JP2006243812A - Touch panel, and display input device with touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the enlargement of the thickness of a touch panel by forming an irregular shape with a clear difference in level or boundary between a recessed part and a protruding part on the operation surface of the touch panel, and forming a minute irregular shape corresponding to a key of a micro-size or the like. <P>SOLUTION: The layer structure of the touch panel B comprises a piezo-substrate 10 including a plurality of piezo-elements P (shape deforming elements) deformed in the film thickness direction according to the degree of the stimulation of an imparted voltage or the like. When the voltage is applied to the piezo-element P, the piezo-element P is extended and contracted, and the change quantity thereof appears as an irregular part on the operation surface of the touch panel as it is. Therefore, the irregular shape with the clear difference between irregularities can be formed on the operation surface of the touch panel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet-like touch panel disposed on a display screen such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and more particularly to a technique for forming an uneven shape on the operation surface of the touch panel.

Conventionally, on the operation display unit provided in a copying machine, a station ticket vending machine, an automatic money withdrawal device (ATM), etc., when a key (symbol) appearing on the display screen is touched, its position coordinates A touch key input type information input device (hereinafter referred to as “touch panel device”) that detects information and inputs information corresponding to a touch-operated position is widely adopted.
The touch panel device is roughly configured to include an LCD and a transparent flat sheet-like touch panel disposed on the LCD screen. Various methods such as a resistive film type, a capacitance type, and an optical method are known as coordinate detection of the touch operation position on the touch panel.
Here, the schematic structure of the resistive touch panel C will be briefly described with reference to the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. As shown in the drawing, the resistive touch panel C includes an electrode substrate 2 on the operation surface side on which a transparent conductive film (transparent electrode film) 2a for detecting an X coordinate position is disposed on one surface, and a Y coordinate on one surface. And an electrode substrate 3 on the LCD attachment surface side on which a transparent electrode film 3a for detecting the position is arranged, and these electrode substrates 2 and 3 are arranged in a predetermined manner with the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a inside each other. The gap d is arranged opposite to each other, and the gap d is further provided with dot spacers 4 for preventing the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a from coming into natural contact. Reference numeral 5 in the figure denotes a sealant that seals the gap at the end of the touch panel, and reference numeral 6 denotes a silver electrode. With this configuration, when the operation surface is touched from the state shown in FIG. 8A, the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a are formed at the touched position as shown in FIG. 8B. Contact. Then, the coordinate position is detected from the resistance change of the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a.

By the way, the touch panel provided in the conventional touch panel device is superior in that keys can be arranged at arbitrary positions on the screen as compared with a mechanical switch or the like. However, since the operation surface of the touch panel is flat, it is inferior to the mechanical switch or the like in that it does not provide a tactile sensation with respect to keys during a touch operation, and there is no operation feeling. Another problem is that it is difficult to visually recognize the key position because the keys appearing on the operation surface are not three-dimensional.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, a touch panel is provided with a polymer gel layer made of a polymer gel whose volume increases or decreases in response to an applied electrical stimulus or thermal stimulus for the purpose of obtaining the above key operation sensation. A concavo-convex-formed panel laminated on is disclosed. According to this, since it is possible to form an uneven shape at a position corresponding to a symbol appearing on a display screen such as an LCD, it is possible to obtain a certain degree of key operation feeling.
JP-A-11-203025

