Power generating member and touch sensor device

Abstract

To provide a touch sensor device that does not require a power generation member and a power supply.SOLUTION: In a touch sensor device 1, a power generation member 2 is a touch sensor that does not require power feeding, and is connected with a signal detection part 3 by wire. The signal detection part 3 determines that an article contacts with the power generation member 2 when an electric signal from the power generation member 2 is detected. Also, the signal detection part 3 further detects a weight applied to the power generation member 2 on the basis of a voltage of the electric signal since the voltage of the electric signal changes according to the weight applied to the power generation member 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power generating member and a touch sensor using the power generating member, and more particularly to a non-powered touch sensor. [Background technology]

[0002] Touch sensors are mainly classified into capacitive touch sensors and resistive touch sensors (for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] In a capacitive touch sensor, when a human finger, which is a conductor, approaches a metal plate, a change in the electrostatic capacitance of the metal plate occurs, and the touch is detected based on this change in capacitance.In a resistive touch sensor, the upper and lower membranes come into contact with each other due to pressure, and the touch is detected based on the change in resistance value when electricity is passed through. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Touch Sensor," Internet (URL: https: / / www.sensor-sk.com / fureru / fure01_touchsensor.html) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] All of the above-mentioned touch sensors require an external power supply and therefore cannot be used in places where there is no power source.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensor that does not require a power source. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes the following aspects. Section 1. A power generating member including a conductor, A generator element that generates an electrical signal in the conductor when contacted by an object. Section 2. Item 1. The power generation member according to Item 1; a signal detection unit that detects an electric signal generated in the conductor when an object comes into contact with the power generating member. Section 3. Item 3. The touch sensor device according to item 2, wherein the conductor is a metal layer. Section 4. Item 3. The touch sensor device according to item 2, wherein the conductor is formed of a conductive thread. Section 5. the power generating member further includes an insulator provided on the conductor; Item 3. The touch sensor device according to item 2, wherein the signal detection unit detects an electric signal generated in the conductor when the object comes into contact with the insulator. Section 6. the conductor is a metal layer; Item 6. The touch sensor device according to item 5, wherein the insulator is made of cotton cloth. Section 7. the conductor is a metal layer; Item 6. The touch sensor device according to item 5, wherein the insulator is made of resin. Section 8. Item 8. The touch sensor device according to item 3, 6 or 7, wherein the metal layer is formed of aluminum foil. Section 9. The conductor is formed of a conductive thread, Item 6. The touch sensor device according to item 5, wherein the insulator is formed of insulating thread. Section 10. Further comprising a spacer layer whose thickness changes depending on the load; Item 10. The touch sensor device according to any one of items 5 to 9, wherein the conductor comprises a first conductor adjacent to the insulator and a second conductor facing the first conductor with the spacer layer interposed therebetween. Section 11. Item 11. The touch sensor device according to item 10, wherein the spacer layer includes a plurality of insulating threads that run between the first conductor and the second conductor. Section 12. Item 12. The touch sensor device according to any one of items 5 to 11, wherein the signal detection section further detects a load on the power generation member based on a voltage of the electric signal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a touch sensor that does not require a power source. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] (a) is a schematic perspective view of the power generating member, and (b) and (c) are photographs of the power generating member in plan view. [Figure 3] 1(a) and 1(b) are a schematic perspective view and a plan view of the power generating member, respectively. [Figure 4] 1(a) and 1(b) are a schematic perspective view and a plan view of the power generating member, respectively. [Figure 5] 1(a) and 1(b) are a schematic perspective view and a plan view of the power generating member, respectively. [Figure 6] 6(a) and 6(b) are a partially enlarged plan view and a partially enlarged perspective view, respectively, showing the conductor and the insulator of the power generation member shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 1(a) and 1(b) are a schematic perspective view and a plan view of the power generating member, respectively. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged side view of the power generation member shown in FIG. [Figure 9] 1(a) and 1(b) are diagrams illustrating the principle by which a conductor generates an electrical signal. [Figure 10] 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of applying a load to a power generation member in each embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11]1 is a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 12(a) and 12(b) are graphs showing the change in output voltage with respect to the load on the power generating member shown in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] 10 is a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 14 is a graph showing the change in output voltage with respect to the load on the power generation member shown in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 10 is a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 16 is a graph showing the change in output voltage with respect to the load on the power generation member shown in FIG. 15. [Figure 17] 10 is a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 18 is a graph showing the change in output voltage with respect to the load on the power generation member shown in FIG. 17. [Figure 19] 10 is a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 20 is a graph showing the change in output voltage with respect to the load on the power generation member shown in FIG. 19. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0011] (Schematic configuration) 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The touch sensor device 1 includes a power generating member 2 including a conductor, and a signal detecting unit 3 that detects an electric signal generated in the conductor when an object (e.g., a human finger) comes into contact with the power generating member 2.

