this embodiment, the eyepiece 16 protrudes from the touch surface of the touch bar 82 by 15 mm or more in the Z direction.

Therefore, the touch bar 82 makes it difficult to perform touch input to the adjacent end of the eyepiece portion 16 .

In particular, in the slide operation, if the input cannot be performed from one end to the other, the number of steps for changing the setting value is reduced, so this effect is remarkable.

Here, in the present embodiment, a relatively large convex shape of 15 mm or more was exemplified.

The sub-electronic dial 73 is a rotary operation member as described above, and can be rotated in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) with the thumb of the right hand to perform input in multiple stages. You may touch it without doing it.

In particular, when it is desired to move the cursor or change values in large numbers, the rotating operation is performed repeatedly, and there is a tendency to perform the operation with momentum.

Therefore, there is a high possibility that the operating finger will come into contact with the portion adjacent to the sub-electronic dial 73 .

Therefore, from the viewpoint of ease of touch, it is possible to reduce erroneous touch input operations according to the distance from the thumb standby position 300 and the arrangement relationship with other members on the device.

Specifically, erroneous operations are reduced by relatively changing the area of the touch sensor electrodes, which are means for detecting touch operations.

(Description of the sub-electronic dial 73)
As shown in FIG. 1B, the sub electronic dial 73 is provided at a position recessed toward the front side (Z direction) of the imaging apparatus with respect to the touch surface 401 of the touch bar 82 .

However, the step in the Z direction between the touch surface 401 of the touch bar 82 and the contact surface for turning the sub-electronic dial 73 with the right thumb is small.

Therefore, when operating the sub-electronic dial 73, there is a possibility that the adjacent touch bar 82 is touched unintentionally.

In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1B, the touch bar 82 is provided at a recessed position toward the front side (Z direction) of the imaging device with respect to the touch surface 401 of the touch bar 82 .

However, conversely, the present invention also includes a configuration in which the touch bar 82 is provided at a position protruding toward the back side (Z direction) of the imaging apparatus with respect to the touch surface 401 of the touch bar 82 .

The step protruding to the rear side (Z direction) of the touch surface 401 of the touch bar 82 and the contact surface for rotating the sub-electronic dial 73 with the right thumb is small.

Therefore, when operating the sub-electronic dial 73 , there is a possibility that the adjacent touch bar 82 may be unintentionally touched with the right thumb.

The sub-electronic dial 73 is a rotary operation member that rotates uniaxially in the X direction with the Y direction as the rotation axis.

When viewed from the back side of the imaging device (electronic device), the touch bar 82 as the first operation member overlaps the operation surface of the touch panel 28 as the display unit in the direction of the slide operation (X direction).

The touch bar 82 as the first operation member does not overlap the operation surface of the touch panel 28 as the display unit in the direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the direction of the slide operation.

When viewed from the rear side of the imaging device (electronic device), the touch bar 82 is arranged at a position recessed toward the front side (Z direction) with respect to the operation surface of the touch panel 28 .

However, the step in the Z direction between the operation surface (touch surface) of the touch bar 82 and the operation surface (touch surface) of the touch panel 28 is relatively large.

Therefore, when operating the touch panel 28, there is a low possibility that the adjacent touch bar 82 is unintentionally touched by the finger.

In this embodiment, the step in the Z direction between the touch surface of the touch bar 82 and the touch surface of the touch panel 28 is larger than the step in the Z direction between the touch surface 401 of the touch bar 82 and the contact surface for rotating the sub electronic dial 73. there is

A line segment A (FIG. 3) extending in the direction of the slide operation passing through the midpoint of the short side of the touch sensing surface of the touch sensing electrode 302 as sensing means is defined.

In that case, with the line segment A (center line) as a reference, the area on the side of the Nth touch sensing surface 302n closer to the second operation member 73 is defined as the first area.

When the region of the Nth touch detection surface 302n near the display unit (touch panel) 28 is defined as a second region, the surface area of the first region is narrower than the surface area of the second region.