However, in the concavo-convex panel described in Patent Document 1, when an electrical stimulus or the like is applied to a predetermined portion of the polymer gel layer, a slight electrical stimulus is applied to the peripheral portion around the portion. Therefore, a divergent convex portion having the predetermined portion at the top is formed on the operation surface. Thus, since a clear boundary (step) does not appear between the concave portion and the convex portion, even if the user touches the convex portion, the boundary between the concave portion and the convex portion cannot be easily identified. There is a problem.
In addition, since the divergent convex portion is formed as described above, there is a problem that it is difficult to form a fine concavo-convex shape corresponding to a small-sized key or a key having a narrow arrangement interval.
Further, the unevenness forming panel has a structure in which a polymer gel subjected to electrical stimulation or the like undergoes a chemical reaction with a swelling liquid held in a layer (swelling liquid holding layer) different from the layer holding the polymer gel. Although it is configured to cause volume change (expansion or contraction) of the polymer gel by raising, it requires at least two layers (polymer gel layer and swelling liquid holding layer) to form an uneven shape. There is a problem that the thickness of the panel becomes large.
Furthermore, although the volume of the polymer gel expands (or contracts) by absorbing (or discharging) the swelling liquid, it is considered that the total volume of each substance before and after absorption of the swelling liquid hardly changes. Therefore, even if the polymer gel absorbs the swelling liquid and its volume expands, the polymer gel is highly likely to expand so as to fill the space where the absorbed swelling liquid was present. There is a risk that the uneven shape does not appear clearly on the surface.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to solve the above-described problems, that is, a step between a concave portion and a convex portion on the operation surface of the touch panel, Touch panel, touch panel, and display input device with touch panel capable of forming uneven shape with clear boundary, forming fine uneven shape corresponding to minute size key, etc., and preventing expansion of touch panel thickness Is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a touch panel disposed on a display screen of a display means such as an LCD, and a pair of electrode substrates each having a transparent electrode film disposed on one side, with the transparent electrode film inside. A deformable substrate that is arranged to face each other with a predetermined gap and includes a plurality of shape deforming elements that deform in the film thickness direction according to the degree of applied stimulus is laminated with the pair of electrode substrates. The
In this way, by using the shape deforming element, the amount of change appears as an uneven portion on the operation surface of the touch panel, so that it is possible to form an uneven shape with a clear difference in unevenness on the operation surface of the touch panel. Become. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily identify the boundary between the concave portion and the convex portion by touch or visually. In addition, it is possible to form a concavo-convex shape corresponding to a very small pattern (key image or the like). Furthermore, since the concavo-convex shape can be formed only by providing one layer of the deformed substrate in the laminated structure of the touch panel, it is possible to prevent a significant increase in the thickness of the touch panel.
Here, the shape deforming element is preferably a piezoelectric element that deforms in response to an electric signal (an example of stimulation) such as an applied current or voltage. As this piezoelectric element, for example, a piezoelectric element is applicable, but the piezoelectric element is not limited to this.

Here, considering that the touch panel is arranged on a display screen of a display means such as an LCD, it is conceivable that the deformed substrate laminated on the touch panel is configured to be substantially transparent.
In this case, it is desirable that the deformable substrate is formed of a flexible resin film that expands and contracts according to the deformation of the plurality of shape deforming elements.

  Further, it is conceivable that the deformed substrate is disposed (laminated) on the surface side of the pair of electrode substrates. For example, when the deformed substrate is disposed on the surface side of the electrode substrate disposed on the operation surface side of the touch panel among the pair of electrode substrates, it is preferable because the deformation of the deformed substrate is directly transmitted to a fingertip or the like. At this time, it is desirable that the deformed substrate is formed integrally with the electrode substrate disposed on the operation surface side of the touch panel among the pair of electrode substrates. Thereby, the thickness of the touch panel can be reduced by the thickness of the deformed substrate.

