US 11,987,124 B2
Capacitive input device
Kanae Miyanaga, Saitama (JP); Shinya Tateda, Saitama (JP); and Yohei Yamamoto, Saitama (JP)
Assigned to SEKISUI POLYMATECH CO., LTD., Saitama (JP)
Appl. No. 18/003,719
Filed by SEKISUI POLYMATECH CO., LTD., Saitama (JP)
PCT Filed Sep. 28, 2021, PCT No. PCT/JP2021/035645
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 29, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/071318, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 7, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-165721 (JP), filed on Sep. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0256822 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. B60K 35/00 (2006.01); B60K 35/10 (2024.01); B60K 35/28 (2024.01)
CPC B60K 35/00 (2013.01) [B60K 35/10 (2024.01); B60K 35/28 (2024.01); B60K 2360/143 (2024.01); B60K 2360/162 (2024.01); B60K 2360/33 (2024.01); B60K 2360/693 (2024.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A capacitive input device comprising:
a surface member;
a soft member; and
a sensor sheet configured to detect a change in capacitance,
wherein the surface member has an operation area on which a touching operation is to be performed,
wherein the soft member is provided between the operation area and the sensor sheet,
wherein the sensor sheet includes a sensor electrode at a position corresponding to the operation area,
wherein when the operation area is pressed in a touching operation, the surface member and the soft member are displaced toward the sensor sheet and the sensor electrode detects the capacitance,
wherein the soft member includes a conductive portion provided inside the soft member,
wherein the conductive portion increases a value of the capacitance to increase detection sensitivity in a region between the operation area and the sensor electrode, wherein the conductive portion is formed from a conductive medium contained in the soft member, the soft member being formed from a polymer matrix, and
wherein the conductive portion is an oriented portion in which the conductive medium is oriented in the soft member.