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|ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD. Patent applications
|Patent application number
|INPUT DEVICE, AND INFORMATION INPUT METHOD OF THE SAME - Each of multiple detection data values included in two-dimensional data, generated based on detection results of sensor unit, is converted into either an on data value or an off data value by a data conversion unit. Each data value included in the converted two-dimensional data is sequentially acquired from an edge of an operating face by a region identifying unit, and is determined whether an on data value or not. In a case where determination is made that the acquired data value is an on data value, the acquired data value is set as a starting point, and an outline of a set region where adjacent on data values form a set is tracked in order starting from the starting point until returning to the original starting point again.
|IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS - An image display apparatus includes at least one light source to emit coherent light, a holographic optical element to diffract the coherent light from the light source to produce image light, an optical mechanism to guide the image light from the holographic optical element, at least one detection unit to detect the intensity of the image light, and an adjustment unit to adjust the power of the light source based on the result of detection by the detection unit. An image based on the image light is observed by a viewer.
|VIDEO DISPLAY DEVICE - A video display device includes a laser beam source module including a laser beam source emitting a laser beam and a laser beam source drive unit supplying power to the laser beam source, and an image generation unit generating a desired display image from the laser beam. The laser beam source module includes a substrate having the placed laser beam source and improved thermal conductivity, a temperature measurement member measuring a temperature of the substrate, a temperature adjustment member contacting the substrate and adjusting the temperature of the substrate, a circuit substrate electrically connecting the temperature measurement member and the laser beam source. Moreover, the circuit substrate is disposed on a rear surface opposite to a placement surface on which the laser beam source is placed, the temperature measurement member is mounted on the circuit substrate, and a portion of the temperature measurement member is connected to the substrate.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes: an operation portion allowing an input operation by an operating body contacting with or coming close to an upper surface thereof; an input detection portion detecting an input operation with respect to the operation portion; a driving member provided below the operation portion and driving the operation portion in an up-down direction; an elastic member provided below the operation portion; a case member holding the driving member; an interlocking member provided below the operation portion, connected to the operation portion, and driven with the operation portion; a restricting member provided between the operation portion and the interlocking member and restricting upward movement of the interlocking member; and an elastic first damper member provided below the interlocking member and contactable with the interlocking member. The elastic member elastically urges the interlocking member such that the interlocking member is brought into press contact with the first damper member.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes: an operation unit on which an input operation is performed by the contact or approach of an operating body with or to an upper surface thereof, and which is supported so as to be movable downward; an input detection unit that detects the input operation; a pressing detection unit detecting that the operation unit has been moved downward; a drive member that drives the operation unit in a vertical direction; and a case member that holds the drive member. The drive member is disposed at a central position of the operation unit in plan view, the drive member is a solenoid actuator including a plunger, an upper end portion of the plunger is disposed so as to come into contact with a lower surface of the operation unit, and the plunger is pressed down by the operation unit with a downward movement of the operation unit.
|IMAGE PROJECTION APPARATUS - An aperture forming member is provided on a light path from a laser light source to a collimator lens, and a plurality of apertures are formed by a plurality of wall bodies of the aperture forming member. The distances between the apertures and the outer surface of an effective beam decrease in the order of L1, L2, and L3. By providing the plurality of apertures, entrance of stray light into a phase conversion array can be prevented.
|VOLTAGE DETECTION DEVICE - A voltage detection device that detects a decrease in an output voltage of a power supply device, includes a first voltage-dividing circuit that divides the output voltage of the power supply device, a first constant-voltage circuit that converts the output voltage of the power supply device into a predetermined voltage, a second constant-voltage circuit that converts the output voltage of the power supply device into a predetermined voltage lower than an output voltage of the first constant-voltage circuit, a comparator that receives output voltages of the first voltage-dividing circuit and the second constant-voltage circuit, and a detection circuit that detects the decrease in the output voltage of the power supply device. The detection circuit detects a decrease in the output voltage in a higher-voltage region, and detects a decrease in the output voltage in a lower-voltage region.
|TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - A two-way communication system includes an in-vehicle unit and a plurality of portable units. The in-vehicle unit includes a plurality of in-vehicle communication units, and an in-vehicle control unit. The in-vehicle unit or the portable units each include a received electric field strength detection unit that detects received electric field strength, and a received electric field strength determination unit that performs determination, based on the received electric field strength. In a case where the received electric field strength is less than a predetermined value, the plural in-vehicle communication units and one of the portable units are communication-connected to each other, and in a case where the received electric field strength is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the plural in-vehicle communication units and the plural portable units are communication-connected to each other on a one-to-one basis.
|ANGLE DETECTION DEVICE - Outputs from first and second magnetic detection units are applied to first to fourth output circuits, each being a differential amplifier, and therefore detection outputs S
|ACTUATOR ELEMENT USING CARBON ELECTRODE - An object of this invention is to create an actuator in which the amount of deformation is maintained and no displacement in the reverse direction occurs, even when a constant voltage is continuously applied for a long period of time.
|FORCE-SENSE IMPARTING TYPE MULTIDIRECTIONAL INPUT DEVICE - A force-sense imparting type multidirectional input device includes a base body including a receiving space, a slider movably disposed in the receiving space, an operating member integrated with the slider, a first driving member that includes a first engaging portion rotationally driven along the movement of the slider, a second driving member that includes a second engaging portion rotationally driven along the movement of the slider and a force-sense imparting unit that imparts a sense of force to an operator through the operating member. The slider is slidingly moved along the first virtual axis and swings about the first virtual axis in a direction orthogonal to the first virtual axis, the first engaging portion of the first driving member is rotationally driven with the sliding movement of the slider, and the second engaging portion of the second driving member is rotationally driven with the swing of the slider.
|TOUCH PAD - In a case where a touch position is a peripheral portion, when spatial characteristics which correspond to an area and a length of a touch region exceed a first condition corresponding to a predetermined area and length, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a palm. When the spatial characteristics do not exceed the first condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a finger. In a case where a touch position is a central portion, when the spatial characteristics exceed a second condition corresponding to an area and a length that are larger than those of the first condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a palm. When the spatial characteristics do not exceed the second condition, it is determined that the touch region is caused by a finger.
|VEHICLE OPERATING DEVICE - A cancelling drive member includes a biasing cam portion having a first biasing contact portion and a second biasing contact portion formed therein. A deflectable spring member that biases the cancelling drive member forward is provided. If the cancelling drive member rotates, an elastic pressure portion of the deflectable spring member is brought into contact with the first biasing contact portion. Thus, a forward biasing force and a returning force for rotation are effectively given from the deflectable spring member to the cancelling drive member.
|TOUCH PAD - A touch pad includes detection means for outputting a variable with respect to an operation surface, and control means for recognizing an operation finger candidate. In a case of one operation finger candidate, when a touch area exceeds a first threshold value, the control means determines the operation finger candidate to be an operation valid target finger. When a touch area does not exceed the first threshold value, the control means determines the operation finger candidate to be an operation invalid target finger. In a case of plural operation finger candidates, when a touch area exceeds a second threshold value indicating an area smaller than the first threshold value, the control means determines the operation finger candidate to be an operation valid target finger. When a touch area does not exceed the second threshold value, the control means determines the operation finger candidate to be an operation invalid target finger.
|WIRELESS MODULE - A wireless module includes a wireless module main body including a first antenna on a first insulating substrate, and a coupler including a second antenna on a second insulating substrate arranged so as to face the first insulating substrate, wherein a connection terminal to which an external antenna is connectable is formed in the second insulating substrate, the connection terminal being connected to a feeding point for the second antenna, individual portions of the conductor patterns in the first antenna and the second antenna are configured so as to face each other, a resonant frequency of the second antenna is set to be higher than a resonant frequency of the first antenna, and the resonant frequency of the second antenna is set so that a transmission frequency characteristic from the first antenna to the second antenna matches a frequency characteristic of the resonant frequency of the first antenna.
|TOUCH PAD WITH ANTENNA - A touch pad with an antenna includes an electrode, control means for detecting proximity and a proximate position of an object on the basis of a change in capacitance which is associated with the proximity of the object to the electrode, an antenna, and antenna driving means for supplying power to the antenna. When the proximity of the object is not detected, the control means controls driving of the antenna driving means to set an output of the antenna to an output during ordinary driving. When the proximity of the object is detected, the control means controls driving of the antenna driving means to attenuate the output of the antenna with respect to the output during ordinary driving or to set the output of the antenna to zero.
|HEATER FOR FIXING DEVICE - A heater for fixing devices includes a glass substrate, a heating element, electrode patterns connected to the heating element, a first protective layer, and a second protective layer. The glass substrate is made of an alkali-free glass. The first protective layer is formed by firing a mixture of a first glass powder and a first filler. The first glass powder contains no alkali metal oxide and has a lower softening point than the glass substrate. The first filler has a lower thermal expansion coefficient than the alkali-free glass for the glass substrate. The second protective layer is made of a material that does not contain the first filler contained in the first protective layer.
|SWITCHING DEVICE - An inner wall for partitioning a storage chamber is disposed in a case. A switching member operating a movable contact inside the storage chamber is positioned inside a penetrating portion formed between an inner recess formed on an inner wall and a first cutout portion formed in an inner clamping piece of a lid body. The switching member is formed integrally with a flange portion, and the flange portion closes the penetrating portion. As a result, dust, dirt and moistures are unlikely to enter the storage chamber through the penetrating portion.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes a control unit configured to have a first threshold value for a signal intensity, a second threshold value lower than the first threshold value, and a third threshold value for a fluctuation in a coordinate within a predetermined time, wherein the third threshold value has a predetermined range, and in the control unit, in a case where the signal intensity exceeding the first threshold value is obtained or a case where the signal intensity is situated between the first threshold value and the second threshold value and the fluctuation in a coordinate falls within the range of the third threshold value, an operation is recognized as the operation for the operation screen.
|INPUTTING DEVICE - AN inputting device includes: a coordinate inputting unit in which multiple capacitance detection units are arranged, and at which an operating body performs a close proximity operation; a capacitance measurement unit that measures an electrostatic capacitance of each capacitance detection unit and outputs the measured electrostatic capacitance as a measurement signal; and a control unit that controls the capacitance measurement unit, associates the measurement signal with coordinate information on the capacitance detecting unit, obtains and calculates the associated measurement signal, calculates, and, outputs a control signal, in which the control unit determines attention coordinates, compares a value of the measurement signal of the determined attention coordinates and each value of the measurement signals of the multiple pieces of coordinate information adjacent to the attention coordinates, and, detects the attention coordinates as an operating point at which an operating body performs the close proximity operation.
|COVER STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT MODULE - A cover structure for an electronic circuit module includes a circuit board and a box-shaped cover integrated to each other. An electronic component is mounted on the circuit board. The cover has at least one open side. The cover includes a top plate and a mounting leg. The top plate is disposed so as to oppose the circuit board. The mounting leg is joined to the circuit board. The mounting leg is bent and extends from an outer periphery of the top plate. The top plate includes a bend portion and a cutaway portion. The bend portion is connected to the mounting leg. The cutaway portion is provided near the bend portion.
|SIGNAL PROCESSING CIRCUIT - A signal processing circuit includes a detection circuit detecting a high frequency signal being input; and an output signal adjustment circuit which is provided in a rear end of the detection circuit and includes a first field effect transistor and a second field effect transistor. The first field effect transistor has a drain connected to an output end of the detection circuit, a source connected to a gate of the second field effect transistor, and a gate connected to a drain of the second field effect transistor. The second field effect transistor has a source connected to a ground. An output signal is output from the source of the first field effect transistor. When an input level of the high frequency signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, a magnitude of the output signal is maintained at a predetermined magnitude.
|WATERPROOF STRUCTURE AND SWITCH DEVICE INCLUDING WATERPROOF STRUCTURE - An engine start switch includes a substrate on which electronic components are mounted, a case which is formed in a cylindrical shape by a peripheral wall portion surrounding the substrate and of which at least one end portion is opened, and a support member that supports the substrate in the case and extends toward the open end of the case from one end portion thereof supporting the substrate. The support member includes an outer surface that faces an inner surface of the peripheral wall portion with a gap interposed therebetween, and a gap at the one end portion of the support member is wider than a gap at other portions excluding at least the one end of the support member.
|INPUT DEVICE - An operation surface includes a pressing operation area and a sliding operation area. When a single operation body is detected in the pressing operation area by an operation position detection unit, an operation process is not performed if a first sliding movement amount of the operation body is equal to or less than a first threshold, and the operation process is performed if the first sliding movement amount is greater than the first threshold. When there is a plurality of operation bodies and at least one of them is detected in the pressing operation area, the operation process is not performed if a second sliding movement amount of the operation body is equal to or less than a second threshold, and the operation process is performed if the second sliding movement amount is greater than the second threshold. At this time, the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.
|ELECTROMAGNETIC BRAKE UNIT - A magnetic brake unit includes an operation unit, a rotating plate placed below the operation unit and coaxially rotating with the operation unit in conjunction with an operation of the operation unit, and an electromagnetic brake that is placed to be in contact with the rotating plate and can magnetically adsorb the rotating plate, in which the rotating plate includes an adsorbed surface in contact with the electromagnetic brake, the electromagnetic brake includes an adsorbing surface in contact with the rotating plate, the electromagnetic brake applies a braking force against a pivoting to the rotating plate when the electromagnetic brake magnetically adsorbs the rotating plate, the rotating plate is pivotable in a state of being in contact with the electromagnetic brake when the electromagnetic brake does not magnetically adsorb the rotating plate, and a polymer material section is formed at least one of the adsorbed surface and the adsorbing surface.
