JP2003058321A - Touch panel device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide various kinds of information to an operator who touches a touch panel screen through a tactile sense. SOLUTION: Lug parts 18, 20 are arranged on up, down, left and right sides of the touch panel arranged so as to cover the entire screen of a display 2, a horizontal direction displacing part 8 that displaces the touch panel 4 in the horizontal direction and a vertical direction displacing part 10 that displaces the touch panel 4 in the vertical direction are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective lug parts 18, 20. The horizontal direction displacing part 8 and the vertical direction displacing part 10 vibrate the touch panel 4 in the two-dimensional direction by various vibration patterns according to drive control of a touch panel control part. The information is provided to a fingertip of the operator touching the touch panel 4 through the tactile sense by the vibration patterns and in addition, the fingertip at a touching state is guided to a displayed prescribed button position.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a touch panel device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a device that provides information through the sense of touch of an operator who operates a touch panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As represented by ticket vending machines for trains and cash dispensers for banks, there is an input interface called a touch panel in which a touch sensor is superimposed on a display. The operator uses a GUI (Graphic)
Al User Interface) Input is performed by touching a position corresponding to a button or the like displayed on the screen with a finger. However, since the surface of the touch panel that the operator touches is flat and hard, it is not possible to give the operator confirmation that the display button has been pressed with a key-click feeling like a keyboard. Therefore, generally, the operator is informed that the input is made by changing the display form such as the shape of the pressed button or the display color, or outputting a sound.

However, for example, a person who is visually or hearing impaired cannot always recognize the change in the displayed content or the sound. Therefore, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-221173, when it is detected that a button or the like displayed on a touch panel is pressed, a tactile stimulus is immediately given to the operator by vibrating the display with a vibrator or an electromagnetic hammer. It is made to recognize by.

According to this conventional example, it is possible to inform that the displayed button has been pressed irrespective of the presence or absence of visual or hearing impairment through the tactile sensation of the fingertip of the operator. In other words, it can be said that the operator is provided with confirmation information that the user has pressed down due to vibration.

[0005]

However, in this conventional example, since the vibration is generated by the vibrator or the electromagnetic hammer, it is possible to provide the operator with confirmation information that the button has been pressed, but there are various types. It is extremely difficult to give information, for example, various information such as the pressed display button is not the button to be selected in the input procedure, or which display button is to be pressed next. Is. Although it is theoretically possible to create some vibration patterns by changing the vibration frequency and the strength of vibration, the vibration patterns that can be created by the action of hitting the display with an electromagnetic hammer are not There is a limit, and the operator may not be able to correctly recognize the difference in the patterns from the fingertips.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a touch panel device capable of providing various kinds of information to the operator who touches the touch panel screen through tactile sense. To do.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a touch panel device according to the present invention is a touch panel which is laid on the entire screen of a display and which detects a contact position by an operating portion of an operator. Horizontal displacement means for displacing the touch panel in the horizontal direction of the display, vertical displacement means for displacing the touch panel in the vertical direction of the display, and drive control of the horizontal displacement means and the vertical displacement means. A touch panel driving means, wherein the touch panel driving means displaces the touch panel along the screen of the display by driving the lateral displacement means and the vertical displacement means at the same time or only one of them. Characterize.

Further, it is characterized by further comprising vertical displacement means for displacing the touch panel in a substantially vertical direction of the display.

The touch panel driving means may vibrate the touch panel by repeatedly inverting the displacement direction of any one of the directional displacement means to be driven, and slightly displacing each direction. Characterize.

Further, the touch panel driving means displaces the touch panel in a predetermined pattern according to the positional relationship between the components forming the display screen displayed on the display screen and the contact position of the touch panel. Is characterized by.

Further, the touch panel driving means moves the operation portion in contact with the touch panel to the display position of the input component when the input component to be displayed on the display screen and to be operated next is known. It is characterized in that the touch panel is displaced according to a guide pattern.

Alternatively, the touch panel driving means is
It is characterized in that the touch panel is displaced in a guide pattern for moving the operation part of the operator to the position of the input component displayed on the display screen closest to the touch position of the touch panel on the display screen.

