JP2019003470A - Haptic hot-cold device and manufacturing method of haptic hot-cold device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a haptic hot-cold device capable of transferring a temperature together with an electric signal.SOLUTION: The haptic hot-cold device includes: a flexible insulating film 3; a wiring 21 formed on a surface 3a of the insulating film 3; a plating member 150 that is filled in a via hole 15 formed in a substrate 6 having an electrode 10 formed on a surface 3b, and electrically and thermally connects the wiring 21 and the electrode 10; and a Peltier element 5 disposed in a plane of the surface 3a so as to overlap with at least a part of a formation region where the electrode 10 on the surface 3b is formed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a tactile thermo-cooling device capable of transmitting temperature information together with an electric signal, and a method for manufacturing the tactile thermo-cooling device.

  At present, in the field of remote control and virtual space, the touch of an object touched by an operator (hereinafter referred to as “virtual contact”) is transmitted to a real operator. The feeling of being in contact with a virtual object is preferably as close as possible to the feeling in contact with an object in the real world, and the reality of remote operation and virtual space can be enhanced. In addition, the real world feel can be realized by applying electrical stimulation to the operator's fingers. Such a technique is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-219887

However, when touching an object in the real world, the temperature is transmitted to the fingers as well as the touch of the object. For this reason, in order to convey information related to virtual contact more realistically to the operator, it is effective to convey the temperature to the operator together with the electrical stimulus that conveys the sense of touch.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a tactile thermo-cooling device capable of transmitting temperature together with an electric signal, and a method for manufacturing such a tactile thermo-cooling device. .

The tactile temperature cooling device according to the present invention includes a flexible substrate body, wiring formed on a first surface that is one main surface of the substrate body, and a second surface that is a back surface of the first surface. A formation in which an electrode to be formed, a connection member that fills a via hole formed in the substrate body, and electrically and thermally connects the wiring and the electrode, and the electrode on the second surface are formed And a temperature control member that overlaps at least a part of the region and is disposed on the first surface side and has a heating or cooling function.
The “main surface” refers to a surface having a much larger area than other surfaces of the thin plate or thin film member. In addition, as long as the member is in the form of a thin plate or a thin film, there is necessarily another large-area surface facing the main surface, and one of the two main surfaces facing each other is the first surface in this embodiment. The other main surface is the second surface.

  In the method for manufacturing a tactile thermal cooling device according to the present invention, the first metal layer is formed on the first main surface of the flexible substrate body, and the second metal layer is formed on the back surface with respect to the first main surface. Forming a via hole in the substrate, filling the via hole with a metal member, electrically and thermally connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and filling the via hole. And a step of arranging a temperature adjusting member having a heating function or a cooling function so as to be in contact with the metal member.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can provide a haptic heating / cooling device capable of transmitting temperature together with an electrical signal and a method for manufacturing the haptic heating / cooling device.

It is a figure for demonstrating the whole structure of the tactile information input device containing the tactile temperature cooling device of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the glove by which the tactile information input device shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the output part of the tactile information input device shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the other example of the output part of the tactile information input device shown in FIG. It is typical sectional drawing of the output part shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the tactile temperature cooling device of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the pressure which a pressure sensor senses, and the state of the surface of the object judged from this pressure. It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the output part provided with two or more via holes. It is a figure for demonstrating the output part of 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment and a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted as appropriate.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, an example in which a tactile heating / cooling device is used as one part of the tactile information input device 1 that inputs information related to the tactile sensation of an article that is virtually touched in a virtual space by an operator An explanation shall be given. In the first embodiment, for example, a pressure sensor is attached to a robot, and the robot contacts an object. In addition, the state of the object touched by the robot is photographed with a camera. The sensor signal output from the pressure sensor when the robot contacts the object is provided to the operator in real time together with the imaging data output from the camera. The imaging data is provided as visual information to the operator by a separately prepared device. The visual information is displayed as a moving image to the operator. The sensor signal is provided to the operator in synchronization with the visual information, and gives a pseudo tactile sensation to the operator. The operator feels a virtual tactile sensation due to the pressure detected by the pressure sensor while watching the moving image of the robot touching the object, so that the operator can feel virtual contact with the object with reality.