|FORCE-FEEDBACK PLANE SLIDE INPUT DEVICE - A force-feedback plane slide input device includes: a base body having a housing space formed in a rectangular shape; a slider configured to move within the housing space along a plane including a first direction and a second direction which are orthogonal to each other; an operation member integrally provided with the slider; a first actuating member configured to be actuated by movement of the operation member in the first direction; a second actuating member configured to be actuated by movement of the operation member in the second direction; and a force-feedback unit configured to feed back a sense of force to an operator. The slider includes a first slider member and second slider member. A length of an edge in the first direction of the housing space is substantially the same as a width in the first direction of the second slider member.
|PASSIVE KEYLESS SYSTEM - A passive keyless system includes an in-vehicle control unit, an in-vehicle transmitter wirelessly sending a request signal, a portable device that is activated by a battery, has a standby function of receiving a request signal, and sends an ID signal when the request signal is received, and an in-vehicle receiver receiving the ID signal. The in-vehicle control unit allows various operations of the vehicle when an authentication of the ID signal received by the in-vehicle receiver is established. When a remaining amount value of the battery is less than a reference value, the portable device can stop the standby function, can restore the standby function according to an operation using the portable device, and can stop the standby function again after the standby function is restored.
|SHIFT LEVER DEVICE USING MAGNETISM DETECTION SWITCH - A magnetic field generating portion is provided to a moving unit moving together with an operating unit. Two magnets are disposed in the magnetic field generating portion with a gap between in the direction of movement. A detection unit is provided to a fixed portion. The detection unit includes a first magnetoresistive device and a second magnetoresistive device and outputs of different combinations are obtained depending which of a first detection position, a second detection position, and an intermediate detection position, the moving unit has moved to.
|AUTHENTICATION METHOD BETWEEN COMMUNICATION DEVICES - In an authentication method between communication devices, the authentication method being used for identifying a communication device to serve as a target of communication among a plurality of communication devices including a first communication device and a second communication device and establishing a connection for communication, the first communication device receives a signal the second communication device transmits, detects first displacement information relating to the positional change of the second communication device, from a change in the intensity of the received signal and a change in the phase thereof, performs first determination by comparing the first displacement information with first held information preliminarily set, and identifies the second communication device as a target of communication on the basis of the result of the first determination.
|STEERING SWITCH DEVICE - A steering switch device mounted on a spoke portion of a steering wheel allows a first operating knob which can operate to press an operating surface upward obliquely of the front side to be adjacent to a second operating knob which can operate to tilt an operating surface approximately toward the rear of a vehicle. The first and second operating knobs are arranged such that the operating surface and the operating surface of each other are smoothly continuous due to the presence of a minute gap, and are continuous so as to form a surface following the surface entirely from an upper surface (surface opposing a driver) up to a lateral surface (front side surface when viewed from the driver) of the steering wheel.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - An input device is manufactured from a roll of a single-layer flexible transparent base sheet having a first surface and a second surface by forming a transparent electrode pattern and a wiring layer on the first surface. The transparent electrode pattern is disposed in a transparent input region, and the wiring layer extends from an end of the transparent electrode pattern into a decorative region surrounding the transparent input region. A decorative layer pattern is formed on the second surface in the decorative region, while conveying the transparent base sheet through a roll-to-roll processing. The transparent base sheet having the transparent electrode pattern and the decorative layer pattern is divided into individual units. A transparent panel having an operation surface is bonded to the second surface of each of the individual units with an optically clear adhesive layer interposed therebetween.
|MOVEMENT PREDICTION DEVICE AND INPUT APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A movement prediction device includes a CCD camera (image pickup device) for obtaining image information and a control unit for performing prediction of the movement of an operation body. In the control unit, a region regulation unit identifies a movement detection region on the basis of the image information, a computation unit computes, for example, a motion vector of a center of gravity of the operation body and tracks the movement locus of the operation body which has entered the movement detection region, and a movement prediction unit performs prediction of the movement of the operation body on the basis of the movement locus.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes an operation panel that is installed inside a vehicle and is operated by an operating part; a CCD camera that is disposed inside the vehicle to image at least a front side of the operation panel; and a control unit that predicts an action of the operating part based on image information of the CCD camera and performs operation assistance on the operation panel.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DETECTING LOADS ON MULTIPLE POINTS USING THE INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes a capacitance type touch panel sensor configured to detect positional coordinates of multiple pressing points that are simultaneously pressed on an operation face, load detection sensors configured to detect barycentric coordinates of and a barycentric load on the pressing points, and a controller configured to calculate loads on the pressing points on the basis of the positional coordinates of, the barycentric coordinates of, and the barycentric load on the pressing points.
|ROTARY CONNECTOR - In a rotary connector where a moving body turning with the rotation and revolution of a planetary gear and a flat cable including an inverted portion at a middle portion thereof are received in an annular space defined between an outer cylindrical body of a stationary-side housing and an inner cylindrical body of a movable-side housing, regulating walls, which extend in a circumferential direction with an opening interposed therebetween, are erected on a moving body formed of a resin molded product and the inverted portion passes through the opening so that the movement of the flat cable in a radial direction is regulated. Further, a plurality of protrusions, which protrude toward the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical body, are repeatedly formed in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surfaces of the regulating walls.
|VARIABLE CAPACITOR - A variable capacitor includes a plurality of variable capacitor elements connected in parallel with one another, the variable capacitor elements each including a fixed electrode and a movable electrode facing each other, a beam supporting the movable electrode displaceably, and a drive electrode supplied with a drive voltage to change spacing between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode. The variable capacitor further includes a drive control unit configured to sequentially apply an AC drive voltage to the drive electrodes of the variable capacitor elements with a predetermined phase difference for each element. The sum of capacitances of the variable capacitor elements is an output capacitance.
|ROTARY CONNECTOR - In a rotary connector where a moving body turning with the rotation and revolution of planetary gears and flat cables including inverted portions at middle portions thereof are received in a receiving space between outer and inner cylindrical bodies, a bottom plate of a stationary-side housing is provided with an annular protrusion that comes into contact with lower surfaces of the planetary gears and a hollow portion that is positioned outside the annular protrusion in a radial direction, and the hollow portion is positioned directly below in a vertical direction when the stationary-side housing is mounted on an installation portion of a vehicle. Accordingly, a foreign matter entering the receiving space falls down onto the bottom plate and is accumulated in the hollow portion. Therefore, the hindrance to the rotation of the planetary gears, when the planetary gears catch a foreign matter, can be prevented.
|ROTARY CONNECTOR - In a rotary connector in which a movable body rotating with rotation and revolution of a planetary gear and a flat cable having a reversed portion are housed within a housing space defined between outer and inner cylindrical bodies, restricting walls extending in the circumferential direction with an opening therebetween are erected on the movable body molded of resin, the reversed portion is passed through the opening, and the radial movement of the flat cable is restricted. A plurality of groove portions are formed in the inner peripheral surfaces of the restricting walls so as to be continuous with one another along the circumferential direction, and the depth d of the groove portions and the central angle θ corresponding to the length in the circumferential direction of the groove portions are set within ranges of 0.5 mm≦d≦2.0 mm and 5 degrees≦θ≦30 degrees.
|SOCKET FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS - A socket for electronic components includes a shield plate assembly that is formed by combining first shield plates with second shield plates in the form of a lattice and has conductivity, and contact units electrically connected to electrode terminals of electronic components are disposed in openings of the lattice of the shield plate assembly so that the electrode terminals are electrically connected to the wiring of a wiring board. The shield plate assembly is formed in a shape where lines where openings of the lattice are lined up in a first direction are arranged side by side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the openings of the adjacent lines are formed so as to be shifted relative to the openings of the next lines in the first direction by a half of the length of the side of the opening that extends in the first direction.
|VEHICLE INCLUDING SEAT BELT - A vehicle includes a vehicle side device having a vehicle side transmitting-receiving section performing wireless communicating with a seat belt side and a control section (determination section) determining an installation state, based on a signal from the seat belt side; and a seat belt side device having a seat belt side transmitting-receiving section performing wireless communicating with the vehicle side, a first switching unit of which switches the state according to detaching and installing of the seat belt and an output unit which outputs a detaching-installing signal to the seat belt side transmitting-receiving section in response to the state of the first switching unit. A power is fed to the seat belt side transmitting-receiving section and the output unit, and the signal is output and transmitted by the signal form the vehicle side transmitting-receiving section.
|LENS WITH LENS TUBE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - Provided is a lens with a lens tube in which, in the lens with a lens tube which is constituted by a cylindrical lens tube and a lens that is held by the lens tube, the lens tube provides a lens holding portion which comes into contact with an outer circumference surface of the lens, the lens holding portion includes a first groove portion which is consecutively formed in a spiral, a second groove portion which is consecutively formed in a spiral, and an intermediate region which divides the first groove portion and the second groove portion, and the intermediate region is constituted by a protruding portion and a third groove portion.
|SOCKET FOR ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS - A socket for electronic components configured to connect each electrode terminal of an electronic component to a wiring of a wiring board with a shield member having electrical conductivity and multiple openings being disposed on the wiring board, with a contact unit configured to electrically conduct the electrode terminal of the electronic component and the wiring of the wiring board PB being disposed in the openings, and with the contact unit including a ground contacting portion configured to electrically conduct with the shield member, and when the contact unit is for grounding, grounding is performed by the ground contacting portion and the shield member being brought into contact and electrically conducting.
|INCLINED SURFACE-EQUIPPED LENS - An inclined surface-equipped lens includes a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface inclined relative to a plane perpendicular to an optical axis, and a corner portion formed by the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface being in contact with each other. Each inclined surface makes a predetermined inclination angle with the plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and the corner portion is located out of the optical axis and raised outward.
|MAGNETIC DETECTING ELEMENT AND MAGNETIC SENSOR UTILIZING SAME - A magnetic detecting element includes a laminated structure where a fixed magnetic layer and a free magnetic layer are laminated through a non-magnetic material layer, wherein the fixed magnetic layer is a self-pinned type where a first magnetic layer and a second magnetic layer are laminated through a non-magnetic intermediate layer and the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer are antiparallelly magnetization-fixed, and the second magnetic layer is in contact with the non-magnetic material layer. The first magnetic layer is formed using FeCo serving as a material having a higher coercive force than the second magnetic layer. The film thickness of the first magnetic layer falls within a range greater than or equal to 10 Å and less than or equal to 17 Å, and is thinner than the film thickness of the second magnetic layer. The non-magnetic intermediate layer is formed using Rh.
|METHOD OF MANUFACTURING MICROCHIP - In a method of manufacturing a microchip that has a pair of resin base materials of which facing surfaces are bonded to each other and that has a concave portion formed in at least one of the facing surfaces, the facing surfaces before the pair of resin base materials are bonded to each other are irradiated with ultraviolet light which is light having a wavelength of an ultraviolet region, and the ultraviolet light-irradiated facing surfaces of the pair of resin base materials are irradiated with visible light that substantially includes light having a wavelength of a visible region.
|INPUT DEVICE HAVING ILLUMINATION FUNCTION - An operating knob including a first illumination portion with an annular shape and a second illumination portion, is provided around the operating knob. The operating knob is configured by a combination of an inner shaft body made of a resin and a grip ring body, allowing the inner shaft body to be fitted outward. A light shielding cap is attached to a front end portion of the inner shaft body. A cylindrical light guide portion having the first illumination portion in the front end face and a drive portion to be connected to a rotating shaft are integrally molded in the inner shaft body, and a rear end face of the cylindrical light guide portion opposes a first light emitting face. A light incident face opposes a light source and the first and second illumination portions and are illuminated by light of the light source via the light guide member.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes a capacitive sensor, which detects an operator's approach or touch and an operating body which is movably supported with respect to the capacitive sensor. At least a portion of the operating body has a conductive material portion exposed to a surface, a capacitive coupling portion opposing the conductive material portion regardless of the movement of the operating body is provided on the side unmovable with respect to the capacitive sensor, and the capacitive coupling portion is grounded.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR - A magnetic sensor includes a plurality of magnetoresistive elements that are formed by stacking a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer on a substrate and that exhibit a magnetoresistive effect and a soft magnetic member that converts a vertical magnetic field component into a horizontal magnetic field component. The soft magnetic member is formed of a plurality of first and second soft magnetic portions respectively extending in an X1-X2 direction and a Y1-Y2 direction, combined together in the shape of a lattice. The magnetoresistive elements have a sensitivity direction in the Y2 direction and include a magnetoresistive element located on a Y1 side portion side of the first soft magnetic portion and a magnetoresistive element located on a Y2 side portion side of the first soft magnetic portion, respectively receiving horizontal magnetic field components from the Y1 direction and Y2 direction.
|INPUT DEVICE AND CONTROL SYSTEM OF IN-VEHICLE DEVICE - An input device of an embodiment includes a ring portion (operation body) which has a substantially circular cross-section, of which an outer peripheral surface is used as an operation surface, and which is twist-operated in a cross-section circumferential direction thereof, first sensor members to detect operation position information on the operation surface, second sensor members to detect twist information when the twist operation is performed, and a controller to output the operation position information based on electric changes of the first sensor members and the twist information based on electric changes of the second sensor members, in order to control activation of an electronic device.
|ROTATION TRANSMISSION MECHANISM AND ROTARY CONNECTOR - At least one of plural gears includes a tooth-side base portion and an opposite base portion that are disposed coaxially and connected to each other by connecting portions, the tooth-side base portion is formed in the shape of a ring and includes a tooth row on one peripheral surface thereof, and the opposite base portion faces a peripheral surface of the tooth-side base portion opposite to the peripheral surface of the tooth-side base portion on which the tooth row is formed. Protruding portions are formed on the peripheral surface of the tooth-side base portion facing the opposite base portion. The connecting portions extend from the protruding portions toward the peripheral surface of the opposite base portion facing the tooth-side base portion. A portion, which is connected to the tooth-side base portion, of each connecting portion and a peripheral surface-tangential direction of the tooth-side base portion form an acute angle.