Alternatively, the touch panel driving means returns the touch panel to the initial position after the drive control based on one pattern is completed and before the touch panel is displaced based on the next pattern.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic block configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a touch panel device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a display 2 that displays a display screen generated according to a GUI, and a touch panel 4 that is laid on the entire screen of the display 2 and that detects a contact position by an operating portion of an operator. The display 2 is a liquid crystal display, and the display screen portion is flat and hard. The touch panel 4 is a sheet-shaped touch sensor that matches the screen shape of the display 2. For the display 2, a conventional device can be used as it is, and the material of the touch panel 4 can be the same as the conventional one. Further, FIG. 1 shows a touch panel control unit 14 having a display control unit 6, a horizontal displacement unit 8, a vertical displacement unit 10, and a touch panel drive unit 12. The display control unit 6 generates a display screen according to the GUI and displays it on the display 2. The lateral displacement portion 8 is
The touch panel 4 is displaced in the lateral direction of the display 2. The vertical displacement unit 10 also displaces the touch panel 4 in the vertical direction of the display 2. The touch panel control unit 14 has a function that the touch panel drive unit 12 is characterized by in the present embodiment, in addition to a conventional function such as detection of a contact made by an operator and a contact position on the display 2. is doing. The touch panel drive unit 12 includes a horizontal displacement unit 8 and a vertical displacement unit 10.
The touch panel 4 is displaced along the screen of the display 2 by performing the drive control of. For example, the forward / reverse of the displacement direction of the lateral displacement section 8 is instantaneously switched, that is, the displacement direction is instantaneously reversed, and the touch panel 4 is laterally vibrated by slightly moving in each direction. be able to. Similarly, by driving the vertical displacement unit 10, the touch panel 4 can be vertically vibrated. Further, by driving the respective displacement parts 8 and 10 simultaneously, it is possible to vibrate in a two-dimensional direction along the screen of the display 2.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram when the display contents of the touch panel device according to the present embodiment are viewed from the front side, and FIG. 3 is cut along the two-dot chain line AA ′ in FIG. It is a side sectional view when doing. It should be noted that lines showing cross sections for the respective members shown in FIG. 3 are omitted. The display 2 is supported by the outer frame 16, and the touch panel 4 covers the entire screen of the display 2 as described above. The touch panel 4 has a rectangular basic shape in accordance with the shape of the display 2, but as is clear from FIG. 2, convex ears 18 and 20 are provided at substantially central portions of the upper, lower, left, and right sides, respectively. ing. Then, the lateral displacement portion 8 and the vertical displacement portion 10 are arranged at positions corresponding to the respective ears 18, 20. The lateral displacement portion 8 is attached to the outer frame 16 so as not to be exposed by the cover 22. It is not always necessary to provide the ears 18, 20 as the portions to which the lateral displacement portion 8 and the vertical displacement portion 10 are attached, but the convex ears 1 as in the present embodiment.
By providing 8 and 20, a part of the display 2 is not covered up. Note that, in FIG. 2, for convenience, the cover 22 is shown in a removed state. Vertical displacement section 10
Although not shown in particular, it is attached to the outer frame 16 in the same manner as the lateral displacement portion 8.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a lateral displacement portion 8 portion arranged on the left side of the touch panel 4 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a portion indicated by a chain double-dashed line BB ′ in FIG. It is a sectional side view when cut. On the surface of the lateral displacement portion 8, the coil 2
4 is fixed. Although the material of the coil is copper, a clad material of copper and aluminum may be used. Terminals 26 for current application are provided at both ends of the coil, and the touch panel drive unit 1
2 is driven at a predetermined timing. That is, the lateral displacement section 8 is driven by passing a current through the coil 24. The yoke 28 is the outer frame 1
6 is a magnetic body having a U-shaped cross section and is usually an iron material. Then, on the surface of the inner wall of the yoke 28 facing the coil 24, the magnets 30a, 30b are formed.
Is pasted. The yoke 28 and the magnet 30 are omitted in FIG. The magnets 30a and 30b are
The south pole and the north pole are reversed in line symmetry from the center line of the coil 24 and attached to the yoke 28. That is, when the contact surface side of the magnet 30a with the yoke 28 is the S pole and the coil 24 side is the N pole, the contact surface side of the magnet 30b with the yoke 28 is the N pole and the coil 24 side is the S pole. Of course, the reverse is also possible.