[0012] The power generating member 2 is a touch sensor that does not require power supply and is connected to the signal detecting unit 3 by a conductor. When the signal detecting unit 3 detects an electric signal from the power generating member 2, it determines that an object has come into contact with the power generating member 2. Furthermore, as in the examples described below, depending on the structure of the power generating member 2, the voltage of the electric signal changes in response to the load on the power generating member 2, and therefore the signal detecting unit 3 can also detect the load on the power generating member 2 based on the voltage of the electric signal.

[0013] The power generating member 2 generates an electric signal when an object touches it, even when it is not powered, so it can be used as a touch sensor even in places where it is difficult to supply electricity. In addition, by lengthening the conductor connected to the signal detection unit 3, the power generating member 2 can function as a touch sensor even in places where there is no power source remote from the signal detection unit 3. Therefore, it is possible to provide a touch sensor that does not require a power source.

[0014] (Example of power generation component configuration) Examples of the configuration of the power generation member 2 are shown in FIGS.

[0015] FIG. 2(a) is a schematic perspective view of a power generating member 2a, and FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c) are planar photographs of a prototype of the power generating member 2a. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the power generating member 2a includes a conductor 21 that is rectangular in plan view. The conductor 21 is not particularly limited as long as it is a metal layer, but in this embodiment, the metal layer is formed of aluminum foil or conductive thread. Specifically, FIG. 2(b) shows a power generating member formed of aluminum foil, and FIG. 2(c) shows a power generating member formed of conductive thread. In FIG. 2(c), the metal layer is formed of conductive cloth (AGposs (registered trademark) conductive tape manufactured by Mitsufuji Corporation) made by knitting conductive thread into a flat shape.

[0016] Fig. 3(a) is a schematic perspective view of the power generating member 2b, and Fig. 3(b) is a plan view photograph of a prototype of the power generating member 2b. As shown in Fig. 3(a), the power generating member 2b includes a conductor 21 that is rectangular in plan view and an insulator 22 provided on the conductor 21. The conductor 21 and the insulator 22 have substantially the same shape in plan view, and an object comes into contact with the insulator 22. In the power generating member 2b, the conductor 21 is made of aluminum foil, and the insulator 22 is made of cotton cloth.

[0017] Fig. 4(a) is a schematic perspective view of the power generation member 2c, and Fig. 4(b) is a plan view photograph of a prototype of the power generation member 2c. As shown in Fig. 4(a), the power generation member 2c includes a conductor 21 that is rectangular in plan view and an insulator 23 provided on the conductor 21. The conductor 21 and the insulator 23 have substantially the same shape in plan view, and an object comes into contact with the insulator 23. In the power generation member 2c, the conductor 21 is made of aluminum foil, and the insulator 23 is made of soft resin.

[0018] Fig. 5(a) is a schematic perspective view of the power generating member 2d, and Fig. 5(b) is a plan view photograph of a prototype of the power generating member 2d. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the power generating member 2d includes a conductor 24 that is rectangular in plan view and an insulator 25 provided on the conductor 24. The conductor 24 and the insulator 25 have substantially the same shape in plan view, and an object comes into contact with the insulator 25. In the power generating member 2d, the conductor 24 is formed from conductive thread, and the insulator 25 is formed from insulating thread.

[0019] The conductor 24 and the insulator 25 may be formed by separately weaving conductive threads and insulating threads in a plane and then overlapping them, or by weaving the conductive threads and insulating threads together.

[0020] 6(a) and 6(b) are respectively a partially enlarged plan view and a partially enlarged perspective view of the power generation member 2d shown in Fig. 5. The conductor 24 and the insulator 25 are formed by knitting conductive yarns and insulating yarns into a single jersey structure.

