Non-contact switch

Abstract

The present invention provides a non-contact switch that can be made thinner. The non-contact switch comprises: a light guide plate (11) that can display a pattern (21) indicating a position where an input operation is received using light from a light source (12); and a detection unit (13) that outputs a detection signal indicating that the detection has been performed when the sensor light reflected or scattered by a predetermined object located at the position where the input operation is received is detected along with the sensor light emitted. Furthermore, the light guide plate (11) comprises: a plurality of first prisms (22) arranged along the pattern (21) so as to reflect the light emitted from the light source (12) and incident into the light guide plate (11) so as to be emitted from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate (11); and a second prism (23) that reflects the sensor light emitted from the detection unit (13) and incident into the light guide plate (11) toward the position where the input operation is received, and reflects the sensor light reflected or scattered by a predetermined object located at the position and incident into the light guide plate (11) from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate (11) toward the detection unit (13).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-contact switch capable of inputting an operation without contact. Background Art

[0002] From the perspective of hygiene or prevention of the spread of infectious diseases, non-contact switches that enable input operations without requiring a user to touch any parts are being studied (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] For example, the input device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes: a light source, a light guide plate, a sensor, and a second image. The light guide plate guides the light from the light source to form an image of the first image in space. The sensor detects an object in a space including the imaging position of the first image, or in a space that is only a specified distance away from the imaging position of the first image. The second image is displayed on a surface different from the surface on which the first image is displayed. Moreover, the controller changes the displayed first image according to the user's input action on the first image. In addition, a light guide plate or a display device for displaying the second image is provided, and the controller changes the displayed second image according to the input action.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: (Japanese) Patent Publication No. 2020-64632 Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0008] The input device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to easily obtain a three-dimensional sense of an image. However, for a device equipped with a non-contact switch, there is sometimes no sufficient space for arranging the non-contact switch. Therefore, it is desired to make the non-contact switch thinner.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact switch that can be made thinner.

[0010] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0011] As one embodiment of the present invention, a non-contact switch is provided. The non-contact switch comprises: a light source; a light guide plate formed of a transparent member in a flat plate shape, having a first incident surface and a second incident surface, and capable of displaying a pattern indicating a position where an input operation is received; a light source arranged opposite to the first incident surface; a detection unit arranged opposite to the second incident surface, and outputting a detection signal indicating that the sensor light is detected when the sensor light is reflected or scattered by a predetermined object located at the position where the input operation is received; and a control unit, when receiving the detection signal from the detection unit, outputting a signal indicating that the input operation has been performed. Furthermore, the light guide plate comprises: a plurality of first prisms which are arranged on a first surface of the light guide plate on the opposite side to the position where the input operation is received along a pattern indicating the position where the input operation is received, so that light emitted from a light source and incident into the light guide plate from the first incident surface is reflected to be emitted from a second surface of the light guide plate on the side of the position where the input operation is received; and at least one second prism which is arranged on the first surface of the light guide plate, so that sensor light emitted from a detection unit and incident into the light guide plate from the second incident surface is emitted from the second surface of the light guide plate and reflected toward the position where the input operation is received, and sensor light reflected or scattered by a specified object located at the position and incident into the light guide plate from the second surface is reflected toward the detection unit.

[0012] With this structure, the sensor light is also propagated in the light guide plate for indicating the position where the input operation is received. Therefore, the detection unit does not need to be arranged on the opposite side of the position where the input operation is received across the light guide plate. As a result, the non-contact switch can be made thinner.

[0013] In the non-contact switch, the light guide plate has a plurality of second prisms provided on the first surface, and the plurality of second prisms are preferably arranged so that the distances between the second prisms and the position where the input operation is received are the same.

[0014] By having this structure, the contactless switch can make the amount of sensor light emitted from the detection unit and reaching the position where the input operation is received roughly uniform for each second prism. As a result, the user's input operation can be detected with good accuracy without relying on the direction of the sensor light reflected or scattered by a specified object located at the position where the input operation is received.