The touch panel drive section 12 applies a current to the coil 24 in response to a magnetic field generated by the magnet 30 to generate thrust in the coil 24 according to Fleming's left-hand rule. When the current flow direction is the middle finger and the magnetic field direction is the index finger, the thrust is in the thumb direction (left and right direction in FIG. 5). Therefore, the touch panel drive unit 12 includes the coil 24.
By applying a predetermined current to the touch panel 4, a force is generated to move the touch panel 4 having the lateral displacement portion 8 to which the coil 24 is fixed in the left and right one-dimensional directions (the arrow X direction in FIG. 5).

The lateral displacement portion 8 arranged on the right side of the touch panel 4 has the same structure as the above left side. However,
The touch panel drive unit 12 moves the touch panel 4 left and right by applying a current to the left and right coils 24.
It is necessary that the left and right lateral displacement portions 8 act in the same direction and at the same timing to move the touch panel 4. Therefore, the touch panel driving unit 12 must determine the direction of applying the current to the coil 24 according to the magnetic field direction of the magnet 30 and the winding direction of the coil 24. On the other hand, the vertical displacement section 10 is different from the horizontal displacement section 8 only in the mounting position and has the same configuration and operation.

The touch panel drive section 12 displaces the touch panel 4 to the left, for example, by applying a current in a certain direction to the coil 24. By reversing the direction in which the current is applied, the touch panel 4 is moved to the right. Can be displaced to. That is, the touch panel drive unit 12 can displace the touch panel 4 in a desired left or right direction by switching the direction of current flow. By instantly switching, ie, reversing, the direction in which this current flows, the touch panel drive unit 12
The touch panel 4 can be vibrated in the left-right direction.
The method of vibrating the touch panel 4 in the present embodiment is the same in principle as the method of vibrating the speaker using the voice coil motor.

Further, the touch panel drive section 12 can displace and vibrate the touch panel 4 in the vertical direction by controlling the drive of the vertical displacement section 10 in the same manner as described above. Furthermore, the touch panel drive unit 12 drives the horizontal displacement unit 8 and the vertical displacement unit 10 at the same time to move the touch panel 4 in a desired two-dimensional direction in a plane along the screen of the display 2, more specifically, in more detail. It is possible to vibrate in the vector sum direction of the vector representing the amount of movement in the X-axis direction and the vector representing the amount of movement in the Y-axis direction.

According to the present embodiment, with the above configuration, the touch panel 4 can be vibrated in the in-plane two-dimensional direction along the screen of the display 2.
By providing the up-down direction and the left-right direction as separate direction displacement means, the touch panel drive section 12 determines the timing at which the horizontal direction displacement section 8 and the vertical direction displacement section 10 act, the speed and magnitude of each displacement. By adjusting, various vibration patterns can be generated. Thereby, by vibrating the touch panel 4 in various patterns while the operator is touching the touch panel 4,
Not only attention information such as confirmation information that has been input, but also information according to various purposes and uses can be transmitted through the tactile sense of the operator, as described in the embodiments below.

In the present embodiment, the lateral displacement portion 8 or the longitudinal displacement portion 10 is arranged on each of the left and right sides or the vertically opposed sides. However, in the present embodiment, since it is sufficient that the touch panel 4 can be displaced in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the lateral displacement portion 8 that displaces the touch panel 4 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction that displaces the touch panel 4 in the vertical direction. At least one displacement section 10 may be provided for each. Further, in the present embodiment,
Although the means for moving the touch panel 4 is provided for each side, a plurality of means may be provided for one side.

