JP2012104077A - Force feedback control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a force feedback control apparatus giving a various and natural feel, especially a natural force sense and being able to be downsized and thinned.SOLUTION: A force feedback control apparatus inputting a signal to a computer and outputting force to an operator comprises; a substantially flat touch panel 57 detecting an input signal from the operator; and impact-driven actuators 1A and 1B. The touch panel 57 functions as a touch input part movable to horizontal directions X and Y and is driven on the X-Y plane by the actuators 1A and 1B. The computer selects or calculates a prescribed one from at least two types of voltage profiles driving the actuators 1A and 1B based on at least a piece of information about physical quantities including force, a power point, a movement position, velocity and acceleration given by the operator to the touch panel 57 and drives the actuators 1A and 1B.

Description

  The present invention relates to a force feedback control device, and more particularly to a force feedback control device that inputs a signal to a computer and outputs a force to a user.

  Conventionally, various force feedback control devices for inputting a signal to a computer and outputting a force to an operator have been proposed and developed. For example, a force sense imparting input device described in Patent Literature 1 includes an operation member that is manually operated by an operator, a rotary actuator that applies torque to the operation member, and a rotary encoder that detects movement. . However, this device has a large-scale component structure, and it is difficult to reduce the size and thickness, and the motion is transmitted from the actuator to the operation member via a power transmission means such as a gear, so that a natural feel can be obtained. Is difficult.

  In Patent Documents 2 and 3, a touch is fed back to the touch panel by vibration. However, if only vibration is used, it is not possible to obtain a variety of touches, particularly force senses. In Patent Document 4, a touch is fed back to a touch pad by axis driving. However, since a power transmission mechanism such as a ball screw or a timing belt is interposed between the touch portion and the drive portion, timing delay or backlash occurs, and a natural feel cannot be obtained.

JP 2004-114201 A JP 2003-122507 A JP 2007-34991 A JP 2004-530200 A

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a force feedback control device that can obtain various and natural feelings, particularly a natural force sense, and can be reduced in size and thickness.

In order to achieve the above object, the force feedback control device according to the first aspect is:
A force feedback control device that inputs a signal to a computer and outputs a force to an operator.
A touch input unit having a substantially flat touch surface for detecting an input signal from an operator and movable in a substantially horizontal direction;
An impact drive actuator coupled to the touch input unit;
With
The computer drives at least two types of the actuator based on at least one information of a physical quantity including a force, a force point, a moving position, a speed, and an acceleration applied from the operator to the touch input unit. Selecting or calculating a predetermined one from the voltage profile and driving the actuator;
It is characterized by.

The second form of force feedback control device is:
A force feedback control device that inputs a signal to a computer and outputs a force to an operator.
A touch input unit having a substantially flat touch surface for detecting an input signal from an operator, and capable of rotating on a substantially horizontal plane;
An impact-driven actuator capable of rotating movement connected to the touch input unit;
With
The computer drives at least two types of the actuator based on at least one information of a physical quantity including a force, a force point, a moving position, a speed, and an acceleration applied from the operator to the touch input unit. Selecting or calculating a predetermined one from the voltage profile and driving the actuator;
It is characterized by.

  In the force feedback control device, since an impact drive type actuator is connected to the touch input unit, various touches and sensations can be generated in the touch input unit, and power can be generated between the actuator and the touch input unit. Since no transmission means or mechanism is interposed, a natural feel and force can be obtained. In addition, when a piezoelectric element is used for the impact drive type actuator, the size and thickness can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain various natural feelings, particularly natural force sensations, and to reduce the size and thickness.

It is a perspective view which shows an actuator apparatus. It is a disassembled perspective view of the actuator device. It is a perspective view which shows a vibrator | oscillator in the said actuator apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows a vibrator and a weight in the actuator device. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 1st operation example of the said actuator apparatus. It is a chart figure which shows an example of the voltage profile applied to a piezoelectric element. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd operation example of the said actuator apparatus. (A)-(D) are block diagrams which show the operation state of a drive circuit, (E) is a chart figure which shows an applied waveform. It is a perspective view which shows the 1st example of a force feedback control apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the control circuit of the said control apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the 2nd example of a force feedback control apparatus. It is a chart figure which shows the relationship of the force of the horizontal direction with respect to a surface shape in order to obtain a force sense. It is a chart which shows the displacement of the piezoelectric element front end when the profile of the applied voltage with respect to an actuator apparatus is changed. It is a chart figure which shows the applied voltage profile with respect to an actuator apparatus. (A) is a chart diagram schematically showing a force sense of “detent”, and (B) is a chart diagram showing an applied voltage profile. (A) is a chart diagram schematically showing a “bumpy” force sense, and (B) and (C) are chart diagrams showing an applied voltage profile.