[0015] Alternatively, in the non-contact switch, the light guide plate has a plurality of second prisms provided on the first surface, and the plurality of second prisms are preferably formed so that the reflection surface for reflecting the sensor light becomes larger as the distance to the position receiving the input operation increases.

[0016] By having this structure, the contactless switch can make the amount of sensor light emitted from the detection unit and reaching the position where the input operation is received roughly uniform for each second prism. As a result, the user's input operation can be detected with good accuracy without relying on the direction of the sensor light reflected or scattered by a specified object located at the position where the input operation is received.

[0017] Furthermore, in the non-contact switch, the first incident surface and the second incident surface are preferably provided on mutually different side surfaces of the light guide plate.

[0018] By having this structure, the contactless switch can prevent any first prism from reflecting the sensor light toward the position where the input operation is received, or any first prism from reflecting the sensor light reflected or scattered by an object located at a position different from the position where the input operation is received toward the detection unit, thereby preventing the user's unintentional input operation from being erroneously detected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a non-contact switch according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional overview of the light guide plate along the line indicated by arrow AA'.

[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional overview of the light guide plate along the line indicated by arrow BB'.

[0022] Figure 4 (a) is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a light guide plate of a modified example. Figure 4 (b) is a front view schematic diagram of a light guide plate of a modified example.

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a non-contact switch of another modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, a non-contact switch of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The non-contact switch can display a pattern by arranging a plurality of prisms on a light guide plate along a pattern indicating a position where an input operation is received, so that the light from the light source that is incident from one incident surface of the light guide plate and propagates in the light guide plate is reflected toward the side facing the user (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the front side for the sake of convenience). In addition, the non-contact switch arranges the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the optical sensor opposite to the other incident surface of the light guide plate, and separately from the above-mentioned pattern-forming prism, a prism is provided, i.e., the prism reflects the sensor light that is emitted from the light-emitting element of the optical sensor and incident into the light guide plate and propagates in the light guide plate toward the front side, and reflects the sensor light that is reflected or scattered by the user's finger, etc. and incident into the light guide plate from the front side of the light guide plate toward the light-receiving element of the optical sensor. As a result, the non-contact switch can be made thinner.

[0025] It should be noted that in the embodiment described below, the contactless switch is operated by the user's finger. That is, the input operation is accepted by detecting the sensor light reflected or scattered by the user's finger placed at the position where the input operation is accepted. The user's finger is an example of a prescribed object for performing an input operation on the contactless switch. However, the prescribed object for performing an input operation is not limited to the user's finger, and may also be other parts of the user such as the user's hand, or an object equipped by the user, or held by the user, which can reflect or scatter the sensor light.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a non-contact switch according to an embodiment of the present invention. The non-contact switch 1 includes a light guide plate 11, a light source 12, a light sensor 13, and a control unit 14. These components are housed in a housing (not shown).

[0027] The light guide plate 11 is a member formed in a flat plate shape that is transparent to the light emitted from the light source 12 and the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13. The light guide plate 11 is formed by molding a resin that is transparent to the light emitted from the light source 12 and the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate, or cycloolefin polymer. The light guide plate 11 displays a pattern 21 indicating a position where an input operation is accepted using light emitted from the light source 12, incident on the light guide plate 11, and propagating in the light guide plate 11. The light guide plate 11 directs the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13, incident on the light guide plate 11, and propagating in the light guide plate 11 toward the position where an input operation is accepted, and directs the sensor light reflected or scattered by the finger of the user placed at the position where an input operation is accepted and incident on the light guide plate 11 toward the light sensor 13.