Embodiment 2. The touch panel device according to the present invention, by generating a plurality of vibration patterns,
For example, it is possible to provide various information through the tactile sense of the operator, such as whether the input of the pressed button is accepted or the pressed button is a button that is not currently selectable. The present embodiment is characterized in that the fingertip of the operator touching the touch panel 4 is moved.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the finger of the operator touching the touch panel is moved to guide to an appropriate input position in the present embodiment. The apparatus configuration itself is the same as that of the first embodiment, and this embodiment is characterized by the content of drive control of the lateral displacement section 8 and the longitudinal displacement section 10 described later.

FIG. 6 shows the vicinity of the OK button 32 displayed on the display 2. The OK button 32 is a GUI component that constitutes the display screen. For example, it is assumed that the operator is performing some procedure according to the display screen, and it is time to press the OK button 32 on the screen shown in FIG. The system side equipped with the touch panel device according to the present embodiment,
I know that it is time to press the K button 32.

Here, the operator touches the vicinity of the OK button 32 represented by the contact position in FIG. 6 because the pressing position is slightly displaced when the operator tries to press the OK button 32 because the button size is small. Suppose In this example, the contact position is on the left side of the OK button 32,
If you move your finger to the right (X-axis direction), OK button 3
2 Place it so that you can bring your fingertip up. The display position of the OK button 32 and the contact position of the operator can be obtained as the original function of the touch panel device, and thus the description of the processing is omitted. At this time, the touch panel drive unit 12 drives the lateral displacement unit 8 to guide the operator's fingertip to the display position of the OK button 32.
That is, the touch panel drive unit 12 causes the lateral displacement unit 8 to generate an operation waveform that moves the fingertip of the operator to the display position of the OK button 32. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of operation waveforms to the respective direction displacement parts 8 and 10 for guiding the operator's finger. The touch panel drive unit 12 includes the coil 2
By controlling the electric current flowing through No. 4, the operation waveform having the shape shown in FIG. 7 is formed. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the amount of displacement. In the present embodiment, the upper (+) direction moves to the right side of the touch panel 4, and the lower (−) direction moves to the left side of the touch panel 4. Is shown. The origin of the displacement amount 0 corresponds to the neutral state when the lateral displacement portion 8 is not driven, that is, the reference position. In the present embodiment, since the fingertip needs to be moved to the X-axis side, only the waveform for driving only the lateral displacement portion 8 is shown. According to this waveform, it is understood that the waveform A in which the X-axis displacement amount gradually increases with respect to time and the waveform B in which the original position is suddenly returned are repeated. The operator's fingertip moves as follows according to this motion waveform.

That is, while the displacement amount in the X-axis direction is gradually increased according to the waveform A, the fingertip of the operator who is still in touch with the touch panel 4 follows the relatively slow movement of the touch panel 4. And moves in the X-axis displacement direction, that is, to the right. Then, when the displacement amount is returned all at once according to the waveform B, the fingertip of the operator cannot follow the instantaneous movement of the touch panel 4 and remains on the spot by sliding on the touch panel 4. By the series of operations by the combination of the waveforms A and B, the fingertip of the operator moves by the length Am according to FIG. By repeating this operation, the fingertip of the operator moves Am to the right and finally reaches the position of the OK button 32. Since the touch panel driving unit 12 can know the contact position of the fingertip and the display position of the OK button 32, the driving of the lateral displacement unit 8 is stopped when the contact position reaches the display position of the OK button 32.

According to the present embodiment, the operator's fingertip can be guided to the OK button 32 to be pressed next as described above. That is, the operator can be informed by tactile sense of the information of the button to be pressed next.

In this embodiment, the OK button 32
As an example, when the user touches the vicinity of the OK button 32 when trying to press, the system touches the touch panel 4 if the touch position of the operator is the button position pressed immediately before. In the state, the operator's fingertip can be guided in the order in which the input is expected. Of course, since the touch panel device is a device for inputting by touching, in the above example, there is no other button between the contact position shown in FIG. 6 and the display position of the OK button 32. In some cases, it may be necessary to make a detour instead of a straight line movement.