The present invention also provides the touch panel disposed on the display screen of the display means for displaying an image, and a stimulus applying means for applying a stimulus corresponding to a predetermined deformation amount to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements included in the touch panel. It can also be understood as a display input device with a touch panel configured.
In this case, it is conceivable that the stimulus applying means supplies a stimulus by supplying an electric signal such as current or voltage to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements.
Further, the stimulus applying means gives a stimulus corresponding to the arrangement interval and / or the area of each pattern displayed on the display screen of the display means to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements. Is desirable. Depending on the arrangement interval, even if the height of the concavo-convex shape appearing on the display screen is the same, for example, when the arrangement interval is wide, the concavo-convex shape between adjacent symbols can be clearly distinguished. When the arrangement interval is narrow, the uneven shape between symbols may not be clearly distinguished. Therefore, by forming a stimulus corresponding to the arrangement interval of the symbol to the shape deforming element, for example, when the arrangement interval is narrow, the amount of stimulus to be added is automatically increased and formed. It becomes possible to make a convex part stand out. When the arrangement interval is wide, the stimulation amount is automatically reduced.
In addition, since the uneven shape between adjacent symbols may not be clearly distinguished depending on the area of each symbol, the shape deforming element is configured to be stimulated according to the area of each symbol. Is also possible. For example, by increasing the amount of stimulation for a symbol with a large area and decreasing the amount of stimulation for a symbol with a small area, it becomes possible to easily distinguish uneven shapes between symbols.
Of course, a stimulus amount considering both the symbol interval and the area of each symbol may be applied to the shape deforming element.

  According to the present invention, since the deformation substrate having the plurality of shape deforming elements is provided, the shape deforming element can be changed by applying a stimulus corresponding to a predetermined deformation amount to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements. The amount appears as an uneven portion on the operation surface of the touch panel as it is. Therefore, it is possible to form an uneven shape with a clear difference in unevenness on the operation surface of the touch panel. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily identify the boundary between the concave portion and the convex portion by touch or visually. In addition, it is possible to form a concavo-convex shape corresponding to a very small pattern. Furthermore, since the concavo-convex shape is formed only by providing one layer of the deformed substrate in the laminated structure of the touch panel, it is possible to prevent the thickness of the touch panel from increasing.

Hereinafter, embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The embodiments and examples described below are examples embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a display input device A which is an example of a display input device with a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the piezo element, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a weighting factor for the piezo element and a voltage supplied to the piezo element according to the weighting factor. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional shape of the touch panel when the voltage shown in FIG. 4 is applied to the piezo element, FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing examples of display images displayed on the LCD, and FIG. It is a schematic cross section which shows schematic structure of this resistive film type touch panel C.
First, a schematic configuration of the display input device A will be described with reference to FIG. The display input device A is applied to an operation display unit provided in an image forming device such as a copying machine, an automatic ticket vending machine, an automatic withdrawal device (ATM), an in-vehicle car navigation system, a PDA, a personal computer, or the like. .
As shown in FIG. 1, the display input device A is roughly divided into an LCD (liquid crystal display) 7, a touch panel B pasted on the display screen of the LCD 7, and the LCD 7 and the touch panel B. And a control unit 20 for controlling the above.

The touch panel B is a so-called resistive film type touch panel, and includes an electrode substrate 2 provided with a transparent electrode film 2a for detecting an X coordinate position on one surface, and a transparent for detecting a Y coordinate position on one surface. An electrode substrate 3 on which an electrode film 3a is disposed, and these electrode substrates 2 and 3 face each other with a predetermined gap d through the dot spacer 4 with the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a inside. A touch panel body 8 disposed; and a piezoelectric element array substrate (hereinafter referred to as a “piezo substrate”) 10 which is an example of a deformed substrate laminated together with the electrode substrates 2 and 3 on the surface of the touch panel body 8 on the LCD attachment side; It is configured with.
The electrode substrates 2 and 3 are made of ITO (indium tin oxide), which is a transparent conductive material, on one surface of a thin film sheet made of a transparent resin such as a PET film. This ITO film formation corresponds to the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a.
The touch panel body 8 corresponds to a conventional touch panel, and is configured in substantially the same manner as the resistive film type touch panel C (see FIG. 8). Therefore, detailed description of the touch panel body 8 is omitted. In the present embodiment, the touch panel B is described as a resistive touch panel, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to other coordinate detection type (capacitance type, optical type) touch panels. is there.

