Patent ID: 8476542

Claim:
An input device comprising: a flat-type input unit having a plurality of electrodes and capable of detecting a position of a control object on the basis of a change in capacitance that occurs when the control object touches the flat-type input unit; a mode-switching button configured to switch between a first operation mode and a second operation mode; a main switch unit disposed immediately below a center of an input area; a plurality of sub-switch units disposed around the main switch unit, the main switch unit and the plurality of sub-switch units disposed in the area of the flat-type input unit in a plan view such that one of the plurality of sub-switch units will switch over when any part of the input area is pressed, except that none of the plurality of sub-switch units will switch over when only the center of the input area is pressed; a control unit configured to determine a position of the control object on the basis of the change in capacitance of the flat-type input unit when the main switch unit and the sub-switch unit are switched to be in the detected states; wherein when in the first operation mode, a detection signal supplied from the main switch unit is treated as a valid signal and a detection signal supplied from any sub-switch unit is treated as an invalid signal, if the control object is determined to be in a first part of the input area, wherein the first part of the input area is not proximate to the corresponding sub-switch unit supplying the detected signal; wherein when in the first operation mode, a detection signal supplied from a sub-switch unit is treated as a valid signal and a detection signal supplied from a main switch unit is treated as an invalid signal, if the control object is determined to be in a second part of the input area, wherein the second part of the input area is proximate to the corresponding sub-switch unit supplying the detected signal; and wherein when in the second operation mode, when both the main switch unit and the sub-switch unit are switched to the detected states, only the detection output signal supplied from the main switch unit is treated as a valid signal regardless of the detected position of the control object.