Further, in the above description, the case in which the button to be pressed next has been decided has been taken as an example, but the present embodiment is not limited to the case in which it has been decided. For example, if there are multiple buttons that can be pressed next, and if one of them is selected and then pressed, and the operator touches the touch panel, it is assumed that none of the buttons was touched. , The button closest to the contact position may be guided. Further, even if a guidance area is set around each button, and even if the button is not touched directly, when the contact position is within the guidance area, the guidance area may be guided to the button position corresponding to the guidance area. Good.

Since the touch panel device is normally assumed to be touched by the operator's fingertip for input, the operator's fingertip has been described as an example of the operation part in the above description. The operation part is not limited to the fingertip, and may be a part other than the fingertip, and even when an instrument such as a pen is used, the instrument corresponds to the operation site.

Embodiment 3. In the second embodiment, the case has been described in which the guide is guided only in the X-axis direction from the contact position to the target button position. The present embodiment is a case where guidance is performed not only in the X-axis direction but also in the Y-axis direction in order to provide route information from a certain start position to a target position.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the fingertip of the operator touching the touch panel is moved to guide the operator from the start position to the target position in the present embodiment. The device configuration itself is the same as in the first embodiment,
The present embodiment is characterized in the content of drive control of the lateral displacement section 8 and the vertical displacement section 10, which will be described later.

In this embodiment, the display 2
An example will be described in which an electronic map is displayed on the map, and the location of the pharmacy at the target position (post-guidance position) is taught from the hospital at the current position (initial position) to the patient visiting on the map. Note that hospitals, pharmacies, etc. are formed by GUI parts. To explain the route, first, go straight to the right (only in the X-axis direction) from the initial position to Point 1 crossing the intersection. Next, from Point 1 to Point 2, the movement is downward (only in the Y-axis direction) from Point 2 to Poi.
After nt3, move on a curved road, and finally Poin
From t3 to the final point from the pharmacy, move slightly downward while returning to the left.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of operation waveforms to the respective direction displacement parts 8 and 10 for guiding the operator's finger. The view of this figure is the same as that of FIG. In the present embodiment, since the touch panel 4 is driven also in the Y-axis direction, operation waveforms in the Y-axis (vertical) direction are also shown, but the operation waveforms shown above and below are based on the same time axis. is there. When the hospital displayed on the display 2 is touched, the touch panel drive unit 12 controls the current flowing through the coil 24 so that this operation waveform is formed.

According to this waveform, from the initial position to Point
Up to t1, since the movement is only in the right direction, the waveform for driving the vertical displacement section 10 is not output. As for the shape of the waveform with respect to the lateral displacement portion 8, a waveform in which the amount of displacement with respect to time is gradually increased and then returned to the original position at once is repeated as in the second embodiment. According to this operation waveform, the operator's fingertip moves to the right side as described in the second embodiment.

Subsequently, from Point 1 to Point 2, the lateral displacement portion 8 is used to move the fingertip only downward.
The waveform that drives is not output. On the other hand, the waveform with respect to the vertical displacement portion 10 has the same shape, but the direction in which the waveform appears is the downward (−) direction.

Subsequently, from Point 2 to Point 3, the road extends downward to the right and moves along a curved road. First,
In order to guide in the lower right direction, it is necessary to move the fingertips in the right direction and the downward direction at the same time. Therefore, as shown in FIG. The waveform has a displacement amount of (+) and a displacement amount of minus (-) indicating a downward direction with respect to the vertical displacement portion 10.
Then, each displacement amount is determined according to the traveling direction. Furthermore, since the road is curved, the amount of movement is adjusted while moving the fingertip in the lower right direction according to the degree of bending. According to FIG. 8, the road from Point 2 to Point 3 has a gradually increasing degree of downward bending, so the positive displacement amount indicating the right direction is decreased while the negative displacement amount indicating the downward direction is decreased. It is gradually increasing.

