1. Field
The present embodiments relate to an input device and an electronic apparatus using the input device.
2. Related Art
In various electronic apparatuses such as mobile telephones or personal computers, an image display region having a liquid crystal display device is formed. Generally, an electronic apparatus has a tablet input device formed on the front surface of a liquid crystal display device. Information corresponding to an indication image is input by bringing a finger into contact with the indication image while confirming indication images displayed on an image display region.
The electronic apparatus having the tablet input device formed on the image display region is suitable for an apparatus that displays only indication images, for example, an ATM apparatus, on an image display region or a large-sized apparatus having a wide image display region and a wide space capable of displaying the other information using the remaining region other than an image display region for displaying an indication image.
Alternatively, in a small-sized electronic apparatus including an image display region having a small area, for example, a mobile apparatus, a small-sized personal computer or a small-sized game apparatus, when a region that displays an indication image is formed in an image display region, the remaining region of the image display region narrows and information other than the indication image is not easily displayed.
Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose an electronic apparatus that has an input operation unit provided on a frame disposed at the periphery of an image display region. In such an electronic apparatus, it is possible to operate the input operation units arranged on the frame while confirming display information of an image display device and to display various kinds of information on the image display region over a large area.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-44306
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 3195724
As disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, when the input operation unit is formed on the frame disposed at the periphery of the image display region, the input operation unit which has a large area and allows an operation using a finger need be formed on the frame disposed at the periphery of the image display region. Accordingly, these cases are hard to apply to a small-sized electronic apparatus.
Accordingly, an input device capable of ensuring a wide information display region in a central portion of an image display region and detecting an operation position of a finger with certainty is desired.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds