JP2004192413A - Input device, mobile information processor, remote control device, and piezoelectric actuator driving control method for input device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input device which gives a natural operation feeling, is provided with a force sense feedback function of high performance and prevents erroneous operations when performing an input operation. <P>SOLUTION: When a depressing operation is started, a touch panel part 2 is quickly displaced in the depressing direction under the control of an actuator control part 8. The actuator control part 8 determines the end timing of the depression operation on the basis of a signal from a depression end determination part 102 to quickly displace back the touch panel part 2 in the direction opposite to the depressing direction. A timer 101 counts a correction period from the start of depressing operation. The correction period is made longer when the extent of displacement of the touch panel part 2 at force sense feedback is larger. When detecting the end timing of the depressing operation in the middle of counting the correction period, the depression end discrimination part 102 delays the timing until the end of the correction period and outputs the timing to the actuator control part 8. A coordinate output part 103 holds, during the correction period, the output coordinate values at the start time of the correction period. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an input device that, when an input is performed by a pressing operation on a panel surface, outputs the pressed position as a coordinate value, and the panel surface is displaced by driving a piezoelectric actuator to feed back a sense of force to a user. The present invention relates to a portable information processing device and a remote control device provided with the input device, and a piezoelectric actuator drive control method in the input device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, an input device called a touch panel has been widely used for an automatic cash handling machine at a financial institution, an automatic ticket vending machine at a railway, and an information processing device such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). The touch panel is provided on the surface of a display such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and associates an icon or the like displayed on the display with a coordinate system on the panel, and an indicator such as a finger or a pen touches the panel. By detecting the position, a GUI (Graphical User Interface) function for the user is realized.
[0003]
In a conventional touch panel, when a user's operation input is performed, the user is notified that the input operation has been accepted, for example, by changing the display of a pressed icon or generating an operation sound. . On the other hand, recently, the height of the panel itself is changed at the timing when an icon or the like is pressed, and a force sensation is returned to a finger or a pointing device, so that a feeling as if a switch button is pressed ( (Click feeling) to improve the user's operation feeling.
[0004]
For example, a multi-layer structure using three or more electrode sheets using a resistive touch panel having a structure in which a plurality of electrode sheets on which transparent electrodes are formed and arranged at regular intervals with their electrode surfaces facing each other is used. Further, an actuator such as a bobbin coil is arranged between a housing for fixing the touch panel and a housing for fixing the display side, and a force sense is fed back to the touch panel (for example, Patent Document 1). 1).
[0005]
Further, an actuator using a piezoelectric element has been considered as an actuator suitable for realizing such a force feedback function. For example, a piezoelectric actuator using a piezoelectric bimorph element as one of the piezoelectric elements has a structure in which a plurality of thin plate-like piezoelectric materials are bonded together with an electrode plate interposed therebetween, and the entire body is curved when a voltage is applied from both sides. Has properties. Therefore, for example, a spacer is provided near the center of one surface of the piezoelectric actuator, and spacers are also provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the back surface of the piezoelectric actuator, and the piezoelectric actuator is mounted on each of the casings on the touch panel side and the display side. The panel surface of the touch panel can be moved up and down by being sandwiched between the bodies via a spacer.
[0006]
Further, there has been an information display device that uses a piezoelectric element to detect an operation input position together with feedback of a force sense. In this information display device, for example, an operation panel is arranged on a liquid crystal display panel, and this operation panel is supported by a piezoelectric element. Then, an operation force and an operation position are detected based on a voltage generated in the piezoelectric element in response to pressing on the operation surface of the operation panel. When an operation force larger than a predetermined threshold is detected, a high frequency is applied to the piezoelectric element to vibrate the operation surface (for example, see Patent Document 2).
[0007]
By the way, in order to give a user a good click feeling by using such a force feedback function, it is necessary to increase the amount of displacement of the touch panel when pressed by a finger and to increase the displacement speed. When a piezoelectric actuator is used, the displacement speed of the touch panel can be particularly increased. However, as the displacement amount and the displacement speed of the touch panel increase, the finger temporarily moves away from the touch panel during the displacement, and a plurality of presses are often erroneously detected.
[0008]
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a malfunction that occurs when the touch panel is pressed.
As a method of returning the force sense by the displacement of the touch panel, for example, when the touch panel is pressed, a method of displacing the touch panel in the pressing direction and a method of displacing the touch panel in the direction opposite to the pressing direction to give a repulsive force to the finger There is a way. For example, when the touch panel is displaced in the pressing direction, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the displacement speed of the touch panel 301 increases, the finger 302 cannot follow this displacement. That is, the displacement speed Vb of the finger 302 is smaller than the displacement speed Va of the touch panel 301, and at this time, the finger 302 is temporarily separated from the touch panel 301.
[0009]
When the finger 302 separates from the touch panel, the touch panel 301 is displaced in the original direction. As a result, the touch operation is detected by the finger 302 touching the touch panel 301 again, and the touch panel 301 is displaced again in the pressing direction. At this time, since the finger 302 is separated from the touch panel 301 again, contact and separation with the touch panel 301 are repeated in a short time. As a result, a plurality of pressing operations are detected in a short time, and a phenomenon called chattering in which the touch panel 301 repeats displacement in a short cycle occurs. Due to the occurrence of this phenomenon, the operational feeling of the user is significantly impaired. Furthermore, since the contact position may be different each time a plurality of contacts are made, a malfunction may occur in a device that performs various processes based on the output coordinate values.
[0010]
On the other hand, when the touch panel 301 is displaced in the direction opposite to the pressing direction of the finger 302, the repulsive force on the finger 302 increases when the displacement amount or the displacement speed of the touch panel 301 increases. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11B, the finger 302 is repelled by the repulsive force of the touch panel 301, separates and comes into contact again, and similarly, a plurality of pressing operations are erroneously detected and chattering occurs. Resulting in.
[0011]
As described above, when trying to return force sense to the user more clearly, a malfunction such as chattering occurs, giving stress to the user and impairing the operational feeling. Had become.
[0012]
As a conventional pressure sensation generating device that prevents malfunction due to separation of a finger or a pointing device, there has been the following device. In this pressing feeling generating device, a movable element composed of a piezoelectric vibrator is provided below one edge of the touch panel, and when the touch panel is pressed, a voltage of a sine waveform for one cycle, for example, based on a commercial AC power supply is generated. By applying a voltage to the mover, the touch panel is moved to generate a click feeling. In addition, a signal gate circuit is provided at the output stage of the input surface detection circuit that detects pressure on the touch panel, and cancels the detection signal output from the input surface detection circuit during a certain re-press prohibition period after detecting the pressure on the touch panel By doing so, the mover is prevented from being driven by the unstable pressing operation (for example, see Patent Document 3).
[0013]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-259059 (paragraph numbers [0037] to [0042], FIG. 6)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-212725 (paragraph numbers [0126] to [0128], FIG. 3)
[Patent Document 3]
JP 2001-350592 A (paragraph numbers [0008] to [0015], FIG. 1)
[0014]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, when the amount of displacement of the touch panel during the pressing operation is increased, the finger or the indicator temporarily separates from the touch panel, and a plurality of pressing operations are erroneously detected, thereby causing a malfunction. That was a problem. Further, in the pressing sensation generating device disclosed in Patent Document 3, the detection signal output from the input surface detection circuit is canceled during a certain re-pressing prohibition period after the pressing is detected, so that during the re-pressing prohibition period. A plurality of press detections due to the separation of the finger or the pointing device at the time are not generated. However, in this method, since the pressing operation is detected only at a fixed time interval, it is impossible to perform a high-speed continuous input operation, and there is a problem that the operation feeling is impaired.
[0015]
The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an input device in which an erroneous operation at the time of an input operation is prevented while an operation feeling is natural and a high-performance force feedback function is provided. Aim.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problem, when an input is performed by a pressing operation on a panel surface, the pressed position is output as a coordinate value, and the panel surface is displaced to return a force sense to a user. In the apparatus, a panel surface displacement mechanism for displacing the panel surface using a piezoelectric actuator composed of a piezoelectric bimorph element, pressure detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the pressure operation on the panel surface, and according to a setting operation by a user A displacement amount setting means for setting the displacement amount of the panel surface, and when the pressing operation is started based on the detection by the pressure detecting means, the larger the set value of the displacement amount by the displacement amount setting means, the larger the value. A long correction period is measured, and the end timing of the pressing operation is delayed until the end of the correction period during the measurement of the correction period. When the pressing operation is started based on detection by the pressing timing correcting unit and the pressing detecting unit, the piezoelectric actuator is driven to displace the panel surface according to the setting of the displacement amount, and the timing correction is performed. And a displacement mechanism control means for controlling the panel surface displacement mechanism so as to hold the panel surface at a predetermined position until receiving the end timing from the means.
[0017]
Here, the displacement amount setting means sets the displacement amount of the panel surface based on the setting operation by the user. The timing correction means measures a correction period from the start of the pressing operation, and outputs a delayed timing of the end of the pressing operation until after the correction period during the measurement of the correction period. The displacement mechanism control means displaces the panel surface in accordance with the setting of the displacement amount by the displacement amount setting means, and stops the panel surface at a predetermined position until receiving the end timing of the pressing operation corrected by the timing correction means. Therefore, in the correction period from the start of the pressing operation, even if the pressing operation is repeatedly ended and started by mistake, the displacement of the panel surface based on the detection of the pressing operation is not performed. Further, the correction period is set longer by the timing correction means as the set value of the displacement amount is larger, so that the smaller the displacement amount of the panel surface, the faster the input operation becomes possible.
[0018]
Further, for example, a coordinate detection unit that outputs a pressed position on the panel surface by the pressing operation as a coordinate value and holds the output coordinate value during measurement of the correction period may be provided. In this case, even when the end and start of the pressing operation are erroneously repeated within the correction period, the coordinate value based on the detection of the pressing operation is not output.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of the input device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[0020]
Hereinafter, as an example, an input device 100 used as a control panel for operating a broadcast device such as a switcher device for switching input images will be described. The input device 100 includes a liquid crystal display unit 1 and a touch panel unit 2 as shown in FIG. A flexible substrate 4 on which the piezoelectric actuator 3 is mounted is fixed on the display surface side of the liquid crystal display unit 1.
[0021]
The liquid crystal display unit 1 includes a display panel 1a on which an image is displayed and a frame 1b for holding the display panel. A liquid crystal substrate, a backlight, and the like (not shown) are provided inside the display panel 1a. The frame 1b is made of, for example, metal, and is provided on the display surface of the display panel 1a so as not to block the image display area.
[0022]
The touch panel unit 2 includes a pressing unit 2a pressed by a user and a frame 2b for holding the pressing unit 2a. The pressing portion 2a is made of a transparent resin sheet, and an image displayed on the display panel 1a of the liquid crystal display portion 1 is transmitted. The frame 2b is made of, for example, metal and is provided so as not to block the display area of the display panel 1a.
[0023]
The touch panel unit 2 is, for example, a so-called resistive touch panel, and has a structure in which a plurality of electrode sheets on which transparent electrodes are formed are arranged at regular intervals with their electrode surfaces facing each other. When the pressing portion 2a in the figure is pressed by a pointing tool such as a user's finger or a pen, the electrode sheets come into contact with each other, and by detecting a resistance change on each electrode sheet at this time, the pointing position is detected. Are specified as coordinate values.
[0024]
The piezoelectric actuator 3 is made of a piezoelectric bimorph element, and bends and deforms according to a drive voltage applied through an electrode provided on the flexible substrate 4. The flexible substrate 4 is a flexible wiring substrate in which electrodes are formed on a resin film of, for example, polyimide using a conductive metal foil such as copper foil, and an electrode for supplying a driving voltage to the piezoelectric actuator 3. Are provided, and a pair of through holes described later is provided, and the piezoelectric actuator 3 is held using the through holes.
[0025]
In the input device 100, the touch panel unit 2 is disposed on the display surface side of the liquid crystal display unit 1 so as to sandwich the flexible substrate 4 and the piezoelectric actuator 3. An image of an operation function item such as an icon displayed on the display panel 1a of the liquid crystal display unit 1 is transmitted through the pressing unit 2a of the touch panel unit 2, and the user places a finger on the display position of these images on the pressing unit 2a. An input operation according to the display image is performed by bringing a pointing tool such as a pen or a pen into contact.
[0026]
The liquid crystal display unit 1 and the touch panel unit 2 are actually mounted on an external housing (not shown) of the input device 100. At this time, the touch panel unit 2 is disposed on the liquid crystal display unit 1 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the display surface. Accordingly, the distance of the touch panel unit 2 from the liquid crystal display unit 1 changes according to the bending deformation of the piezoelectric actuator 3. Therefore, by bending and deforming the piezoelectric actuator 3 at the timing when the user presses the pressing portion 2a of the touch panel unit 2, a force sense is returned to the user, and the user feels as if the switch button is pressed (clicking). Feeling) can be given. Note that a circuit that detects a pressing operation on the touch panel unit 2 and controls driving of the piezoelectric actuator 3 according to the pressing operation is housed in, for example, an external housing.
[0027]
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mounting state of the piezoelectric actuator 3 on the flexible substrate 4. FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a part of the flexible substrate 4, and FIG. 2B is a side sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 2, the flexible board 4 has a mounting portion 41 formed of a pair of through holes 41a and 41b for mounting the piezoelectric actuator 3, a wiring pattern 42a for supplying a driving voltage to the piezoelectric actuator 3, and 42b is provided.
[0029]
In the mounting portion 41, the through holes 41a and 41b are formed, for example, in parallel in the same shape. A central spacer portion 41c is formed between the through holes 41a and 41b while the resin film forming the flexible substrate 4 is left in a bridge shape. In the present embodiment, as an example, two such mounting portions 41 are provided on one flexible substrate 4.
[0030]
The wiring patterns 42 a and 42 b are provided such that respective wirings are connected to one end of the mounting portion 41. On the other hand, wiring terminals 31a and 31b are provided at one end of the piezoelectric actuator 3, and when these wiring terminals 31a and 31b come into contact with the wiring patterns 42a and 42b on the flexible substrate 4, a driver (not shown) is provided. The drive voltage supplied from the circuit is supplied to the piezoelectric actuator 3.
[0031]
In the mounting portion 41, the piezoelectric actuator 3 is inserted through one through hole 41a from the front side, for example, and then inserted through the lower portion of the central spacer portion 41c into the through hole 41b from the back side, so that both ends in the longitudinal direction are formed. It is mounted in contact with the surface of the flexible substrate 4. Since the piezoelectric actuator 3 has relatively high rigidity and the flexible substrate 4 is easily deformed, as shown in FIG. 2 (B), only the central spacer portion 41c swells in the front side direction, and The actuator 3 is held. At this time, the wiring terminals 31a and 31b provided at one end of the piezoelectric actuator 3 and the wiring patterns 42a and 42b on the flexible substrate 4 come into contact and are electrically connected. Actually, after these are brought into contact, the contacts are fixed using solder or the like. Thereby, the piezoelectric actuator 3 itself is also fixed on the flexible substrate 4.
[0032]
After the piezoelectric actuator 3 is mounted as described above, the flexible substrate 4 is sandwiched between the frame 1b of the liquid crystal display unit 1 and the frame 2b of the touch panel unit 2. At this time, for example, regions 43a and 43b in which the upper surface of the central spacer portion 41c in the drawing contacts the frame 2b of the touch panel portion 2 and the lower surface of the flexible substrate 4 in contact with the piezoelectric actuator 3 are connected to the liquid crystal display portion 1. It comes into contact with the frame 1b. With such a mounting structure, the central spacer portion 41c of the flexible substrate 4 functions as a spacer between the frame 2b of the touch panel portion 2 and the piezoelectric actuator 3, and the regions 43a and 43b of the flexible substrate 4 have a liquid crystal display. It functions as a spacer between the frame 1b of the part 1 and the piezoelectric actuator 3.
[0033]
When a drive voltage is supplied to the piezoelectric actuator 3 in this state, the piezoelectric actuator 3 is bent and deformed. At this time, the central spacer portion 41c moves in a direction perpendicular to the liquid crystal display portion 1 in accordance with the displacement of the central portion of the piezoelectric actuator 3. Specifically, when the piezoelectric actuator 3 is bent upward in the drawing and the central spacer portion 41c is displaced upward, the distance between the touch panel portion 2 and the liquid crystal display portion 1 increases, and conversely, the piezoelectric actuator 3 Is curved downward in the figure, the distance between the touch panel unit 2 and the liquid crystal display unit 1 becomes smaller. Therefore, the touch panel unit 2 is displaced according to the bending amount and the bending direction of the piezoelectric actuator 3, and a force feedback function for the user is realized.
[0034]
Note that a reinforcing plate made of a highly rigid material such as celluloid may be attached to the surface of the central spacer portion 41c or the back surface of the portion of the flexible substrate 4 where both ends of the piezoelectric actuator 3 are in contact.
[0035]
The above-described mounting method of the piezoelectric actuator 3 is merely an example, and a spacer is provided near the center of one surface of the piezoelectric actuator 3, and further spacers are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction on the other surface. The piezoelectric actuator 3 may be mounted by another method as long as the piezoelectric actuator 3 has a structure provided with.
[0036]
Next, a control function for controlling the operation of the piezoelectric actuator 3 in the input device 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the input device 100.
[0037]
The input device 100 includes an A / D converter 5 that converts a signal detected by the touch panel unit 2 into a digital signal, a touch panel detection unit 6 that detects a coordinate value and the presence or absence of a pressing operation based on the converted digital signal, Pressure-sensitive setting unit 7 and pressure-sensitive setting switch (SW) 71 for setting the amount of displacement of touch panel unit 2 at the time of haptic feedback, actuator control unit 8 for controlling the operation of piezoelectric actuator 3, and driving of piezoelectric actuator 3 It includes a driver circuit 9 and a timing correction unit 10 for correcting output timing of coordinate values and the like.
[0038]
The A / D converter 5 converts a detection signal from the touch panel unit 2 into a digital signal and supplies the digital signal to the touch panel detection unit 6.
The touch panel detection unit 6 outputs a control signal for scanning the XY coordinates on the panel to the touch panel unit 2. Further, it has a pressure detecting section 61 and a coordinate detecting section 62, and a signal from the A / D converter 5 is input to these.
[0039]
The pressing detection unit 61 determines the timing (hereinafter, referred to as “PUSH timing”) at which a pressing operation by a user's finger or pointing tool is started on the touch panel unit 2 based on a signal from the A / D converter 5. , A timing at which a finger, a pointing device, or the like separates from the touch panel unit 2 (hereinafter, referred to as “PULL timing”). Then, the PUSH timing is supplied to the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7 and the timer 101 of the timing correction unit 10, and the PULL timing is supplied to the pressing end determination unit 102 of the timing correction unit 10.
[0040]
The coordinate detection unit 62 detects a position where the pressing operation is performed on the touch panel unit 2 as an XY coordinate value based on a signal from the A / D converter 5, and outputs the position to the coordinate output unit 103 of the timing correction unit 10. Output at regular intervals.
[0041]
A pressure-sensitive setting switch 71 is connected to the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7. With the pressure-sensitive setting switch 71, the sensitivity at which the user senses a force can be set in a plurality of stages by the force-feedback function of the touch panel unit 2. For example, three levels of “Hard”, “Mid”, and “Soft” can be set from the one with the highest sensitivity. The pressure-sensitive setting unit 7 outputs a set value corresponding to the pressure-sensitive setting to the actuator control unit 8 and the timer 101 based on the setting of the pressure-sensitive setting switch 71. Further, a signal for starting the operation is supplied to the actuator control unit 8 at the PUSH timing supplied from the press detection unit 61.
[0042]
The actuator control unit 8 is based on the set value of the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7, the PUSH timing supplied from the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7, and the timing signal Spl supplied from the pressing end determination unit 102 of the timing correction unit 10. And the driving voltage output from the driver circuit 9.
[0043]
The driver circuit 9 applies drive voltages Vh and Vl to the piezoelectric actuator 3 based on a signal from the actuator control unit 8. The output voltage of the driver circuit 9 based on the control by the actuator control unit 8 will be described later in detail.
[0044]
The timing correction unit 10 is a functional block for correcting a PULL timing detected in the touch panel unit 2 to prevent a malfunction such as chattering caused by a displacement of the touch panel unit 2. The timing correction unit 10 includes a timer 101, a pressing end determination unit 102, and a coordinate output unit 103.
[0045]
The timer 101 outputs a control signal St that gives a correction period for correcting the PULL timing to the pressing end determination unit 102 based on the timer setting value set according to the pressure setting in the pressure setting unit 7. I do. Specifically, the control signal St starts counting from the PUSH timing supplied from the pressure detection unit 61, and sets the control signal St as a correction period until the counting operation for the timer set value according to the pressure-sensitive setting ends. H level. In addition, during the counting operation in the correction period, the detection of the PUSH timing from the pressing detection unit 61 is cancelled, and a new counting operation is not performed.
[0046]
The pressing end determination unit 102 also determines the end timing of the pressing operation based on the control signal St from the timer 101. Specifically, when a PULL timing is received during a correction period based on the control signal St, this timing is delayed after the correction period. Then, based on this determination, a control signal Sps indicating the presence or absence of the pressing operation is generated and output to the coordinate output unit 103. Further, it outputs a timing signal Spl indicating the end timing of the pressing operation to the actuator control unit 8.
[0047]
The coordinate output unit 103 outputs the coordinate values supplied from the coordinate detection unit 62 to the outside. Further, while the control signal Sps from the pressing end determination unit 102 is at the H level, the output coordinate value is held at the value at the start of reception of the control signal Sps.
[0048]
In addition, the input device 100 outputs an image signal to the liquid crystal display unit 1 and receives XY coordinate values from the coordinate detection unit 62 in response to a user's operation input to the touch panel unit 2. An information processing device (not shown) that performs a predetermined process is connected. The information processing apparatus displays an image of an operation function item such as an icon on the liquid crystal display unit 1, for example. Then, the pressed position on the touch panel unit 2 is received as XY coordinate values, the selected operation function item is recognized from the XY coordinate values, and processing according to the selection is performed.
[0049]
Next, drive control for the piezoelectric actuator 3 in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing the output voltage of the driver circuit 9 and the displacement of the touch panel unit 2.
[0050]
FIG. 4 shows the driving voltages Vh and Vl output from the driver circuit 9 and the amount of displacement of the touch panel unit 2 when the pressing operation on the touch panel unit 2 is performed. Here, the driving voltages Vh and Vl are voltages applied to two wiring terminals 31a and 31b provided on the piezoelectric actuator 3, respectively. Further, the displacement amount of the touch panel unit 2 is shown, for example, such that the pressing direction by the user is downward in the drawing.
[0051]
Further, in the present embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that three levels of pressure sensitivity setting of “Hard”, “Mid”, and “Soft” are possible. Here, the pressure-sensitive setting is to change the strength of the click feeling given to the user by changing the displacement amount of the piezoelectric actuator 3. This pressure sensitivity setting is realized by setting the times t1, t2, and t3 at which the drive voltage Vh is increased from the start of the pressing operation, as described later.
[0052]
The bending amount of the piezoelectric actuator 3 increases as the potential difference between the wiring terminals 31a and 31b increases. When the polarity of the voltage applied to each terminal is reversed, the piezoelectric actuator 3 bends in the opposite direction. Accordingly, the polarity is reversed and the drive voltage Vl is applied to the other wiring terminal 31b from the state where the driving voltage Vh is applied to one wiring terminal 31a, for example, at timings T402 to T403 in FIG. By shifting to the state, the amount of displacement of the touch panel unit 2 due to the bending of the piezoelectric actuator 3 can be increased, and at this time, a click feeling is given to the user.
[0053]
Further, in the present embodiment, before timing T401 (PULL timing), which is the start time of the pressing operation, the driving voltage Vh and Vl are not applied together, thereby suppressing the power consumption during standby. Then, at a timing T401, a pressing operation on the touch panel unit 2 is detected. At this time, the actuator control unit 8 detects the PUSH timing through the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7 and controls the driver circuit 9 so that the drive voltage Vh gradually increases as shown in FIG.
[0054]
Next, at a timing T402 at which a predetermined time t1 has elapsed, the driver circuit 9 is controlled to invert the polarity of the output voltage. Thus, the application of the driving voltage Vh is stopped before the timing T403 when the time t4 has elapsed, and the driving voltage Vl is set to the voltage value of the driving voltage Vh at the timing T402.
[0055]
Then, when the pressing end determining unit 102 determines that the pressing operation on the touch panel unit 2 has ended, the timing signal Spl is output. At timing T404, when receiving the timing signal Spl, the actuator control unit 8 inverts the polarity of the output voltage of the driver circuit 9 again and gradually reduces the output voltage value. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the application of the drive voltage Vl is stopped, and the application of the drive voltage Vh is started again, and the drive voltage Vh is gradually reduced.
[0056]
By such control of the driving voltages Vh and Vl, the touch panel unit 2 is gradually displaced upward at timings T401 to T402, and rapidly displaced in the opposite direction (downward) at timings T402 to T403. At this time, a force sensation is returned to the user as if the button switch was pressed. Further, after being held at this position, it is suddenly displaced again in the opposite direction (upward) at timing T404. At this time, a force sensation that returns the button switch to the original state is returned. Thereafter, the touch panel unit 2 is gradually displaced to the standby position.
[0057]
Here, by setting the time t1 for displacing the touch panel unit 2 in the upward direction to be sufficiently longer than the time t4 for displacing the touch panel unit 2 in the reverse direction, the user can almost feel the sense of force accompanying the displacement of the touch panel unit 2 at the time t1. Instead, a greater force sense can be given to the user at time t4. Therefore, it is possible to give the user a clear click feeling and a natural operation feeling while suppressing the power consumption during standby.
[0058]
Further, at time t1 from timings T401 to T402, the actuator control unit 8 always raises the drive voltage Vh generated by the driver circuit 9 according to the same waveform regardless of the pressure-sensitive setting. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, by shortening the voltage rise time from time t1 to time t2 or t3, the final output voltage value of the output drive voltage Vh decreases, and as a result, the touch panel unit 2 is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to set the pressure sensitivity by changing the voltage rise time based on the set value from the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7.
[0059]
In FIG. 4, for example, times t1, t2, and t3 are set values of the voltage rise time in the pressure setting of “Hard”, “Mid”, and “Soft”, respectively. In each stage, the smaller the displacement amount of the touch panel unit 2 is, the shorter the response time from the pressing operation to the haptic feedback is. Therefore, when high-speed operation is required, it is possible to selectively use “Soft”. It is desirable that the maximum value of the time t1 from the pressing operation to the haptic feedback be about 200 msec.
[0060]
Next, a processing function for preventing a malfunction such as chattering immediately after the pressing operation will be described.
In the case where the force sense is returned to the user by displacing the touch panel unit 2, the greater the instantaneous displacement amount of the touch panel unit 2, the more the user's finger or pointing tool separates from the panel surface. At this time, the pressing and separating of the finger and the pointing device are repeated in a short time, and each time the pressing and separating are detected, the touch panel unit 2 is displaced, and chattering occurs. In addition, there are cases where the pressing operation position after the finger or the pointing device is separated is different, or where the display of the operation function item on the liquid crystal display unit 1 changes for each pressing operation. An external information processing device that receives a signal from the device 100 and performs a predetermined process may malfunction.
[0061]
In order to prevent such a malfunction, it is determined that the pressed state is continued within a predetermined time after the touch panel unit 2 is displaced to give a sense of force, and the position of the touch panel unit 2 is stopped. You can do it. This is realized by, when a PULL timing is detected immediately after the application of a force sensation, delaying this timing after a predetermined time has elapsed and outputting the delayed timing to the actuator control unit 8. Further, during the correction period for correcting the timing as described above, by holding the output value of the coordinate value indicating the pressing operation position, it is possible to prevent the malfunction of the external information processing device connected to the input device 100 It becomes.
[0062]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, there is a response time between the time when the touch operation is performed on the touch panel unit 2 at the timing T401 and the time when the user is actually given a sense of force, for example, at the timing T402. By setting the response time and a predetermined time thereafter as the correction period, malfunction can be prevented.
[0063]
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a correction period necessary for each pressure-sensitive setting in order to prevent malfunction.
For example, when the pressure-sensitive setting is “Hard”, as described above, there is a response time of t1 from the pressing operation to the feedback of the force. Therefore, a period obtained by adding the time t5 at which the finger or the pointing device may separate from the time t1 may be set as the correction period.
[0064]
By the way, when the amount of displacement of the touch panel unit 2 at the time of the force feedback is small, a finger or a pointing tool is unlikely to separate from the touch panel unit 2 and malfunctions are less likely to occur. Therefore, the above correction period may be shortened as the displacement amount is smaller. Further, since the correction period is a delay time until the next pressing operation becomes possible, it is not preferable to make the correction period longer than necessary. In this embodiment, since the displacement amount is adjusted by the pressure-sensitive setting, the correction period suitable for the displacement amount can be set by changing the correction period according to the pressure-sensitive setting.
[0065]
As shown in FIG. 5, assuming that the correction periods at each pressure-sensitive setting of “Hard”, “Mid”, and “Soft” are (t1 + t5), (t2 + t6), and (t3 + t7), the time t5 required after haptic feedback is obtained. It is sufficient that t6 and t7 have a relationship of t5>t6> t7. For example, it may be set so that t1: t5 = t2: t6 = t3: t7. In this case, the displacement of the touch panel 2 when a driving voltage of about 20 V is applied by using the piezoelectric actuator 3 having a length of about 30 mm is 200 μm at the maximum. Is set to 2 msec to 3 msec, malfunction can be satisfactorily prevented by setting the time t5 to about 20% to 40% of the time t1. Note that, as described above, the time t1 is set to about 200 msec or less.
[0066]
The above correction period is generated by the count operation of the timer 101 in the timing correction unit 10. Further, by changing the timer setting value of the timer 101 according to the pressure-sensitive setting by the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7, the length of the correction period changes.
[0067]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the timer 101.
In step S601, as an initial setting, the control signal St for giving a correction period to the pressing end determination unit 102 is set to L level. In step S602, a signal from the press detection unit 61 is monitored, and it is determined whether or not a PUSH timing has been received based on the signal. If it has been received, the process proceeds to step S603; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S608.
[0068]
In step S603, an initial count value of the timer according to the pressure-sensitive setting set by the pressure-sensitive setting unit 7 is set for the count value Ct. The length of the above-described correction period is determined by the count initial value set here.
[0069]
In step S604, the control signal St is set to the H level. Thus, a correction period for the pressing end timing is started.
In step S605, it is determined whether or not the count value has become 0. If not, the process proceeds to step S606. In step S606, the count value Ct is decreased by one, and thereafter, the process returns to step S605.
[0070]
The determination in step S605 is performed at regular intervals, and when the count value becomes 0, the process proceeds to step S607. In step S607, the control signal St is set to the L level to notify that the correction period has ended.
[0071]
In step S608, it is determined whether or not to end the processing. If not, the process returns to step S602 to monitor the next PUSH timing.
In such a process, after receiving the PUSH timing in step S602, when the new PUSH timing is received until the counting operation is completed and the process returns to step S602 from step S608, this reception is ignored. . Accordingly, when an unintended pressing operation on the touch panel unit 2 is performed during the correction period, detection of the pressing operation is canceled, and a malfunction is prevented.
[0072]
Next, FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing in the pressing end determination unit 102.
In step S701, as an initial setting, the control signal Sps and the timing signal Spl are both set to L level. In step S702, the control signal St from the timer 101 is periodically monitored. When the control signal St is at the H level, the process proceeds to step S703, and when the control signal St is at the L level, the process proceeds to step S712.
[0073]
In step S703, the control signal Sps is set to the H level, and the coordinate output unit 103 is notified that the pressing operation has been performed and the correction period has started.
In step S704, the control signal St from the timer 101 is periodically monitored. If the control signal St remains at the H level, the process proceeds to step S705, and if the control signal St is at the L level, the process proceeds to step S709.
[0074]
In step S705, a signal from the pressure detection unit 61 is periodically monitored, and it is determined whether or not a PULL timing has been received based on the signal. If it has been received, the process proceeds to step S706; otherwise, the process returns to step S704.
[0075]
In step S706, the signal level of the control signal St is monitored, and when the signal level becomes L level, the process proceeds to step S707.
In step S707, the control signal Sps is set to the L level, and the coordinate output unit 103 is notified that the correction period has ended. In step S708, the timing signal Spl is output as a pulse signal, and the end timing of the pressing operation is notified to the actuator control unit 8. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S712.
[0076]
Here, in the processing from step S705 to step S708, the PULL timing received during the correction period is notified to the coordinate output unit 103 and the actuator control unit 8 with a delay until the end of the correction period. During the correction period, the reception of the second or subsequent PULL timing is ignored. Upon receiving the corrected timing signal Spl, the actuator control unit 8 controls the driver circuit 9 to return the touch panel unit 2 to the direction opposite to the pressing direction. As a result, even when a finger or a pointing tool separates from the touch panel unit 2 during the correction period, the touched position of the touch panel unit 2 is maintained and chattering does not occur.
[0077]
Note that if a finger or pointing device accidentally separates from the touch panel unit 2 and receives a PULL timing from step S705 to steps S708 and S712 and returns to step S702, this reception is ignored. Is done. Therefore, in this case, unnecessary operation of the piezoelectric actuator 3 is not performed.
[0078]
On the other hand, when the control signal St becomes L level in step S704, the process proceeds to step S709. In step S709, the control signal Sps is set to the L level. In step S710, reception of the PULL timing from the press detection unit 61 is monitored, and if received, the process proceeds to step S711. In step S711, a timing signal Spl is output. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S712.
[0079]
Here, the processing from step S704 to step S711 is executed when the PULL timing is not received during the correction period. That is, this is the case where the finger or the pointing tool does not separate from the touch panel unit 2 by mistake during the correction period. Therefore, when the PULL timing occurs in step S710, this timing is directly used as the pressing end timing by the actuator control unit 8 as the pressing end timing. Notified.
[0080]
In step S712, it is determined whether or not to end the processing. If not, the process returns to step S702 to monitor the control signal St.
Next, FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing in the coordinate output unit 103.
[0081]
From the coordinate detection unit 62 of the touch panel detection unit 6, the detected coordinate values are output to the coordinate output unit 103 at regular intervals while the pressing operation is being performed. In step S801, the coordinate output unit 103 monitors the signal from the coordinate detection unit 62 in accordance with the output cycle of this signal. If a coordinate value has been received, the process proceeds to step S802; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S807.
[0082]
In step S802, the signal level of the control signal Sps from the pressing end determination unit 102 is referred to. If the signal level is H level, the process proceeds to step S803. If the signal level is L level, the process proceeds to step S806.
[0083]
In step S803, the output coordinate value is updated using the value from the coordinate detection unit 62. In step S804, the control signal Sps is monitored in the output cycle of coordinate values. If the control signal Sps remains at the H level, the process proceeds to step S805, and if the control signal Sps changes to the L level, the process proceeds to step S807. In step S805, the output coordinate value is held at the value output before (the output value in step S803).
[0084]
In step S806, the output coordinate value is updated using the value from the coordinate detection unit 62. In step S807, it is determined whether or not to end the process. If not, the process returns to step S801 to monitor a signal from the coordinate detection unit 62.
[0085]
Here, in the processing from step S802 to step S805, the same value as the coordinate value output at the start of the correction period is continuously output until the correction period ends. As a result, a coordinate value due to an unintended pressing operation of the user is not output, and a malfunction in the information processing apparatus that receives and processes the coordinate value is prevented. The processing in step S806 is executed when the finger or the pointing tool does not separate during the correction period. In this case, the PULL timing is recognized as the correct pressing end timing, and the processing is detected at this time. The output coordinates are output as is.
[0086]
FIG. 9 is a time chart illustrating a waveform example of an output signal and an output voltage in the input device 100.
FIG. 9 shows an example of waveforms of an output signal and an output voltage in a case where separation and pressing of a finger or an indicator on the touch panel unit 2 are repeated by mistake during the correction period. In the example of this figure, at timing T901, a pressing operation on the touch panel unit 2 is started. At this time, the correction period is started, and the control signal St from the timer 101 and the control signal Sps from the pressing end determination unit 102 become H level. Further, the drive voltage Vh is gradually increased, and the piezoelectric actuator 3 bends to one side. Then, at a timing T902, the driving voltage Vl is applied, and the bending direction of the piezoelectric actuator 3 is rapidly reversed, whereby the sense of force is fed back to the user.
[0087]
With the return of the force sense, the PUSH timing and the PULL timing are detected a plurality of times from the timing T902 to the timing T903 at which the correction period ends, and the separation and pressing of the finger and the pointing tool on the touch panel unit 2 are repeated. Have been. During the correction period, since the timing signal Spl is not output to the actuator control unit 8, the touch panel unit 2 is not displaced when such a finger or pointing tool is separated or pressed. Then, at timing T903 at which the correction period ends, the drive voltage Vh is applied based on the timing signal Spl, the touch panel unit 2 is displaced in the direction opposite to the pressing direction, and a force sensation such that the button switch is returned is fed back. You.
[0088]
Therefore, chattering does not occur during the correction period. In addition, since unnecessary deformation of the piezoelectric actuator 3 does not occur, the life of the piezoelectric actuator 3 can be extended, and noise during deformation can be prevented.
[0089]
Further, as the output coordinate value from the coordinate output unit 103, the coordinate value detected at the start of the correction period based on the control signal Sps is held until the end. Therefore, during the correction period, output of coordinate values due to an unintended pressing operation of the user is prevented. Although not shown, if the PULL timing is not detected within the correction period, that is, if the finger or the pointing device does not separate, the next PULL timing is detected after the timing T903 at which the correction period ends. In the meantime, the coordinate value detected by the coordinate detection unit 62 is output from the coordinate output unit 103 as it is.
[0090]
As described above, during the correction period, even when the finger or the pointing tool separates from the touch panel unit 2 against the user's intention, a malfunction due to this situation does not occur. In addition, since the correction period changes according to the amount of displacement of the touch panel unit at the time of haptic feedback, for example, by setting the amount of displacement small, a high-speed continuous input operation can be performed. It is possible to prevent a malfunction without impairing the sense. Further, the user's operation feeling can be made closer to the feeling when the switch button is pressed.
[0091]
In the above-described embodiment, the touch panel 2 is gradually displaced to one side after the start of the pressing operation, and then is rapidly displaced in the opposite direction to return the sense of force. However, the present invention is also applicable to an input device configured to return a force sense when a pressing operation is performed. In this case, for the correction period from the start of the pressing operation, by setting a longer time as the displacement amount of the touch panel unit at the time of haptic feedback is larger, it is possible to prevent a malfunction from occurring without impairing the operation feeling. Becomes possible.
[0092]
Further, in the above embodiment, the touch panel unit 2 is suddenly displaced in the pressing direction at the time of the pressing operation, thereby giving the user a click feeling. However, the displacement of the touch panel unit 2 after the pressing operation may be completely opposite to the above. In this case, a large repulsive force is applied to the user's finger or pointing device to make the user perceive that the input has been performed.
[0093]
Further, the input device as described above can be suitably used, for example, as a display input device of an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC), particularly, a portable information terminal such as a portable telephone or a PDA. . In addition to the above-mentioned broadcaster such as a switcher device, etc., it is necessary to operate all kinds of devices such as a cash dispenser (CD), a cash dispenser (ATM), and a game device set in a financial institution. May be used as a display input device. Further, it may be used as a display input device of a remote control device for remotely controlling these devices.
[0094]
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a remote control device for a video tape recorder (VTR) to which the present invention is applied.
The remote control device 200 shown in FIG. 10 displays items for operating the VTR, and a display input unit 210 for receiving selection inputs for these items and transmitting information such as a command code associated with the selection input to the VTR. And a pressure-sensitive setting switch 230 for setting the amount of force sense feedback at the display input unit 210. Here, the input device of the present invention is applied as the display input unit 210, and the force sense is fed back when an operation is input to the display input unit 210. This prevents chattering from occurring in the display input unit 210 particularly when the feedback amount of force sense is set to be large, and also prevents the VTR from malfunctioning due to an unintended operation input.
[0095]
Further, in the above embodiment, the input device for displacing the touch panel provided on the image display surface has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to an input device having no image display. In this case, the piezoelectric actuator is preferably provided at a uniform position on the back side of the panel surface of the touch panel unit.
[0096]
Such an input device without a display unit can be applied to, for example, an input pad provided as a pointing device in an input operation unit of a notebook PC, a tablet device for graphic drawing software, and the like.
[0097]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the input device of the present invention, even if the pressing operation is repeatedly ended and started erroneously within the correction period from the start of the pressing operation, the panel surface based on the detection of such a pressing operation is detected. No displacement occurs. Therefore, erroneous operations such as chattering immediately after the pressing operation are prevented. Further, since the correction period is set longer as the set value of the displacement amount is larger, the smaller the displacement amount of the panel surface is, the faster the input operation can be performed, and the operational feeling of the user is improved.
[0098]
Further, for example, a coordinate detection unit that outputs a pressed position on the panel surface by the pressing operation as a coordinate value and holds the output coordinate value during measurement of the correction period may be provided. In this case, even when the end and start of the pressing operation are erroneously repeated within the correction period, the coordinate value based on the detection of the pressing operation is not output. For this reason, it is prevented that an unintended coordinate value is output immediately after the pressing operation and a malfunction occurs.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a main part of an input device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a mounting state of a piezoelectric actuator on a flexible substrate.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating functions of the input device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing an output voltage of a driver circuit and a displacement of a touch panel unit.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a correction period necessary for each pressure-sensitive setting for preventing malfunction.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in a timer.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing in a pressing end determination unit.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in a coordinate output unit.
FIG. 9 is a time chart illustrating waveform examples of an output signal and an output voltage in the input device.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a remote control device for a video tape recorder to which the present invention has been applied.
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a malfunction that occurs when a touch panel is pressed.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal display part, 1a ... Display panel, 1b ... Frame, 2 ... Touch panel part, 2a ... Press part, 2b ... Frame, 3 ... Piezoelectric actuator, 4 ... Flexible board, 5 ... A / D converter, 6 ... Touch panel detecting section, 7 ... Pressure setting section, 8 ... Actuator control section, 9 ... Driver circuit, 10 ... Timing correction section, 31a, 31b ... Wiring terminal, 41 ... ... Mounting part, 41a, 41b ... Through hole, 41c ... Central spacer part, 42a, 42b ... Wiring pattern, 61 ... Press detection part, 62 ... Coordinate detection part, 100 ... Input device, 101 ... Timer, 102 ... Press end determination unit, 103 ... Coordinate output unit

Claims (13)

When an input is performed by a pressing operation on the panel surface, the input device outputs the pressed position as a coordinate value, and displaces the panel surface to feed back a force sense to a user.
A panel surface displacement mechanism for displacing the panel surface using a piezoelectric actuator composed of a piezoelectric bimorph element,
Press detection means for detecting the presence or absence of the press operation on the panel surface,
Displacement amount setting means for setting a displacement amount of the panel surface according to a setting operation by a user,
When the pressing operation is started based on the detection by the pressing detection unit, the correction period set longer as the set value of the displacement amount by the displacement amount setting unit is larger is measured, and during the measurement of the correction period, Timing correction means for delaying and ending the pressing operation end timing until after the end of the correction period, and
When the pressing operation is started based on the detection by the pressing detecting unit, the piezoelectric actuator is driven to displace the panel surface according to the setting of the displacement amount, and the end timing from the timing correcting unit is set. Until receiving, a displacement mechanism control means for controlling the panel surface displacement mechanism to maintain the panel surface at a predetermined position,
An input device comprising: 2. The input according to claim 1, further comprising a coordinate detecting unit that outputs a pressed position on the panel surface by the pressing operation as a coordinate value, and that holds the coordinate value output during timing of the correction period. 3. apparatus. The displacement mechanism control means, when the pressing operation is started, the panel surface is gradually displaced in one direction and then displaced in the opposite direction, and the displacement time of the panel surface in the one direction is reduced. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the panel surface displacement mechanism is controlled so as to be sufficiently longer than the displacement time in the reverse direction. The displacement mechanism control means, when displacing the panel surface in the one direction, gradually raises or lowers the drive voltage for the piezoelectric actuator according to the same waveform, and raises or lowers the drive voltage according to the waveform. 4. The input device according to claim 3, wherein the amount of displacement of the panel surface is changed by changing a time of the input. 5. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the timing correction unit measures, as the correction period, a time obtained by multiplying a displacement time of the panel surface in the one direction by n times (n> 1). 6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein n = 1.2 to 1.4. The displacement mechanism control means controls the panel surface displacement mechanism so as to maintain the panel surface displaced in the reverse direction until receiving the end timing from the timing correction means. The input device according to claim 3, wherein The displacement mechanism control means, upon receiving the end timing from the timing correction means, after the panel surface is further displaced in the reverse direction, and the applied voltage to the piezoelectric actuator becomes 0 V for a time sufficiently longer than the displacement time. 2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the panel surface displacement mechanism is controlled so as to be displaced in a predetermined state. The panel surface displacement mechanism is provided on a first spacer disposed on a surface near a central portion of the piezoelectric actuator, and disposed near both ends in a longitudinal direction on a surface opposite to a surface on which the first spacer is disposed. Second and third spacers, and the piezoelectric actuator is bent in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement surface of each of the spacers, so that the surface of the first spacer and the second and third spacers are bent. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the panel surface is displaced by changing a distance between the panel surface and a surface of the spacer. Display means for displaying a screen through the panel surface, wherein a selection input is performed by pressing an operation function item displayed on the display means through the panel surface. Item 2. The input device according to Item 1. A portable information processing apparatus comprising the input device according to claim 1. A remote control device comprising the input device according to claim 1. When an input is performed by a pressing operation on the panel surface, an input device that outputs the pressed position as a coordinate value and displaces the panel surface using a piezoelectric actuator composed of a piezoelectric bimorph element to feed back a sense of force to a user. In the piezoelectric actuator drive control method in the
Set the amount of displacement of the panel surface according to the setting operation by the user,
When the pressing operation on the panel surface is started, a longer correction period is set as the set value of the displacement amount is larger, and the end timing of the pressing operation is set as the correction period during the correction period. Correct the end timing to delay until after the end,
When the pressing operation is started, the panel surface is displaced according to the setting of the displacement amount, and the panel surface is held at a predetermined position until the end timing corrected based on the correction period is received. Controlling the driving of the piezoelectric actuator,
A drive control method for a piezoelectric actuator in an input device.

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