Then, from Point 3 to the final point from the pharmacy, it is moving downward while returning slightly to the left. That is, since it is necessary to move the fingertips to the left and downward at the same time, the operation waveform is as shown in FIG.
The X-axis direction has a negative displacement amount indicating the left direction, and the Y-axis direction has a negative displacement amount indicating the downward direction. And Poi
Each displacement amount is adjusted according to the bending direction from nt3 to the pharmacy.

According to the present embodiment, the operator's fingertip can be guided to the target position on the displayed map as described above. That is, it is possible to inform the operator of the information of the route from the current position to the target position by tactile sense. From a tactile sense, a patient who cannot visually confirm the route can know the route to the pharmacy in advance. Of course, you can know the directions by words, but you can feel the way the road is turning,
It is difficult to recognize only by words through hearing.

In the present embodiment, as described above, by simultaneously driving the horizontal displacement portion 8 and the vertical displacement portion 10, it is possible to move in a direction not parallel to the X-axis or Y-axis direction. Further, the movement amount of the fingertip can be adjusted by adjusting the displacement amount of the operation waveform. That is,
Not only linear movement but also curved movement can be easily performed. Also, the moving speed of the fingertip can be adjusted by adjusting the width of each waveform. Therefore, by controlling the shape of the operation waveform output by the touch panel drive unit 12, the touch panel 4 is vibrated in a desired pattern,
Various information can be provided to the operator through the fingertip.

The second and third embodiments are characterized in that the operator's fingertip is guided to a target position on the display 2, but specifically, the following uses can be considered.

For example, the user is made to perform a plurality of procedures such as a bank or a ticket vending machine, and a predetermined task such as withdrawal or ticket purchase is executed. At that time, if a finger can be guided to a selection candidate position as guidance for moving from one operation such as pressing a button to the next operation, a very large effect can be obtained as an easy-to-understand user interface. Also, when applied to the touch panel of a car navigation system, if a button on the touch panel is operated while driving, and then the finger can be guided to that button position when moving from that button operation to the next button operation, Since it is not necessary to visually check the touch panel, it is possible to drive safely.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a fingertip guide pattern using the above-described embodiments. In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the fingertip can be arbitrarily moved by controlling the shape of the operation waveform output by the touch panel driving unit 12. However, a typical one is (a) a lateral touch or ( b) Circle, (c)
There are various displacement patterns such as petal mode and (d) vibration circle, and these can be used to give specific meanings to each. For example, by swinging the fingertip in the horizontal direction, (a) is a negative mode in which input is impossible or an error is shown, (b) is a correct mode, (c) is an end mode,
(D) is HELP or the like. Numbers such as "3" and "A" can be handled as numbers and characters that can be recognized as they are. In the case of a character that cannot be written with a single stroke, such as “A”, the line segments that make up the character are moved relatively slowly, and the line segments that do not form the character, that is, the part that is normally moved by lifting your fingertip, are moved relative to each other. By moving the character relatively quickly, it is possible to distinguish the character constituent part from the mere movement. In the present embodiment, even the moving part of the fingertip remains in touch with the touch panel. As a conventional technique, it is difficult to put a specific Braille concave-convex sticker on a touch panel in use,
According to the present invention, a character or symbol pattern can be output as tactile information at any position.

As an example of this, when a visually impaired person uses a ticket vending machine, when one of the buttons displayed on the display is pressed, the content of the button is shown at the fingertip touching the touch panel. For example, when the pressed button is “3” which constitutes the money amount button, FIG.
The button type can be notified by moving the fingertip so as to draw “3” in (e).

Embodiment 5. In each of the above embodiments, the touch panel is displaced in the in-plane direction along the screen of the display, but by providing vertical displacement means for displacing the touch panel in a direction substantially perpendicular to the screen of the display, The displacement may be made not only in the plane parallel to the screen but also in the vertical direction. Thus, for example, in-plane motion (vibration) is used when guiding by XY coordinate movement, and vertical vibration is applied when giving a button click feeling, so that tactile stimulation patterns can be combined according to the operation mode. .