[0021] FIG. 7(a) is a schematic perspective view of the power generating member 2e, and FIG. 7(b) is a planar photograph of a prototype of the power generating member 2e. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the power generating member 2e includes conductors 24 and 26, which are rectangular in plan view, insulators 25 and 27, a spacer layer 28, and an insulating substrate 29. The conductor 24 corresponds to the first conductor described in the claims and is adjacent to the insulator 25. The conductor 26 corresponds to the second conductor described in the claims and is adjacent to the insulator 27. The conductors 24 and 26 face each other with the spacer layer 28 interposed therebetween. The insulator 27 is provided on the insulating substrate. The conductors 24 and 26 and the insulators 25 and 27 have substantially the same shape in plan view, and an object comes into contact with the insulator 25. In the power generating member 2e, the conductors 24 and 26 are formed of conductive yarn, and the insulators 25 and 27 are formed of insulating yarn.

[0022] The spacer layer 28 is not particularly limited as long as it has a structure in which the thickness changes depending on the load, but in this embodiment, it has a structure including a plurality of insulating threads that are strung between the conductors 24, 26. The insulating threads are preferably strung in a diagonal direction relative to the direction between the conductors 24, 26.

[0023] Figure 8 is a partially enlarged side view of the power generation member 2e shown in Figure 7. The conductor 24, the insulator 25, the conductor 26, and the insulator 27 are formed by knitting conductive yarns and insulating yarns into a single jersey structure, similar to the conductor 24 and the insulator 25 shown in Figure 6. The spacer layer 28 is formed by stitching the conductor 24 and the insulator 25 and the conductor 26 and the insulator 27 together with a large number of insulating yarns.

[0024] (Touch detection principle) In the power generating member 2 having the above structure, an electric signal is generated in the conductor when an object having at least electrical conductivity comes into contact with the power generating member 2. The signal detecting unit 3 detects this electric signal, thereby detecting that an object has come into contact with the power generating member 2.

[0025] The principle by which a conductor generates an electric signal when an object comes into contact with the power generating member 2 is presumed to be as follows. As shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), high-frequency electrostatic induction occurs inside the human body due to electromagnetic waves in the environment, and when a finger approaches the conductor 21, this high-frequency electrostatic induction further generates high-frequency electrostatic induction in the conductor 21. As a result, it is believed that the high-frequency electrostatic induction in the conductor 21 is observed as a high-frequency charge output (electrical signal). Note that the electric signal detected by the signal detection unit to determine whether or not a touch has occurred is not limited to an electric signal generated by electromagnetic waves in the environment, as long as it is an electric signal generated in the conductor when an object comes into contact with the power generating member 2. [Example]

[0026] Examples 1 to 5 of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0027] In each example, an object was placed in contact with the power generating member, and the change in the electrical signal generated in the conductor of the power generating member relative to the load on the power generating member was measured. To accurately control the load, a metal flat terminal was used as the object to be placed in contact with the power generating member. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , the power generating member 2 was placed on a precision Z-stage 53 via insulating tape 51 and a stainless steel plate 52, and the power generating member 2 was pressed with a metal flat terminal 4 while being in contact with a finger. A small-diameter knurled knob (NOBC6-10-13, diameter 12.0 mm, manufactured by MISUMI Group Holdings Inc.) was used as the metal flat terminal 4. The change in the load on the entire combination of the insulating tape 51, stainless steel plate 52, precision Z-stage 53, and power generating member 2 was measured using an electronic balance (AXB60001) manufactured by AS ONE Corporation.

[0028] Example 1 FIG. 11 shows a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device 1a according to Example 1. The touch sensor device 1a includes a power generating member 2a shown in FIG. 2 as a power generating member. Two conductors 21 of the power generating member 2a were fabricated, each using a metal layer and conductive thread. The conductors 21 formed of a metal layer were made from aluminum foil adhesive tape (No. 8371) manufactured by Teraoka Seisakusho Co., Ltd., cut to a size of 20 mm x 20 mm, and had a total thickness of 0.10 mm (catalog value) (the power generating member using this was designated as power generating member 2a-1). The conductor 21 made of conductive thread was a conductive cloth manufactured by Mitsufuji Corporation (wearable / electrode tape, AGposs (registered trademark) conductive tape, P00116, https: / / www.mitsufuji.co.jp / agposs) cut to a size of 20 mm x 20 mm, with a basis weight of 5 g / m, a resistance value of 0.15 Ω / m, and a total thickness of 0.5 mm (the power generation member using this is referred to as power generation member 2a-2).

