Detection device, electronic apparatus, and robot
AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation
InventorTomo IKEBE
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A detection device includes: a detecting unit having a first substrate on which a plurality of pressure sensors are disposed around a reference point and a second substrate on which is formed an elastic projection whose center of gravity is positioned in a position overlapping with the reference point and that elastically deforms due to an external force in a state in which the tip of the elastic projection makes contact with the first substrate; and a controller that carries out detection operations for detecting the presence/absence of the external force based on pressure values detected by at least one of the plurality of pressure sensors, and controls the next detection operations of the detection unit based on the result of the previous detection.
Claims20
A detection device comprising:
- a first substrate on which a plurality of pressure sensors are disposed;
- a detection unit that detects an applied external force using the plurality of pressure sensors;
- and
- a controller that carries out detection operations for detecting a presence/absence of the external force based on pressure values detected by at least one of the plurality of pressure sensors, and controls the next detection operations of the detection unit based on the result of the previous detection.
A detection device that detects a direction of an external force applied to a measurement surface of a substrate,
- wherein the substrate includes:
- a first substrate that includes a plurality of pressure sensors disposed around a reference point;
- and
- a second substrate on which is disposed an elastic projection whose center is positioned in a position that overlaps with the reference point and that elastically deforms due to the external force in a state in which the tip of the elastic projection makes contact with the pressure sensors,
- the detection device comprising:
- a first detection unit that detects pressure values from at least one of the plurality of pressure sensors;
- a determination unit that determines the presence/absence of the external force based on the detected pressure values;
- and
- a second detection unit that, in the case where the determination unit has determined that the external force is present, detects the direction of the external force from all of the plurality of pressure sensors.
A detection method for detecting an external force using a plurality of pressure sensors disposed upon a substrate, the method comprising;
- detecting pressure values from at least one of the plurality of pressure sensors;
- determining a presence/absence of the external force based on the detected external force from the at least one of the pressure sensors;
- and
- detecting a direction of the external force in the case where it has been determined that the external force is present.
A detection method for detecting a direction of an external force using a detection device, the detection device including a first substrate that includes a plurality of pressure sensors disposed around a reference point and a second substrate on which is disposed an elastic projection whose center is positioned in a position that overlaps with the reference point and that elastically deforms due to the external force in a state in which the tip of the elastic projection makes contact with the pressure sensors, and the method comprising:
- detecting pressure values from at least one of the plurality of pressure sensors;
- determining a presence/absence of the external force based on the detected pressure values from the at least one of the pressure sensors;
- detecting pressure values from all of the plurality of pressure sensors in the case where it has been determined that the external force is present;
- and
- detecting the direction of the external force based on the pressure values from all of the pressure sensors.
A detection method for detecting an external force using plurality of pressure sensors disposed upon a substrate, the method comprising:
- detecting a pressure from the pressure sensors;
- determining a presence/absence of the external force based on the detected pressure from the pressure sensors;
- and
- detecting a direction of the external force based on pressure values detected by the pressure sensors in the case where it has been determined that the external force is present,
- wherein the number of pressure sensors used in the detection of the presence/absence of the external force is less than the number of pressure sensors used in the detection of the direction of the external force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.