As shown in FIG. 2, the piezo substrate 10 includes a sheet-like member 11 made of a transparent resin such as a PET film, and a plurality of piezo elements P (an example of a shape deforming element) appropriately embedded in the sheet-like member 11. It is configured with. For convenience, FIG. 2 shows a rectangular piezo element, but it is of course not limited to such a shape.
The piezo elements P are arranged in an orderly manner in the X coordinate direction and the Y coordinate direction of the sheet-like member 11, and specifically, arranged on the sheet-like member 11 in a lattice shape. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 2 shows a comparatively large piezo element. However, since the piezo substrate 10 needs to have translucency, actually, a small piezo element is arranged. . For this reason, the piezo substrate 10 has transparency enough to allow the image displayed on the LCD 7 to be seen through.
Further, the number of piezo elements arranged on the piezo substrate 10 is appropriately determined depending on the area of the operation surface of the touch panel B, the shape of the pattern to which the concavo-convex shape is added, etc., but the transparency of the piezo substrate 10 is not impaired. It needs to be about. Of course, if the piezo elements are made of a transparent material, the number of piezo elements arranged is not extremely limited.
As shown in the figure, the sheet-like member 11 is provided with a plurality of lines for supplying currents supplied from the control unit 20 (FIG. 1) to the piezo elements P. The plurality of lines are collected by a connector or the like (not shown) and connected to a control unit 20 (described later) through a connector.
Since the piezoelectric element P embedded in the sheet-like member 11 is deformed (stretched) in the thickness direction of the sheet-like member 11 as will be described later, the sheet-like member 11 is composed of the plurality of piezoelectric elements P. A flexible resin film that expands and contracts according to deformation is preferable. Of course, it is not necessary to limit to the PET film as long as such conditions are satisfied.

As is well known, the piezo element P is made of a substance having a characteristic (piezo-piezoelectric effect) that changes its shape when an electrical signal such as electricity or voltage is applied. As a material of the piezo element P, a ferroelectric such as barium titanate, lead titanate, lead zirconate titanate or the like is used. A material containing oxide ceramics (PLZT ceramics) containing lead (Pb), lanthanum (La), zircon (Zr), and titanium (Ti) may be used.
A piezo element made of such a material is typically said to have a deformation amount of about 1 nm (approx. 1 mm for 1 MV voltage application) with respect to voltage application of 1 V. It is possible to increase the deformation amount by combining the piezoelectric elements.
Of course, the material of the piezo element P is not limited to the ferroelectric material such as the barium titanate. For example, as the material of the piezo element P, an ion conductive polymer / noble metal joined body (Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite, hereinafter referred to as “IPMC”) may be used. This IPMC is made by bonding a noble metal such as gold or platinum to the surface of a fluorine ion exchange resin membrane, and its shape can be easily deformed at high speed by applying a low voltage of about 1 to 2 V to the bonded body ( Therefore, compared with the ferroelectric material such as barium titanate, it is not necessary to apply a high voltage, so that it is highly practical.

  The piezoelectric elements P arranged on the sheet-like member 11 are those that deform in the film thickness direction of the sheet-like member 11 when an electrical signal (voltage) is applied to the piezoelectric element P. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, a thin film 30 such as a ferroelectric material that expands and contracts in the direction in which a voltage is applied is stacked in the film thickness direction of the sheet-like member 11 (the arrow direction in the figure). A piezo element P ′ having a cylindrical structure is employed. As shown in FIG. 3B, a Vcc electrode and a GND electrode are connected to each thin film 30 so as to apply a voltage in one direction (from bottom to top in FIG. 3B). With such a piezo element P ′, deformation when a voltage is applied mainly acts in the film thickness direction of the sheet-like member 11. Of course, it is not limited to such a structure.

  In this embodiment, a piezoelectric element whose shape is deformed by applying an electrical signal such as current or voltage will be described as an example of the shape deforming element. For example, a magnetic field (magnetic force) that is an example of stimulation is applied. Therefore, it is possible to use an element made of a material having a magnetostrictive property causing distortion or change in shape as an example of the shape deforming element instead of the piezo element. In particular, it is preferable to use an element made of a material such as nickel, cobalt, or ferrite (a kind of metal oxide ceramic) having high magnetostriction.