First Embodiment [Overall Configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overall configuration of a tactile information input apparatus 1 including a tactile temperature cooling device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The tactile information input device 1 includes a tactile heating / cooling device 100 and a control device 200. The control device 200 includes a controller 80, a control-side connector 60 that connects to the tactile temperature cooling device 100, and a wiring 70 that connects the controller 80 and the control-side connector 60. The tactile information input device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes two control-side connectors 60 because two tactile temperature / cooling devices 100 are connected to one control device 200. However, the tactile temperature cooling device 100 and the control-side connector 60 may be configured to include three or more instead of two.
The controller 80 receives a sensor signal from the pressure sensor. This sensor signal is, for example, a signal output from a pressure sensor attached to a robot or the like, as will be described later. The controller 80 generates an electrical signal corresponding to the strength, distribution, frequency, etc. of the sensor signal. The electrical signal is input from the wiring 70 to the tactile heating / cooling device 100 side via the control-side connector 60. For this reason, the tactile temperature cooling device 100 is provided with an output side connector 50 connected to the control side connector 60. In addition, the tactile temperature cooling device 100 includes an output unit 90. The output unit 90 is disposed on the wiring 20 and is electrically connected to the wiring 20.

An electrical signal (feeling signal) generated by the controller 80 is output from the electrode of the output unit 90. For this reason, when the tactile temperature / cooling device 100 is arranged so that the output unit 90 is in contact with the fingertip of the operator, stimulation by a touch signal is applied to the fingertip of the operator, and the operator feels like touching an object. Can do. Furthermore, as will be described later, when a moving image is provided to the operator, it is possible to give the operator the feeling of actually touching an object in the moving image.
In order to give a touch signal to the fingertip of the operator, for example, it is conceivable that the touch information input device 1 including the touch-sensitive temperature-cooling device 100 is installed in the globe 2 shown in FIG. If the operator wears the glove 2 on the hand H, the output unit 90 can be fixed to the fingertip without interfering with the movement of the operator's fingers.

In the first embodiment, the output unit 90 is configured by using an insulating film serving as a substrate body, and the wiring 20 is a metal foil plate curved in the plane of the output unit 90. A configuration in which wiring, a cover, and the like are formed on an insulating film is called a flexible substrate (FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits)). A flexible substrate is a printed circuit board that has flexibility and can be repeatedly deformed with a weak force, and that maintains its electrical characteristics even when deformed. The wiring 20 is formed in a shape that patterns a planar metal thin film having a thickness of about 0.001 mm or more and 0.035 mm or less and is curved in a plane. With such a configuration, the tactile information input device 1 may be configured such that the output unit 90 and the wiring 20 move flexibly following the fingers within the globe 2 and the connection between the tactile temperature cooling device 100 and the control device 200 is disconnected. Absent. Furthermore, since the wiring 20 is curved in the plane, the wiring 20 does not protrude in the three-dimensional direction and is not easily embedded in the globe 2.
However, the first embodiment is not limited to such a configuration. The wiring 20 is not limited to a member obtained by patterning a thin metal plate, and may be any wire that can flexibly follow a finger and transmit an electrical signal from the control device 200 to the tactile temperature / cooling device 100. There may be.

(Output part)
Next, the output unit 90 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
3A and 3B are enlarged views of the output unit 90 shown in FIG.
3A shows the surface of the output unit 90 shown in FIG. 1 (the surface viewed from the electrode 10 side), and FIG. 3B shows the output unit 90 on the surface of the wiring side (FIG. 5). The state excluding the illustrated Peltier element 5) is shown.
The output unit 90 is a wiring board having a plurality of electrodes 10 and a rectangular shape as a whole. The length of the output unit 90 in the figure in the X direction is 12 mm, and the length in the Y direction is 24 mm. The electrodes 10 are arranged in a matrix, and four electrodes 10 are formed in the X direction and seven or eight electrodes are formed in the Y direction shown in FIG. All the electrodes 10 are designed to have the same shape and size. In the first embodiment, the diameter (hereinafter referred to as “diameter”) R1 of the electrode 10 is 1.4 mm. Further, the pitch Rx in the X direction between the electrodes 10 and the pitch Ry in the Y direction are both 2.0 mm. In the first embodiment, the single via hole 15 is formed in the center of the circular electrode 10. Although the via hole 15 is not visible in the top view of the electrode 10, the via hole 15 is schematically illustrated here.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the back surface of the electrode 10 is a land pattern 10 ′ of wiring. Each of the land patterns 10 ′ is connected to the wiring 22. The surface of the flexible substrate is coated with an insulating member such as a solder resist. And in the location of a contact or a connector, conduction | electrical_connection with a flexible substrate can be taken. Therefore, the plurality of wirings 22 are routed to the wiring 20 side and are in contact with the wiring 20.
According to such a configuration, the control device 200 can add an arbitrary touch signal to the operator's finger at a pitch of 2.0 mm.