|ROTARY CONNECTOR - After a lead block, which is assembled by fitting a required number of pin terminals into an insulating support member, is connected to an end portion of a flat cable, the lead block is mounted on a lower connector holding portion of a rotary connector. The lower connector holding portion is formed of downward protruding portions of an outer cylindrical portion and a lower cover that are snap-fitted to each other. The downward protruding portion includes a receiving recess, and the downward protruding portion includes a holding wall portion. Tip portions of the pin terminals are inserted into insertion holes of the holding wall portion, so that the lead block is mounted. While stopper portions of the pin terminals are interposed between the holding wall portion and an outer wall of the support member, the support member is disposed so as to be positioned the receiving recess.
|INPUT DEVICE AND DISPLAY APPARATUS - There is provided an input device including: means for performing zero point correction on the sensor outputs of the load sensors when an absolute value of an amount of output change of each load sensor is not more than a predetermined threshold a during a certain period of measurement time; means for calculating position data and calculating a total load Z of the load sensors by using the sensor outputs; means for determining that the calculation data pieces are normal when the absolute value |dZ/dt| of the amount of change in the total load Z is not more than the threshold β; means for determining that an input is present in the calculation data pieces when the absolute value |Z| of the total load is not less than the threshold γ; and means for removing a predetermined number of first and last data pieces in the calculation data pieces.
|INPUT DEVICE INCLUDING MOVABLE TOUCH PAD - An input device includes a touch pad which is rotatably supported and has an upper surface as an input operation surface, a switch element located on a lower side of the touch pad, and a control unit configured to be able to perform control such that during an operation of an operation body (finger, etc.) being moved on the input operation surface while the input operation surface is pressed downwardly by the operation body to cause the switch element to be in an ON state, the ON state is continued even if the ON state is released in a state the operation of the operation body on the input operation surface is kept.
|INPUT DEVICE - A rear operation body is attached on a rear portion of a front case via a pair of front supporting plate springs. A front operation body is provided in a frontward of the front case and the front operation body and the rear operation body are connected via a penetration portion. A rear case is provided in a rearward of the front case, and a rear supporting plate spring is provided in the rear case. A flexible print substrate is provided in a frontward thereof and a plurality of detection members are mounted on the flexible print substrate. When an operation surface of the front operation body is pressed, the front supporting plate springs are deformed. Thereby, the rear operation body is moved such that any of the plurality of detection members is operated.
|INPUT DEVICE - A rear operation body is attached on a rear portion of a front case via a pair of front supporting plate springs. A front operation body is provided in the front case so as to abut on the front case, and the front operation body and the rear operation body are connected via a penetration portion. A rear case is provided in a rearward of the front case, and a rear supporting plate spring is provided in the rear case. A flexible print substrate is superimposed in a frontward of the rear supporting plate spring and a plurality of detection members are mounted on the flexible print substrate. When an operation surface of the front operation body has been pressed, the front supporting plate springs are deformed. Thereby, the rear operation body is moved such that any of the plurality of the detection member is operated.
|ELECTRONIC COMPONENT MODULE - An electronic component module includes a rectangular insulating substrate; lands that are arranged on a substrate surface thereof; electronic components that are connected to the lands using solder, and are mounted on the substrate surface; a solder resist protective layer that protects a wiring pattern by covering the substrate surface, and that is raised from the substrate surface toward the electronic components; a non-resist forming region that is not subjected to the solder resist and that exposes the substrate surface; and a sealing resin that seals the electronic components on the substrate surface. The non-resist forming region is formed in such a way as to communicate one side which partitions the substrate surface with another side which is separated from the one side, which partitions the substrate surface, through bottoms of component rear surfaces of the electronic components on the substrate surface.
|OPERATION SENSATION IMPARTING INPUT DEVICE - A first rotating body, which is rotated integrally with an operating knob, holds driving bodies and compression coil springs in recesses, and makes the driving bodies come into elastic contact with cam surfaces formed on the inner peripheral surface of a second rotating body. When current is not applied to an electromagnetic brake, the first and second rotating bodies are rotated integrally. When a user further rotates the operating knob against a sensation of resistance while the electromagnetic brake magnetically attracts a friction plate and a braking force is applied, the first rotating body is rotated relative to the second rotating body while the driving bodies slide on the cam surfaces. This relative rotation is allowed until stopper portions provided near the recesses come into contact with restricting wall portions provided near the cam surfaces.
|ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITIVE INPUT DEVICE - An electrostatic capacitive input device includes: an operation member having an operation surface on which an operator can perform an input operation; a sensor member which has a detection surface detecting a capacitance value corresponding to the input operation on the operation surface and is capable of outputting a detection signal corresponding to the detected capacitance value; and a control unit controlling an electronic apparatus based on the detection signal. The operation member and the sensor member are arranged such that a surface reverse to a surface including the operation surface faces the detection surface. The operation member is mounted on a cover member such that the operation surface is exposed from an outer surface of the cover member, and is separable from the sensor member together with the cover member. The sensor member is arranged in a housing in a state of being separated from the operation member.
|INPUT DEVICE - A connection portion extends from an operation substrate, and a retaining groove of an elastic body is retained in a retaining hole of the connection portion. When a shaft portion of a retaining member is inserted into a through hole of the elastic body and screwed into an internally-threaded hole of a panel, an upper elastic portion of the elastic body is interposed between the connection portion and a support portion of the panel, and a lower elastic portion of the elastic body is interposed between the connection portion and an facing member. When an operation surface of the operation substrate is pressed, the connection portion rotates in a direction and the upper elastic portion and the lower elastic portion of the elastic body are compressed, whereby an appropriate operation reaction force and an elastic return force can be exerted.
|HUMIDITY DETECTION SENSOR AND A METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A humidity detection sensor includes a lower electrode provided on a board, an upper electrode provided so as to face the lower electrode, a humidity sensing film which is formed at least between the lower electrode and the upper electrode and whose dielectric constant changes in response to humidity, and a protective film provided so as to cover the upper electrode. Each of the upper electrode and the protective film has an opening through which the humidity sensing film is partially exposed to the outside. In the opening, the humidity sensing film is provided so as to reach at least a position higher than the position of the lower surface of the protective film.
|LOAD CONNECTION STATE DETECTION CIRCUIT - This load connection state detection circuit includes a PNP type transistor whose emitter is connected to a power source terminal, a NPN type transistor where the emitter thereof is connected to the power source terminal, the collector thereof is connected to the base of the PNP type transistor, and the base thereof is connected to the collector of the PNP type transistor, and a diode inserted between the collector of the PNP type transistor and an external antenna load, wherein the diode is configured to perform temperature compensation for the base voltage of the NPN type transistor and prevent currents from flowing from the external antenna load to the PNP type transistor and the NPN type transistor.
|IN-VEHICLE LEVER SWITCH DEVICE - In a lever switch device, a holder is assembled in and fixed to a cylindrical lever body formed by combining halved lever bodies and the holder supports two rotating knobs so as to allow the rotating knobs to rotate. Further, a circuit board is mounted on the holder, and both main surfaces of the circuit board face the rotating knobs, respectively. The rotating knob is exposed to the outside at the end of the cylindrical lever body in the axial direction, and the rotating knob is exposed to the outside through window portions formed at the cylindrical lever body. Sliders are mounted on the rotating knobs, respectively, one slider can come into contact with and be separated from contact patterns formed on the main surface, and the other slider can come into contact with and be separated from contact patterns formed on the main surface.
|PRESSING-TYPE INPUT DEVICE - A switching substrate on which switching portions are mounted is attached at an angle to a case. The length in the pressing direction of a first push button of a push button unit is larger than the length in the pressing direction of a second push button. A first contact portion about which the push button unit rotates when the first push button is pressed and a second contact portion about which the push button unit rotates when the second push button is pressed are at substantially the same height from the surface of the switching substrate. Therefore, the rotation angle when a first operating surface is pressed can be made equal to the rotation angle when a second operating surface is pressed.
|IN-VEHICLE LEVER SWITCH DEVICE - A holder incorporated in and fixed to cylindrical lever body rotatably supports a rotating knob, and the rotating knob supports a pressing knob so as to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction. Any of these cylindrical lever body, the rotating knob and the pressing knob has a non-circular outline along an orthogonal plane which is orthogonal to the axial direction. The rotating knob is arranged in the vicinity of the distal end of the cylindrical lever body, and the rotating knob opposes a main surface of a circuit board mounted on the holder. The main surface of the circuit board includes a push switch having a contact pattern which can be connected to and disconnected from a slider attached to the rotating knob, and a driven part thrust by a drive rod of the pressing knob during a pressing operation.
|INPUT DEVICE - On a lower case serving as a supporting base, a movable unit is supported to be able to vibrate in an X direction, with a first elastic member interposed therebetween. In the movable unit, a panel assembly is supported on a movable base to be able to vibrate in a Z direction, with a second elastic member interposed therebetween. A vibration generator is mounted on the panel assembly and supported by a third elastic member on the movable base. When the vibration generator generates vibration in the X direction, the entire movable unit vibrates in the X direction. When the vibration generator generates vibration in the Z direction, the panel assembly vibrates in the Z direction. When the panel assembly is pressed with a finger, the force of the pressing operation can be detected by a second detector which is a force sensor.
|MEMBRANE SWITCH UNIT AND KEYBOARD DEVICE INCLUDING THE MEMBRANE SWITCH UNIT - In a membrane switch unit having an illumination function that is formed of a pair of sheets and has a plurality of light sources arranged therein, a plurality of fixed contacts having wiring portions are provided on a lower membrane sheet, a plurality of movable contacts formed independently of one another are formed on an upper membrane sheet, and a plurality of white LEDs (light sources) are provided on the upper membrane sheet where there is no wiring among the movable contacts. As a result, wiring paths can be freely provided and, hence, the plurality of the white LEDs connected in parallel with a power supply can be easily housed. Since the plurality of the white LEDs are connected in parallel with the power supply, the plurality of the white LEDs can be lit without using a voltage step-up circuit or a dedicated lighting power supply.
|ELECTROMAGNETIC BRAKE SYSTEM AND FORCE SENSE IMPARTING TYPE ROTATION INPUT APPARATUS USING THE SAME - A yoke core of an electromagnetic brake system includes a rotation shaft hole portion through which a rotation shaft is penetrated, and additionally includes an inner yoke portion and an outer yoke portion which are arranged on both inner and outer sides, by pinching a concave groove. A coil is accommodated in the concave groove and a magnetic flux is generated by applying electricity to attract an armature. The armature has a penetrating hole portion in the center, and a protruded shaft portion formed on the inner yoke portion is inserted to the penetrating hole portion. The rotation shaft has one side thereof rotatably supported by a support portion of a housing, and the other side thereof rotatably supported by the protruded shaft portion via the armature and a planetary gear mechanism. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide bearings or the like.
|ELECTRONIC DEVICE - An electronic component (encoder) including an operation body is mounted on a circuit board. The electronic component causes a controller to perform processing in accordance with an operation input by the operation body. The mounting board includes a power-feeding leg piece connected to a wireless communication processor so that high frequency communication is allowed, a first short-circuiting leg piece that is adjacent to the power-feeding leg piece via a cut-out portion, and a second short-circuiting leg piece separated from the power-feeding leg piece. The short-circuiting leg pieces are connected to grounded portions. The impedance is adjusted by appropriately selecting the width or the depth of the cut-out portion. The resonance frequency is adjusted by appropriately selecting the size or the position of the short-circuiting leg piece. Thus, the mounting board operates as an inverted-F antenna in which the power-feeding leg piece functions as a power feeding portion.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR FOR IMPROVING HYSTERESIS AND LINEARITY - A magnetic sensor includes a non-bias structure element section that has a laminated structure in which a fixed magnetic layer, a non-magnetic material layer, a free magnetic layer, and a protection layer are laminated, and that is extended in an X1-X2 direction; and soft magnetic bodies that are arranged on the element section in a contactless manner. The soft magnetic bodies include a first section, a second section, and a third section. The second section is located on a Y2 side of the element section and the third section is located on a Y1 side thereof. The second section of one of soft magnetic bodies faces the third section of the other soft magnetic body in a Y1-Y2 direction through the element section. An electrode layer is provided on the element section which faces the joint sections of the second section and the third section in the Y1-Y2 direction.
|INPUT DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS - An input device includes an input operation surface that includes one or more specific regions, can be operated by an indicator, and is provided separately from a display screen; a detection unit that detects an operation position of the indicator; a region creating unit that creates a discrimination region while using the operation position as a base point when it is detected that the operation position of the indicator is positioned in the specific region; and a discrimination unit that uses a fact that a moving direction of the indicator from the base point, when the indicator moves within the discrimination region, is positioned on at least a line, which traverses the specific region substantially in parallel or obliquely, as conditions that allow a predetermined function to be performed on the display screen. When the discrimination unit discriminates that the conditions are satisfied, a performance signal is output.
|PHYSICAL QUANTITY SENSOR AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME - A first sealing layer having a frame-like shape and a first contact layer are formed on a back surface of a frame portion of a sensor substrate. The first contact layer is separated from the first sealing layer, extends through a functional member and an insulation layer, and is electrically connected to the functional member and a first base member. A second sealing layer and a second contact layer are formed on a surface of a wiring substrate. The second sealing layer faces the first sealing layer. The second contact layer is separated from the second sealing layer, extends through the insulation layer, and is electrically connected to the second base member. The sealing layers are eutectically bonded to each other. The contact layers are electrically connected to each other, and thereby the first and second base members and the frame portion have the same potential.