[0028] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the light guide plate 11 along the line indicated by arrow AA'. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An overview cross-sectional view of the light guide plate 11 along the line indicated by the arrow BB'. One side surface of the light guide plate 11 is formed as a first incident surface 11a for allowing the light emitted from the light source 12 to enter the light guide plate 11. In addition, a plurality of prisms 22 (first prisms) arranged along the pattern 21 are formed on the surface (first surface) on the back side of the light guide plate 11. Each prism 22 is formed, for example, as a triangular prism-shaped groove, and one surface of the groove serves as a reflecting surface and is arranged opposite to the light source 12. Furthermore, each prism 22 totally reflects the light from the light source 12 that is incident from the first incident surface 11a into the light guide plate 11 and propagates within the light guide plate 11, and causes the light to be emitted from the surface (second surface) on the front side of the light guide plate 11, thereby displaying the pattern 21. In order to indicate the position where the input operation is accepted, the pattern 21 is displayed near the position. For example, the display position of the pattern 21 may be set so that the bottom of a perpendicular line extending from the position where the input operation is received to the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11 coincides with the pattern 21 .

[0029] It should be noted that the pattern 21 can also be displayed in the air as a three-dimensional image on the front side of the light guide plate 11. In this case, a plurality of prisms 22 are provided for each point of the pattern 21. Moreover, for each point of the pattern 21, the plurality of prisms 22 corresponding to the point are each configured to reflect light incident from the incident surface 11a and propagating in the light guide plate 11 toward the point. Therefore, the three-dimensional image displayed in the air, i.e., each point of the pattern 21, gathers light from the plurality of prisms 22 configured at different positions. Therefore, the user on the front side can see light emitted from each point of the pattern 21 displayed in the air. Therefore, from the user's perspective, the pattern 21 displayed in the air can be observed.

[0030] In addition, two or three side surfaces of the light guide plate 11 may be formed as the first incident surfaces. Furthermore, the light source 12 may be arranged opposite to each first incident surface.

[0031] In addition, the other side surface of the light guide plate 11 orthogonal to the first incident surface 11a is formed as a second incident surface 11b for causing the sensor light emitted from the optical sensor 13 to enter the light guide plate 11. In addition, at least one prism 23 (second prism) is formed on the surface on the back side of the light guide plate 11. The prism 23 is formed, for example, as a triangular prism-shaped groove, one surface of which serves as a reflection surface and is arranged opposite to the optical sensor 13. In addition, the prism 23 totally reflects the sensor light incident from the second incident surface 11b and propagating in the light guide plate 11, directs the light toward the position where the input operation is received, and emits the light from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11. In addition, the prism 23 totally reflects the sensor light incident from the finger of the user placed at the position where the input operation is received and incident from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11 into the light guide plate 11, directs the light toward the optical sensor 13.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the first incident surface 11a is orthogonal to the second incident surface 11b, the light source 12 is disposed opposite to the first incident surface 11a, and the light sensor 13 is disposed opposite to the second incident surface 11b. Therefore, the reflection surface of each prism 22 and the reflection surface of the prism 23 forming the pattern 21 also face different directions from each other. Therefore, each prism 22 will not reflect the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13 and propagated in the light guide plate 11 toward the front side, nor will it reflect the sensor light incident from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11 toward the light sensor 13. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sensor light from being reflected or scattered by an object placed at a position different from the position where the input operation is received and returned to the light sensor 13, so it is possible to prevent the user's unintentional input operation from being erroneously detected.

[0033] It should be noted that the two side surfaces that are opposite to each other across the light guide plate 11 may also be formed as the first incident surface 11a and the second incident surface 11b, respectively. In this case, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, each prism 22 will not reflect the sensor light emitted from the optical sensor 13 and propagated in the light guide plate 11 toward the front side, and will not reflect the sensor light incident from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11 toward the optical sensor 13, so that the user's unintentional input operation can be prevented from being erroneously detected.

[0034] Alternatively, collimating lenses may be disposed between the light source 12 and the light sensor 13 and the side surface of the light guide plate 11 formed as the incident surface. In this case, since the light emitted from the light source 12 and the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13 become parallel light and enter the light guide plate 11, the light from the light source 12 and the sensor light from the light sensor 13 propagate in parallel with each other in the light guide plate 11. Therefore, in this case, since the prisms 22 can be disposed at positions where the sensor light does not propagate, the first incident surface and the second incident surface may be the same side surface of the light guide plate 11.