  In addition, the tactile temperature cooling device of 1st Embodiment is not limited to said structure. For example, in the tactile thermal cooling device of the first embodiment, an arbitrary number of via holes 15 may be formed for one electrode 10 like the output unit 94 shown in FIG. Also, the via hole 15 may be formed in the GND electrode 40 formed around the electrode 10. By doing in this way, 1st Embodiment can raise the transmission speed of the information of temperature / cool.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the output unit 90 taken along the line AA shown in FIG. 3, and particularly shows a cross section of one electrode 10. Note that the “schematic diagram” in the first embodiment refers to a diagram showing the aspect ratio, shape, size, and the like of each member with priority given to visibility over accuracy for the purpose of explaining the configuration. For this reason, in the schematic diagram, the aspect ratio of each member may not always be accurate.
As described above, the output unit 90 includes the insulating film 3 that constitutes a flexible substrate (flexible substrate). The insulating film 3 is a thin-film insulator (base film), and in the first embodiment, polyimide is used as a material. Moreover, in 1st Embodiment, let the one main surface of the insulating film 3 be the surface 3a, and let the main surface which becomes a back surface with respect to the surface 3a be the surface 3b. A metal foil 11 is formed on the surface 3a, and a metal foil 12 is formed on the surface 3b. In this specification, let the insulating film 3, the metal foil 11, and the metal foil 12 be the board | substrate 6 (FIG. 6 (a)). In the first embodiment, the metal is copper (Cu), and the substrate 6 is a flexible copper clad laminate (CCL).
However, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the substrate 6 is not limited to a single layer configuration, and may be a multilayer substrate including a plurality of substrates. In the case of a multilayer substrate, the main surface is not a bonded surface but a surface on which the electrode 10 and the wiring 21 are formed. The surface on which the electrode 10 and the wiring 21 are formed may be covered with a protective layer or the like. Moreover, 1st Embodiment does not limit the material of the insulating film 3 to a polyimide, For example, you may use other resin, such as polyester, as a material. Moreover, 1st Embodiment does not limit the metal of metal foil to copper. The material of the metal foil may be other materials as long as the requirements of electric conduction and heat conduction and the cost conditions are satisfied.

A wiring 21 is provided on the surface 3 a of the insulating film 3. An electrode 10 is formed on the surface 3b. The plating member 150 filled in the via hole 15 formed in the insulating film 3 serves as a connection member that electrically connects the wiring 21 and the electrode.
That is, the output unit 90 has the via hole 15 formed in the metal foil 11 and the insulating film 3. A plated layer 13 and a plated layer 14 are formed on the surfaces of the metal foil 11 and the metal foil 12, respectively. At this time, on the surface 3 a side, the plated member 150 that is the material of the plated layer 13 fills the via hole 15. At the same time, the plating material forms the plating layer 13 on the metal foil 11, and the wiring 21 in which the metal foil 11 and the plating layer 13 are formed in two layers is formed. For this reason, the plating layer 13 and the plating member 150 are integrally formed of the same material. The wiring 20 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to the wiring 21. The entire configuration is also referred to as wiring 20.
In the first embodiment, copper plating is used to form the plating layer. The thicknesses of the metal foil 11, the metal foil 12, the plating layer 13, and the plating layer 14 were 12 μm or more and 50 μm or less, respectively. Further, the thickness h of the wiring 21 on the surface 3a side and the thickness u of the electrode 10 on the surface 3b side were each 25 μm with the insulating film 3 as a boundary. Further, the diameter r2 of the via hole 15 is 0.1 mm, and the diameter r1 of the land of the electrode 10 is 1.4 mm as described above.