In the touch panel B configured as described above, an electric signal corresponding to a predetermined deformation amount is given to each of the plurality of piezo elements P included in the touch panel B from the control unit 20 described later. When the piezoelectric element P is deformed in the film thickness direction and the touch panel body 8 is pushed up or pushed down, an uneven shape corresponding to the predetermined deformation amount is formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B.
In the present embodiment, the structure in which the piezo substrate 10 is disposed on the surface of the touch panel body 8 on the LCD attachment side will be described as an example. However, in view of the recent progress in thinning technology for LCDs, It is also conceivable to arrange the piezoelectric substrate 10 on the lower surface of the LCD 7. In this case, when the touch panel body 8 and the LCD 7 are pushed up or down by the piezo element P, an uneven shape is formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B. In this case, since it is not necessary to provide the piezo substrate 10 with transparency, it is advantageous in that the range of selection of piezo elements is widened.

Here, a schematic configuration of the control unit 20 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the control unit 20 controls the image display processing unit 22, an uneven shape forming processing unit 23 that is an example of a stimulus applying unit, a position information detection unit 24, and these units. And a main control unit 21 including peripheral devices such as a CPU, ROM, EEPROM, and RAM. The image display processing unit 22, the concavo-convex forming processing unit 23, and the position information detecting unit 24 are configured by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC, and will be described later according to each unit based on a command input from the main control unit 21. Processing is executed.
In the image display processing unit 22, processing for displaying predetermined image information on the LCD 7 based on an instruction from the main control unit 21 is executed. For example, when the main control unit 21 instructs the LCD 7 to display a numeric keypad image shown in FIG. 6A, the numeric keypad image is read from a storage unit (not shown) in the image display processing unit 22 and predetermined. The process of displaying with the selected display size is executed. Further, when the main control unit 21 gives an instruction to reduce the numeric keypad image displayed on the LCD 7 shown in FIG. 6A at a predetermined magnification, the numeric keypad image is shown in FIG. A process of reducing to such a reduced image is also performed. 6A and 7A show examples of images displayed on the LCD 7. FIG.
The position information detection unit 24 detects the detected coordinate position based on the X coordinate position information and the Y coordinate position information output from the transparent electrode films 2a and 3a of the touch panel B, and detects the detected coordinate position. A process of inputting the coordinate position to the main control unit 21 is executed. Accordingly, the main control unit 21 can recognize the coordinate position where the touch operation is performed.
Note that the processing executed by the image display processing unit 22 and the position information detection unit 24 is achieved by a conventionally known method, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted here.

