An operation control device is disclosed for initiating operations of electric or electronic apparatus such as microwave ovens, radio receivers and tape recorders. The device includes an operation section having a housing made of non-conductive material and an operation electrode accommodated in the housing, and a detection circuit which detects whether an external stimulus, such as a finger of a user, is touching the outside surface of the housing, thereby producing an activation signal. When an activation signal is detected, the detection circuit produces an operation order signal to cause a control circuit to control operation of a corresponding electric or electronic apparatus.
In an organism identifying device, a stimulus giving section gives a thermal stimulus to a finger, an organism information measuring section measures an organism information produced by said finger in response to the stimulus, and a determining section determines whether or not the organism information includes contents that the organism reflectively responds to the organism information.
The multichannel coder embodying the invention comprises a knob coupled with a code wheel associated with a means for detecting the angular position and, possibly, the direction of rotation of the wheel. It comprises, on the one hand, a channel selection means incorporated into the knob, and, on the other hand, a means enabling the association, with the information provided by the detection means, of information relating to the channel that has been selected on the aforesaid selection means. The invention can be used to modify parameters.
An object detection sensor wherein a detection electrode (electrode connected with a detection circuit via a conductor) is not exposed from a surface and an input signal is scarcely reduced when a contact area is small, which is capable of reliably detecting a contact thereof with an object in a manner substantially the same as that in the case of a large contact area even when the contact area is small is provided. The object detection sensor is provided with a sensor case made from an insulating material, a detection electrode (electrode A) disposed on an inner surface of the sensor case, a touch electrode (touch electrode A) disposed at a position opposed to the detection electrode on an outer surface of the sensor case and capacitance-coupled to the detection electrode, and a detection circuit which is connected to the detection electrode and detects a contact of an object with the touch electrode based on a change in electrostatic capacitance between the detection electrode and the ground to output a detection signal.
In a touch panel control device for providing control signals to select an operation mode for an electronic device according to how the finger touches a touch panel, a timer starts its operation from the time instant when the finger touches the touch panel, and the direction and distance of movement of the finger in a predetermined period of time are detected, to control the operation of the electronic device or the like.
A capacitive tactile sensor array is formed of capacitive plates formed on a dielectric substrate, on which large area electronics is also deposited. A conductive film is spaced from the capacitive plates, to form the other plates of the sensor capacitors. This conductive film may be grounded. The large area electronics includes a circuit that provides outputs corresponding to the pressure applied to each of the sensor capacitors. A method is also disclosed for controlling the circuit to provide an output corresponding to the pressure applied to the conductive film.