In the first embodiment, since the via hole 15 is filled with the copper of the plating member 150, for example, the copper in the via hole 15 is more than the configuration in which the metal on the inner wall surface of the via hole 15 contacts the metal foil 11 and the plating layer 13. The cross-sectional area of can be increased. For this reason, in the first embodiment, good electrical contact can be obtained between the metal foil 11 and the metal foil 12.
In the first embodiment, the filling material of the via hole 15 is not limited to copper plating. The filling material may be any material as long as the electrical and thermal resistance is sufficiently small and satisfies the requirements in terms of manufacturing cost.

Furthermore, the output unit 90 of the first embodiment is disposed on the surface 3a side so as to overlap at least a part of the formation region (the range indicated by the diameter r1 in FIG. 5) where the electrode 10 of the surface 3b is formed. The Peltier element 5 is a temperature control member having a heating or cooling function. The Peltier element 5 is a plate-like semiconductor element using the Peltier effect, and has a characteristic that when a direct current is passed, one surface absorbs heat and the opposite surface generates heat. The relationship between the heat generation and heat absorption of the Peltier element 5 is reversed when the polarity of the current is reversed. Such characteristics of the Peltier element 5 can be controlled with high accuracy.
However, 1st Embodiment is not limited to the structure which uses the Peltier device 5 as a thermal element. As another thermal element, for example, it is conceivable to provide a conductor pattern that functions as a heater. The thermal element according to the first embodiment may be any element as long as it can heat or cool the formation region of one or a plurality of electrodes 10 with high accuracy.
With the above configuration, the first embodiment can transmit the temperature of the Peltier element 5 to the electrode 10 via the wiring 21. For this reason, if the output part 90 is mounted in the globe 2 and placed on the tip of the operator's finger, for example, heat generated in the Peltier element 5 can be transmitted to the operator's finger.

Here, a manufacturing method of the output unit 90 shown in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C. In the first embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, an insulating film 3 having a surface 3a on which the metal foil 11 is formed and a surface 3b on which the metal foil 12 is formed is prepared. Since both the metal foil 11 and the metal foil 12 of the first embodiment are copper metal layers, such a configuration is a so-called double-sided copper-clad plate 30. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, drilling is performed so as to penetrate the metal foil 11 and the insulating film 3 to form the via hole 15. The metal foil 12 is exposed by drilling. Such processing is performed relatively easily and with high accuracy by laser irradiation.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the via hole 15 is filled with the plating member 150, and the metal foil 11 and the metal foil 12 are electrically and thermally connected. Such a process is also called a via fill process, and processes the front and back of the insulating film 3 at a time by wet processing. For this reason, in the process shown in FIG. 6C, the plating layer 13 is formed on the surface of the metal foil 11 and the plating layer 14 is also formed on the surface of the metal foil 12. Next, the metal layer in which the metal foil 11 and the plating layer 13 are laminated is exposed and etched in the first embodiment to form a land pattern 10 'shown in FIG. The metal layer becomes a wiring by etching. Then, as shown in FIG. 6D, the Peltier element 5 is disposed so as to contact the land pattern 10 ′. Note that it is possible to omit the formation of the plating layer 14 by providing a peelable coating layer on the metal foil 12 before the plating process and peeling the coating layer after the plating process.

(Operation)
Here, the operation of the output unit 90 of the first embodiment will be described. In this description, an example in which the output unit 90 is used to convey to the operator the feel of an object touched by a robot (not shown).
In the first embodiment, the robot includes a pressure sensor 500. The pressure sensor 500 has a cylindrical tip, and senses pressure received from an object touched by the robot.
FIG. 7A to FIG. 7F show the relationship between the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor 500 and the state of the surface of the object determined from this pressure. FIG. 7A shows an image (one frame of a moving image) taken when the pressure sensor 500 contacts the surface s of a table-like object such as a desk. The image shown in FIG. 7A is output from the camera used for photographing to an operator's head mounted display or the like.