  Embodiments of a force feedback control device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member and part which are common in each figure, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Basic configuration of actuator device, see FIGS. 1 to 7)
First, an actuator device that can be suitably used for a force feedback control device will be described. This actuator device 1 is an impact drive type, and as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, a base plate 10, a pressure plate 15, flat piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B, and the piezoelectric elements 20A. , 20B, the friction plates 30A and 30B bonded and fixed to the surface of one end of the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B, and the other end of the piezoelectric element 20B attached to the back side The weight 40 is composed of a spacer 36 interposed between the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15.

  The piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are formed by forming electrodes on the front and back surfaces of a single plate having a belt shape, and are bonded to the front and back surfaces of a reinforcing plate 25 made of a thin plate material made of brass. The reinforcing plate 25 also functions as an electrode, and its end protrudes from the other end of the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B.

  The pressure plate 15 is fixed to the base plate 10 by screws, caulking, welding or the like with the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B interposed therebetween. That is, the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are sandwiched between the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 with a predetermined elastic force via the friction plates 30A and 30B. The pressure plate 15 is fixed by, for example, screwing a screw member (not shown) from the hole 15 a to the base plate 10 through the hole 36 a of the spacer 36. The thickness of the spacer 36 is slightly smaller than the value obtained by adding the thickness of the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B, the thickness of the reinforcing plate 25, and the thickness of the friction plates 30A and 30B.

  The pressure plate 15 is formed with slits 16 on both sides to maintain a predetermined spring constant. Due to its spring property, the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are elastic between the base plate 10 via the friction plates 30A and 30B. Is sandwiched between. That is, the pressure plate 15 forms a leaf spring. The elastic pressure contact force with respect to the piezoelectric elements 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B is adjusted by the thickness of the spacer 36.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the weight 40 is composed of a structure made of square bars, and a crosspiece 41 is bonded to the piezoelectric element 20B.

  The piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B have their polarization directions opposite to each other across the reinforcing plate 25, and are used as actuators using a d31 mode that is displaced in a direction perpendicular to the voltage application direction. That is, when an electric field acts in the polarization direction, the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B expand and contract in the thickness direction and expand and contract in the plane direction. When extending in the thickness direction, it contracts in the surface direction, and when contracting in the thickness direction, it extends in the surface direction.

  An outline of the first operation example of the impact drive type actuator device 1 having the above configuration is as follows. When the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are gradually contracted from the normal state shown in FIG. It approaches 30A and 30B (see FIG. 5B). Next, when the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B extend rapidly, the weight 40 does not move by its own inertia, and the friction plates 30A and 30B slip between the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 (FIG. 5 ( C)). Next, when the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are gradually contracted, the weight 40 approaches the friction plates 30A and 30B (see FIG. 5D). By repeating the above operation, the weight 40 moves to the left in FIG. In FIG. 5, the actuator device 1 is schematically shown.

  A voltage profile applied to drive the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B is as shown in FIG. The relationship between such an operation state and the switching state of the drive circuit described below will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS.

  That is, in the actuator device 1, the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B, the reinforcing plate 25, the weight 40, and the friction plates 30A and 30B are moving parts, and the base plate 10, the pressure plate 15, and the spacer 36 are fixed parts.

  As described above, in the actuator device 1, it is possible to obtain a compact and thin actuator device in which the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B and the weight 40 are moving parts by the operation of the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B in the d31 mode. Particularly, since the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are in pressure contact with the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 via the friction plates 30A and 30B, the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are mechanically protected by the friction plates 30A and 30B.

  Further, the moving amount of the weight 40 can be increased by making the areas of the main surfaces of the pressure plate 15 and the base plate 10 larger than the areas of the main surfaces of the friction plates 30A and 30B. Further, since the pressure plate 15 pressurizes the friction plates 30A and 30B with its own spring property, no separate elastic member is required, and the actuator device is further reduced in size and height.

