Patent ID: 8665237

Claim:
A display apparatus with proximity detection, the apparatus comprising; a transparent surface; a sensor mounted on a first surface of the transparent surface at a first position to detect an approach of a user, the sensor constituted of plural detection electrodes detecting a three-dimensional position corresponding to a two dimensional plane and a space perpendicular to the two dimensional plane; a detection resolution adjusting device that adjusts (a) detection sensitivity of the detection electrodes by controlling an output of each of the detection electrodes and (b) detection resolution by controlling a detection interval determined by a number of electrodes that contribute to the detection electrodes through activation or non-activation of the detection electrodes, the adjustment based on a distance between the sensor and the user to be contacted to any one of the detection electrodes, wherein the detection sensitivity decreases as the object approaches the sensor and the detection resolution increases as the user approaches the sensor to make the detection interval narrower in accordance with the adjustment, and wherein if no user is detected the detection sensitivity is increased to a maximum and the detection resolution decreases to make the detection interval a maximum in accordance with the adjustment; a display element, mounted independently of the sensor on the first surface of the transparent surface at a second position a distance from the sensor, displays information to the user; and a control unit controls the display element and the sensor, wherein the control unit controls the display element such that when the sensor detects the user is within a first predetermined range from the sensor, the display element displays first information, when the sensor detects the user is within a second predetermined range from the sensor, which is closer to the sensor than the first predetermined range, the display element displays second information, and when the sensor detects the user touches the transparent surface relative to the sensor, the display element displays third information.