FIG. 7B shows the pressure distribution obtained by the pressure sensor 500 when contacting the surface s. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the pressure sensing range is represented by circular dots, and the dot arrangement is represented by (x1, y1) to (x5, y3). Further, the strength of the pressure is in three stages of d1, d2, and d3, and the strength of the pressure is d1 <d2 <d3. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the pressure is detected from the three points (x2, y2), (x3, y2) and (x4, y2) as the center. In such a case, the controller 80 determines that the object with which the pressure sensor 500 is in contact is a “surface” having a spread.
FIG. 7C shows the output distribution of the tactile signal determined by the controller 80 by analyzing the sensor signal. The example shown in FIG. 7C shows that a touch signal is output to the electrode 10 corresponding to the position of (x5, y2) from (x1, y2).

  The touch signal is a signal in which voltage and current are adjusted within a range where the operator does not feel pain, and a frequency corresponding to the touch is set in advance. In the first embodiment, the frequency of the tactile signal can be set in the range of 1 Hz to 100 Hz, and “difficult (scrambled)”, “roughened (roughened)”, “smoothed (flat)”, etc. depending on the frequency difference. A feeling can be given to the operator. The relationship between the frequency of the touch signal and the touch is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-219877.

FIG. 7D shows an image (one frame of a moving image) taken when the pressure sensor 500 contacts the edge e of a table-like object such as a desk. FIG. 7E shows the pressure distribution obtained by the pressure sensor 500 when it contacts the edge e. In the example shown in FIG. 7E, the pressure intensity has three levels d0, d2, and d3, and the pressure intensity is d0 <d2 <d3. In the example shown in FIG. 7B, pressure is sensed at three points (x3, y3), (x3, y2) and (x3, y1), and almost no pressure is sensed in the vicinity. In such a case, the controller 80 determines that the object in contact with the pressure sensor 500 is an “edge”.
FIG. 7F shows the output distribution of the tactile signal determined by the controller 80 by analyzing the sensor signal. In the example shown in FIG. 7 (f), it is shown that a touch signal is output to the electrode 10 corresponding to the position (x3, y1) to (x3, y3). A touch signal is given to the finger while watching the image touching the object. For this reason, the operator can feel as if he / she touched an object in virtual contact in the real world.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the controller 80 turns on and off the Peltier element 5 of the output unit 90 according to the object touched by the operator. Such processing may be preset according to an object touched by the operator, for example, or a temperature sensor is provided in the robot, and the Peltier element 5 is set according to the temperature measured by the temperature sensor. May be switched on and off.
According to such a process, the operator receives a touch signal that touches the “uneven” surface of a finger while viewing an image with a cup of warm tea, for example, and further, the heat generated in the Peltier element 5 Can be felt with your fingers. By such processing, the first embodiment can obtain a more realistic feeling by feeling the temperature than receiving a feeling signal by touching the object in a pseudo manner by receiving only the feeling signal.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the output unit 91 including a plurality (two) of via holes 15 as shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 4, five via holes 15 are formed for one electrode 10, but FIG. 8 shows an example in which two via holes 15 are formed in one electrode 10 for simplification of illustration. ing.
The output unit 91 has a plurality (two) of via holes 15 formed in one land pattern 10 ′ of the wiring 21. At this time, the plating member 150 electrically connects one land pattern 10 ′ and the electrode 10 in each of the plurality of via holes 15. This is because, when the diameter of one via hole 15 is large, the plated hole 150 cannot be sufficiently embedded in the via hole 15, and there is a possibility that the efficiency of electric conduction or heat conduction by the via hole 15 is lowered. . In order to eliminate such a possibility, the first embodiment can reduce the diameter of the via hole 15 and increase the number of the via holes 15 to compensate for the reduction in the cross-sectional area.

  As described above, the tactile heating / cooling device of the first embodiment can transmit both an electrical signal and temperature to the electrode 10 through the via hole 15. At this time, in the first embodiment, since the via hole 15 is filled with the plating member 150, an electrical signal and a high conductivity can be obtained. In the first embodiment, since the Peltier element 5 is disposed on the land pattern 10 ′ on the back surface of the electrode 10, the plating member in the via hole 15 can be suppressed while minimizing the temperature change that the Peltier element 5 gives to the surroundings. 150 can be heated efficiently.