|MULTI-DIRECTIONAL SWITCH DEVICE - A multi-directional switch device includes: an operation shaft to which an operation knob is mounted to perform a rotating operation and a tilting operation; and a housing, which supports the operation shaft. In the housing, a circuit board which has a second fixed contact on the lower surface, a wafer which has a first fixed contact, a rotation holder which rotates integrally with the operation shaft while allowing oscillation of the operation shaft, a rotation slider which rotates integrally with the operation shaft and slides during the tilting operation, a first movable contact, and a second movable contact are arranged. When the operation shaft is rotated and thus the rotation holder is rotated from a rotation neutral position by about 180 degrees, a first signal is output. When the operation shaft is tilted while the rotation holder is rotated by about ±45 degrees, a second or third signal is output.
|VEHICLE INPUT DEVICE - In a vehicle input device having a position detection portion configured to output a detection signal and a controller (control section) configured to receive the detection signal, the position detection portion operated by a driver is provided near an end side of the vehicle input device, and a contact operation surface on which the driver performs a contact operation is an end surface of an operation member of the position detection portion. Thus, the driver is capable of operating the vehicle input device with a finger while holding a steering wheel. In addition, by the controller determining the position of an operation of the driver on the basis of the detection signal from the position detection portion, it is made possible to detect various operations and various devices can be operated.
|WIRELESS COMMUNICATION FUNCTION-EQUIPPED ELECTRONIC DEVICE - In an electronic device in which an electronic component (e.g., an encoder) including an operation body is mounted on a circuit board and a process corresponding to an input operation of the operation body is performed by a control section, a wireless communication processing section and a matching circuit which are provided on the circuit board are connected to each other via a transmission line, and in order to cause a mounting member (a mounting plate and an outer casing) of the electronic component, which is made of metal and is ungrounded, to operate as an antenna, a predetermined position (a leg piece) in the mounting plate and the matching circuit are connected to each other via a transmission line to cause the predetermined position to serve as a power supply section. Thus, a wireless communication function-equipped electronic device for which a dedicated antenna is unnecessary is obtained.
|INPUT DEVICE - An operation body, which includes an operation surface of a hemispherical surface, is supported so as to be capable of tilting by only a slight angle. Continuous vibration of which the amplitude is parallel to a vertical direction is applied to the operation body by a vibrating unit. When a finger comes into contact with the operation surface, an amplitude component parallel to a tangent line is generated at a contact portion of the finger by the continuous vibration. Accordingly, when the finger is moved, it is possible to obtain a feeling as though the operation surface is rotated following the movement of the finger.
|SLIDE SWITCH DEVICE - In a slide switch device in which a tactile-feel generation portion generates a tactile feel when a slider is operated to slide via an operation knob, the tactile-feel generation portion includes cam portions formed at a back surface of a flat plate portion of the slider, coil springs held at a guide base, and driving bodies that are elastically urged to the coil springs and are pressed to the cam portions. Elastic arms that elastically contact a guide flat surface of the guide base are provided at the flat plate portion of the slider. The elastic arms and the cam portions are arranged by the same number at positions separated from a shaft portion of the slider.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes an operation surface configured to be operated by a finger (operating body); a capacitive sensor disposed below an operation region (including the operation surface), the capacitive sensor being capable of detecting an operation position of the finger; and a photosensor having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element disposed below the operation region, the photosensor being capable of obtaining detection information when the light-receiving element receives reflected light corresponding to light (infrared light) emitted from the light-emitting element toward the operation surface, the detection information indicating detection of the finger.
|DOOR BODY UNLATCHING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE - A unlatching device includes: a pair of human approach sensors disposed at both side ends of, for example, a rear glass; a retractable handle retractably received at a door body, such as a rear door; a cam member pivotally supported by the door body; a manual unlatching lever for manually unlatching a latch mechanism; and a solenoid capable of driving a stopper member of the latch mechanism, in which, when a predetermined signal is output from the human approach sensor, the stopper member is pressed by the solenoid and is moved away from an engaging/disengaging member, and the engaging/disengaging member is made to pivot by urging force and is released from a stopper, whereby the door body is unlatched and the retractable handle projects rearward from the door body.
|MAGNETIC DETECTOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A first short-circuit layer and a second short-circuit layer are electrically connected to and integrally stacked onto only a first magnetoresistance effect element layer and a first resistance element layer, respectively, so as to achieve short-circuiting, and thereby adjusting electrical resistances of the first magnetoresistance effect element layer and the first resistance element layer.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device of the present disclosure includes reaction force map creation means for creating a reaction force map including a plurality of reaction force components corresponding to a plurality of input components displayed on a screen, and reaction force transmission means for transmitting a reaction force to an operation body when, in accordance with an operation of selecting each input component with the operation body, the corresponding reaction force component on the reaction force map is selected. When converting a screen display image into the reaction force map, the reaction force map creation means rearranges each reaction force component on the reaction force map differently from a component arrangement on the screen display image.
|POSITION DETECTION DEVICE - A shift lever, a shift knob provided on an upper end of the shift lever, an electrode portion provided on a lower end of the shift lever, an operation fulcrum rotatably supporting the shift lever, and a capacitive coupling sensor located in non-contact with the electrode portion are included. By a movement operation of the shift knob, the shift lever rotates and the electrode portion moves while keeping non-contact with a surface of the capacitive coupling sensor. The capacitive coupling sensor detects a position of the electrode portion on the basis of a capacitance change caused with movement of the electrode portion. By so doing, shift position information and trajectory information between each shift position can be obtained.
|TOUCH PANEL INTEGRATED DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAMEAANM MASUMOTO; YoshifumiAACI Niigata-kenAACO JPAAGP MASUMOTO; Yoshifumi Niigata-ken JP - A method for manufacturing a touch panel integrated display device including a touch panel and a display panel that are integrally stacked, with a light-transmissive sticky layer interposed therebetween, includes the steps of (a) forming a transparent conductive layer by transfer onto a display surface of the display panel, with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween, by using a transferable film having the adhesive layer and the transparent conductive layer; (b) stacking a polarizing layer on one surface of the touch panel, the one surface being an input surface of the touch panel; and (c) bonding the transparent conductive layer formed on the display surface of the display panel to the other surface of the touch panel, with the sticky layer interposed therebetween.
|MAGNETIC DETECTION DEVICE, MAGNETIC SENSOR INCLUDING THE SAME, AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING MAGNETIC DETECTION DEVICE - A magnetic detection device includes a layered film including a self-pinned magnetic layer, a free magnetic layer, a nonmagnetic material layer disposed between the pinned magnetic layer and the free magnetic layer, and a top capping layer. The pinned magnetic layer includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a nonmagnetic intermediate layer disposed therebetween. A first magnetization of the first magnetic layer is pinned in antiparallel with a second magnetization of the second magnetic layer. The capping layer is formed of tantalum, and an as-deposited thickness of the capping layer is 55 Å or more.
|CARBON NANOFIBER ACTUATOR - An electroconductive film for an actuator is formed from a gel composition including carbon nanofibers, an ionic liquid, and a polymer. The carbon nanofibers are produced with an aromatic mesophase pitch by melt spinning.
|ACTUATOR ELEMENT INCLUDING FAT AND OIL OR WATER REPELLENT - A conductive thin film is composed of a polymer gel including carbon nanotubes, an ionic liquid, and a polymer. At least one selected from the group consisting of fat and oil and a water repellent is included in the polymer gel or in a surface of the polymer gel.
|TACTILE DISPLAY DEVICE - Actuators are disposed between a lower wiring substrate and an upper wiring substrate. The actuators, the lower wiring substrate, and the upper wiring substrate are interposed between a lower frame and an upper frame. The end of each actuator is held between pushing parts of the lower frame and upper frame. The free ends of the actuators move projections upward that are displayed in a tactile display.
|ELECTRONIC APPARATUS INCLUDING PROTRUDING MEMBERS - A dot unit includes an opening formed in a housing and a protruding member disposed in the opening. The protruding member is rotatably supported by a support shaft. The protruding member is rotated by a polymer actuator in a direction that follows a reading direction in which a unit of information is read, and the protruding member is stabilized in a protruding position by contacting a restricting portion. When a finger is moved in the reading direction and contacts the protruding member, the protruding member is likely to be stabilized in the protruding position.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR AND MAGNETIC BALANCE TYPE CURRENT SENSOR UTILIZING SAME - A magnetism sensor comprises a magnetoresistive element, the resistance of which changes due to the application of an induced magnetic field from the current being measured, and a fixed-resistance element. The fixed-resistance element has a self-pinned ferromagnetic fixed layer comprising a first ferromagnetic film and a second ferromagnetic film coupled antiferromagnetically with an antiparallel coupling film interposed therebetween. The antiparallel coupling film is a ruthenium film that exhibits an antiferromagnetic coupling effect with a first peak thickness. The difference between the degrees of magnetization of the first ferromagnetic film and the second ferromagnetic film is effectively zero.
|DRIVE DEVICE USING POLYMER ACTUATOR - An actuator includes an electrolytic layer, a first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer. The electrolytic layer includes a polymer and an ionic liquid included in the polymer. When a voltage that makes the first electrode layer a positive side is applied, the actuator deforms to be in a drive state, thereby driving a protruding member. In a period other than a drive period in which the protruding member is driven, a reverse voltage that makes the first electrode layer a negative side is applied, thereby rectifying the tendency of the actuator to bow or the like.
|KEYLESS ENTRY DEVICE FOR VEHICLE - First, "Sync+Wakeup ID" is transmitted form a first vehicle (from a first time to a second time). While a first portable device paired with the first vehicle does not respond to this, when another second portable device has an inverted code coinciding by chance, the second portable device transmits a "Welcome" response (from the second time to a fifth time). During this response, a "Who" command including proper "Sync+Wakeup ID" and "command+additional data" is transmitted, thereby allowing the first portable device to normally respond to "Who" (a sixth time).
|ELECTRONIC COMPONENT SOCKET - A plurality of intermediate terminal portions are evenly arranged and held in an insulating housing. Each intermediate terminal portion has a structure in which a first metal piece and a second metal piece overlap each other. In the first metal piece, a curved portion and a flat portion form a first elastic piece. In the second metal piece, a curved portion and a flat portion form a second elastic piece. When an external force is not exerted, the first elastic piece of the first metal piece and the second elastic piece of the second metal piece are separated from each other. When the intermediate terminal portion is pressed against the component electrode portion of the electronic component, first only the first metal piece is deformed, and then the first metal piece and the second metal piece are deformed together.
|LENS UNIT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME - A lens unit includes a lens holder of stainless steel and a converging lens fixed to a lens holding hole of the lens holder. The lens holder is formed by pressing, or stamping from a metal plate, made of a compressed stainless steel plate material, having a predetermined thickness with a narrow tolerance. Upon stamping, the metal plate is fractured, thus forming an outer tapered surface at one end of the outer surface of the lens holder. When the outer surface and the rear end surface of the lens holder are allowed to abut against a positioning recess in order to position the lens holder, the outer tapered surface is opposed to the corner of the positioning recess.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device, disposed in front of a display device, includes a polarizing film, a λ/4 retardation film, and a touch sensor unit including first and second light transmissive films arranged farther from the outside of the input device than the polarizing film. Each of the first and second light transmissive films is formed of a film controlled such that it is approximately optically isotropic. The film exhibits birefringence caused by drawing in the machine direction upon manufacture such that the slow axis extends along the machine direction. The machine direction of the film is allowed to be orthogonal to that of the other film, thus allowing the slow axes to be orthogonal to each other in order to cancel out the slow axes such that the input device is generally isotropic.
|INPUT DEVICE - A support body holding a touch pad is mounted on a hollow support body of a base member, a space is formed in the base member and extends from its inside to an inside of the hollow support body, a shaft is provided vertically to an operation knob and extends from a back surface of a top surface portion, the touch pad has a through hole through which the shaft is inserted into the space, a rotation detection portion detecting rotating movement of an operation body and a pressing detection portion detecting reciprocating movement of the operation body are provided, and, in the space, the shaft is linked to a rotating movement portion making rotation detection movement for the rotation detection portion with rotating movement of the operation body and a pressing movement portion making pressing detection movement for the pressing detection portion with reciprocating movement of the operation body.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes: a base member including a hollow support body; and an operation body supported so as to at least freely rotate relative to the hollow support body. The operation body includes an operation knob formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom and having a top surface portion and a plate-shaped capacitance type touch pad provided on a back side of the top surface portion for detecting approach or contact of a finger with respect to the top surface portion. A support body supporting the capacitance type touch pad is mounted on the base member and supports the capacitance type touch pad through an elastic body which elastically urges the capacitance type touch pad against the top surface portion of the operation knob.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A touch panel includes a transparent panel, a decorative layer which is formed in a decorative region on a first surface of the transparent panel, a transparent electrode which is formed from a transparent input region of the first surface to a surface of the decorative layer, and a wiring layer which is formed to extend to the surface of the decorative layer and electrically connected to the transparent electrode.
|SURFACE PANEL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - The surface panel includes a transmissive resin layer and a sensor film closely attached to a back surface of the resin layer. The sensor film includes a base film, a frame-shaped decorative portion on a front surface of the base film, and a transmissive electrode layer and right and left wiring layers on a back surface of the base film. The sensor film is closely attached to and along the back surface of the resin layer. The right and left wiring layers are closely attached to the corresponding right and back-surface left portions. Consequently, the area that is allocated for the transmissive region and the electrode layer can be increased.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A touch panel includes a transparent panel, a transparent electrode which is formed in a transparent input region on a first surface of the transparent panel, a decorative layer which is formed in a decorative region on the first surface, a wiring layer which is formed on a surface of the decorative layer, and a transparent conductive connection layer which electrically connects the wiring layer and the transparent electrode.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes a first transparent substrate, a first transparent electrode layer for detecting change of a capacitance value, and a first drawn wiring layer electrically connected to an end of the first transparent electrode layer. The first transparent electrode layer is formed on an input region of the first transparent substrate, and the first drawn wiring layer is formed on a non-input region surrounding the input region. The first transparent electrode layer and the first drawn wiring layer are connected to each other through a first pad portion for connection, and a second pad portion for electrical property inspection is electrically connected to the other end of the first transparent electrode layer.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A touch panel (input device) includes a flexible transparent base; a transparent electrode formed on a first surface of the transparent base; a decorative layer formed on a second surface of the transparent base, the second surface being opposite the first surface; and a transparent panel (glass panel) bonded to the second surface of the transparent base, with an optical clear adhesive layer interposed therebetween.