[0029] The signal detection unit 3 includes a rectifier circuit 31 and a measurement unit 32. The rectifier circuit 31 is a circuit that rectifies a high-frequency electrical signal into a DC electrical signal, and includes four diodes D1 to D4, a capacitor C1, and a switch SW1. High-speed switching diodes (1S953-AZ) manufactured by NEC were used as the diodes D1 to D4, and a polyester capacitor (50F2D103J, 10 nF) manufactured by Rubycon Corporation was used as the capacitor C1.

[0030] The measuring unit 32 measures the waveform and voltage of the electrical signal rectified by the rectifier circuit 31, and a digital storage oscilloscope (GDS-3504) manufactured by GW Instek Corporation was used.

[0031] In this example, the metal flat terminal 4 was pressed against the power generation member 2a-1 in an environment with a temperature of 25.5°C and a humidity of 63.6%, and then the load was gradually increased.The metal flat terminal 4 was pressed against the power generation member 2a-2 in an environment with a temperature of 24.7°C and a humidity of 34.6%, and then the load was gradually increased.

[0032] FIG. 12(a) is a graph showing the voltage change of the electrical signal measured by the measuring unit 32 with respect to the load on the power generating member 2a-1, and FIG. 12(b) is a graph showing the voltage change of the electrical signal measured by the measuring unit 32 with respect to the load on the power generating member 2a-2. The solid line shows the voltage change when the switch SW1 is connected to the open terminal side, and the dashed line shows the voltage change when the switch SW1 is connected to the ground terminal side. When the metal flat terminal 4 touched the power generating member 2a (the top surface of the conductor 21) (0.098 N = 10 gf), the voltage increased significantly and remained almost constant even with subsequent increases in the load. Even when the metal flat terminal 4 was not in contact, the voltage value was very small, although not zero. This is thought to be due to the conductor 21 absorbing electromagnetic waves in the environment.

[0033] Example 2 FIG. 13 shows a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device 1b according to Example 2. The touch sensor device 1b includes a power generating member 2b shown in FIG. 3 as a power generating member. The conductor 21 of the power generating member 2b is the same as that in Example 1. The insulator 22 of the power generating member 2b was made of commercially available white cotton cloth cut to a size of 20 mm x 20 mm. The average thickness of the insulator 22 was 0.198 mm. The signal detecting unit 3 was the same as that in Example 1.

[0034] In this example, the metal flat terminal 4 was pressed against the power generation member 2b, and then the load was gradually increased. The measurement was performed in an environment with a temperature of 25.1°C and a humidity of 53.0%.

[0035] 14 is a graph showing the voltage change of the electrical signal measured by the measuring unit 32 relative to the load applied to the power generating member 2b. When the metal flat terminal 4 touched the power generating member 2b (the upper surface of the insulator 22) (0.098 N), the voltage increased significantly, and as the load increased (0.098 N to 0.49 N), the voltage also increased (region 1). After that, even when the load was increased (0.49 N to 9.8 N), the voltage remained almost constant (region 2).

[0036] Region 1 is considered to be a region where the film thickness of the insulator 22 decreases significantly in response to pressure and the effective contact area of ​​the metal flat terminal 4 increases significantly. A. Decrease in film thickness of insulator 22 ⇒ Increase in capacitance ⇒ Increase in amount of generated charge ⇒ Increase in output voltage B. Increase in effective contact area due to pressing (metallic flat terminal 4 is used for pressing, and it is believed that pressing also increases the effective contact area) It is thought that...

[0037] Region 2 is considered to be a region where the insulator 22 is pressed to a certain extent or more, where it becomes denser and harder, and where there is no change in film thickness or increase in effective contact area.

[0038] The amount of charge Q induced in the conductor 21 is considered to be expressed by the following equation using the voltage V induced in the metal flat terminal 4 that applies the load and the capacitance C of the pseudo-capacitor of the metal flat terminal 4 / insulator 22 / conductor 21. Q=CV Furthermore, the general capacitor formula is as follows, where the dielectric constant of the insulator 22 is ε, the film thickness is d, and the effective contact area of ​​the metal flat terminal 4 is S: C=εS / d That is, Q∝voltage value is inversely proportional to d and proportional to S. This is consistent with the considerations in areas 1 and 2 above.