  Furthermore, the first embodiment is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, in the first embodiment, the Peltier element 5 is used for heating the land pattern 10 ′, but the Peltier element 5 can be used for cooling the land pattern 10 ′. Moreover, 1st Embodiment is not limited to the structure which uses the double-sided copper clad board 30, It can also form and use a wiring layer in a flexible substrate. Moreover, 1st Embodiment is not limited to the structure housed in the glove | globe 2 like FIG. 2, What is necessary is just to mount | wear with an operator's finger. Moreover, the electrode 10 is not limited to the structure arrange | positioned at matrix form, It is arbitrarily arrange | positioned according to the conditions of a process, the use of a tactile temperature cooling device, etc. In the first embodiment, the number of via holes 15 is not limited to one or two, and an arbitrary number of via holes 15 can be provided. The number of via holes 15 is determined in consideration of the metal filling state in the holes, device design conditions, process conditions, and the like.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the output unit 92 of the second embodiment. In the output unit 92 of the second embodiment, the Peltier element includes a heating element 5B that exhibits a heating function and a cooling element 5C that exhibits a cooling function. The heating element 5B and the cooling element 5C However, they are arranged so as to be separated from each other (with a distance r3) and to overlap with a part of the formation region of the plurality of electrodes 10.
Here, “exhibiting a heating function” refers to being used as a heating device regardless of whether or not it can be used for cooling. Further, “demonstrating a cooling function” refers to being used as a cooling device regardless of whether it can be used for heating. In other words, in the second embodiment, the property that the Peltier element causes a current to flow through the metal junction, one metal generates heat, and the other metal absorbs heat. In the second embodiment, currents having opposite polarities are passed through the heating element 5B and the cooling element 5C, the heating element 5B is used for heat generation, and the cooling element 5C is used for heat absorption.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 9, an electrical signal is input from the controller 80 to the control-side connector 60 (electrode) connected to the wiring 21 via the wiring 20. In the second embodiment, either the heating element 5B or the cooling element 5C functions in accordance with such an electric signal. More specifically, in the second embodiment, the controller 80 generates a temperature control signal different from the touch signal described above and inputs the temperature control signal to the output side connector 50. The temperature control signal may be generated when the controller 80 determines whether an object touched by the robot is warm or cold, for example. Such a determination can be made, for example, by attaching a temperature sensor in addition to the pressure sensor 500 to the robot and inputting the measured temperature to the controller 80. Note that the object is warm, for example, that the surface temperature of the object is 5 degrees or more higher than room temperature, and the object is cold, for example, that the surface temperature of the object is 5 degrees or more lower than room temperature. Also good.

When it is determined that the object in contact with the robot is warm, the controller 80 outputs a temperature control signal to the heating element 5B. The heating element 5B is turned on by a temperature control signal, and heats the operator's fingers by heating the land pattern 10 '. Further, when it is determined that the object in contact with the robot is cold, the controller 80 outputs a temperature control signal to the cooling element 5C. The cooling element 5C is turned on by the temperature control signal to cool the operator's fingers.
It is known that the tactile sensing accuracy of the human skin surface is higher than the temperature sensing accuracy. For this reason, if comprised as mentioned above, the operator will feel that the whole finger | toe is warm or cold, and can obtain a more realistic feeling.

In the second embodiment, in the above configuration, the heating element 5B always exhibits a heating function in a series of processes, and the cooling element 5C always exhibits a cooling function in a series of processes. Here, the series of processes refers to a period from the start of continuous input of electric signals by the output side connector 50 to the end of input. Further, “from the start of continuous input to the end of input” of the electric signal means that the touch information input device 1 shown in FIG. 1 inputs a signal from the controller 80 to start a predetermined process and ends this process. Between. That is, the signal continuity here means that a plurality of electric signals related to this processing are continuous and includes that the electric signals are intermittently turned on and off in the course of one processing.
In the heating element 5B and the cooling element 5C, the polarity of the current is switched in the course of processing, so that the heating and cooling functions are not changed. In this way, in the second embodiment, the Peltier device does not change from heat generation to heat absorption, and heat generation or heat absorption can be performed quickly. For this reason, the second embodiment does not give the operator a sense of incongruity due to the difference between the timing for obtaining a feeling of touching an object and the timing for feeling the temperature.

