JPH05158607A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable even a person who has weak eyesight to operate an automatic machine, etc., by providing a matrix type heat generation part on the touch panel and composing brailles of a heat generation pattern. CONSTITUTION:Heat generation bodies 3 are arranged at intersections on the surface of the optical touch panel 1 matching the size of the screen of a display 2. The heat generation bodies 3 are supplied with a current from transparent electrodes arranged in matrix to generate heat enough to selectively feel the individual heat generation bodies 2. The heat is utilized to characters or equivalent braille such as characters or icons showing a touch area displayed on the screen of the display 2. In this case, an operator touches the touch panel 1 with plural fingers to read the braille selects an item part to be selected with the braille, and touches only the item part to be selected again, so that the optical touch panel 1 outputs its coordinates for the 1st time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a touch panel,
In particular, the present invention relates to a touch panel that is suitable for operation by a visually impaired person, since Braille is formed by a dot matrix heating element provided on the touch surface of the touch panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As automatic machines such as automatic teller machines, those which display an operation icon on a display or the like and are combined with a coordinate input device such as a touch panel to allow an end user to perform an input operation are widely used. Examples of this coordinate input device include Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 60-14316 and 61-61.
The invention disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 25228 may be mentioned.

[0003]

The above-mentioned conventional example is premised on use by a healthy person. For example, a person with low vision who can recognize that something is displayed but cannot recognize the displayed content. Had a problem that it could not be operated.

The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and enables a weak-sighted person to express Braille used for information recognition on a touch panel in which a display and a coordinate input device are combined. By doing so, it is intended to enable a visually impaired person to operate an automatic machine or the like.

[0005]

A touch panel according to the present invention comprises heating elements arranged in a matrix on the touch panel, and current supply means for supplying a current to each heating element arranged in the matrix. The feature is that Braille is expressed by the heat generated by each heating element.

[0006]

According to the present invention, Braille equivalent to characters, icons, etc. displayed on the display can be expressed by the heat generated by the heating elements arranged in a matrix. Therefore, even a person with low vision can recognize the same contents as the characters displayed on the display by touching the touch panel. This makes it possible for people with low vision to select the item part they want to select in Braille, and touch only the item part to be selected again at the input timing instructed by voice guidance, etc. Will be able to give.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which a heating element is used on the touch surface of an optical touch panel. The heating element 3 (only a part of which is shown) is arranged at each intersection of the x axis and the y axis on the surface of the optical touch panel 1 according to the size of the screen of the display 2.
The heating elements 3 generate heat by being supplied with an electric current by the transparent electrodes arranged in a matrix, and have heat enough to make the individual heating elements 3 feel selectively. Utilizing this heat, the same character as the character or icon indicating the touch area displayed on the screen of the display 2 or the equivalent Braille is formed.

FIG. 2 shows a Braille dot structure. As shown in the figure, one Braille character is composed of 3 dots vertically and 4 dots horizontally and 12 dots. In the case of FIG. 2, (a),
Each of (b) and (c) corresponds to one character (a, b, c).

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing the structure of the matrix transparent electrodes and the heating element formed on the touch surface of the optical touch panel. In FIG. 3, 5 indicates a Y-axis direction transparent electrode provided on the touch surface 4 of the optical touch panel, 8 indicates an X-axis direction transparent electrode, and the X-axis transparent electrode 8 and Y
The heating element 3 is arranged at the intersection of the axial transparent electrodes 5, and the transparent insulator 6 for preventing contact between the upper and lower surfaces is provided.

Next, the case of expressing Braille which means "a" shown in FIG. 2A will be described. Timing T
_{In 1} , the x-axis direction transparent electrodes 8 _m , 8 _{m + 1} , 8 _{m + 2} , 8
Outputs logic "1", "0", "0", "0" to _{m + 3} ,
Drive the transparent electrode 5 _n in the y-axis direction. Next, at a timing T ₂ , the x-axis direction transparent electrodes 8 _m , 8 _{m + 1} , 8 _{m + 2} ,
“1”, “0”, “0”, “0” 5 _{n + 1} is output to 8 _{m + 3} , and the y-axis direction transparent electrode 5 _{n + 1} is driven. Next, at timing T ₃ , the x-axis direction transparent electrodes 8 _m , 8 _{m + 1,}
"0", "0", "0", and "0" are set in 8 _{m + 2} and 8 _{m + 3} , and the y-axis direction transparent electrode 5 _{n + 2} is driven. By sequentially driving the heating element 3 of the touch panel 2 at the timings T ₁ , T ₂ and T ₃ , a Braille pattern meaning “a” can be obtained.

By driving the entire screen of the display 2 in the same manner as described above, an arbitrary braille braille pattern can be created.

When a plurality of coordinates are touched simultaneously, the optical touch panel 1 discards the information without recognizing it. The operator touches the touch panel 1 with a plurality of fingers to read Braille, and thereby finishes selecting the item portion to be selected by Braille,
The optical touch panel 1 outputs the coordinates only when the operator touches only the item portion selected again.

When a healthy person operates the optical touch panel 1 to use the terminal, he / she confirms the item he / she wants to use from the selection items displayed on the screen of the display 2, and touches the item. And input using the optical touch panel 1. At this time, the optical touch panel 1
The normal person recognizes the coordinates that he / she tried to input by blocking the light, and performs the motion that the normal person wants to use.

In the above description, the touch panel is described as an optical type, but the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, one utilizing change in capacitance may be used. In addition, it was explained that the occasion to input the coordinate after reading the Braille is to release the hand from the panel surface and touch any specific coordinate again, but the instruction by voice guidance or the switch indicating the occasion to input the coordinate, etc. The input trigger may be given by another method such as pressing.

[0015]

According to the present invention, the matrix-shaped heat generating portion provided on the touch panel makes it possible to configure the Braille in a heat generating pattern, and it is effective for amblyopia to use the touch panel more freely.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory top view showing a touch panel of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing an example of dots forming Braille.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory cross-sectional view showing the configurations of a transparent electrode and a heating element formed on the touch surface of the optical touch panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical touch panel, 2 ... Display, 3 ... Heating element, 4 ... Touch surface, 5 ... Y-axis transparent electrode, 6 ... Transparent insulator, 8 ... X-axis transparent electrode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A touch panel for recognizing the coordinates of a position touched by a finger while recognizing characters displayed on a display, and heating elements arranged in a matrix on the touch panel, and the heating elements arranged in the matrix. A touch panel comprising: a current supply unit that supplies a current to each of the generated heating elements, and Braille is expressed by the heat generated by each heating element.