[0035] The light source 12 emits light for displaying the pattern 21. Therefore, the light source 12 has two or more light-emitting elements (for example, a first light-emitting element that emits blue light, and a second light-emitting element that emits red light) that emit light of different colors. That is, the light source 12 can change the light-emitting color of the illumination light. It should be noted that each light-emitting element can be, for example, a light-emitting diode. Each light-emitting element of the light source 12 is arranged so that its light-emitting surface is opposite to the first incident surface 11a of the light guide plate 11. The light emitted from each light-emitting element of the light source 12 is incident on the light guide plate 11 from the first incident surface 11a and propagates in the light guide plate 11, and is reflected by a plurality of prisms 22 arranged on the back side of the light guide plate 11, thereby being emitted from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11 to display the pattern 21.

[0036] The light emitting elements of the light source 12 are controlled to light up a certain light emitting element and turn off the other light emitting elements according to the control signal from the control unit 14. That is, the color of the light of the display pattern 21 changes according to the light emitting element that emits light among the light emitting elements of the light source 12. Therefore, the control unit 14 switches the light emitting element to emit light every time it receives the input operation of the user, so that the user can easily recognize the operation state of the non-contact switch 1.

[0037] The optical sensor 13 is an example of a detection unit, and detects the user's input operation. Therefore, the optical sensor 13 has: a light-emitting element (not shown) that emits sensor light, and a light-receiving element (not shown) that detects the sensor light reflected or scattered by the user's finger and outputs a detection signal indicating that the sensor light has been detected. The sensor light is preferably light that the user cannot see, so the light-emitting element can be, for example, an infrared light-emitting diode that emits infrared light as sensor light. In addition, the light-receiving element can be a light-receiving element that is sensitive to the sensor light, such as a photodiode that is sensitive to infrared light.

[0038] In the present embodiment, the light sensor 13 is arranged so that the light emitting surface of the light emitting element and the light receiving surface of the light receiving element of the light sensor 13 are opposite to the second incident surface 11b of the light guide plate 11. Then, the sensor light emitted from the light emitting element of the light sensor 13 enters the light guide plate 11 via the second incident surface 11b, propagates in the light guide plate 11, is totally reflected by the prism 23, and is emitted from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11 toward the position where the input operation is received. Then, when the user brings the finger close to the position where the input operation is received, a part of the sensor light reflected or scattered by the user's finger enters the light guide plate 11 again from the surface on the front side of the light guide plate 11, is totally reflected by the prism 23, and returns to the light sensor 13. When the light receiving element of the light sensor 13 detects the returned sensor light, it outputs a detection signal to the control unit 14. Thus, the user's input operation is detected. In this way, the optical sensor 13 is arranged so that not only the light from the light source 12 for displaying the pattern 21 but also the sensor light is propagated in the light guide plate 11, and the prism 23 for reflecting the sensor light to the position where the input operation is received is provided, thereby making the non-contact switch 1 thinner. It should be noted that in this example, since the path through which the sensor light emitted from the light emitting element passes is roughly the same as the path through which the sensor light detected by the light receiving element passes, the position for receiving the input operation can be set on the path through which the air sensor light passes that is closer to the front side than the light guide plate 11.

[0039] When the control unit 14 receives the detection signal from the optical sensor 13, it outputs a signal indicating that an input operation has been performed and changes the color of the illumination light emitted from the light source 12. Therefore, the control unit 14 has, for example, one or more microprocessors, semiconductor memory, and an interface for connecting to other devices.

[0040] When the user's input operation is not received, the control unit 14 turns on a certain light emitting element (e.g., a first light emitting element emitting blue light) among the light emitting elements of the light source 12, and turns off the other light emitting elements. Thus, a pattern 21 having the light emitting color of the first light emitting element is displayed near the position where the input operation is received.