In the concavo-convex forming processing unit 23, an input from the main control unit 21 to the piezo element P corresponding to a predetermined symbol in the display screen displayed on the LCD 7 by the image display processing unit 22. A process of applying a voltage according to the weighting factor (control signal) (see FIG. 4) is performed. Therefore, the concavo-convex forming processing unit 23 is configured to be able to supply a voltage to each piezo element P individually.
In the present embodiment, the voltage applied to the piezo element P is divided into five stages according to the deformation amount of the piezo element P. Specifically, as shown in Table 1 below, the piezo element P Are set to V (−2), V (−1), V (0), V (1), and V (2) as the deformation amount of “S” changes from “small” to “large”. Further, the state where the entire operation surface of the touch panel B is formed in a flat shape by applying the voltage V (0) to all the piezo elements P is set as a reference shape.
Table 1 below shows weighting factors (−2 to 2) output from the main control unit 21 in order to apply the voltage to the concave / convex forming processing unit 23.
The data (setting information) related to each setting as shown in Table 1, the data related to the weighting coefficient, etc. are stored in advance as a table in the storage unit 23a such as a ROM or an EEPROM in the concave-convex forming processing unit 23. deep.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, how the shape of the touch panel B changes when a weighting factor is actually output from the main control unit 21 to the concavo-convex forming processing unit 23, that is, A description will be given of what uneven shape is formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B. FIG. Here, FIG. 4A shows an example of a weighting factor for the piezo elements P1 to P10 (see FIG. 2), and FIG. 4B shows each of the concavo-convex forming processing unit 23 according to the weighting factor of FIG. The voltage supplied to the piezo elements P1 to P10 is shown. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional shape of the touch panel B when the voltage shown in FIG. 4B is applied to the piezo elements P1 to P10. For ease of understanding, here, the weighting factor of FIG. 4A is applied to the concave / convex forming processing unit 23 for the piezoelectric element array L (P1 to P10) in the X-coordinate direction on the piezoelectric substrate 10 of FIG. The case where it is input will be described.
When the weighting factor shown in FIG. 4 (a) is input from the main control unit 21 to the piezo element array L, the concavo-convex forming processing unit 23 receives voltage information corresponding to the input weighting factor in the storage unit. The voltage corresponding to the voltage information is read from 23a and applied to the piezoelectric elements P1 to P10 of the piezoelectric element array L. Specifically, the voltage V (0) is supplied to the piezoelectric elements P1, P6, P10, the voltage V (1) is supplied to the piezoelectric elements P2, P5, and the voltage V ( 2) is supplied. Further, the voltage V (−1) is supplied to the piezo elements P7 and P9, and the voltage V (−2) is supplied to the piezo element P8.
Since voltages corresponding to the piezoelectric elements P1 to P10 are supplied in this way, the piezoelectric elements are deformed by a deformation amount corresponding to the supplied voltage. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the piezoelectric elements P1, P6, and P10 supplied with the voltage V (0) maintain the basic shape, and the piezoelectric elements P2 and P5 supplied with the voltage V (1) The piezo elements P3 and P4, which are deformed from the basic shape to one step projecting and supplied with the voltage V (2), are deformed from the basic shape into two projecting shapes. Further, the piezoelectric elements P7 and P9 supplied with the voltage V (-1) are deformed from the basic shape into a concave shape that is depressed by one step, and the piezoelectric element P8 supplied with the voltage V (-2) is depressed from the basic shape by two steps. It is transformed into a concave shape. These deformations appear on the operation surface of the touch panel B. As a result, an uneven shape is formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B.

In the above description, the method of forming the concavo-convex shape on the operation surface of the touch panel B has been described by taking the piezo element row L (P1 to P10) in the X coordinate direction on the piezo substrate 10 as an example. When the piezo elements corresponding to the numerical images 60 to 69 (numerical images 0 to 9) of the numeric keypad image shown in FIG. 6 (a) are deformed in the direction of increasing the thickness, the operation surface of the touch panel B is displayed. The irregular shapes that appear are shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, a convex shape (shaded portion) protruding one step is formed in a portion corresponding to each of the numerical images 60 to 69 on the operation surface of the touch panel B. FIG. 6B shows a state in which portions corresponding to the numerical images 60 to 69 are projected when one of the piezo elements P is arranged at one glance of the mesh shown in FIG. (C) shows the cross-sectional shape on the operation surface of the protruding portion.
Further, when displaying a small numeric keypad image as shown in FIG. 7A, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the numerical images 70 to 79 (numerical images 0 to 9) are displayed. Convex shapes (shaded portions and black portions) are formed at corresponding positions on the operation surface of the touch panel B. FIG. 7B shows a state in which portions corresponding to the numerical images 70 to 79 are projected, and FIG. 7C shows a cross-sectional shape on the operation surface of the projected portion. Note that the numeric keypad image shown in FIG. 7 (a) has a small area for each numerical image and a small arrangement interval. Therefore, the voltage V (2) is supplied to the central piezoelectric element of each numerical image, and the piezoelectric elements in the peripheral portion are supplied. By supplying voltage V (1), a convex shape (blacked portion) that protrudes in two steps is formed at the center of each numerical image, and a convex shape (shaded portion) that protrudes one step at the peripheral portion is formed. I am letting.

Thus, since a voltage corresponding to each piezo element is individually supplied to each piezo element independently arranged on the piezo substrate 10, for example, one piezo element (for example, the piezo element P3 (see FIG. The voltage supplied to 5)) does not affect other piezoelectric elements adjacent to the piezoelectric element (for example, piezoelectric elements P2 and P4 (FIG. 5)). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the change amount of each piezo element appears as an uneven portion on the operation surface of the touch panel B as it is, and a clear uneven shape with a difference in unevenness is formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B. It is formed.
In addition, when the arrangement intervals of the numerical images 70 to 79 are narrow and the areas of the numerical images 70 to 79 are small as in the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. The deformation amount of the piezoelectric element can be appropriately changed so that the uneven shapes of the numerical images 70 to 79 can be clearly distinguished.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the piezo substrate 10 is placed on the LCD 7 side surface of the touch panel body 8, that is, the surface of the electrode substrate 3 on the LCD 7 side (that is, the lower surface of the electrode substrate 3 in FIG. 1). An example of a stacked (arranged) structure has been described. However, the stacking position of the piezoelectric substrate 10 is not limited to this, and for example, the operation substrate side of the touch panel body 8, that is, the operation surface side surface of the electrode substrate 2 (that is, the upper surface of the electrode substrate 2 in FIG. 1) A structure in which the piezo substrates 10 are stacked (arranged) may be used.
In the above-described embodiment, the deformation of the piezo element P appears as an uneven shape on the operation surface via the touch panel body 8, but in this case, since it is affected at least by the thickness of the touch panel body 8, the touch panel body 8 Depending on the thickness of the touch panel B, the surface of the touch panel B may not be formed with an uneven shape with a clear unevenness. Further, even if the dot spacer 4 is provided between the electrode substrates 2 and 3, there is a possibility that the electrode substrates 2 and 3 are erroneously contacted due to the deformation of the touch panel body 8. However, since the piezoelectric substrate 10 is laminated on the surface of the electrode substrate 2 as in this embodiment, the touch panel body 8 is not affected by the thickness of the touch panel body 8, so that a more uneven shape with a difference in unevenness can be obtained. It can be formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B. Further, since the touch panel body 8 is not deformed, the erroneous contact is prevented. Furthermore, it is possible to apply a relatively thick touch panel body 8.
In this embodiment, the piezo substrate 10 is formed integrally with the electrode substrate 2 by embedding the piezo element P directly in the surface of the electrode substrate 2 on the operation surface side of the touch panel body 8. Is also possible. Such a structure is preferable because the thickness of the touch panel B can be reduced by the thickness of the piezoelectric substrate 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the touch panel B is attached to the surface of the LCD 7 has been described. For example, a flexible deflection filter (not shown) and a glass substrate (not shown) that cover the surface of the LCD 7 are described. ), And the touch panel body 8 may be attached to the surface of the deflection filter. If the other substrate member that replaces the glass substrate is flexible, it is provided on the back surface. If the LCD 7 itself is flexible, a plurality of thin film sheets constituting the LCD 7 An embodiment in which the piezo substrate 10 is incorporated between the substrates may be employed.
Furthermore, a configuration in which the touch panel B is integrated with a deflection filter that forms the surface of the LCD 7 also belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

In the display input device A according to the above-described embodiment, a function that allows a symbol displayed on the LCD 7 as an example of the display means to be changed to an arbitrary size by the user, an operation by the user, and an automatic setting by the device Some have a function to change the size of the symbol. Based on such a function, for example, when the numeric keypad image having the size shown in FIG. 6A is changed to the reduced size shown in FIG. 7A, the interval and area of each displayed numeric image are reduced. However, at this time, if the height of the concavo-convex shape formed on the operation surface of the touch panel B is maintained as it is, the interval between the numeric images is small, and therefore the concavo-convex between the numeric images is reduced. There may be cases where the shapes cannot be clearly distinguished.
Therefore, in such a case, the display is performed so that a predetermined voltage is supplied to the plurality of piezo elements P according to the arrangement interval and the area of the plurality of symbols displayed on the display screen of the LCD 7. The input device A is preferably configured.
In the present embodiment, for example, an applied voltage associated with a symbol interval or a symbol area is set in advance, and the setting information is stored in the storage unit in the main control unit 21 and displayed on the LCD 7. When the symbol size change instruction is input, the symbol interval and symbol area after the main control unit 21 is changed are obtained by image processing, and by referring to the setting information in the storage unit, The display input device is configured to determine an applied voltage in accordance with the determined symbol interval and symbol area.
With this configuration, a voltage corresponding to the arrangement interval and area of symbols can be supplied to the piezo element P. Thereby, for example, when the arrangement interval or area of the symbols is reduced due to the reduction of the display screen, the voltage supplied to the piezo element P is automatically increased. It becomes possible to make it stand out more. On the other hand, when the display interval is enlarged due to the enlarged display screen, the supplied voltage is automatically reduced.

The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the display input apparatus A which is an example of the display input device with a touchscreen which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram which shows the piezo element array board | substrate laminated | stacked on a touchscreen. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of a piezoelectric element. The figure which shows an example of the voltage supplied to a piezoelectric element according to the weighting coefficient with respect to a piezoelectric element, and this weighting coefficient. The schematic diagram which shows the cross-sectional shape of a touchscreen when the voltage shown in FIG. 4 is applied to a piezoelectric element. The figure which shows an example of the display image displayed on LCD. The figure which shows the other example of the display image displayed on LCD. The schematic cross section which shows the schematic structure of the conventional resistive film type touch panel C. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

A ... Display input device (an example of a display input device with a touch panel)
B ... Touch panel C ... Conventional resistive touch panel P, P '... Piezo elements 2, 3 ... Electrode substrates 2a, 3a ... Transparent electrode film 4 ... Dot spacer 5 ... Sealing agent 6 ... Silver electrode 7 ... LCD
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Touch-panel main body 10 ... Piezo substrate 11 ... Sheet-like member 20 ... Control unit 21 ... Main control part 22 ... Image display processing part 23 ... Concave-forming process part (an example of a stimulus addition means)
24: Position information detection unit

Claims (9)

A touch panel in which a pair of electrode substrates, which are arranged on a display screen of a display means for displaying an image and have a transparent electrode film on one side, are arranged opposite each other with a predetermined gap with the transparent electrode film inside. There,
A touch panel comprising: a deformable substrate that is laminated together with the pair of electrode substrates and includes a plurality of shape deforming elements that deform in a film thickness direction according to a given degree of stimulation.   The touch panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein the shape deforming element is a piezoelectric element that deforms in accordance with an applied electrical signal.   The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the deformable substrate is substantially transparent.   The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the deformable substrate is formed of a flexible resin film that expands and contracts according to deformation of the plurality of shape deforming elements.   The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the deformed substrate is disposed on a surface side of the pair of electrode substrates.   The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the deformed substrate is formed integrally with an electrode substrate disposed on an operation surface side of the touch panel among the pair of electrode substrates. The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 6 disposed on a display screen of a display means for displaying an image;
A stimulus applying means for applying a stimulus corresponding to a predetermined deformation amount to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements included in the touch panel;
A display input device with a touch panel, comprising:   8. The display input device with a touch panel according to claim 7, wherein the stimulus applying means supplies a stimulus by supplying an electric signal to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements.   8. The stimulus adding means gives a stimulus corresponding to an arrangement interval and / or an area of each symbol displayed on the display screen of the display means to each of the plurality of shape deforming elements. Or the display input device with a touchscreen in any one of 8.

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