(Description of linearity)
In the touch sensor electrode 302 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, a doglegged gradient shape is formed from the touch sensor electrode 302b to the adjacent touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c.

As a result, when a slide operation is performed, the input value of the capacitance of the touch sensor electrode gradually shifts to the adjacent electrode, and an operation with linearity can be performed.

In the touch sensor electrode 302 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3(b), the vertices of the V-shaped gradient shape are arranged substantially at the center of the touch sensor electrode 302 in the Y direction, and the angles Θ1 and Θ2 of the vertices are It is set at approximately 90 degrees.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the shape of the touch operation detection means in this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3B, inside the touch bar 82, there are provided touch sensor electrodes 302 as means for detecting touch operations.

In this embodiment, the touch sensor electrodes (touch sensing surfaces) are divided into three parts 302a, 302b, and 302c from the eyepiece 16 side.

The touch sensor electrode 302 is divided in order to detect the slide operation.

Specifically, when the user touches the touch sensor electrode 302, electrical signals are output from the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c according to the contact area of the finger, and the coordinate values of the finger are calculated from the output values.

Although the number of divisions of the touch sensor electrode (touch sensing surface) is three in this embodiment, the number is not limited to three.

The number of divisions of the touch sensor electrodes may be four or more.

Each touch sensor electrode is made of copper foil or the like on the flexible substrate 301 and is connected to the system control unit 50 by copper foil wiring (not shown) on the flexible substrate.

As described above, the system control unit 50 calculates position coordinates based on output information from the touch bar 82, ie, information input from the touch sensor electrodes 302a, 302b, and 302c.

Then, what kind of operation has been performed on the touch bar 82 is determined from the operation or state.

Here, as shown in FIG. 3B, the area of the touch sensor electrode 302a is relatively larger than that of the touch sensor electrode 302c, which facilitates input.

In this embodiment, touch sensor electrode 302a is approximately 36 mm ² , touch sensor electrode 302b is approximately 34 mm ² , and touch sensor electrode 302c is approximately 26 mm ² .

The area of the touch sensor electrode 302a is set to be 1.3 to 1.4 times as large as that of the touch sensor electrode 302c.

Also, the size relationship of the touch sensor electrodes is set to satisfy 302a>302b>302c.

As a result, the touch sensor electrode 302a can be adjusted to the desired ease of input by canceling out the difficulty of input due to the distance from the thumb standby position 300 and the proximity to the eyepiece 16. .

By this adjustment, the calculation of the position coordinates and the determination of the operation can be performed accurately with respect to the user's operation intention.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the touch sensor electrode 302c has a shape in which the vicinity of the sub-electronic dial 73 is cut.

More specifically, the touch sensor electrode 302c is cut with a gradient shape in which the cut area increases as the sub-electronic dial 73 is approached in the X-axis direction.

This makes it difficult for the touch sensor electrode 302c to make an unintended input even when the sub-electronic dial 73 is operated with momentum.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3B, the flexible substrate 301 has a positioning hole 303 in an empty area created by narrowing the touch sensor electrode 302c.

In the touch sensor electrode 302 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, a doglegged gradient shape is formed from the touch sensor electrode 302b to the adjacent touch sensor electrodes 302a and 302c.

(Description of Wiring Portion 321)
FIG. 4 is an internal view of the top cover 310 with the touch bar 82 .

Since FIG. 4 is also a view of the flexible substrate 301 viewed from the inside, the touch sensor electrodes 302 are arranged on the flexible substrate 301 on the touch bar 82 side (back side).

A touch detection signal 500 (described later) output from the touch sensor electrode 302 is input to the touch bar control microcomputer 82a to detect a tap operation, a slide operation, or the like.

A wiring portion 312 is a wiring path from the touch sensor electrode 302 to the touch bar control microcomputer 82a.

As shown in FIG. 3 , in the flexible substrate 301 , wiring portions 312 are arranged on the optical axis side far from the grip portion 90 for the wiring from the touch sensor electrodes 302 .

That is, the wiring portion 312 is arranged on the eyepiece portion 16 side far from the grip portion (holding portion) 90 .

Originally, it is electrically desirable to connect the touch sensor electrodes 302 and the touch bar control microcomputer 82a through the shortest path.

However, if the touch sensor electrodes 302 and the touch bar control microcomputer 82a are connected by the shortest route, the wiring portions 312 are drawn out right above the touch sensor electrodes 302 in FIG. 3B.

The touch bar 82 can be tapped and slid, and the trajectory of the user's finger during the slide operation is in the direction A in FIG.

When the user's finger touches the touch bar 82 , the slide operation is enabled, but the user's finger is actually larger than the touch bar 82 .

Therefore, when the user performs a slide operation, the user's finger touches not only the touch bar 82 but also the upper cover 310 and the rear cover 311 around the touch bar 82 .

There is a high possibility that the user's finger touches directly above the touch sensor electrode 302 in FIG. 3 when the user operates the touch bar 82 to perform a slide operation.

In other words, if the wiring portion 312 is pulled out right above the touch sensor electrode 302, the wiring portion 312 may act as an electrode, causing erroneous detection or the like.

By pulling out the wiring portion 312 toward the eyepiece portion 16 farther from the grip portion 90 as shown in FIG.

Also, the eyepiece 16 is more convex than the display section 28 and the touch bar 82 so that the user's nose is less likely to come into contact with the eyepiece 16 when the user looks into the eyepiece 16 .

Therefore, by arranging the wiring portion 312 on the eyepiece portion 16 side, a sufficient clearance can be secured between the wiring portion 312 and the user's finger, and the possibility of erroneous detection can be further suppressed.

Here, the slide operation has been described as an example, but the user's finger touches the upper cover 310 and the rear cover 311 around the touch bar 82 in the same way during the tap operation.

Therefore, this configuration is effective even during a tap operation.

In this embodiment, the wiring portions 312 are drawn out right beside the touch sensor electrodes 302, but the present invention is not limited to this.

It may also be pulled out in an oblique direction, such as direction B or direction C as shown in FIG. 3b.

In this case, erroneous detection can be suppressed by pulling out the wiring portion 312 in a direction away from the trajectory of the finger during user operation or in a direction where there is a convex portion near the touch bar 82 like the eyepiece portion 16 .

FIG. 5 is a wiring pattern diagram of the flexible substrate 301. As shown in FIG.

5a is a wiring pattern diagram of an electrode surface 502 on which touch sensor electrodes 302 are located, and FIG. 5b is a wiring pattern diagram of an electrode back surface 503, which is the back side of the electrode surface.

As shown in FIG. 5a, the touch sensor electrode 302 is divided into at least three parts such as a first touch sensor electrode 302a, a second touch sensor electrode 302b, and a third touch sensor electrode 302c in order from the farthest from the grip 90. be done.

The touch sensor electrode 302a is relatively larger than the touch sensor electrode 302c.

Although it has been described that the wiring portion 312 is drawn out to the far side from the grip portion 90, as shown in FIG. 5, it can be said that the wiring portion 312 is drawn out from the side of the largest touch sensor electrode 302a.

The wiring portion 312 is drawn out from the short side of the rectangular touch sensing surface on the protruding portion side.

A touch detection signal 500 output from the touch sensor electrode 302 on the flexible substrate 301 is connected to the electrode back surface 503 opposite to the electrode surface 502 on which the touch sensor electrode 302 is provided through a through hole. are wired as they are.

If the wiring part 312 is wired on the back surface 503 of the electrode, the touch detection signal 500 output from the touch sensor electrode 302 is connected to the touch bar control microcomputer 82a on either the back surface 502 or the back surface 503 of the electrode. I don't mind.