[0041] Afterwards, when the control unit 14 receives the detection signal from the light sensor 13, it outputs a signal indicating that the operation state has become the first state (e.g., the on state) to other devices via the interface. Furthermore, the control unit 14 turns off the first light-emitting element among the light-emitting elements of the light source 12, and turns on the other light-emitting elements (e.g., the second light-emitting element that emits red light). As a result, the color of the light of the display pattern 21 changes (i.e., the color of the pattern changes from the light-emitting color of the first light-emitting element to the light-emitting color of the second light-emitting element). Therefore, the user can easily see that the operation state changes due to the input operation.

[0042] After that, when the control unit 14 does not receive the detection signal from the light sensor 13 for a while and starts to receive the detection signal again, it outputs a signal indicating that the operation state has become the second operation state (for example, the disconnected state) to other devices via the interface. In addition, the control unit 14 turns off the second light-emitting element among the light-emitting elements of the light source 12 and turns on the first light-emitting element. As a result, the color of the light of the display pattern 21 changes from the light color of the second light-emitting element to the light color of the first light-emitting element. Therefore, the user can easily see that the input operation is accepted again and the operation state is returned to the original state.

[0043] It should be noted that the control unit 14 may also change the lighting state of the light source 12 other than the luminous color each time it receives a detection signal from the light sensor 13. For example, the control unit 14 may also cause the light source 12 to flash at a predetermined cycle when the operation state is the first operation state after receiving a detection signal from the light sensor 13. Furthermore, the control unit 14 may also cause the light source 12 to light up when the operation state is the second operation state after receiving a detection signal again after not receiving a detection signal from the light sensor 13 for a while. Alternatively, the control unit 14 may also control the light source 12 so that the luminous intensity of the light source 12 is different when the operation state is the first operation state and when it is the second operation state.

[0044] As described above, since the non-contact switch can detect input operation by the user moving the finger to the position of receiving input operation in the air, the user can operate the device equipped with the non-contact switch without contact. In addition, since the non-contact switch changes the display color of the pattern indicating the position of receiving input operation each time the input operation is received, the user can easily determine whether the input operation has been received. In addition, since the non-contact switch is configured with a light sensor so that the sensor light is also propagated in the light guide plate displaying the pattern indicating the position of receiving input operation, the light sensor can be omitted on the back side of the light guide plate, and as a result, the device can be made thinner.

[0045] According to the modified example, when the light guide plate 11 is formed with a plurality of prisms 23 , each of the prisms 23 is preferably arranged so that its reflection surface faces the optical sensor 13 .

[0046] Figure 4 (a) is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the light guide plate 11 of this modification example. Figure 4(b) is a front view of the light guide plate 11 of this modification. In this modification, a plurality of prisms 23 are formed on the surface on the back side of the light guide plate 11. Each prism 23 is arranged along an arc centered on the light sensor 13. Moreover, each prism 23 is arranged so that the reflection surface of each prism 23 faces the light sensor 13. That is, for each prism 23, on the surface parallel to the back side surface of the light guide plate 11, the normal direction of the reflection surface of each prism 23 is substantially parallel to the line connecting the light sensor 13 and the reflection surface of the prism 23. In addition, each prism 23 is formed so that the inclination angles of the reflection surface of each prism 23 and the surface on the back side of the light guide plate 11 are the same. As a result, the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13 and incident from the second incident surface 11b into the light guide plate is directed by the plurality of prisms 23 toward the position P set on the front side of the light guide plate 11 for receiving input operations, so that the light amount of the sensor light at the position P can be increased. In addition, the sensor light reflected or scattered by the user's finger placed at the position P for receiving the input operation enters the light guide plate 11 from the front side of the light guide plate 11, and is then totally reflected by the plurality of prisms 23 toward the optical sensor 13, so that the amount of sensor light returning to the optical sensor 13 can be increased. Therefore, according to this modification, the non-contact switch can detect the user's input operation with high sensitivity.

