Patent ID: 7062075
Filing Date: 2006-06-13
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
1. A surface shape recognition sensor device comprising: a number of sensor cells which are two-dimensionally arranged; a decoder which selects a sensor cell; an output circuit which sends a sensor output from said selected sensor cell; a control circuit which sends an address signal to said decoder to select said sensor cell; and a calibration mode signal line which is commonly connected to said sensor cells and simultaneously supplies a calibration mode signal from said control circuit to said sensor cells to designate calibration, wherein each of said sensor cells comprises a detection element which detects an electric amount that changes in accordance with a surface shape of an object to be detected, a sensor circuit which performs sensing operation of measuring the electric amount detected by said detection element, converting the electric amount into a corresponding output signal, and outputting the output signal, and a calibration circuit which adjusts a detection sensitivity of said sensor circuit on the basis of the sensor output obtained by the sensing operation of said sensor circuit, and when the calibration mode signal is supplied from said control circuit to said sensor cells through said calibration mode signal line, on the basis of a selection signal from said decoder, calibration operation of adjusting the detection sensitivity of a corresponding sensor circuit is executed using said calibration circuit of said sensor cell, and wherein the calibration operation is executed only when no surface shape detection operation is executed.