The touch sensor electrodes 302 as detection means are arranged on the first surface (front surface) on the back side of the circuit board 301 .

The wiring part 312 is arranged on the second surface (rear surface) opposite to the first surface from the first surface.

The wiring portions 312 are drawn out from the touch sensor electrodes 302 while being arranged on the second surface.

In the circuit board 301 , the rear side of the touch detection surface of the touch sensor electrodes 302 is not covered with the ground 501 .

In the circuit board 301 , the back side of the wiring portion 312 is covered with the ground 501 . A ground is a reference potential point in an electric circuit.

In other words, the electrode back surface 503 may be connected to the touch bar control microcomputer 82a as it is.

Alternatively, the electrode surface 502 may be wired again through a through-hole and connected to the touch bar control microcomputer 82a after passing through an electric component such as a resistor.

As shown in FIG. 5A , in the wiring portion 312 , the ground 501 is wired on the back side of the touch detection signal 500 output from the touch sensor electrode 302 .

As a result, as shown in FIG. 4 , the ground 501 is wired on the exterior side of the wiring portion 312 , and the touch detection signal 500 output from the touch sensor electrode 302 is wired inside the digital camera 100 .

That is, in the wiring portion 312 of the flexible substrate 301, the wiring of the ground 501 is located closest to the exterior, and the touch detection signal 500 is arranged inside.

Therefore, since the touch detection signal 500 is electrically guarded by the ground 501, it is less likely to be affected by the metal exterior and the user.

Further, by providing a 180° folded portion (hemming bend) in the wiring portion 312 of the flexible substrate 301 like the folded portion 400 in FIG.

The touch sensing surface of the touch sensor electrode 302 is rectangular.

The wiring portion 312 is drawn out from the short side of the rectangular touch sensing surface on the protrusion 16 side.

When the portion of the circuit board 301 led out from the touch sensor electrode 302 is folded back approximately 180°, the wiring portion 312 is positioned inside the folded portion of the circuit board 301 .

As a result, not only noise from the outside of the digital camera 100 (caused by the metal exterior or the user), but also noise from the internal metal inside the digital camera 100 is strong, which is advantageous in preventing erroneous detection and the like.

In the wiring portion 312, the touch detection signals 500 output from the touch sensor electrodes 302 face each other due to the presence of the folded portion 400, but since the signals of the same potential face each other, it is electrically favorable.

If the touch detection signal 500 and the ground 501 were to face each other, the effect of the capacitor would be locally generated, resulting in electrical noise.

Peripheral exterior parts such as the upper cover 310 and the rear cover 311 of the touch bar 82 may be made of a magnet or a conductive member such as a conductive resin.

As a result, noise caused by users and metal parts can be suppressed, and false positives can be mitigated at a higher level.

In that case, the touch bar 82 shall use a non-conductive resin material or the like. The touch bar 82 cannot be made of a conductive material, but a material containing glass or the like and having a high dielectric constant may be used.

By using a material with a high dielectric constant, it is possible to increase the output of the detection signal output from the touch sensor electrode 302 when the touch bar 82 is operated, as compared with a normal resin material.

Further, although the touch sensor electrodes 302 are provided on the flexible substrate 301 in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electrodes may be provided on a printed wiring board or a rigid flexible substrate.

The printed wiring board alone may be used for wiring, but if a bent portion is required, the printed wiring board cannot be bent. Wiring may be performed.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist.

For example, the size of the touch sensor electrode has been described so far as a planar surface area, but it may also be regarded as a three-dimensional shape such as a curved surface shape or an uneven shape to adjust ease of input.

The electronic device of the present invention is not limited to a digital camera that is an imaging device. It can also be applied to copiers, laser beam printers (LBP), and inkjet printers.

The touch bar of the present invention may be used as a touch operation surface for changing the number of copies or the size of copy paper by touch operation/slide operation while holding the monitor.

