Capacitive sensor and input device

A capacitive sensor for detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance caused by a change in position of an object in each of a plurality of sections that divide a region to which the object is approachable, comprising:

• a plurality of detection electrodes each including a plurality of partial electrodes connected in cascade via wiring;
• a first layer in which the partial electrodes and the wiring are disposed;
• and
• a second layer in which the wiring is disposed,
• wherein each of the plurality of detection electrodes belongs to any one of three or more detection electrode groups,
• the detection electrodes that belong to a same one of the detection electrode groups among the plurality of detection electrodes do not intersect one another,
• the detection electrodes that belong to different ones of the detection electrode groups among the plurality of detection electrodes intersect one another while being in the first layer and the second layer, respectively,
• three or more partial electrodes included in three or more different ones of the detection electrodes belonging to different ones of the detection electrode groups are located in each of the plurality of sections,
• the three or more detection electrodes belonging to the different ones of the detection electrode groups intersect one another in an inner one of the sections surrounded by other sections,
• the three or more partial electrodes located in the inner section include a single first partial electrode and at least two second partial electrodes,
• the first partial electrode is connected in cascade to the partial electrode on one side via the wiring passing through the first layer or the second layer and is connected in cascade to the partial electrode on the other side via the wiring passing through the second layer,
• each of the second partial electrodes is connected in cascade to the partial electrode on one side via the wiring passing through the first layer and is connected in cascade to the partial electrode on the other side via the wiring passing through the second layer, and wherein
• the capacitive sensor includes N detection electrodes as the plurality of detection electrodes;
• the electrostatic capacitance detection unit generates, for each of the N detection electrodes, detection data corresponding to first electrostatic capacitance between the object and the detection electrode;
• the element data configuring unit configures M pieces of element data indicative of degrees of proximity of the object in the respective M sections on a basis of the N pieces of detection data, M being a natural number larger than N;
• each of the M pieces of element data is a sum of partial element data distributed to the respective N pieces of detection data at predetermined proportions;
• each of the N pieces of detection data is approximate to a sum of the partial element data distributed from the M pieces of element data at the predetermined proportions;
• each of the partial element data is approximate to second electrostatic capacitance between one of the partial electrodes and the object in one of the sections;
• each of the element data is approximate to third electrostatic capacitance obtained by summing up all second electrostatic capacitances in one of the sections;
• the element data configuring unit repeats data configuring processing for calculating assumed values of the N pieces of detection data as sums of the partial element data distributed from assumed values of the M pieces of element data at the predetermined proportions and modifying the assumed values of the M pieces of element data on a basis of the N predetermined proportions set for each of the M pieces of element data so that the calculated assumed values of the N pieces of detection data approach the N pieces of detection data.