Sixth Embodiment FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram when viewed from the front direction in which the display content of the touch panel device according to the present embodiment is seen, and FIG. 12 is a view taken along the chain double-dashed line CC ′ of FIG. 11. It is a sectional side view. Lines representing cross sections for the respective members shown in FIG. 12 are omitted. 13 is an enlarged view of the lateral displacement portion 8 portion arranged on the left side of the touch panel 4 shown in FIG. 11, and FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along the chain double-dashed line DD ′ of FIG. It is a side sectional view when doing. In the first embodiment,
While the lateral displacement portion 8 and the longitudinal displacement portion 10 are configured by using the coil 24 and the magnet 30, the present embodiment is characterized by being configured by using the eccentric cam 34 and the motor 36. . Therefore, description of the same components as in the first embodiment will be omitted. Since the left and right lateral displacement portions 8 and the vertical displacement portion 10 have the same structure, only the illustrated lateral displacement portion 8 will be described as a representative.

In this embodiment, the ear portion 18 has an oval opening 38. Then, the motor 36 is fixed to the upper surface of the outer frame 16 facing the ear portion 18. An eccentric cam 34 is attached to a motor shaft 40 extending upward from the motor 36. The diameter of the eccentric cam 34 is equal to that of the opening 3
It is almost equal to the distance between the short sides of 8 and is fitted into the opening 38.

In the above structure, when the motor 36 is driven, the eccentric cam 34 rotates and slides on the inner wall surface of the opening 38. The touch panel 4 having the ears 18 swings following the rotation of the eccentric cam 34. Although not shown, the rotation speed and the rotation angle of the motor 36 can be controlled by providing an encoder for detecting the rotation angle or using a stepping motor or the like.

As described above in each embodiment, since the touch panel 4 can be vibrated in the two-dimensional direction and further in the three-dimensional direction, various vibration patterns can be generated. Therefore, if each vibration pattern has some meaning, some information can be provided to the operator through the antenna. Further, since the fingertip in the state of touching the touch panel 4 can be moved, the fingertip of the operator can be guided to a position on the display 2 desired by the system equipped with the touch panel device.

However, depending on the vibration pattern, the movement of the touch panel 4 may end at a position relatively displaced with respect to the display 2. When the movement starts from this biased position in accordance with the next vibration pattern, the movable limit of the touch panel 4 in the vertical or horizontal direction is exceeded, and as a result, the vibration pattern may not be presented accurately. Therefore, immediately after the touch panel 4 is moved based on one vibration pattern, or after a predetermined time has elapsed after the movement ends, or immediately before the start of movement based on the next vibration pattern, or when a screen display or input mode transition occurs It is desirable to control the position of the touch panel 4 to be returned to the initial position, that is, the neutral reference position, if necessary. When performing the initialization operation of returning to the initial position which is the reference, the operator may be notified that the initialization operation has been performed by presenting a vibration operation based on a predetermined initialization pattern. . In this way, by clearly indicating that the operation is the initialization operation, it is possible to prevent misidentification with other patterns.

By the way, in each of the above embodiments, the fingertip touching the touch panel 4 is guided by vibration.
Therefore, it may be necessary to provide a mechanism for adjusting the magnitude of vibration, that is, the amount of displacement by the pressing force of the fingertip. Also,
In order to move the fingertip not only right and left but also up and down, it is desirable to install and use the touch panel 4 horizontally with respect to the ground. When it is placed vertically on the ground, it is necessary to consider gravity and the like, so it is necessary to control the drive of the vertical displacement portions 10 provided on the upper and lower portions of the touch panel 4 in consideration of those external forces as well. There is.

In the first and sixth embodiments of the above-described respective embodiments, the configuration of the device and the other functions implemented by the application incorporated in the device are described. The functions and the like described can be implemented in combination with each configuration or other functions as appropriate. Further, each of the above-described embodiments can be applied to all devices equipped with a touch panel device, for example, a copying machine, a ticket vending machine, a cash dispenser, a car navigation system, and the like.