It can also be applied to mobile devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, smart watches, and other portable small computers.

By arranging the touch bar of the present invention outside the mobile screen, it is possible to perform touch operations/slide operations such as image feed and selection.

Other applications include automobiles, medical equipment, and games.

By arranging the touch bar of the present invention on the steering wheel of an automobile, it is possible to switch menus by touch operation, finely adjust the sound volume by slide operation, and reduce/enlarge the car navigation screen while operating the steering wheel.

In addition, as a medical device, the touch bar of the present invention can be arranged in the grip of a handy X-ray, and fine adjustment of operation can be performed by sliding.

1 diaphragm 2 diaphragm drive circuit 3 AF drive circuit 4 lens system control circuit 6 communication terminal 10 communication terminal 11 focus detection section 15 memory control section 16 eyepiece section 17 AE sensor 18 recording medium I/F
19 D/A converter 22 Imaging unit 23 A/D converter 24 Image processing unit 28 Display unit 29 EVF
30 power supply section 32 memory 40 terminal cover 43 display section outside the viewfinder 44 display section drive circuit outside the viewfinder 50 system control section 52 system memory 53 system timer 54 communication section 55 attitude detection section 56 nonvolatile memory 57 eye detection section 60 mode switch 61 Shutter button 62 First shutter switch 64 Second shutter switch 70 Operation unit 70a Touch panel 71 Main electronic dial 72 Power switch 73 Sub electronic dial 74 Cross key 75 SET button 76 Movie button 77 AE lock button 78 Enlarge button 79 Playback button 80 Power control Unit 81 Menu button 82 Touch bar 82a Touch bar control microcomputer 90 Grip unit 100 Digital camera 101 Shutter 103 Lens 150 Lens unit 200 Recording medium 202 Lid 300 Thumb standby position 301 Flexible substrate 302 Touch sensor electrode 302a First touch sensor electrode, left electrode 302b Second touch sensor electrode, center electrode 302c Third touch sensor electrode, right electrode 303 Positioning hole 310 Upper cover 311 Back cover 312 Wiring part 400 Folding part 500 Touch detection signal 501 Ground 502 Electrode surface 503 Electrode back surface

Claims (9)

a first operating member provided with means for detecting a touch operation and a sliding operation; and an operating surface of the first operating member arranged adjacent to the operating surface of the first operating member in the direction of the sliding operation. an electronic device having a protruding portion protruding toward the back side of the device, a grip portion to be gripped by a user, and a wiring portion for guiding a signal detected by the detection means to an arithmetic circuit,
a touch sensing surface of the sensing means is divided into at least two sensing surfaces, a first touch sensing surface to an Nth touch sensing surface, in the direction of the slide operation, in order from the projecting portion side;
wherein the grip is closest to the Nth touch sensing surface among the at least two touch sensing surfaces in the direction of the slide operation;
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a direction in which the wiring portion connected to the detection means is pulled out is a direction toward the projecting portion and a direction away from the grip portion in the direction of the slide operation. The detection means is arranged on the first surface on the back side of the circuit board,
The wiring portion is arranged on a second surface opposite to the first surface from the first surface,
2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the wiring portion is drawn out from the detection means while being arranged on the second surface. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a direction in which the circuit board is pulled out is a direction toward the projecting portion and a direction away from the holding portion in the direction of the slide operation. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protrusion is an eyepiece. 5. The outer cover arranged on the outer edge of the first operation member is made of a conductive member, and the first operation member is made of a non-conductive member. The electronic device described in . 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the circuit board is not covered with a ground on the back side of the touch detection surface of the detection means. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the back side of the wiring portion of the circuit board is covered with ground wiring. The touch detection surface of the detection means is rectangular,
The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wiring portion is drawn from a short side of the rectangular touch sensing surface on the projecting portion side. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the wiring portion is positioned inside the folded portion of the circuit board when the portion of the circuit board pulled out from the detection means is folded back approximately 180 degrees.

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