  Further, since the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are fixed to the reinforcing plate 25, the mechanical strength can be reinforced even if the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are thinned, and cracking of the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B can be prevented. . The two piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are fixed to the front and back surfaces of the reinforcing plate 25, and the polarization directions thereof are opposite to each other across the reinforcing plate 25, so that the voltage is applied in parallel to the two piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B. By applying, the driving voltage can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the surface of the base plate 10 and / or the pressure plate 15 that is in contact with the friction plates 30A and 30B is subjected to a curing process and / or a lubrication process to achieve smooth movement and improve durability. To do. Further, since the friction plates 30A and 30B are bonded and fixed to the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B, the vibrations of the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are directly transmitted to the friction plates 30A and 30B, so Drive becomes possible.

  In the actuator device 1, the weight 40 is provided and the weight 40 is configured as the moving unit. However, the weight 40 may be configured as the fixed unit, and the base plate 10, the spacer 36, and the pressure plate 15 may be configured as the moving unit. This case is shown in FIG. 7 as a second operation example. In FIG. 7, the actuator device 1 is schematically shown.

  That is, in the movement form, when the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are gradually contracted from the normal state shown in FIG. 7A, the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 approach the fixed portion (the weight 40) (FIG. 7B )reference). Next, when the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B rapidly expand, the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 do not move by their own inertia, and the friction plates 30A and 30B slip between the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15. This occurs (see FIG. 7C). Next, when the piezoelectric elements 20A and 20B are gradually contracted, the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 approach the fixed portion (the weight 40) (see FIG. 7D). By repeating the above operation, the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15 move to the right in FIG.

  In addition, the fixing | fixed part (weight 40) may be the housing (not shown) itself of an electronic device, for example.

(Drive circuit and operation waveform of actuator device, see Fig. 8)
As shown in FIG. 8, the actuator device 1 is driven by a drive circuit in which a piezoelectric element 20 is provided with a power source 51 and four switching elements 52a to 52d. This drive circuit is shown most simply. 8A to 8D show the on / off states of the switching elements 52a to 52d and the current flow at that time by arrows. The voltage applied to the piezoelectric element 20 in the on / off states of the switching elements 52a to 52d is as shown in FIG. (A) to (D) shown in FIG. 8 (E) correspond to the switching states of the switching elements 52a to 52d shown in FIGS. 8 (A) to (D).

  By controlling at what timing the switching elements 52a to 52d in the drive circuit are switched to the states (A), (B), (C), and (D), various applied voltage profiles can be obtained. Can be generated. The actuator device 1 can be driven in various modes according to the profile.

(See first example of force feedback control device, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10)
The force feedback control device 55 as the first example is configured as an input pad of a computer or the like as shown in FIG. 9, and a touch panel 57 is attached to the housing 56 so as to be movable in the XY direction on a horizontal plane. The actuator devices 1A and 1B are coupled to a touch panel 57 in two stages. The actuator device 1A moves the touch panel 57 in the X direction, and the touch panel 57 is fixed to the base plate 10 of the actuator device 1A based on the operation shown in FIG. Furthermore, the actuator device 1A is mounted on the base plate 10 of another actuator device 1B, and the actuator device 1B moves the touch panel 57 in the Y direction. As described above, the mechanism itself for stacking the driving devices in two stages and moving the object in an arbitrary direction on the XY plane is well known. A single actuator device may be used to move only in the X direction or only in the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the force feedback control device 55 is roughly composed of a position sensor 60 that detects the position of the touch pal 57, a driver 61 (drive circuit shown in FIG. 8) of the actuator devices 1A and 1B, and a controller 62. It is configured. The controller 62 includes a pulse generation circuit centered on the CPU, a signal processing circuit for the position sensor 60, a measurement value recording circuit, and the like. The controller 62 applies the force, force point, moving position, speed, and acceleration applied by the operator to the touch panel 57. Based on at least one of the information of the physical quantities included, a predetermined one is selected or calculated from at least two types of voltage profiles that drive the actuator devices 1A and 1B, and the actuator devices 1A and 1B are driven.

(See second example of force feedback control device, FIG. 11)
FIG. 11 shows a force feedback control device 65 that is a second example. The force feedback control device 65 is a rotary motion type, and the two piezoelectric discs 20A and 20B of the actuator device 1 are applied with a predetermined frictional force by two discs 67 and 68 that can rotate integrally around a support shaft 66. It is sandwiched. In this control device 65, discs 67 and 68 are used in place of the base plate 10 and the pressure plate 15. The disk 67 functions as a touch panel.