|FORCE SENSOR AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A sensor substrate includes a plurality of piezoresistance elements. The electrical resistance of each piezoresistance element changes in accordance with an amount of displacement of a displacement portion displaced by an external load applied through a pressure receiving unit. A base substrate supports the sensor substrate. The sensor substrate and the base substrate each include a support supporting the displacement portion such that the displacement portion can be displaced and a plurality of electrically connecting portions electrically connected to the plurality of piezoresistance elements. The supports of the sensor and base substrates are joined to each other and the plurality of electrically connecting portions of the sensor and base substrates are joined to each other. Furthermore, in each of the sensor and base substrates, either the support or the plurality of electrically connecting portions or both extend to the periphery of the sensor substrate or the base substrate.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING INPUT DEVICE - A method of manufacturing an input device includes a step of bonding a translucent first optical adhesive layer to one surface of a first transparent base so that a part of first lead electrodes is exposed to the outside; a step of disposing a FPC so that a predetermined gap is formed between the FPC and the first optical adhesive layer in plan view, and electrically connecting the FPC to the first lead electrodes exposed to one surface of the first transparent base; a step of bonding a surface member, which forms an input surface, to the first transparent base with the first optical adhesive layer interposed therebetween; and a step of sealing the exposed lead electrodes by injecting a resin into a space between the first transparent base and the surface member facing each other.
|DISPLAY DEVICE - A display device according to an embodiment includes a touch panel, a plurality of detecting units, a blocking unit, and a calculating unit. The display device is incorporated in a vehicle, and the touch panel receives a pressing operation. The plurality of detecting units detect a pressure value on the touch panel.
|ELECTRONIC COMPONENT SOCKET - An electronic component socket includes a housing having a housing portion surrounded with a side wall and a bottom wall; multiple terminals to be disposed so as to pass through the bottom wall of the housing; and a metal plate configured to form at least a portion of the bottom wall of the housing, having multiple through-holes containable with the multiple terminals; with the plurality of terminals including a contact portion contactable with an electrode of an electronic component containable with the housing, and a connection portion connectable with a round of a substrate allocatable on the opposite side of the housing of the bottom wall; and with the metal plate being embedded in the housing so that a portion thereof is exposed.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREFOR - A magnetic sensor having no sensitivity differences between sensitivity axes, and an easy manufacturing method therefor are provided. The method includes a process of forming first stacked films for a magnetoresistive element on a substrate. This element has a sensitivity axis in a certain direction and includes a self-pinned ferromagnetic pinned layer in which first and second ferromagnetic films are antiferromagnetically coupled through an antiparallel coupling layer, a nonmagnetic intermediate layer, and a soft magnetic free layer. The method further includes a process of removing a region of the first stacked films from the substrate. The remaining region of the films includes at least a region to be left to form the element. The method furthermore includes a process of forming second stacked films for a magnetoresistive element, which has a sensitivity axis in a direction different from the certain direction and has the same structure, on the exposed substrate.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR - A magnetic sensor includes a plurality of magnetoresistance effect elements and soft magnetic bodies. Each of the magnetoresistance effect elements is formed by stacking a magnetic layer and a non-magnetic layer on a substrate so as to exhibit a magnetoresistance effect. The magnetoresistance effect element is configured such that element portions and electrode layers are alternately disposed. A soft magnetic body is disposed on one and the other sides of each of the element portions in the Y direction, and the soft magnetic bodies are displaced from each other in the X direction. With this arrangement, an external magnetic field applied in the X1 direction is changed into an external magnetic field in the Y direction when passing through the soft magnetic bodies, and the changed external magnetic field flows into the element portions.
|CONSTANT-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT - A constant-voltage circuit includes a first reference voltage generation unit which generates a reference voltage using a bandgap voltage of a bipolar transistor, a second reference voltage generation unit which generates a reference voltage using a field effect transistor, a constant voltage generation unit which generates a constant voltage with reference to either an output voltage of the first reference voltage generation unit or an output voltage of the second reference voltage generation unit, and a control unit which controls the first reference voltage generation unit, the second reference voltage generation unit, and the constant voltage generation unit. During an initial activation period, the first reference voltage generation unit and the second reference voltage generation unit are operated, and during a subsequent operation period, the first reference voltage generation unit is stopped.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR - A magnetic sensor includes magnetoresistive elements and a soft magnetic body. The magnetoresistive elements have multi layers including a magnetic layer and a nonmagnetic layer on a substrate, and exert a magnetoresistance effect. The soft magnetic body is electrically disconnected with the magnetoresistive elements, and converts a vertical magnetic field component from the outside into a magnetic field component in a horizontal direction so as to provide the magnetoresistive elements with the horizontally converted magnetic field component. The magnetoresistive elements have a pinned magnetic layer having a fixed magnetization direction and a free magnetic layer having a variable magnetization direction. The free magnetic layer is stacked on the pinned magnetic layer with a nonmagnetic layer interposed between the free magnetic layer and the pinned magnetic layer. The magnetization directions of the pinned magnetic layers of the magnetoresistive elements are the same direction. The magnetoresistive elements form a bridge circuit.
|ANGULAR SPEED DETECTION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETECTING ANGULAR SPEED ERROR - In an angular speed detection apparatus according to the present embodiment, in a positive counter, a first counter value P is obtained by adding 3 when an average angular speed
|LIGHT-TRANSMISSIVE INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A lower surface and an upper surface are provided in a detection panel
|STRAIGHT-TUBE LED LAMP SWITCH DEVICE AND STRAIGHT-TUBE LED LAMP USING THE SAME - A straight-tube LED lamp switch device includes a first terminal protruding from a housing; an operating body having an operating portion that can receive a pressing operation into the housing; a second terminal that is brought into conduction with the first terminal by the pressing operation on the operating body; and a torsion spring that restores the operating body to an initial state before the pressing operation. A position of a distal end portion of the operating body in the initial state protrudes outside with respect to a distal end portion of the first terminal.
|STRAIGHT-TUBE LED LAMP SWITCH DEVICE AND STRAIGHT-TUBE LED LAMP USING THE SAME - A straight-tube LED lamp switch device includes a first terminal protruding from a housing; an operating body having an operating portion that can receive a pressing operation into the housing; a second terminal that is brought into conduction with the first terminal by the pressing operation; and a torsion spring that restores the operating body to an initial state before the pressing operation. The housing has therein a housing portion that houses the operating body when the pressing operation is performed. The operating body is tilted by a pressing operation from at least one side of opposite directions with respect to a protruding direction of the first terminal. By the tilting, at least part of the operating portion is housed in the housing portion and the first terminal is brought into conduction with the second terminal.
|LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE - A holding hole of a holding body has an edge portion and an inner peripheral surface which is a concavely curved surface connected to the edge portion. In a light source unit which supports a light source, projections are formed at three locations, and each of front surfaces thereof has a convexly curved line having a curvature radius longer than that of the inner peripheral surface. When the light source unit is inserted into the holding hole, the front surfaces of the projections at the three locations are brought into point contact with the edge portion at contact portions on the convexly curved lines. By performing laser welding at these contact portions, the attitude of the light source unit after its tilt adjustment can be stabilized and fixed to the holding body.
|RESIN BONDING METHOD BY PHOTOIRRADIATION, METHOD FOR PRODUCING RESIN ARTICLE, RESIN ARTICLE PRODUCED BY THE SAME METHOD, METHOD FOR PRODUCING MICROCHIP, AND MICROCHIP PRODUCED BY THE SAME METHOD - A resin bonding method according to the present invention is a resin bonding method for bonding a first resin and a second resin including (I) a step of irradiating spaces containing oxygen molecules with vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 175 nm or less, the spaces being in contact with surfaces of the first and second resins; and (II) a step of, after the irradiation, subjecting the surfaces to temperature rise while the surfaces are in contact with each other, to bond the first resin and the second resin together with the surfaces serving as bonding surfaces. In the step (I), the surfaces of the first and second resins may be further irradiated with the vacuum ultraviolet light. In this case, a light amount of the vacuum ultraviolet light having reached the surfaces is preferably, for example, 0.1 J/cm
|SILICON STRUCTURE HAVING BONDING PAD - A silicon structure includes a silicon substrate having an electric element; a wiring conductor and a bonding pad, connecting the electric element and an external circuit; a protective layer disposed on the silicon substrate; and a pad opening pattern provided in the protective layer to exposed the bonding pad, wherein a probe mark position and a wire bonding position differ, without increasing the size of the bonding pad in plan view. A substrate exposure part, which is not covered with the protective layer, is provided at part of an outer edge of the bonding pad disposed inside the pad opening pattern in the protective film, and the wiring conductor is not exposed through substrate exposure part.
|MEMS SENSOR PACKAGE - An MEMS sensor package includes an MEMS sensor and a driving IC that controls driving of the MEMS sensor, which are fixed onto the same mounting surface made of a given package material, wherein an MEMS sensor mounting area and a driving IC mounting area are set on the mounting surface, a die attach metalized layer is formed on a package material of the driving IC mounting area, the driving IC is mounted on the die attach metalized layer, and the MEMS sensor is mounted on a package material of the MEMS sensor mounting area.
|MEMS SENSOR - An MEMS sensor includes: a functional layer having a sensor section; a wiring substrate disposed facing the functional layer and having a conduction pathway for the sensor section; a first metal layer provided on the surface of the sensor section which faces the wiring substrate; and a second metal layer provided on the surface of the wiring substrate which faces the sensor section, wherein the first and second metal layers are joined to each other, a space is formed between a movable portion of the sensor section and the wiring substrate, and a stopper which is composed of a third metal layer being the same film as the first metal layer formed on the functional layer side and a contact portion formed on the wiring substrate side which come into contact with each other is formed between the functional layer and the wiring substrate.
|INPUT DEVICE AND METHOD OF PRODUCING INPUT APPARATUS - An input device includes a sensor member that detects input position information; and a protective member that protects the sensor member, wherein the protective member includes a window-shaped light-transmissive region transmitting light in the thickness direction, a transparent substrate having an input surface on a first surface, and a decorative layer disposed on a second first of the transparent substrate. The decorative layer is stacked on the transparent substrate so as to surround the light-transmissive region, and an inclined section is provided at the inner edge of the decorative layer; the transparent filler is stacked on the second surface of the transparent substrate to cover the light-transmissive region and the inclined section; and the sensor member and the protective member are bonded together with the adhesive layer disposed on the transparent filler and the decorative layer.
|GEOMAGNETISM SENSING DEVICE - An X-axis sensor, a Y-axis sensor, and a Z-axis sensor that detect a geomagnetic vector are provided, and the direction of the geomagnetic vector is sought on a spherical coordinate from the detection output of each sensor. A reference axis is determined in the spherical coordinate, a hypothetical central point is sought on the reference axis depending on data of two coordinate detection points, a perpendicular line to a plane that includes vectors from the hypothetical central point to the respective data is sought from the cross product of the vectors, an axis that is parallel to the perpendicular line and passes through an origin is set to be a calculated rotational axis, and movement centered around the calculated rotational axis is specified.
|GEOMAGNETIC SENSING DEVICE - A controller includes a calibration unit, an offset error correcting unit, an operation unit, and the like. The calibration unit obtains a reference point of an output of a magnetic sensor, and performs offset correction. The offset error correcting unit is capable of performing operation processing for both the correction of a major offset error and the correction of a minor offset error by using a radius (the magnitude of a geomagnetic vector) of a virtual circle or a virtual sphere, appropriately and easily correcting the offset error with a small amount of operation, and reducing the burden to the controller.
|DISPLAY DEVICE - A display device of this embodiment includes a first insulating substrate having a display surface; a first resistive layer disposed on a surface of the first insulating substrate, the surface being opposite the display surface; a first electrochromic layer disposed on a surface of the first resistive layer; an electrolyte layer disposed on a surface of the first electrochromic layer; and a plurality of first electrodes connected to the first resistive layer. In the display device, a voltage is applied to the plurality of first electrodes so that a voltage gradient is generated in an in-plane direction of the first resistive layer.
|DISPLAY DEVICE - A display device includes a pair of insulating substrates facing each other, electrochromic elements, and an electrolyte layer. A plurality of electrodes constituting the electrochromic elements are disposed on an inner surface of one of the insulating substrates so as to be spaced from each other. One of the insulating substrates is formed of a flexible member whose outer surface is an input operation surface. A pair of counter electrodes of an input element are disposed between the pair of insulating substrates, the counter electrodes being spaced from the electrodes of the electrochromic elements when viewed in plan. An input operation is performed by bringing the counter electrodes close to each other or bringing the counter electrodes into contact with each other through pressing of the input operation surface.
|ROTATION INPUT DEVICE - In a rotation input device, a planetary carrier, connected to an operation knob, rotatably supports a planetary gear which meshes with an outer teeth row provided for a sun gear, to which an output shaft is secured, and also meshes with an inner teeth row provided for an outer gear. A plunger provided for the sun gear is in elastic contact with a recess cam provided for the outer gear. A solenoid unit prevents rotation of the outer gear in accordance with an output of a magnetic sensor which faces a magnet provided for the output shaft.
