JP2012113419A - Touch type input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch type input device having a simple structure, excellent external appearance, and improved designability.SOLUTION: In a touch type input device 10, the periphery of an operation panel 11 having touch sensors 12 is fixed to a unit substrate 13. A vibration actuator 16 is arranged at a position, which generates an n-th vibration mode (n is a natural number) of the operation panel 11, in a space 17 formed between the operation display panel 11 and the unit substrate 13. The vibration actuator 16 vibrates the operation display panel 11 in a prescribed n-th order vibration mode, while the touch sensors 12 are inputted by touch operation.

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch input device, and more particularly, to a touch input device that allows an operator to recognize acceptance of a touch operation input by vibrating an operation panel itself.

  The center cluster arranged near the center of the driver's seat of the vehicle is provided with a touch input device for operating various in-vehicle devices such as an image display device, an air conditioner device, a car navigation device and an audio device. Yes. Although the operation panel of the touch input device can input an operation with a small operation force, the operation feeling received by the operator is smaller than that of a push switch. For this reason, the operator needs to confirm whether or not a touch operation input has been made by a change in an icon or the like displayed on the image display device, and in particular, a blind touch operation during driving of the vehicle has not been possible.

  In view of this, a touch input device has been proposed that presents the acceptance of an operation input by vibration so that a sufficient operation feel can be obtained when a touch operation input is made on the operation panel of the touch input device (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

  The touch-type input device described in Patent Document 1 includes a first electrode body (first touch operation surface) supported in a switch box so as to be displaceable via elastic support means that can be elastically deformed, and a switch box. By touching both of the second electrode body (second touch operation surface) having a lid function, vibration is applied to the first touch operation surface.

JP 2004-39424 A

  The touch-type input device described in Patent Document 1 requires elastic support means that can be elastically deformed, and therefore has too many components as a touch-type operation panel. On the other hand, since the distance between the first touch operation surface and the second touch operation surface changes due to vibration received by the first touch operation surface, it is necessary to set a large gap between the first touch operation surface and the second touch operation surface. There is. If this gap is formed, the appearance of the touch input device will be poor.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a touch input device having a simple structure and improved appearance and design.

[1] In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an operation panel having a fixed periphery and having a touch sensor, and a vibration arranged at a position where an n-th vibration mode (n is a natural number) of the operation panel is generated. There is provided a touch-type input device including an actuator.

[2] The operation panel according to [1] is characterized in that the operation panel is vibrated at a natural frequency of the n-th vibration mode.

[3] The signal for driving the vibration actuator according to [1] or [2] is an amplitude-modulated signal.

[4] The touch input device according to any one of [1] to [3] includes a substrate corresponding to the operation panel, and a space is formed between the operation panel and the substrate. The operation panel is fixed to the substrate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a touch input device having a small number of assembly parts, a simple structure, and improved appearance and design.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the interior of a vehicle in front of a driver seat of a vehicle including a touch input device according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the schematic system configuration | structure of the touchscreen unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the touchscreen unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the vibration shape of the panel of the touchscreen unit which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a control block diagram of the control means of the touch panel unit concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a control block diagram of the control means of the touch panel unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the amplitude modulation by the control means of the touch-panel unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]
(Overall configuration in front of the front seat of the vehicle)
In FIG. 1, in front of a front seat of a vehicle 1, an instrument panel 2 made of a synthetic resin and equipped with instruments and a passenger seat airbag is arranged in the vehicle width direction. A steering wheel 3 is assembled to the vehicle body via a steering column (not shown) at the vehicle right side portion of the instrument panel 2. A center cluster 4 is arranged near the center of the instrument panel 2. An image display device 5 capable of displaying various selection screens is provided on the design surface side of the center cluster 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a touch panel unit 10 that is a touch input device for operating various vehicle-mounted devices is provided in a portion formed between the center cluster 4 and the image display device 5. Yes. The in-vehicle device that is symmetrical to the operation of the touch panel unit 10 is an operation target device installed in the room of the vehicle 1. Examples of the operation target device include an air conditioner device 31, a car navigation device 32, an audio device 33, and the like (hereinafter also referred to as “operation symmetric devices 31 to 33”).

(Configuration of touch panel unit)
As shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel unit 10 controls an operation display panel 11 provided with a plurality of touch sensors 12, a unit substrate 13 disposed to face the back surface of the operation display panel 11, and the touch panel unit 10. The touch panel control unit 20 is mainly configured.

  The operation display panel 11 is made of a transparent resin material such as an acrylic resin or a polycarbonate resin, and is formed in a square frame plate shape. As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 11 a for fitting the image display device 5 is formed at the center of the operation display panel 11.

  On the back surface or the front surface of the operation display panel 11, for example, a light-shielding printing layer is formed by performing silk printing except for a portion corresponding to the display shape. The printed layer is formed with a light-transmitting removal display portion serving as a touch operation surface that is not printed. The extracted display part is composed of characters, numbers, figures, symbols, or patterns of the operation symmetrical devices 31 to 33. Note that a fluorescent agent or the like may be applied to the touch operation surface in order to make the touch operation surface easier to see.