[0039] Example 3 FIG. 15 shows a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device 1c according to Example 3. The touch sensor device 1c includes a power generating member 2c shown in FIG. 4 as a power generating member. The conductor 21 of the power generating member 2c is the same as that in Examples 1 and 2. The insulator 23 of the power generating member 2c is a gel sheet (H0-1) manufactured by Exseal Co., Ltd., cut to a size of 20 mm x 20 mm. The thickness of the insulator 23 is 1 mm (catalog value). The signal detecting unit 3 is the same as that in Examples 1 and 2.

[0040] In this example, the metal flat terminal 4 was pressed against the power generation member 2c, and then the load was gradually increased. The measurement was performed in an environment with a temperature of 23.9°C and a humidity of 58.1%.

[0041] 16 is a graph showing the voltage change of the electrical signal measured by the measuring unit 32 relative to the load applied to the power generating member 2c. When the metal flat terminal 4 touched the power generating member 2c (the upper surface of the insulator 23) (0.098 N), the voltage increased significantly, and then increased slightly (0.098 N to 24.52 N) as the load increased. The cause of this voltage increase is thought to be the same as in region 1 above.

[0042] The absolute value of the voltage is smaller than in the other examples, which is thought to be because the film thickness (1 mm) of the insulator 23 is larger than the film thickness of the insulator 22, etc. Also, the reason why the voltage rises little with increasing load is thought to be because the insulator 23 is a thick soft resin, or because the amount of change in film thickness of the soft resin with respect to the pressing load is small.

[0043] Example 4 FIG. 17 shows a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device 1d according to Example 4. The touch sensor device 1d includes a power generating member 2d shown in FIG. 5 as a power generating member. The conductor 24 and insulator 25 of the power generating member 2d were fabricated by knitting a conductive thread (AGposs (registered trademark), 100d / 2) manufactured by Mitsufuji Corporation and an insulating thread made of 100% cotton into a jersey structure as shown in FIG. 6, forming a flat shape, and cutting it into a size of 20 mm x 20 mm. The knitting density of the conductor 24 and the insulator 25 was 9.5 courses / cm and 4.5 wafers / cm, and the average thickness was 1.81 mm. The signal detecting unit 3 was the same as those in Examples 1 to 3.

[0044] In this example, the metal flat terminal 4 was pressed against the power generation member 2d, and then the load was gradually increased. The measurement was performed in an environment with a temperature of 23.8°C and a humidity of 53.7%.

[0045] 18 is a graph showing the voltage change of the electrical signal measured by the measuring unit 32 relative to the load on the power generating member 2d. When the metal flat terminal 4 touched the power generating member 2d (the upper surface of the insulator 25) (0.098 N), the voltage increased significantly, and then increased slightly (0.098 N to 0.49 N) as the load increased (region 1). Furthermore, at loads of 0.49 N to 1.47 N, the voltage remained almost constant (region 2). The cause of the voltage change in regions 1 and 2 is thought to be the same as that in Example 2 described above.

[0046] Furthermore, at loads of 1.47 N to 9.8 N, the voltage increased significantly and discontinuously, and then became almost constant (region 3). In region 3, it is believed that there is electrical continuity between the metal flat terminal 4 and the conductor 24. This is because the insulator 25 is not a 100% covering insulating layer, and as the load increases, the conductor 24 and the metal flat terminal 4 come into contact at some point.

[0047] Depending on the material and weaving method of the insulator 25, there may be cases where electrical continuity is not established between the metal flat terminal 4 and the conductor 24 even when the load reaches 9.8 N. In this case, the region 3 is not observed.

[0048] Example 5 Fig. 19 shows a schematic configuration of a touch sensor device 1e according to Example 5. The touch sensor device 1e includes a power generating member 2e shown in Fig. 7 as a power generating member. The conductor 24, insulator 25, conductor 26, and insulator 27 of the power generating member 2e were fabricated in the same manner as the conductor 24 and insulator 25 in Example 4. The spacer layer 28 was formed by knitting insulating threads made of polyamide monofilament (PA) with a diameter of approximately 0.14 mm, as shown in Fig. 8.

[0049] The signal detection unit 3' is obtained by replacing the rectifier circuit 31 in the signal detection unit 3 in Examples 1 to 4 with a rectifier circuit 31', and the rectifier circuit 31' is obtained by replacing the switch SW1 in the rectifier circuit 31 with a switch SW2.