|SIDE STAND SWITCH AND SIDE STAND DEVICE - A side stand switch includes a case member having a fixed contact; and a rotor body having a moving contact that can come into contact with the fixed contact, mounted by tightening a securing bolt, and turned together with a side stand bar with respect to the case member. The rotor body has an engagement pin inserted therein and to be inserted into an engagement hole formed in the side stand bar. A width of the engagement pin in the turning direction of the rotor body is larger at a base portion inside the rotor body than at a tip portion protruding from the rotor body.
|PHYSICAL QUANTITY SENSOR - A physical quantity sensor includes an anchor portion, a movable portion displaceable in a height direction, a supporting portion rotatably connected to the anchor portion and the movable portion, and a detection portion. The supporting portion includes a first connection arm connecting the anchor portion and the movable portion to each other and a leg portion extending from the anchor portion in a direction opposite to the first connection arm, the leg portion being displaced in a direction opposite to a displacement direction of the movable portion when the supporting portion rotates. A stopper surface is disposed at a position to which a distal end portion of the leg portion is contactable when the leg portion is displaced in the direction opposite to the displacement direction of the movable portion. Displacement of the movable portion is restricted when the distal end portion of the leg portion contacts the stopper surface.
|ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE-TYPE INPUT DEVICE - An electrostatic capacitance-type input device includes X driving electrodes and Y driving electrodes on an operation face operated by a finger. A correction electrode and a correction detection electrode are provided to be opposed at a place which is not affected by the finger operating the operation face. Driving voltage is sequentially applied to the X driving electrodes by an X driving unit, and the voltage is also applied to the correction electrode. An input detection signal for detecting a contact position of the finger and a correction detection signal obtained from the correction detection electrode changed on the basis of environmental changes are detected by the same detection unit, and the correction detection signal and the input detection signal are corrected in a data processing unit.
|OPERATION FEELING IMPARTING TYPE TRACKBALL DEVICE - A trackball device includes a friction plate rockably supported having opening in which a top portion of the sphere is exposed, as a brake unit applying braking force (friction force) to the sphere, and an actuator capable of driving the friction plate to a lower side. When the friction plate is driven by the actuator, the circumference portion of the opening of the friction plate is pressed to be in contact with the sphere from an upper side. A supporting member rotatably holding the sphere includes a plurality of supporting small spheres contacts the sphere at a point and a base member in which the supporting small spheres is arranged to be dispersed in the circumferential direction. The base member rockably supports the friction plate.
|COMMUNICATION DEVICE - A communication device includes a tag and a magnetic member. The tag communicates with an external device by radio, and the magnetic member is provided on the side opposite to the external device so as to face the tag. The magnetic member is formed to have a laminated structure that includes a high-μ′ layer and a low-μ′ layer. The high-μ′ layer is provided on the tag. The low-μ′ layer is provided so as to be more distant from the tag than the high-μ′ layer. A real part μ′ of complex relative permeability of the low-μ′ layer is lower than a real part μ′ of the complex relative permeability of the high-μ′ layer, and the thickness of the low-μ′ layer is larger than the thickness of the high-μ′ layer.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR - First magnetoresistive effect elements and second magnetoresistive effect elements and are formed on the same substrate. A pinned magnetic layer of each of the first magnetoresistive effect elements has a three-layer laminated ferrimagnetic structure including magnetic layers. A pinned magnetic layer of each of the second magnetoresistive effect elements has a two-layer laminated ferrimagnetic structure including magnetic layers. The magnetization direction of the third magnetic layer of each of the magnetoresistive effect elements is antiparallel to the magnetization direction of the second magnetic layer of each of the second magnetoresistive effect elements.
|POLYMER ACTUATOR DEVICE - A polymer actuator device includes an electrolyte layer, a pair of electrode layers that are provided on both surfaces of the electrolyte layer in a thickness direction of the electrolyte layer, a polymer actuator that is bent when a voltage is applied between the pair of electrode layers, and terminal parts that apply a voltage to the polymer actuator. The polymer actuator includes a deformable portion and a supported portion. A conductive porous member is interposed between a first electrode layer, which is positioned on the side of the supported portion of the polymer actuator corresponding to a negative electrode, and the terminal part.
|DRIVER VISION SUPPORT SYSTEM AND VEHICLE INCLUDING THE SYSTEM - A driver vision support system includes a camera configured to capture primary image data, a control apparatus configured to perform viewpoint conversion on the primary image data to create secondary image data from the viewpoint of the driver and prepares left A pillar image data corresponding to the left A pillar from the viewpoint of the driver right A pillar image data corresponding to the right A pillar, and at least one image display apparatus configured to display a first part of the secondary image data corresponding to the left blind spot area and the left blind spot adjacent area along with the left A pillar image data that is transparently superimposed and a second part of the secondary image data corresponding to the right blind spot area and the right blind spot adjacent area along with the right A pillar image data that is transparently superimposed.
|DRIVEER VISION SUPPORT SYSTEM AND VEHICLE INCLUDING THE SYSTEM - A driver vision support system includes a camera configured to capture primary image data, a control apparatus configured to perform viewpoint conversion on the primary image data to create secondary image data from the viewpoint of the driver and prepares left A pillar image data corresponding to the left A pillar from the viewpoint of the driver right A pillar image data corresponding to the right A pillar, and at least one image display apparatus configured to display a first part of the secondary image data corresponding to the left blind spot area and the left blind spot adjacent area along with the left A pillar image data that is transparently superimposed and a second part of the secondary image data corresponding to the right blind spot area and the right blind spot adjacent area along with the right A pillar image data that is transparently superimposed.
|CARD-TYPE ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT MODULE - An SD card (
|APPARATUS FOR IMAGE FORMATION - To provide a thermal recording medium, which can realize easy maintenance, does not produce wastes such as cartridges, and can realize easy control of recording sheets, and an apparatus and method for image formation. [MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A high-temperature color development capsule (
|OPERATION DEVICE - Mobile equipment includes an operation panel disposed in an opening of a case. The operation panel includes electrode layers that constitute a position detector. The operation panel and an internal member inside the case are provided with respective electrode layers that are opposite each other and constitute a press detector. An elastic member that supports the operation panel has a fixed portion secured to the case, a support portion configured to support the operation panel, and an elastic repulsive portion. When the operation panel is pressed, the magnitude of a reaction force against the pressing force can be adjusted to an appropriate level primarily by buckling or bending of the elastic repulsive portion.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR PACKAGE - In a magnetic chip package including a metal thin film, which is constituted of a metal material containing a magnetic body and is disposed on a surface of a plastic substrate opposite to the side a sensor chip is fixed, a demagnetizing field is generated in the metal thin film in a direction orthogonal to the direction of a magnetic field detected by a magnetic sensor. Specifically, the metal thin film is formed of plural metal thin sub-films, each metal thin sub-film having a rectangular shape with a length orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensor larger than a width parallel to the direction of the magnetic field, and each metal thin sub-films are aligned at predetermined intervals in a direction parallel to the direction of the detected magnetic field.
|ACTUATOR ELEMENT AND INPUT APPARATUS - An actuator element includes a first element unit configured to have one end being a fixed end and the other end being a free end and bends when voltage is applied, and a second element unit configured to have a shorter element length than the first element unit, have one end connected to the first element unit and bend in the opposite direction to the first element unit when voltage is applied and may support the first element unit.
|DIGITAL FILTER - The digital filter is connected to an upstream analog unit, changes bit data outputs corresponding to analog computation results every N clock pulse, operates in accordance with a clock in synchronization of the analog unit, and removes noise from the bit data output from the analog unit, the digital filter including an Nth-order sinc filter having a cascade of N sinc filters, each acquiring a moving average of a sample, and a moving average filter having a tap number of K connected to the output of the Nth-order sinc filter.
|COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - A communication system according to the present invention includes a transmitter
|COMMUNICATION SYSTEM - A communication system includes a transmitter that applies an electric field, obtained by modulating an information signal for wideband communication, to a transmission medium. The transmitter includes a transmission electrode, a transmission circuit that outputs the information signal for the wideband communication, and a first band controller that controls a band of the information signal for the wideband communication. When the transmission medium is in contact with the transmission electrode and the transmission medium and the transmission electrode are capacitively coupled to each other, the first band controller performs control to provide a band that is necessary for a receiver to perform demodulation for the wideband communication, and when the transmission medium is not in contact with the transmission electrode, the first band controller performs control to provide a narrower band than the band that is necessary for the wideband communication.
|INPUT TUNING CIRCUIT OF TELEVISION TUNER - In an input tuning circuit, during reception of a television signal in the UHF band, a second tuning circuit unit is tuned to the UHF band by turning on a first switching diode, and a first tuning circuit unit is made to operate as a trap circuit in a frequency range lower than the UHF band by turning on a second switching diode. As a result, the transmission characteristics of the second tuning circuit unit become narrow and interference characteristics are improved. In addition, since a dedicated trap circuit need not be separately provided, an increase in cost is limited to a minimum and an increase in size is prevented.
|PUSH SWITCH - A push switch includes an operating slider, an actuator with a sliding member, a return spring, a housing, a main body in which the operating slider, the actuator, and the return spring are supported by the housing, a heart cam mechanism (including an engagement pin and a cam groove) incorporated in the main body, an operating knob which caps the operating slider, and a fixed contact provided for a circuit board such that the sliding member is allowed to be brought into contact with and separated from the fixed contact. When the operating slider is moved upward or downward, the actuator is driven to be laterally slid. The housing is snap-fitted to an outer casing (upper casing) holding the circuit board. A space is provided between the housing and the circuit board.
|VIBRATION GENERATING DEVICE - A vibration generating device includes a coil wound around an outer peripheral surface of a core, a vibrator vibrating due to a magnetic field generated by the coil, a magnetic field forming unit having a pair of magnets oppositely disposed at both surfaces of the vibrator so that the same polarities face each other or one magnet disposed at one side surface of the vibrator, and an elastic support member for supporting the vibrator so that the vibrator is capable of freely vibrating, wherein a vibrating direction of the vibrator is set to be parallel to a fixed surface of the device, by means of a magnetic flux generated by the magnetic field forming unit.
|THERMAL HEAD - A thermal head includes an insulating head substrate, one or a plurality of driver ICs, a plurality of heat generating elements that is arranged on the head substrate in a main scanning direction, a plurality of individual electrodes that is provided on the head substrate at one ends of the respective heat generating elements and connects the respective heat generating elements to the driver ICs, and a common electrode that is provided on the head substrate at the other ends of the respective heat generating elements so as to be common to the heat generating elements. Capacitance adjustment portions, which adjust capacitance difference between the respective individual electrodes so that the capacitance difference is reduced, are formed at a wiring pattern of the individual electrodes.
|INJECTION-MOLDED BODY - An injection-molded body according to the present invention includes a tubular body portion, an airtight seal surface formed on a peripheral surface of the body portion near one end of the body portion, and a plurality of undercuts disposed at positions around the peripheral surface of the body portion that are closer to the end than the airtight seal surface is. The undercuts prevent a seal member mounted on the airtight seal surface from falling off, in which a clearance is formed between a peripheral wall and the undercuts. The peripheral wall defines an inner hole of the body portion, and the clearance accommodates deformation of the undercuts in radial directions.
|LEVER OPERATION DEVICE - A lever operation device includes a movable support member that supports a base portion of an operation lever such that the base portion is pivotable along a first operation plane, a housing that supports the movable support member such that the movable support member is pivotable along a second operation plane that is orthogonal to the first operation plane, an actuator holder attached to the base portion such that the actuator holder is rotatable along the second operation plane, a first actuator retained by the actuator holder, and a second actuator retained by the movable support member. The housing is provided with a first cam surface and a second cam surface on an inner wall surface thereof, the first actuator and the second actuator being in elastic contact with the first cam surface and the second cam surface, respectively.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR AND MAGNETIC BALANCE TYPE CURRENT SENSOR INCLUDING THE SAME - A magnetic sensor includes a magnetoresistance effect element and a hard bias layer. The magnetoresistance effect element is configured to have a striped form which has a sensitivity axis in a predetermined direction, and configured to have a structure in which a free magnetic layer, in which magnetization varies with respect to an external magnetic field, a non-magnetic layer, and a fixed magnetic layer, in which the magnetization is fixed, are laminated. The hard bias layer is disposed in a longitudinal direction of the striped form, disposed outside of the magnetoresistance effect element to be separated from the magnetoresistance effect element.
|IN-VEHICLE INPUT DEVICE - An in-vehicle input device includes a housing including a supporting member; an operating knob including a shaft hole (supported part) and supported by the supporting member in such a manner that the operating knob rocks; and a switch (a moving contact of a bulge and a fixed contact of a main substrate) operated by rocking the operating knob, wherein the operating knob has a notch defining an opening intersecting with a rocking axis on a first side intersecting with the rocking axis, and wherein a rotary knob, which is an operating (second operating knob) corresponding to another switch, is disposed in the notch.
|LEVER OPERATION DEVICE - A rotating knob is rotatably attached to an outer peripheral portion of an operation lever. The rotating knob has a lead thread portion on the inner surface thereof, and the lead thread portion meshes with external teeth of a ring gear. Internal teeth of the ring gear mesh with speed-increasing gears, and permanent magnets are fixed to the speed-increasing gears. A circuit board is arranged in the operation lever so as to extend along the axial direction thereof, and magnetic sensors mounted on the circuit board are opposed to the permanent magnets at positions close thereto. Accordingly, the operation position of the rotating knob can be detected by the magnetic sensors. The gears, the circuit board, etc., are supported by a support case and a cover case to form a switch unit.