(Feel, generation of force sense, see FIGS. 12 to 16)
By the way, according to Margaret Minsky and other five authors, “Sense and Vision: Issues of Force Expression,” Computer Graphics, pages 24-2 and 235-243, as shown in FIG. It is said that by giving a force (in the horizontal direction) proportional to the inclination of the operator to the fingertip of the operator, the operator can feel a sense of unevenness. Therefore, for example, when expressing a sinusoidal surface with a height of ± H and a period λ, the surface shape P with respect to the position x,

  Defined as

  By causing the actuator device 1 to generate a thrust represented by the following expression, the operator can experience a sine wave surface in a pseudo manner.

  In the impact drive type actuator device 1, the piezoelectric elements 20 </ b> A and 20 </ b> B are operated in a saw-like manner as shown in FIG. Further, in the operation as shown in FIG. 13B, the impulse of frictional force does not occur (does not operate), and the thrust can be adjusted by changing the impulse difference.

  In order to operate the actuator device 1 as shown in FIG. 13A, a drive voltage waveform (voltage profile) shown in FIG. 14A may be applied to the piezoelectric element. In order to operate as shown in FIG. 13B, a driving voltage waveform (voltage profile) shown in FIG. 14B may be applied to the piezoelectric element. That is, a plurality of types of voltage profiles to be applied to the piezoelectric elements are prepared, and a predetermined one of them is selected or calculated, and the actuator devices 1A and 1B are driven to provide various force senses on the touch panel 52 or the disk 62. Can be transmitted to the fingertip of the operator. The calculation of the voltage profile can be processed based on the equations (1) and (2).

  For example, in order to generate the detent (collision feeling) shown in FIG. 15A, the voltage profile shown in FIG. 15B may be applied to the actuator device 1 and a non-application time may be inserted between them. In order to generate the bumpy feeling shown in FIG. 16A, the voltage profiles shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C may be alternately applied to the actuator device 1.

(Other examples)
The force feedback control device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified within the scope of the gist thereof.

  In particular, various forms other than the one shown in FIG. 1 can be adopted as the basic form of the actuator device. For example, three piezoelectric elements may be laminated with two reinforcing plates interposed, and the polarization directions may be opposite to each other with the reinforcing plate interposed therebetween. Further, the number of piezoelectric elements may be one, and in this case, reinforcement may be performed by fixing two reinforcing plates to the front and back surfaces of the piezoelectric elements. Alternatively, a piezoelectric element that operates in another operation mode (for example, d33 mode) can be used. In particular, the shape of the spacer 36 is arbitrary. Furthermore, the configuration of the drive circuit of the piezoelectric element, the form of the applied voltage, the form of attachment of the weight, etc. are arbitrary.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for force feedback control devices, and is particularly excellent in that various natural feelings, particularly natural haptics can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A, 1B ... Actuator device 10 ... Base plate 15 ... Pressure plate 20A, 20B ... Piezoelectric element 30A, 30B ... Friction plate 55, 65 ... Force feedback control device 57 ... Touch panel 60 ... Position sensor 61 ... Driver 62 ... Controller 67 ... disc (touch panel)

Claims (5)

A force feedback control device that inputs a signal to a computer and outputs a force to an operator.
A touch input unit having a substantially flat touch surface for detecting an input signal from an operator and movable in a substantially horizontal direction;
An impact drive actuator coupled to the touch input unit;
With
The computer drives at least two types of the actuator based on at least one information of a physical quantity including a force, a force point, a moving position, a speed, and an acceleration applied from the operator to the touch input unit. Selecting or calculating a predetermined one from the voltage profile and driving the actuator;
Force feedback control equipment characterized by A force feedback control device that inputs a signal to a computer and outputs a force to an operator.
A touch input unit having a substantially flat touch surface for detecting an input signal from an operator, and capable of rotating on a substantially horizontal plane;
An impact-driven actuator capable of rotating movement connected to the touch input unit;
With
The computer drives at least two types of the actuator based on at least one information of a physical quantity including a force, a force point, a moving position, a speed, and an acceleration applied from the operator to the touch input unit. Selecting or calculating a predetermined one from the voltage profile and driving the actuator;
Force feedback control equipment characterized by The impact drive actuator is
A base plate and a pressure plate arranged to face each other at a predetermined interval;
A plate-like piezoelectric element that is sandwiched between the base plate and the pressure plate and expands and contracts in the plane direction with the application of a voltage;
Having
The force feedback control device according to claim 1, wherein the force feedback control device is a power feedback control device.   The force feedback control device according to claim 3, wherein a friction plate is interposed between the piezoelectric element and the base plate and / or the pressure plate.   5. The force feedback control device according to claim 3, wherein the impact driving actuator is driven by changing a timing of charging and discharging of the piezoelectric element. 6.

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