[0050] In this example, the metal flat terminal 4 was pressed against the power generation member 2e, and then the load was gradually increased. The measurement was performed in an environment with a temperature of 23.8°C and a humidity of 53.7%.

[0051] 20 is a graph showing the voltage change of the electrical signal measured by the measuring unit 32 relative to the load on the power generating member 2e. When the metal flat terminal 4 touched the power generating member 2d (the upper surface of the insulator 25) (0.098 N), the voltage increased significantly, and then increased (0.098 N to 2.94 N) as the load increased (region 1). The cause of the voltage change in region 1 is thought to be the same as in Examples 2 to 4 described above. However, the width of region 1 is larger than in Example 4 because the load on the conductor 24 and insulator 25 is distributed as the spacer layer 28 is gradually compressed.

[0052] Furthermore, at loads of 3.92 N to 6.86 N, the voltage increased significantly and discontinuously, and then became almost constant (region 3). In region 3, it is believed that metal flat terminal 4 and conductor 24 are electrically connected.

[0053] Furthermore, at loads of 7.85 N to 9.81 N, when switch SW2 was ON, the voltage suddenly dropped to 0 V (region 4). In region 4, it is believed that the spacer layer 28 was compressed, causing the two conductors 24 and 26 to come into contact with each other and short-circuit, causing the potential of conductor 24 to become 0 V (ground potential).

[0054] Note that region 3 may not be observed depending on the strength of spacer layer 28. That is, if conductors 24 and 26 are shorted under a load lower than the load (3.92 N) at which region 3 is observed, region 3 will not be observed and the voltage will be 0 V.

[0055] (Additional notes) Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Configurations obtained by appropriately combining the configurations disclosed in the embodiments and examples are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the shape of the power generating member is not limited to a rectangular shape in plan view, and it can be formed into various shapes. [Industrial Applicability]

[0056] The present invention can be applied to detecting whether an object is in contact with the vehicle. For example, by using the generator member as a steering wheel cover, it is possible to detect whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel based on the electric signal from the generator member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Touch sensor device 1a Touch sensor device 1b Touch sensor device 1c Touch sensor device 1d Touch sensor device 1e Touch sensor device 2 Power generation materials 2a Power generation materials 2b Power generation materials 2c Power generation materials 2d Power generation materials 2e Power generation materials 21 Conductors 22 Insulators 23 Insulators 24 Conductors 25 Insulators 26 Conductors 27 Insulators 28 Spacer Layer 29 Insulating substrate 3. Signal detection section 3' Signal detection unit 31 Rectifier circuit 31' rectifier circuit 32 Measuring part 4 Metal flat terminal 51 Electrical tape 52 Stainless steel plate 53 Precision Z stage

Claims

1. A power generating member including a conductor, When an object in which electrostatic induction of the same frequency as electromagnetic waves occurs due to electromagnetic waves in the environment approaches the conductor, electrostatic induction of the same frequency occurs in the conductor, and when the object comes into contact with the conductor, the power generating component generates only an electrical signal of the same frequency.

2. The power generation member according to claim 1 ; a signal detection unit that determines that an object has come into contact with the power generating member when the signal detection unit detects the electric signal from the power generating member.

3. The touch sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the conductor is a metal layer.

4. The touch sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the conductor is formed of a conductive thread.

5. the power generating member further includes an insulator provided on the conductor; The touch sensor device according to claim 2 , wherein the signal detection unit detects an electric signal generated in the conductor when the object comes into contact with the insulator.

6. the conductor is a metal layer; The touch sensor device according to claim 5 , wherein the insulator is made of cotton cloth.

7. the conductor is a metal layer; The touch sensor device according to claim 5 , wherein the insulator is made of resin.

8. The touch sensor device according to claim 3 , 6 or 7 , wherein the metal layer is formed of aluminum foil.

9. The conductor is formed of a conductive thread, The touch sensor device according to claim 5 , wherein the insulator is formed of insulating thread.

10. Further comprising a spacer layer whose thickness changes depending on the load; A touch sensor device as described in any one of claims 5 to 7 and 9, wherein the conductor comprises a first conductor adjacent to the insulator and a second conductor facing the first conductor via the spacer layer.

11. The touch sensor device according to claim 10 , wherein the spacer layer includes a plurality of insulating threads that are wired between the first conductor and the second conductor.

12. 12. The touch sensor device according to claim 5, wherein the signal detection section further detects a load on the power generating member based on a voltage of the electric signal.

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