[0047] It should be noted that the plurality of prisms 23 may not be arranged in an arc shape with the light sensor 13 as the center, and the prisms 23 may be arranged at different distances from the light sensor 13 for two or more prisms among the plurality of prisms 23. In this case, in order to make the sensor light emitted from the light sensor 13 and incident into the light guide plate 11 totally reflected to the same position P, it is preferred to arrange the prisms 23 such that the longer the distance from the light sensor 13 to the prism 23, the larger the inclination angle between the reflection surface of the prism 23 and the surface on the back side of the light guide plate 11.

[0048] Furthermore, it is preferable that the plurality of prisms 23 are arranged so that the distances from the prisms 23 to the position P for receiving input operation are the same. Thus, the amount of sensor light emitted from the optical sensor 13 and directed toward the position P for receiving input operation, or the amount of sensor light returning from the position P for receiving input operation to the optical sensor 13 can be made uniform for each prism 23. As a result, the non-contact switch can detect the user's input operation with good accuracy without depending on the direction of the sensor light reflected or scattered by the user's finger placed at the position for receiving input operation.

[0049] Alternatively, it is preferred that the plurality of prisms 23 are formed so that the larger the distance between the prism 23 and the position P for receiving the input operation is, the larger the reflecting surface is. In this case, the amount of sensor light emitted from the optical sensor 13 and directed toward the position P for receiving the input operation, or the amount of sensor light returned from the position P for receiving the input operation to the optical sensor 13 can be made uniform for each prism 23. Therefore, in this case, the non-contact switch is not dependent on the direction of the sensor light reflected or scattered by the finger of the user placed at the position for receiving the input operation, and can detect the user's input operation with good accuracy.

[0050] According to other modified examples, the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the optical sensor may be arranged at different positions.

[0051] Figure 5 2 is a structural overview diagram of the non-contact switch of this modified example. Figure 1 Compared with the non-contact switch 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the difference lies in the structure of the optical sensor. Therefore, in the following, the difference and related parts in the non-contact switch 2 are described. Figure 5 In the figure, main structural components not related to the differences are not shown.

[0052] In this modification, the light emitting element 131 and the light receiving element 132 of the optical sensor 13 are respectively arranged at different positions opposite to the second incident surface 11b of the light guide plate 11. For example, the light emitting element 131 and the light receiving element 132 are arranged so that the position for receiving input operation is located between the light emitting element 131 and the light receiving element 132 in the direction along the second incident surface 11b of the light guide plate 11. It should be noted that the light emitting element 131 and the light receiving element 132 may also be arranged opposite to different side surfaces of the light guide plate 11, or opposite to each of the cutouts provided at two corners of the light guide plate 11. In this case, the side surface or the cutout opposite to the light emitting element 131 and the side surface or the cutout opposite to the light receiving element 132 are other examples of the second incident surface, respectively.

[0053] Furthermore, at least one prism 23-1 is provided on the surface on the back side of the light guide plate 11, and the at least one prism 23-1 is used to totally reflect the sensor light emitted from the light emitting element 131 of the optical sensor 13 and incident into the light guide plate 11 via the second incident surface 11b, so that the sensor light is directed toward the position of receiving input operation on the front side of the light guide plate 11. Furthermore, at least one prism 23-2 is provided on the surface on the back side of the light guide plate 11, and the at least one prism 23-2 is used to totally reflect the sensor light reflected or scattered by the finger of the user placed at the position of receiving input operation and incident into the light guide plate 11 from the front side of the light guide plate 11, so that the sensor light is directed toward the light receiving element 132 of the optical sensor 13. It should be noted that, in this example, the light emitting element 131 and the light receiving element 132 are arranged so that the light emitting element 131, the position of receiving input operation, and the light receiving element 132 are sequentially arranged along the direction of the second incident surface 11b. Therefore, each prism 23-1 is arranged on a surface parallel to the back surface of the light guide plate 11 so that the reflection surface of the prism 23-1 is rotated closer to the light receiving element 132 than the direction directly facing the light emitting element 131, so that the sensor light emitted from the light emitting element 131 is directed toward the position where the input operation is received. Conversely, each prism 23-2 is arranged on a surface parallel to the back surface of the light guide plate 11 so that the reflection surface of the prism 23-2 is rotated closer to the light emitting element 131 than the direction directly facing the light receiving element 132, so that the sensor light from the position where the input operation is received is directed toward the light receiving element 132.