|WIPER ATTACHMENT STRUCTURE AND WIPER ATTACHMENT METHOD - A wiper holder to which a wiper is attached has an attachment surface including a positioning boss configured to position the wiper by being passed through a positioning hole in the wiper, a positioning protrusion configured to position a first edge of the wiper, and a swage boss configured to receive a second edge of the wiper. The first edge of the wiper contacts the positioning protrusion to position the first edge of the wiper and the wiper is secured to the wiper holder by the swage boss being swaged while the positioning boss is passed through the positioning hole in the wiper and the second edge of the wiper being received by the swage boss.
|SWING TYPE INPUT APPARATUS - A swing type input apparatus includes a housing, an operation knob rotatably supported by the housing, and a detecting unit detecting an angle of rotation of the knob. The detecting unit includes a circuit substrate intersecting the rotation center line of the knob, a magnetic sensor on an extension of the circuit substrate, a magnet holder driven by and rotated with the knob, a magnet held by the magnet holder such that the magnet intersects the rotation center line and is close to and faces the magnetic sensor, and a magnetic shield case which covers the magnet and the magnetic sensor and is a boxy assembly of first and second shield cases. The boundary between the first and second shield cases is positioned so as not to overlap the magnet. A bent grounding tab in the second shield case is electrically connected to a grounding conductor of a sub substrate.
|SWITCH APPARATUS - A switch apparatus includes first, second, third, and fourth movable contacts held by a slider and sliding on a circuit board in conjunction with the rotational operation of an operation knob, and a belt-like common fixed contact, an auto fixed contact, a down fixed contact, and an up fixed contact provided on the circuit board. The auto fixed contact, down fixed contact, and up fixed contact are distributed on a straight line parallel to the common fixed contact. The third and fourth movable contacts are normally in sliding contact with the common fixed contact.
|INTERMEDIATE TRANSFER MEDIUM CONVEYING DEVICE AND THERMAL TRANSFER LINE PRINTER USING THE SAME - An intermediate transfer medium conveying device conveys an intermediate transfer medium by a drive force of one DC motor, in a normal feed direction where the intermediate transfer medium is wound on a winding reel and in a reverse feed direction where the intermediate transfer medium is wound on a feeding reel. The intermediate transfer medium conveying device includes a winding shaft that drives the winding reel during normal feed where the intermediate transfer medium is conveyed in the normal feed direction, a feeding shaft driving the feeding reel during reverse feed where the intermediate transfer medium is conveyed in the reverse feed direction, transmission means for normal feed that transmits a drive force of the DC motor to the winding shaft during the normal feed, and transmission means for reverse feed that transmits a drive force of the DC motor to the feeding shaft during the reverse feed.
|ANTENNA EMBEDDED INPUT DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE HAVING THE DEVICE - An antenna embedded input device includes an insulating substrate disposed along a sensing surface, measurement electrodes provided in the insulating substrate and detecting a touch of an object on the sensing surface, an antenna provided in the insulating substrate so as to surround the measurement electrodes and transmitting or receiving a balanced signal, a grounding terminal provided in the insulating substrate, and a grounding conductor connecting an electric midpoint of the antenna to the grounding terminal.
|SWITCH DEVICE AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING SNAP ACTION MECHANISM - A switch device includes a housing having a receiving portion; an operation member that receives a pressing operation; a plurality of fixed contact points provided in the receiving portion side by side at predetermined intervals; a plurality of movable contact points having contact point portions that come into sliding contact with the fixed contact points; and a snap action mechanism that drives the movable contact points when the operation member is pressed to a predetermined position.
|ANTENNA APPARATUS - In an antenna apparatus, two pattern antennas are arranged side by side in an area close to a ground conductor layer on a surface of a dielectric substrate, in such a manner as to be formed substantially line-symmetrical with each other. Each of the pattern antennas includes a radiation element having a feed coupler, a mutual coupler, and a feed element fed by a high frequency circuit unit. An open end of the radiation element is located near the ground conductor layer. The feed element and the feed coupler are capacitively coupled with each other, whereby the radiation element is excited. At the excitation, the mutual couplers that extend substantially in parallel with and close to each other are capacitively coupled with each other, and hence, polarization planes of the electric fields radiated from the radiation elements can be made orthogonal to each other.
|ANGLE SENSOR - An angle sensor includes: a magnet mounted in a rotatable rotation body so as to be rotatable with the rotation body; a circular yoke extending in a circular shape so as to surround an outer circumferential surface of the magnet around a rotation shaft of the magnet and having a notched portion in a part thereof in an extension direction of the circular yoke; and a magneto-resistive effect element disposed in the notched portion and detecting a direction of a magnetic field generated in the notched portion. A rotation angle of the magnet matches a direction of a magnetic field applied to the GMR element.
|WIRELESS SENSOR APPARATUS - A wireless sensor apparatus includes first and second polarization antennas whose polarization surfaces of radiation waves are mutually orthogonal, a first mixer circuit connected to the first polarization antenna and configured to input a first reception signal received by the first polarization antenna, a second mixer circuit connected to the second polarization antenna and configured to input a second reception signal received by the second polarization antenna, a signal generation circuit configured to generate pulse signals fed to the first and second polarization antennas and also supplied to the first and second mixer circuits, and a differential amplification circuit configured to perform a differential amplification on a mixed output obtained by mixing the first reception signal and the pulse signal by the first mixer circuit and a mixed output obtained by mixing the second reception signal and the pulse signal by the second mixer circuit.
|WIRELESS SENSOR APPARATUS - A wireless sensor apparatus controls, in a case where wireless waves are radiated by feeding pulse signals generated by a signal generation circuit to antennas, an operation timing of the signal generation circuit and a path from the signal generation circuit to the antennas in such a manner that after a prior pulse signal is fed to the antenna and simultaneously supplied to a mixer circuit, at a proximate timing which does not overlap with a pulse width of the prior pulse signal supplied to the antenna and the mixer circuit, a next pulse signal is fed to the antenna and simultaneously supplied to a mixer circuit.
|INPUT PROCESSING DEVICE - An input processing device includes a touch pad that detects a touch position of a finger, at least two button operation units that are provided around the touch pad, a pad signal processing unit that processes a detection signal from the touch pad to generate a pad signal and processes a detection signal from the button operation units to generate a button signal, a stick pointer that is provided at a position farther away from a user than the touch pad and detects an operation in the tilting direction, a stick signal processing unit that processes a detection signal from the stick pointer to generate a stick signal, and, an operation signal generating unit that receives the pad signal, the button signal, and the stick signal.
|VARIABLE OPERATION SENSATION INPUT DEVICE - A variable operation sensation input device includes: an operation member slidable along a plane including first and second directions perpendicular to each other; a first driving member including a first engagement portion driven by sliding movement of the operation member in the first direction; a second driving member including a second engagement portion driven by sliding movement of the operation member in the second direction; a first motor connected to the first driving member via a first power transmission section; a second motor connected to the second driving member via a second power transmission section; a first detection section detecting a movement state of the operation member in the first direction; a second detection section detecting a movement state of the operation member in the second direction; and a control section controlling a driving of the motors on the basis of outputs of the first and second detection sections.
|TRANSCEIVER AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME - A transceiver includes a transmitting/receiving electrode that comes into contact with or is capacitively coupled to a human body, serving as a transmission medium, a receiving mechanism connected to the transmitting/receiving electrode, and a transmitting mechanism connected to the transmitting/receiving electrode. Upon signal transmission, the receiving mechanism is open-circuited as viewed from the transmitting/receiving electrode to allow the impedance on the transmitting mechanism side as viewed from the transmitting/receiving electrode to match that of the human body. Upon signal reception, the transmitting mechanism is open-circuited as viewed from the transmitting/receiving electrode to allow the impedance on the receiving mechanism side as viewed from the transmitting/receiving electrode to match that of the human body.
|PRINTER HAVING DETACHABLY MOUNTED PLATEN ROLLER - A printer includes a platen roller that is detachably supported on a support section that is formed in a frame, and a head unit that is supported on the frame and can be moved in a direction in which the head unit is brought into pressure-contact with the platen roller, The printer also includes a regulating member that is movably supported on the frame, and the regulating member has a regulating section that regulates a shaft of the platen roller to deviate from the support section and a pressing section that is arranged on the opposite side to the regulating section, with the head unit interposed therebetween. A first plate spring that presses the head unit against the platen roller and a second plate spring that presses the pressing section so as to bias the regulating member in a direction in which the regulating section can regulate the shaft are provided in an area on the opposite to the platen roller, with the head unit interposed therebetween.
|BONDED MEMBER AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME - A microchip plate made such that polymer substrates made, in particular, of a cycloolefin polymer (COP) or a cycloolefin copolymer (COC) can be appropriately bonded to each other and a process for producing the microchip plate are provided. A microchip plate (
|LABEL PRINTER - A label printer includes a tray, a tray transport means, a print mechanism, a disk holding mechanism, a disk release mechanism, a carriage transport means and a control means.
|ELECTRONIC APPARATUS FOR ELECTRIC FIELD COMMUNICATION - A casing contains a circuit substrate. A signal electrode for transmitting and/or receiving an electronic field signal is arranged on a first surface side of the casing. The signal electrode is electrically connected to a conductor, which is an apparatus component, of the circuit substrate. A battery and a reference electrode having an electric field reference potential, which are apparatus components, are arranged on the second surface side of the casing. The sum (Cst) of a capacitance between the signal electrode and the transmission medium and a capacitance between the apparatus component and the transmission medium generated while the first surface is facing the transmission medium is approximately equal to the sum (Cgt) of capacitances between the apparatus components and the transmission medium generated while the second surface is facing the transmission medium.
|KEYBOARD DEVICE - A keyboard device includes: a plurality of arranged key tops; a support mechanism which supports each of the key tops so as to be elevatable; a membrane switch which outputs a switch signal when the key top moves down with an operation of the support mechanism performed upon pressing the key top; and an illumination mechanism which includes a light source and a light guiding member, and propagates light of the light source to the inside of the light guiding member so as to illuminate the key top, wherein the light guiding member is provided with a plurality of groove portions provided in the course of a path of the light and changing a light advancing direction, and wherein the light reaches the key top by the groove portions.
|INPUT PROCESSING DEVICE - An input processing device an embodiment of the present invention includes an input pad having an input face; a detection unit configured to detect an indicator touched on the input face; and a control unit configured to display content on a display device based on an input signal obtained from the detection unit. Herein, the control unit includes a processing unit configured to scroll the display content based on an input signal; and a determination unit configured to detect the movement speed of the indicator so as to be compared with a preset threshold value for determination. The processing unit has a first operation processing module and a second operation processing module for scrolling the display content. The display content is scrolled using one of the first operation processing module and the second operation processing module, based on a determination result from the determination unit.
|IMAGING ELEMENT UNIT - An imaging element unit includes an imaging element configured to include an imaging surface having a plurality of R pixels, G pixels and B pixels, and an infrared cut filter configured to be placed in a position immediately in front of the imaging surface, wherein the transmittance characteristics of the infrared cut filter is determined so that an RGB combined relative sensitivity which is a combined value of unique sensitivities of the R pixels, the G pixels and the B pixels and a relative sensitivity of the imaging surface determined by the transmittance characteristics of the infrared cut filter show each of the following sensitivities with the respect to each of the following wavelengths longer than 600 nm.
|INPUT PROCESSING DEVICE - An input processing device includes an input pad; a detector which detects a position of an indicating object coming into contact with the input pad; and a processor which controls a display state of an image displayed on a display on the basis of an input signal obtained from the detector, wherein an input surface of the input pad is provided with a detection region for detecting a specific input operation, and wherein when the processor receives the input signal corresponding to the specific input operation given from the indicating object onto the detection region, the processor rotates the image.
|MAGNETIC COUPLING TYPE ISOLATOR - A magnetic coupling type isolator includes: a magnetic field generator for generating an external magnetic field by an input signal; a magnetoresistive element for detecting the external magnetic field and converting the detected magnetic field into an electric signal, the magnetoresistive element being electrically insulated from the magnetic field generator and positioned in a location capable of being magnetically coupled so as to be overlapped with the magnetic field generator as seen in a top plan view; first and second shield films overlapped with the magnetic field generator and the magnetoresistive element as seen in a top plan view; and a third shield film disposed to surround the magnetoresistive element.
|MAGNETIC COUPLING TYPE ISOLATOR - A magnetic coupling type isolator includes: a magnetic field generator for generating an external magnetic field by an input signal; a magnetoresistive element for detecting the external magnetic field and converting the detected magnetic field into an electric signal, the magnetoresistive element being electrically insulated from the magnetic field generator and positioned in a location capable of being magnetically coupled so as to be overlapped with the magnetic field generator as seen in a top plan view; and first and second shield films overlapped with the magnetic field generator and the magnetoresistive element as seen in a top plan view, wherein a distance between the magnetoresistive element and the second shield film is set to 8 to 100 μm.
|LASER LIGHT SOURCE DEVICE - A laser light source device includes a light source unit that emits laser light, an optical axis adjusting unit that adjusts an optical axis of the laser light, and a mounting member on which the optical axis adjusting unit is mounted. The optical axis adjusting unit includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the positions of a lens in X- and Y-axis directions. The adjustment mechanism includes an X-axis moving part that is movable in the X-axis direction, a Y-axis moving part that is moved together with the X-axis moving part in the Y-axis direction, X-axis adjusting means that is provided at the X-axis moving part and adjusts the position of the lens in the X-axis direction, and Y-axis adjusting means that is provided at the Y-axis moving part and adjusts the position of the lens in the Y-axis direction.