  On the back surface corresponding to the touch operation surface of the operation display panel 11, as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of touch sensors 12 constituting a touch-type switch operation unit are arranged. The touch sensor 12 includes a capacitive touch sensor, and is formed of a transparent film sheet on which a capacitance detection transparent electrode for detecting the approach or contact of an operator's finger is printed. The transparent electrode is formed in a pattern by a thin film of metal oxide such as ITO (indium tin oxide) that is transparent to visible light, for example. Note that the touch sensor 12 may be disposed inside the operation display panel 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the unit substrate 13 is formed in a square frame plate shape having the same shape as the operation display panel 11. On the unit substrate 13, a plurality of light emitting diodes 14 (hereinafter referred to as “LEDs 14”) are mounted corresponding to the plurality of touch sensors 12. The LED 14 is used as a light source for illuminating the touch sensor 12 of the operation display panel 11 from the back. By illuminating the touch sensor 12 from behind, the visibility of the touch operation surface is improved and a visual effect is achieved. It is increasing.

  By turning on or blinking the LED 14, it is possible to make the operator visually recognize whether or not the operation input of the operation symmetrical devices 31 to 33 of the touch sensor 12 is possible. The operator selects and designates a plurality of touch operation surfaces displayed on the operation display panel 11 with the touch sensor 12, thereby displaying function items corresponding to the touch operation surfaces on the screen of the image display device 5, or touching them. It is possible to cause the operation symmetric devices 31 to 33 corresponding to the operation surface to perform desired operations.

  On the other hand, when the operator does not perform a touch operation on the touch sensor 12, an operation standby state (when the LED is turned off) that continues to be in a blackout state in which the touch operation surface of the operation display panel 11 disappears can also be set. Thereby, the operator can exclude the operation with respect to the operation symmetric apparatus 31-33 which is not functioning blacked out from a choice.

  The basic configuration of the first embodiment is to use the operation display panel 11 itself as a vibration panel in order to obtain feedback when the touch sensor 12 is touched. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a columnar fixed support portion 15 that fixes and supports the operation display panel 11 and a vibration actuator 16 that vibrates the operation display panel 11 are provided on the surface of the unit substrate 13 facing the operation display panel. It is erected. The operation display panel 11 is set to be less rigid than the unit substrate 13, and is fixedly supported on the unit substrate 13 via a fixed support portion 15.

  Although this fixed support part 15 is not specifically limited, as shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3, it is distribute | arranged to the four corner parts of the square frame board of the unit board | substrate 13, and the operation display panel 11 is displayed. It has a height that is separated by a certain distance. By fixing the operation display panel 11 and the unit substrate 13 via the fixing support 15, a space 17 is formed between the opposing surfaces of the operation display panel 11 and the unit substrate 13.

  As the fixed support structure of the operation display panel 11, for example, a peripheral surface portion on the back surface side of the operation display panel 11, that is, a part or all of the periphery on the back surface side becomes a fixed end, and the operation display panel 11 is restrained by a fixed beam structure. Or a form in which the outer periphery of the square frame plate of the operation display panel 11 is restrained by a fixed beam structure. The shape of the fixed support portion 15 may be formed in a knife edge shape instead of the cylindrical body according to the illustrated example, and various fixed support shapes can be employed.

  Various fixing means such as adhesion using an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape, screwing, or a thin hinge can be adopted for the outer peripheral portion of the operation display panel 11 according to the fixing support structure of the operation display panel 11. When the outer peripheral part of the operation display panel 11 is fixed by a thin hinge, the thin part vibrates together with the operation display panel 11, so that the span length to vibrate becomes long and the order of the vibration mode can be increased.

  On the other hand, the vibration actuator 16 is composed of, for example, a solenoid, and the vibration at the tip of the vibration actuator 16 is matched with the vibration shape of the vibration mode of the nth order (n is a natural number) in the operation display panel 11. It is joined at a position other than the knot portion. The vibration actuator 16 vibrates the operation display panel 11 in a predetermined n-order vibration mode given by the touch panel control unit 20.

  In designing the touch panel unit 10, according to a standard method, for example, a plurality of portions of the operation display panel 11 are vibrated and the outputs of the vibration detection means at the plurality of points are input to an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) analyzer and analyzed. Thus, the nth-order vibration mode (for example, natural frequency or amplitude gain) of the operation display panel 11 can be known. By grasping how the entire operation display panel 11 vibrates in a predetermined frequency region, specifications for realizing a target vibration mode of the operation display panel 11 can be obtained.

  By obtaining these specifications, it is possible to set structural specifications including the cross-sectional shape and thickness of the operation display panel 11 so that the vibration of the operation display panel 11 includes a predetermined n-order vibration mode. . Even when the vibration actuator 16 is located, it can be set by grasping how the entire operation display panel 11 vibrates.

  In FIG. 3, the state before the operation display panel 11 is vibrated is shown in section, and in FIG. 4, one section of mode deformation of the operation display panel 11 shown in FIG. 3 is shown. In the vibration of the third-order mode shown in FIG. 4, there are an abdominal part (movable part) having a large amplitude and a node part (non-moving part) having a small amplitude. By supporting the part of the operation display panel 11 that becomes the node of the amplitude by the support member 18, the vibration loss can be set to be small and the vibration in the third mode can be easily generated.