[0055]

According to the present invention, the touch panel on the display can be displaced and vibrated in a two-dimensional direction in a plane along the screen of the display. A plurality of vibration patterns can be generated by adjusting the drive timing of the horizontal displacement means and the vertical displacement means by the touch panel drive means, and the speed and magnitude of each displacement. Thus, various information can be transmitted through the sense of touch of the operator by vibrating the touch panel in various patterns while the operator is touching the touch panel.

Further, since the operation portion touching the touch panel can be moved by displacing the touch panel, the operation portion of the operator can be guided to a desired component position by the displacement pattern of the touch panel.

Further, after the drive control based on one pattern is completed and before the touch panel is displaced based on the next pattern, the touch panel is returned to the initial position, so that each pattern can be surely moved within the movable range of the touch panel. Can be presented to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a touch panel device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the display content of the touch panel device according to the first embodiment as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view taken along the chain double-dashed line AA ′ of FIG.

4 is an enlarged view of an arrangement portion of a lateral displacement portion on the left side of the touch panel shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view taken along the chain double-dashed line BB ′ of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of moving an operator's finger touching the touch panel to guide the user to an appropriate input position in the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an operation waveform to each direction displacement portion that guides an operator's finger in the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which a fingertip of an operator touching the touch panel is moved to guide the user from a start position to a target position in the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an operation waveform to each direction displacement portion that guides the operator's finger in the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a fingertip guide pattern according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of the display content of the touch panel device according to the sixth embodiment as viewed from the front side.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view taken along the chain double-dashed line CC ′ of FIG.

13 is an enlarged view of a portion where a lateral displacement portion on the left side of the touch panel shown in FIG. 11 is provided.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view taken along the chain double-dashed line DD ′ of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 display, 4 touch panel, 6 display control section, 8 horizontal displacement section, 10 vertical displacement section, 12 touch panel drive section, 14 touch panel control section, 16
Outer frame, 18, 20 ears, 22 cover, 24 coil, 26 terminal, 28 yoke, 30a, 30b magnet, 32 OK button, 34 eccentric cam, 36 motor,
38 openings, 40 motor shaft.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Shin Takeuchi             430 Green, Sakai, Nakai-cho, Ashigaragami-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture             Inside of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 5B068 AA05 AA22 BE08 BE11 CC17                       CD02 CD06 DE11                 5B087 AA09 AB12 CC24 CC25 DD03                       DD10 DE03                 5G435 AA00 EE49 GG43 LL12

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A touch panel that is laid on the entire screen of a display and that detects a contact position by an operation part of an operator; a lateral displacement unit that displaces the touch panel laterally of the display; and the touch panel of the display. Vertical displacement means for vertically displacing, and touch panel drive means for controlling the drive of the horizontal displacement means and the vertical displacement means, the touch panel drive means comprising the horizontal displacement means and the vertical displacement means. A touch panel device, wherein the touch panel is displaced along the screen of the display by driving the direction displacement means at the same time or only one of them. 2. The touch panel device according to claim 1, further comprising vertical displacement means for displacing the touch panel in a substantially vertical direction of the display. 3. The touch panel driving means vibrates the touch panel by repeating instantaneously reversing the displacement direction of any one of the direction displacement means to be driven and slightly displacing each direction. The touch panel device according to claim 1 or 2, which is characterized in that. 4. The touch panel driving means displaces the touch panel in a predetermined pattern according to a positional relationship between a component forming a display screen displayed on the display screen and a contact position of the touch panel. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: 5. The touch panel driving means moves an operation part in contact with the touch panel to a display position of the input part when the input part to be displayed on the display screen and to be operated next is known. 5. The touch panel is displaced by a guide pattern that causes the touch panel to move.
The touch panel device described. 6. The touch panel driving means displaces the touch panel in a guidance pattern for moving an operation part of an operator to a position of an input component displayed on the display screen which is closest to a contact position of the touch panel on the display screen. The touch panel device according to claim 4, wherein 7. The touch panel driving means returns the touch panel to an initial position after the drive control based on one pattern is completed and before the touch panel is displaced based on the next pattern. Touch panel device.