Abstract: A device for detecting a holding state of an object. The device includes a housing for the object that has a shape that can be held by an operator and a piezoelectric sensor attached to the housing. Moreover, a detecting unit can detects a holding state of the housing by using a fluctuation amount of an output voltage of the piezoelectric sensor. The housing has a shape having a hollow space and the piezoelectric sensor has a flat film shape and is disposed in contact with an inner wall surface of the housing. The piezoelectric film produces charges when stretched and contracted in response to a displacement of the housing that are outputted as a voltage to the detecting unit. When detecting that the output voltage significantly fluctuates, the detecting unit identifies that the object is being held.

Abstract: A stretchable film laminate that includes a laminated body and external electrodes. The laminated body is formed such that a plurality of stretchable films and a plurality of main-surface electrodes are laminated in an alternate manner. The stretchable films are provided with cuts through which some of the main-surface electrodes are partially exposed. The external electrodes are connected to a part of the main-surface electrodes exposed through the cuts.

Abstract: A press detecting touch panel that includes a housing defining an opening, a piezoelectric film, and a holding member which holds the piezoelectric film within the opening. An entire periphery of the holding member is fixed to the housing such that the holding member covers the opening, and a first cross sectional shape along a first direction of the holding member is different than a second cross sectional shape along a second direction of the holding member.

Abstract: A touch panel that includes a housing defining an opening and a piezoelectric film covering the opening. The opening has a shape whose lengths in an X direction and a Y direction are different. The piezoelectric film is stretched in a uniaxial direction, and is aligned such that the uniaxial direction forms an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the X direction and the Y direction.

Abstract: A displacement sensor having a rectangular shaped elastic member. A piezoelectric element is attached to a first main face of the elastic member. The piezoelectric element has a rectangular-shaped piezoelectric sheet and electrodes on both main faces of the piezoelectric sheet. The piezoelectric sheet is made of poly-L-lactic acid and is at least uniaxially-stretched. The piezoelectric element is attached so that the uniaxial-stretching direction of the piezoelectric sheet is 45° relative to a long-side direction of the elastic member. When the elastic member is bent along the long-side direction, the piezoelectric sheet is stretched along the long-side direction, and the piezoelectric element generates voltage of predetermined level.

Abstract: A panel of an input terminal that includes a base substrate having a first principal surface and a second principal surface opposing each other; a piezoelectric film having a third principal surface and a fourth principal surface opposing each other and made of a uniaxially stretched polylactic acid; and rigid bodies disposed at end portions of the first principal surface and the second principal surface of the base substrate so as to oppose each other across the base substrate and partially prevent a deformation caused by a twist of the base substrate. First displacement detection electrodes are formed on the first principal surface of the piezoelectric film and divide the first principal surface into four. Second displacement detection electrodes are formed on the second principal surface of the piezoelectric film and oppose the first displacement detection electrodes on the first principal surface.

Abstract: A touch panel that includes a plate member which includes a first principal surface and a second principal surface opposing each other, and is constructed so as to be distorted in response to a force applied to the first principal surface; a main functional unit having piezoelectric voltage detection electrodes disposed on opposed sides of a piezoelectric film and which detect a piezoelectric voltage corresponding to a distortion amount of the piezoelectric film; and an adhesive layer which adheres the plate member and the main functional unit, the adhesive layer being divided into a plurality of areas, and at least two areas have different moduli.

Abstract: A cryopump system includes: a plurality of cryopumps connected to a common roughing pump in a rough line and provided with a plurality of rough valves in the rough line, respectively; and a controller configured to control each of the rough valves for regenerating a corresponding one of the plurality of cryopumps. A delay time is set between closing of an open one of the plurality of rough valves and opening of a closed one of the plurality of rough valves. The controller applies the delay time uniformly upon closing of each of the rough valves.

Abstract: A touch panel having a piezoelectric sensor and an electrostatic sensor that are integrally formed. The piezoelectric sensor is connected to a displacement detector and a sound emission amplifier through a relay switch. A controller performs switch control on the relay switch. The piezoelectric sensor emits sound while the sound emission amplifier and the piezoelectric sensor are connected to each other by the relay switch. When the operation input is detected through the electrostatic sensor and the touch position detector, the controller performs the switch control on the relay switch to connect the piezoelectric sensor to the displacement detector. A detection voltage is input from the piezoelectric sensor to the displacement detector to also detect the pressing amount.

Abstract: A touch panel that includes a dielectric film and a piezoelectric film. A first capacitance detection electrode is disposed on an upper main surface of the dielectric film, a second capacitance detection electrode and a first piezoelectric voltage detection electrode are disposed between a lower main surface of the dielectric film and an upper main surface of the piezoelectric film, and a second piezoelectric voltage detection electrode is disposed on a lower main surface of the piezoelectric film. The first capacitance detection electrode includes plural sub-electrodes extending in a first direction, the second capacitance detection electrode includes plural sub-electrodes extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the first piezoelectric voltage detection electrode includes plural sub-electrodes disposed between the plural sub-electrodes.