[0054] The non-contact switch of this modification example is also similar to the non-contact switch of the above-described embodiment. The light emitting element and the light receiving element of the optical sensor are respectively arranged on the side of the light guide plate, so that the non-contact switch can be made thinner.

[0055] Thus, those skilled in the art can make various changes in combination with the implementation modes within the scope of the present invention.

[0056] Description of Reference Numerals

[0057] 1, 2 non-contact switch; 11 light guide plate; 11a first incident surface; 11b second incident surface; 12 light source; 13 light sensor; 131 light emitting element; 132 light receiving element; 21 pattern; 22 first prism; 23, 23-1, 23-2 second prism; 14 control unit.

Claims

1. A non-contact switch, characterized in that: have: A light guide plate formed of a transparent member in a flat plate shape, having a first incident surface and a second incident surface, and capable of displaying a pattern indicating a position where an input operation is received; a light source disposed opposite to the first incident surface; a detection unit disposed opposite to the second incident surface, and outputting a detection signal indicating detection when detecting the sensor light reflected or scattered by a predetermined object located at a position receiving the input operation in response to the emission of the sensor light; a control unit that, upon receiving the detection signal from the detection unit, outputs a signal indicating that the input operation has been performed; The light guide plate has: a plurality of first prisms arranged along the pattern on a first surface of the light guide plate on the side opposite to the position where the input operation is received, so that light emitted from the light source and incident from the first incident surface into the light guide plate is reflected so as to be emitted from a second surface of the light guide plate on the side where the input operation is received; at least one second prism disposed on the first surface of the light guide plate, so that the sensor light emitted from the detection unit and incident into the light guide plate from the second incident surface is emitted from the second surface of the light guide plate and reflected toward the position where the input operation is received, and the sensor light reflected or scattered by the specified object at the position and incident into the light guide plate from the second surface is reflected toward the detection unit, The light guide plate has a plurality of the second prisms arranged on the first surface, The plurality of second prisms are respectively arranged so that the distances between the second prisms and the positions are the same.

2. A non-contact switch, characterized in that: have: A light guide plate formed of a transparent member in a flat plate shape, having a first incident surface and a second incident surface, and capable of displaying a pattern indicating a position where an input operation is received; a light source disposed opposite to the first incident surface; a detection unit disposed opposite to the second incident surface, and outputting a detection signal indicating detection when detecting the sensor light reflected or scattered by a predetermined object located at a position receiving the input operation in response to the emission of the sensor light; a control unit that, upon receiving the detection signal from the detection unit, outputs a signal indicating that the input operation has been performed; The light guide plate has: a plurality of first prisms arranged along the pattern on a first surface of the light guide plate on the side opposite to the position where the input operation is received, so that light emitted from the light source and incident from the first incident surface into the light guide plate is reflected so as to be emitted from a second surface of the light guide plate on the side where the input operation is received; at least one second prism disposed on the first surface of the light guide plate, so that the sensor light emitted from the detection unit and incident into the light guide plate from the second incident surface is emitted from the second surface of the light guide plate and reflected toward the position where the input operation is received, and the sensor light reflected or scattered by the specified object at the position and incident into the light guide plate from the second surface is reflected toward the detection unit, The light guide plate has a plurality of the second prisms arranged on the first surface, The plurality of second prisms are each formed so that the greater the distance from the position, the larger the reflection surface for reflecting the sensor light.

3. The non-contact switch according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first incident surface and the second incident surface are arranged on different side surfaces of the light guide plate.

Images