The present invention described above includes the following ideas.
<1> a flexible substrate, wiring formed on a first surface that is one main surface of the flexible substrate, an electrode formed on a second surface that is the back surface of the first surface,
A connection member that fills a via hole formed in the flexible substrate and electrically and thermally connects the wiring and the electrode; and at least a part of a formation region in which the electrode on the second surface is formed; A tactile thermo-cooling device comprising: a temperature control member that overlaps and is disposed on the first surface side and having a heating or cooling function.
<2> The temperature control member includes a heating member that exhibits a heating function and a cooling member that exhibits a cooling function, and the heating member and the cooling member are separated from each other and are both in one of the formation regions. <1> tactile heating / cooling device arranged to overlap the part.
<3> An input electrode connected to the wiring is provided, an electric signal is input to the input electrode from the outside, and either the heating member or the cooling member functions according to the electric signal. <2> Tactile heating and cooling device.
<4> The heating member always exhibits a heating function from the start to the end of input of an electric signal by the input electrode, and the cooling member ends from the start of input of the electric signal by the input electrode. <3> tactile thermo-cooling device that always exhibits a cooling function until.
<5> The wiring includes a land pattern, the one land pattern includes a plurality of the via holes, and the connection member electrically connects the one land pattern and the electrode in each of the plurality of via holes. The tactile thermal cooling device according to any one of <1> to <4> to be connected.
<6> The tactile heating / cooling device according to any one of <1> to <5>, wherein the wiring is a metal foil plate curved in the plane of the substrate.
<7> A via hole is formed in the substrate in which the first metal layer is formed on the first main surface of the flexible substrate body and the second metal layer is formed on the back surface of the first main surface. Process,
Filling the via hole with a metal member and electrically and thermally connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer;
And a step of arranging a temperature adjusting member having a heating function or a cooling function so as to be in contact with the metal member filled in the via hole.
<8> Formed on a substrate having a substrate body, wiring formed on the first surface which is one main surface of the substrate body, and electrodes formed on the second surface which is the back surface of the first surface. A tactile heating / cooling device, characterized in that the tactile heating / cooling device includes a connecting member that is filled in the via hole and electrically and thermally connects the wiring and the electrode.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Feeling information input device 2 ... Globe 3 ... Insulating film 3a, 3b ... Surface 5 ... Peltier element 5B ... Heating element 5C ... Cooling element 6 ... Substrate 10 ... electrode 10 '... land pattern 11,12 ... metal foil 13,14 ... copper plating layer 15 ... via hole 20, 21, 22, 70 ... wiring 30 ... Double-sided copper-clad plate 50 ... output side connector 60 ... control side connector 80 ... controllers 90, 91, 92, 94 ... output unit 100 ... tactile thermal cooling device 150 ... connection unit 200 ... Control device 500 ... Pressure sensor

Claims (7)

A flexible substrate body;
Wiring formed on the first surface which is one main surface of the substrate body;
An electrode formed on a second surface which is the back surface of the first surface;
A connection member that is filled in a via hole formed in the substrate body and electrically and thermally connects the wiring and the electrode;
A temperature control member having a heating or cooling function disposed on the first surface side so as to overlap at least a part of a formation region of the second surface on which the electrode is formed;
A tactile heating / cooling device characterized by comprising:   The temperature control member includes a heating member that exhibits a heating function and a cooling member that exhibits a cooling function, and the heating member and the cooling member are spaced apart from each other and overlap a part of the formation region. The tactile heating / cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the tactile heating / cooling device is disposed.   The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an input electrode connected to the wiring, wherein an electric signal is input from the outside to the input electrode, and one of the heating member and the cooling member functions in accordance with the electric signal. Tactile heating / cooling device.   The heating member always exhibits a heating function from the start to the end of input of an electric signal by the input electrode, and the cooling member from the start to the end of input of an electric signal by the input electrode. The tactile thermo-cooling device according to claim 3, which always exhibits a cooling function.   The wiring includes a land pattern, the one land pattern includes a plurality of via holes, and the connection member electrically connects the one land pattern and the electrode in each of the plurality of via holes. The tactile thermal cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The tactile temperature-cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the wiring is a metal foil plate that is curved in a plane of the substrate body. Forming a via hole in a substrate in which a first metal layer is formed on a first main surface of a flexible substrate body and a second metal layer is formed on the back surface of the first main surface;
Filling the via hole with a metal member and electrically and thermally connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer;
And a step of arranging a temperature adjusting member having a heating function or a cooling function so as to be in contact with the metal member filled in the via hole.

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