|CONNECTION APPARATUS - There is provided a connection apparatus for an electronic component which is able to conveniently and rapidly perform attachment and detachment of a relay board without touching elastic contact points. The relay board is integrally formed by stacking a first cover, a relay sheet and a second cover. The relay board may be handled by picking up holding target sections which are formed on opposite end parts of the first cover without touching spiral contacts (elastic contact points). Further, when hold members are pivoted to be set in an open state by manipulating manipulation sections, the relay board may be mounted on a bottom surface of an mounting section, and when the hold members are pivoted to return to a hold state, the holding target sections are held by claw sections. Accordingly, the relay board can be conveniently and rapidly mounted and detached.
|RESIN BONDING METHOD BY PHOTOIRRADIATION, METHOD FOR PRODUCING RESIN ARTICLE, RESIN ARTICLE PRODUCED BY THE SAME METHOD, METHOD FOR PRODUCING MICROCHIP, AND MICROCHIP PRODUCED BY THE SAME METHOD - A resin bonding method according to the present invention is a resin bonding method for bonding a first resin and a second resin including (I) a step of irradiating spaces containing oxygen molecules with vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 175 nm or less, the spaces being in contact with surfaces of the first and second resins; and (II) a step of, after the irradiation, subjecting the surfaces to temperature rise while the surfaces are in contact with each other, to bond the first resin and the second resin together with the surfaces serving as bonding surfaces. In the step (I), the surfaces of the first and second resins may be further irradiated with the vacuum ultraviolet light. In this case, a light amount of the vacuum ultraviolet light having reached the surfaces is preferably, for example, 0.1 J/cm
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes a coordinate input member which has a predetermined area and detects a position touched with an indicator, and a detection member which detects that the coordinate input member has been pressed.
|LOAD SENSOR - A load sensor includes a base substrate having two holes as two fixing portions to a frame member as a detection object, a pair of strain detecting elements provided on a surface of the base substrate, and input-output terminals provided on the surface of the base substrate. The strain detecting elements are arranged in a region that is between the holes and is opposite the input-output terminals with respect to at least one of the holes.
|PRINTER AND METHOD OF ADJUSTING CONVEYING DISTANCE OF RECORDING SHEET - A printer includes printing unit provided on a conveying path of a recording sheet and sheet feed unit provided on the downstream and upstream sides of the printing unit in a conveying direction of a recording sheet. The printer includes a platen roller, a first sheet feed roller, a second sheet feed roller, a first branch transmission gear group, a second branch transmission gear group, and thrust amount adjusting unit. A tooth trace of one of the gears of each of the first and second branch transmission gear groups has an inclination angle with respect to an axial direction, and the first and second branch transmission gear groups are formed of first and second idler gears including inclined gear portions of which inclined directions of tooth traces are the same as each other.
|THERMAL HEAD - A thermal head includes: a head substrate including a plurality of heating elements arranged in a row; and a heat dissipation member supporting the head substrate, wherein heat from the heating elements is transferred to the heat dissipation member through the head substrate, a surface of the heat dissipation member opposing the head substrate is provided with a heat accumulation adjusting groove which has a recessed shape along the arrangement direction of the row of the heating elements, and both edge portions of the surface of the heat dissipation member in a width direction of the heat accumulation adjusting groove come in contact with a rear surface of the head substrate opposing the heat dissipation member, the width direction being perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the heating elements.
|DRIVE UNIT - A switch section includes a common terminal connected to a terminal at one end of each of a pair of motors, a first terminal connected to a terminal at the other end of one of the motors and a second terminal connected to a terminal at the other end of the other of the motors, and three-contact switches each including one common contact and two switching contacts. In the switch section two switches corresponding to one direction selected from the up and down directions form a switch group, at least one switch corresponding to the other direction selected from the up and down directions is provided, two switches corresponding to one direction selected from the left and right directions form a switch group, and at least one switch corresponding to the other direction selected from the left and right directions is provided.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device includes: a first electrode which is positioned on a support side; a second electrode which is positioned on an operation side so as to face the first electrode with a distance therebetween and which moves closer to the first electrode due to an operation pressure; a first capacitance detection unit which detects a change in electrostatic capacitance from a change in potential or current of the second electrode when a human finger has been moved closer to the second electrode; and a second capacitance detection unit which detects a change in electrostatic capacitance from a change in potential or current of the first electrode when the second electrode has been moved closer to the first electrode.
|SEMICONDUCTOR LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE - A semiconductor light-emitting device includes an n-type semiconductor layer formed on a substrate, a light-emitting layer formed on the n-type semiconductor layer, a p-type semiconductor layer formed on the light-emitting layer, and an electrode layer formed on the p-type semiconductor layer. A through hole is formed in the electrode layer and filled with a dielectric layer. The dielectric layer is composed of a dielectric material having a dielectric constant such that the wavelength λ
|ROTATING CONNECTOR ATTACHMENT STRUCTURE - An attachment structure is provided for attaching a stator member of a rotating connector to a bracket fitted into a steering column while being positioned. The bracket is provided with engaging recess grooves having first and second reference surfaces each orthogonal to each other, which are arranged along the axial direction of a steering shaft, and the stator member is provided with engaging protrusions respectively inserted into the corresponding engaging recess grooves. An elastic tongue piece for elastically urging the engaging protrusions on the first reference surface is formed in the engaging recess groove. Elastic tongue pieces for elastically urging the engaging protrusions on the second reference surfaces are formed on the engaging protrusions.
|OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - An optical waveguide includes a cladding film and a core formed integrally with the cladding film. The core includes a light guide portion formed on one surface of the cladding film, a light input portion, and a light output portion, the light input portion and the light output portion being formed in through-holes formed in the cladding film. A mirror surface is respectively formed at a connecting portion between the light guide portion and the light input portion and a connecting portion between the light guide portion and the light output portion. In manufacturing the optical waveguide, the cladding film is brought into close contact with a surface of a mold, the surface having a recessed groove thereon, and a UV-curable resin is injected under pressure through one of the through-holes opened in the cladding film into the recessed groove.
|INPUT PROCESSING DEVICE - When a finger is moved in a circle along a curved path after being moved along a linear path in a first function region of an input surface of an input pad, vertical scrolling is continuously performed. When the finger is moved in a circle along another curved path after being moved along another linear path in a second function region, horizontal scrolling is continuously performed. By inverting the circling direction by an operation of the finger, the scrolling direction is switched to the reverse direction.
|INFORMATION TERMINAL DEVICE - A mobile phone includes a display unit for visually confirming the information and an input unit for inputting the information. The display unit includes a display element, and the input unit includes an operation button. The mobile phone contains an electrode pair formed of a human side electrode and an external electrode for human body communication inside the casing. The mobile phone has the external electrode disposed around the display unit, and the human side electrode disposed around the input unit.
|INPUT DEVICE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROVIDED WITH THE SAME - An input device with a hollow portion therein at a neutral position includes a return member capable of self-returning to the neutral position upon deformation, a magnetic member movable in three mutually-orthogonal axial directions accompanied with the deformation of the return member, and a plurality of magnetic sensors individually detecting the position of the magnetic member in the three axial directions with respect to the neutral position. The three-dimensional operation of the magnetic member may be easily detected by a simplified structure and the magnetic member is located with high accuracy.
|LOAD DETECTING DEVICE, SEAT, AND LOAD SENSOR - A load detecting device includes: a load sensor which outputs a signal in response to a load; and a plurality of tensile members which support the load sensor in a state where the load sensor is tensioned in multiple directions and stretch the load sensor in the multiple directions by receiving the load, wherein the load sensor outputs a signal in response to the load received by the plurality of tensile members on the basis of tensile forces of the plurality of tensile members.
|CROSS-TYPE LIGHT GUIDE - With the width d of the incidence-side light guide portion of a first light guide and the width d of the incidence-side light guide portion of a second light guide, the width W
|PLANAR LIGHT GUIDE AND DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME - A planar light guide includes recesses formed in the upper and lower surfaces thereof. The recesses in the lower surface are perpendicular to the recesses in the upper surface. In a state in which light sources emit light into the planar light guide, when an X-direction driving mechanism is driven and the planar light guide is deformed in the X directions, the recesses in the upper surface are opened, so that the lower surface side can perform surface emission of light. When a Y-direction driving mechanism is driven and the planar light guide is deformed in the Y directions, the recesses in the lower surface are opened, so that the upper surface side can perform surface emission of light. By selectively driving the X-direction driving mechanism or the Y-direction driving mechanism, the position from which light is output, the amount of light, or the direction of light can be changed.
|MAGNETIC SENSOR MODULE - In a magnetic sensor module, using die-bond resin as a joining material, a Z-axis magnetic sensor is mounted onto a substrate having a wire formed on its principal surface. The Z-axis magnetic sensor having electrode pads formed on its bottom surface is tilted by 90 degrees and mounted onto the substrate. Therefore, the electrode pads are positioned at a side surface thereof. A joining material accommodation area which the die-bond resin can fill is provided at the surface of the Z-axis magnetic sensor opposing the principal surface of the substrate. This joining material accommodation area has a grooved structure. At the surface of the Z-axis magnetic sensor opposing the principal surface of the substrate, the grooved structure is provided at an end portion near the wire formed on the substrate.
|DIFFRACTION GRATING LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE - The present invention provides a diffraction grating light-emitting diode in which the external quantum efficiency is improved by appropriately setting the period of holes when the holes are two-dimensionally periodically formed. A light-emitting diode is configured by laminating, on a sapphire substrate, an n-type GaN layer, an InGaN/GaN active layer, a p-type GaN layer, and a transparent electrode layer. Further, a large number of holes are two-dimensionally periodically formed in the transparent electrode layer, the p-type GaN layer, the InGaN/GaN active layer, and the n-type GaN layer so as to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to these layers. Assuming that the non-radiative recombination rate is v
|CAPACITANCE-TYPE SENSOR - A plurality of detection electrodes, connection electrodes, and wires are integrally formed on one surface of a light guide to produce a capacitance-type sensor integral with the light guide. The electrodes are partially formed on a curved portion of the light guide. A resin layer allows an outer case and the light guide to be tightly secured to each other.
|INPUT DEVICE - An input device for zooming and shutter releasing includes a shutter release button; a pressing protrusion; a tact switch located on a substrate and configured to be pressed when the shutter release button is pressed downward; a rotary member rotatably supported at the periphery of the shutter release button; a magnet configured to be rotated in association with rotation of the rotary member, the magnet having a through hole at the center thereof, the pressing protrusion supported to extend through the through hole; and a magnetic sensor located at a position to face the through hole in the height direction and configured to detect a rotational magnetic field that is generated by the magnet because of the rotation of the rotary member, the tact switch and the magnetic sensor arranged side by side on the substrate.
|INPUT DEVICE AND KEYBOARD DEVICE HAVING ILLUMINATION FUNCTION - An input device includes a plurality of manipulation portions; an input function portion manipulated by the manipulation portions to perform an input function; a light guiding sheet facing the rear side of the plurality of manipulation portions; and a light source applying light into the light guiding sheet, wherein a rear surface opposite to a front surface of the light guiding sheet facing the manipulation portions is provided with a plurality of concave portions which is depressed to the inside of the light guiding sheet, wherein each concave portion has a circular opening and an inner surface which is a smooth concave curve surface, and wherein light propagated through the inside of the light guiding sheet is reflected by the inner surface toward the inside of the light guiding sheet, and the light is applied from the front surface of the light guiding sheet to the manipulation portions.
|POSITION DETECTION MAGNET AND POSITION DETECTION APPARATUS - A position detection apparatus includes a position detection target member, a magnet that moves in accordance with movement of the position detection target member, and a plurality of magnetic detectors provided on a surface opposite a movement plane of the magnet. A flat yoke is provided on the reverse face of the magnet. The magnetic polarity of a peripheral side part of the magnet is opposite to the magnetic polarity of a center part thereof. The peripheral side part is formed at a regional range that can be defined on the basis of a predetermined distance(s) measured from a side edge of the yoke.
|MAGNETIC DETECTING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME, AND ANGLE DETECTING APPARATUS, POSITION DETECTING APPARATUS, AND MAGNETIC SWITCH EACH INCLUDING THE MAGNETIC DETECTING DEVICE - In a magnetic detecting device, conductive patterns are formed on a substrate in a surrounding region outside chips, except for a region between the chips. Inner connection pads formed on each of the chips are wire-bonded to their corresponding conductive patterns, so that the chips are electrically connected to each other.
|POSITION DETECTION APPARATUS USING MAGNETORESISTIVE EFFECT ELEMENT - A circular surface of a magnet is magnetized to an N-pole, and a back surface is magnetized to an S-pole. A detection unit moves in an X-Y plane at a position apart from the surface of the magnet. An X-direction detection element and a Y-direction detection element are installed in the detection unit. Both the X-direction detection element and the Y-direction detection element are magnetoresistive effect elements each having the bias magnetic field in a B-direction applied to a free magnetic layer directed perpendicular to the surface of the magnet. Each bias magnetic field is stabilized both in the X-direction detection element and the Y-direction detection element such that the detection unit accurately provides position detection output values in the X- and Y-directions.
|MAGNETIC DETECTION DEVICE AND ELECTRICAL PRODUCT - An integrated circuit is provided with two output terminals and a mode switch circuit which includes a pair of switch terminals. The mode switch circuit is allowed to switch the output mode between the 1-output mode for outputting the (+) magnetic field detection signal and the (−) magnetic field detection signal from the output terminal, and the 2-output mode for outputting the (+) magnetic field signal from the output terminal as one of the output terminals, and the (−) magnetic field detection signal from the output terminal as the other output terminal in accordance with the shortcircuit state or the non-shortcircuit state between the switch terminals. The switch terminals are exposed on the surface of the device, and the shortcircuit state and the non-shortcircuit state may be externally adjusted.
Patent applications by ALPS ELECTRIC CO., LTD.