Abstract: A specific region of a polylactic acid sheet is heated by a microwave. To allow the polylactic acid sheet to exhibit piezoelectricity in the thickness direction of the polylactic acid sheet, a high voltage is applied to the heated polylactic acid sheet in the thickness direction of the polylactic acid sheet, and thereby the screw axes of at least a part of the polylactic acid molecules are relatively aligned with the thickness direction. Then the polylactic acid sheet is rapidly cooled, and thereby the polylactic acid molecules are immobilized. The same step is executed for other regions of the polylactic acid sheet, and thereby piezoelectricity is imparted to a wide area of the polylactic acid sheet in the thickness direction. The resultant piezoelectric sheet is capable of exhibiting a high piezoelectricity in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A pressing force sensor that includes an expandable and contractible film, pressing force detecting resistor membranes formed on a portion of a main surface of the film, and a support disposed along the main surface of the film. The support is provided with recesses or holes with openings located in areas where the pressing force detecting resistor membranes on the main surface of the film are located. In the pressing force sensor, when a pressing force is exerted on the main surface of the film, the film is expanded with a pressing force detecting resistor membrane. As a result, the pressing force detecting resistor membrane is deformed, and a change in resistance value of the pressing force detecting resistor membrane corresponding to the deformation is detected.

Abstract: A touch panel having a piezoelectric sheet with a first region and a second region, and a surface protection film bonded to the second region of the piezoelectric sheet with a non-curable adhesive. The non-curable adhesive has a larger elasticity than a material that bonds the first region of the piezoelectric sheet to the surface protection film.

Abstract: A pressure-sensing device including a pressed component that has a contact surface to which pressure is applied by contact from a presser; a polymeric piezoelectric element that is disposed at an opposite side from the contact surface of the pressed component and that has a piezoelectric constant d14 of 1 pC/N or more as measured at 25° C. using a stress-charge method; a curable resin layer that includes at least one selected from the group consisting of cold-setting resins, thermosetting resins, and actinic radiation-curable resins and that is in contact with at least part of a surface of the polymeric piezoelectric element; and an electrode that is in contact with at least part of a surface of the polymeric piezoelectric element or of a surface of the curable resin layer.

Abstract: A touch panel capable of detecting a pen and a finger, capable of corresponding to multi-touch, capable of detecting pressing force, and capable of reducing the use amount of a transparent electrode as much as possible. The touch panel has a piezoelectric sheet of poly-L-lactic acid having a predetermined stretching axial direction, electrodes that are opposed to each other and formed on the piezoelectric sheet do not cover the entire surface of the piezoelectric sheet and are formed so that they are discretely distributed in plural positions. The piezoelectric sheet is brought into the condition that tension is imparted in directions not coincident with the stretching axial direction.

Abstract: A tactile sense presentation device that includes a film member which deforms in a planar direction when a voltage is applied thereto, a diaphragm fixed to the film member in a state where a bending stress is applied to the diaphragm, a touch detector which detects a touch operation, and a voltage driver which applies a drive signal to the film member when the touch detector detects the touch operation.

Abstract: A headphone is disclosed that includes a headband and a pair of sound emitting units. The headband is a band-shaped body that is curved in an arch shape. The sound emitting units each have a flat shape and are disposed at both ends of the headband. The sound emitting units each include a piezoelectric actuator of a flat film shape disposed on a flat plane of a sound emission housing of a flat shape. The piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric film made of an organic piezoelectric material such as PLLA, and first and second driving conductors disposed on opposing principal planes of the piezoelectric film.

Abstract: A touch input device includes a touch panel, a press detection signal generating unit and a touch detection signal generating unit. The touch panel is formed by laminating a piezoelectric sensor and a capacitive sensor. The piezoelectric sensor is connected to the press detection signal generating unit, and the capacitive sensor is connected to the touch detection signal generating unit. The piezoelectric sensor includes a piezoelectric film, and first and second press detecting conductors disposed with the piezoelectric film sandwiched therebetween. The piezoelectric film is disposed such that a polarity of electric charges produced by a press in the piezoelectric film, and a polarity of excited electric charges produced in the piezoelectric film when the capacitive sensor detects a touch become reverse polarities.

Abstract: A touch sensor that includes a pressure detection sensor and a position detection sensor. The pressure detection sensor and the position detection sensor are sequentially disposed from an operation surface side of the touch sensor. The position detection sensor includes a dielectric substrate, first position detecting electrodes on a first principal surface of the dielectric substrate, and second position detecting electrodes on a second principal surface of the dielectric substrate. The pressure detection sensor includes a piezoelectric film, a first piezoelectric detecting electrode on a first principal surface of the piezoelectric film, and a second piezoelectric detecting electrode on a second principal surface of the piezoelectric film. The first and second piezoelectric detecting electrodes are disposed so as to not overlap the first and second position detecting electrodes.

Abstract: A touch panel that includes a molecule oriented polylactic acid film having a first principal plane and a second principal plane. The polylactic acid film is constructed to generate a voltage when the polylactic acid film is deformed to have a concave shape on the first principal plane and a convex shape on the second principal plane. An electrode is arranged adjacent at least one of the first principal plane and the second principal plane of the polylactic acid film so as to detect the voltage.