Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a substrate, a lower electrode on the substrate, a piezoelectric layer on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode on the piezoelectric layer. The upper electrode includes a common base and a plurality of parallel branches extending from the base. The branches are arranged at a regular interval or pitch ?1. The lower electrode faces the branches of the upper electrode via the piezoelectric layer. The thickness h of the piezoelectric layer and the branch pitch ?1 are determined to satisfy an inequality 0.005?h/?1?0.1. The lower electrode has a hillock occurrence rate which is no greater than 0.1%.

Abstract: An angular velocity sensor includes a first gimbal portion, a second gimbal portion connected to the first gimbal portion by first torsion bars provided at opposing sides of the first gimbal portion, a frame portion connected to the second gimbal portion by second torsion bars provided at the opposing sides of the second gimbal portion, first electrostatic coupling portions provided at the opposing sides of the first gimbal portion to electrostatically couple the first gimbal portion and the second gimbal portion, and second electrostatic coupling portions provided at the opposing sides of the second gimbal portion to electrostatically couple the second gimbal portion and the frame portion. In the first gimbal portion, a maximum width of sides of a direction of the first torsion bars is greater than that of the sides where the first torsion bars are provided.

Abstract: A touch panel device includes an excitation transducer for exciting a surface acoustic wave upon application of a burst wave and a reception transducer for receiving the surface acoustic wave and converting the same into a reception signal that are arranged at a peripheral portion of a detection area so that a position of an object touching the detection area is detected in accordance with a change in the reception signal. A control method for eliminating noises in the touch panel device includes the steps of detecting a differential between a reception signal due to a burst wave and another reception signal due to another burst wave, deciding that there is a noise if the detected differential exceeds a preset threshold value, and performing a control operation so that the detection of an object based on the reception signal is not performed in accordance with the decision.

Abstract: Surface acoustic waves are transmitted from a respective plurality of excitation elements to a non-piezoelectric substrate, and the surface acoustic waves propagating in the non-piezoelectric substrate are received by a respective receiving elements, thus a position of an object in contact with the non-piezoelectric substrate is detected based on received results in the receiving elements. An indicated direction is detected based on a reception level of surface acoustic waves in the receiving elements. A direction of a vector starting at the center of a range (contact range) in which a reception level is not higher than a predetermined level and ending at a position obtained based on the reception level is detected as a direction indicated by a user. The indicated direction can be detected even when the object stays at a position.

Abstract: A plurality of excitation elements are disposed on two facing sides of a quadrilateral detection range in a non-piezoelectric substrate, and a plurality of receiving elements are disposed on the other two sides of the detection range so as to face the excitation elements respectively. Surface acoustic waves are transmitted from the respective plurality of excitation elements in two diagonal directions of the detection range respectively, and the surface acoustic waves from the two diagonal directions are received by the respective receiving elements, so that a position of an object in contact with the substrate is detected based on received results in the receiving elements.

Abstract: Each of excitation elements and receiving elements placed in a frame region of a non-piezoelectric substrate is constructed by forming a comb-like electrode on the front face of a piezoelectric body and forming a plate electrode (solid electrode) on the rear face thereof. The comb-like electrode is composed of a bus electrode and a plurality of V-shaped electrode fingers extended from the bus electrode. Drawn-round wires are provided to connect the comb-like electrode (bus electrode) and plate electrode to external circuits. Surface acoustic waves from the excitation elements located on the upper side and the lower side are simultaneously propagated in two directions respectively and the propagated surface acoustic waves are received by receiving elements located on the left side and the right side respectively.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: A piezoelectric device (X) includes a substrate (11) a piezoelectric film (12), a first electrode (13), and a second electrode (14). At least one of the first electrode (13) and the second electrode (14) is interposed between the substrate (11) and the piezoelectric film (12), and made of an Al alloy containing 0.1 to 3 wt % of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of Ti, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd, Ag, Hf, W, Pt and Au.

Abstract: A transducer for excitation including two electrode, and at least one of the two electrodes is a comb-like electrode including a plurality of comb-like electrode fingers and a linear bus electrode to which one end of each of the plural comb-like electrode finger is connected. When dividing the transducer into two areas in the length direction of the bus electrode, at least one connection portion for one of the two electrodes is disposed in one of the two areas, while at least one connection portion for the other electrode is disposed in the other area.

Abstract: Each of transducers of a touch panel device includes a piezoelectric thin film, a plate electrode disposed at one surface of the piezoelectric thin film and a comb-like electrode disposed at the other surface of the piezoelectric thin film. The comb-like electrode has a plurality of comb-like electrode fingers and a linear bus electrode to which one end of each of the plural comb-like electrode fingers is connected. A plurality of wiring electrodes is provided at the outer side of any of the transducers in parallel with the bus electrode of the transducer and is connected to the bus electrode and the plate electrode of any of the transducers. Each of the wiring electrodes includes an electrode base portion formed by printing silver paste containing fine particles on the substrate and an electrode main body formed by printing silver paste containing large particles and fine particles in a mixed manner on the electrode base portion.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: A touch panel device is provided that can detect a touched position with sufficient resolution and accuracy without requiring high accuracy in process for forming a piezoelectric thin film. In the middle portion of the glass substrate, a substantially rectangular touch area is provided. In the periphery of the touch area, plural transmission comb electrodes arranged along one of the neighboring sides of the touch area and plural reception comb electrodes arranged along the other of the neighboring sides make pairs. Surface acoustic wave signals propagate from the transmission comb electrodes to the reception comb electrodes in a slanting direction with respect to four sides of the touch area. The inside edge of the piezoelectric thin film is formed linearly along the sides of the touch area.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a substrate, a lower electrode on the substrate, a piezoelectric layer on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode on the piezoelectric layer. The upper electrode includes a common base and a plurality of parallel branches extending from the base. The branches are arranged at a regular interval or pitch ?1. The lower electrode faces the branches of the upper electrode via the piezoelectric layer. The thickness h of the piezoelectric layer and the branch pitch ?1 are determined to satisfy an inequality 0.005?h/?1?0.1. The lower electrode has a hillock occurrence rate which is no greater than 0.1%.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: The position of a light blocking object is detected not only within a display screen, but also outside the display screen. With the use of the function of detecting the position in a region outside the display screen, it becomes possible to provide virtual buttons in this region and detect dust around a light retro-reflector. Dirt on the light retro-reflector is detected based on the levels of light receiving signals of optical units.

Abstract: In a touch panel device for detecting a position touched by an object by sensing an attenuation or break of surface acoustic waves, in which IDTs for exciting or receiving surface acoustic waves comprising comb-like electrode fingers aligned along confronting bus electrodes are placed on a peripheral area of a substrate, drawing electrodes connected to the bus electrode positioned closer to the center of the substrate and led out to the peripheral area side of the substrate are provided. Each of the IDT regions segmented by the drawing electrodes is constituted by repetition, and the drawing electrodes are disposed so that impedance in each IDT region becomes equal.

Abstract: A touch panel device includes a plurality of input IDTs for exciting surface acoustic waves and a plurality of output IDTs for receiving the surface acoustic waves, corresponding to a plurality of tracks on a non-piezoelectric substrate, and each input IDT has a wideband electrode structure and each output IDT has a matched filter structure for outputting a large output upon receipt of a specific binary signal sequence. A signal obtained by arranging a plurality of specific signal sequences in time series is applied to each input IDT.