(Configuration of touch panel controller)
As shown in FIG. 2, an air conditioner device 31, a car navigation device 32, and an audio device 33 are communicably connected to the touch panel control unit 20 via an in-vehicle LAN 34. The touch panel control unit 20 includes a microcomputer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a signal input / output unit, and the like, and a drive unit for the in-vehicle LAN interface and the vibration actuator 16. Etc. are configured as electronic control means that are unitized.

  The CPU of the touch panel control unit 20 performs arithmetic processing according to a predetermined program stored in the ROM. When the touch panel control unit 20 detects a change in capacitance of the electrodes constituting the touch sensor 12, the touch panel control unit 20 determines that the touch sensor 12 has been input by touch operation, and transmits an operation input acceptance signal to the corresponding operation target devices 31 to 33. To do. By controlling the lighting and extinguishing of the LED 14, the state of the corresponding operation target devices 31 to 33 is displayed and controlled.

  The drive pattern of the vibration actuator 16 is determined by, for example, the frequency and amplitude of the voltage waveform. The frequency and amplitude of the voltage waveform are set by a drive signal generation unit 21 that generates a drive signal for the vibration actuator 16 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the drive signal generation unit 21 is mainly configured by an oscillation unit 22 and a drive unit 23. The oscillating unit 22 amplifies a signal that becomes a fundamental wave with respect to a drive signal (for example, a voltage having an amplitude and a frequency) having a predetermined vibration mode, and applies the amplified signal to the drive unit 23. The drive unit 23 applies a predetermined drive signal given by the drive signal generation unit 21 to the vibration actuator 16 using the input information from the touch sensor 12 as a trigger.

  The vibration actuator 16 is driven in a predetermined n-order drive mode while the touch sensor 12 is input with a touch operation, and the vibration of the vibration actuator 16 is applied to the operation display panel 11. As a result, the vibration generated in the operation display panel 11 as a response to touching the touch sensor 12 is received as a feedback signal by the operator's fingers, thereby allowing the operator to feel the acceptance of the touch operation input. The touch operation input can be surely and immediately confirmed.

(Effects of the first embodiment)
According to the touch input device according to the first embodiment, the space 17 is formed between the facing surfaces of the operation display panel 11 and the unit substrate 13, and the operation display panel 11 is more rigid than the unit substrate 13. Therefore, when the vibration actuator 16 is driven, the operation display panel 11 is deformed and vibrates. By adopting such a configuration, in addition to the above effects, the following effects are obtained.
(1) It is not necessary to support the operation display panel 11 with a spring or a suspension of a damper. Therefore, the number of assembly parts of the touch panel unit 10 is reduced, and the structure can be simplified.
(2) Since the gap formed between the center cluster 4 and the image display device 5 can be reduced, good appearance design as a final product can be obtained.
(3) The selection operation of the touch operation surface can be easily, smoothly and reliably performed in the flow of operating the touch operation surface.

[Second Embodiment]
Referring to FIG. 6, this figure schematically shows a control system of touch panel unit 10 according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a configuration example in which amplitude modulation is applied to the drive signal applied to the vibration actuator 16 is illustrated. In addition, the same member name and code | symbol are attached | subjected to the member substantially the same as the said 1st Embodiment. Therefore, a detailed description of substantially the same members as those in the first embodiment is omitted.

  The perceptual sensitivity to the vibration frequency decreases as the basic vibration frequency increases. Therefore, the drive signal generation unit 21 that generates the drive signal of the vibration actuator 16 is provided with an amplitude modulation unit 24 for amplitude modulation that changes the intensity of vibration, as shown in FIG. The amplitude modulation unit 24 modulates the basic high frequency signal from the oscillation unit 22 at a low frequency. The amplitude modulation signal is amplified, and the amplified amplitude modulation signal is applied to the drive unit 23. Here, the modulation waveform includes, for example, AM modulation or ASK (amplitude shift keying) modulation. By performing these amplitude modulations, a modulation signal having an envelope such as a sine wave, a rectangular wave, or a triangular wave is generated. .

  In the amplitude modulation unit 24, for example, a 1 kHz mode vibration wave shown in FIG. 7A is modulated with a sine wave, and the frequency of the envelope of the modulated mode vibration is 500 Hz or less, preferably 200 Hz, which can be detected by a human. To the extent. AM modulation can be performed as shown in FIG. 7B, or ASK modulation can be performed as shown in FIG. 7C. A modulation signal having a periodic sine wave voltage or an intermittent rectangular wave envelope is applied to the vibration actuator 16. Note that the frequency of the modulation signal is preferably not matched with other vibration mode frequencies.

(Effect of the second embodiment)
The touch input device according to the second embodiment has the following effects in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.
(1) When the vibration frequency is high, amplitude control is performed at a low frequency according to the vibration frequency, so that an n-th order drive mode having a vibration frequency different from the vibration frequency given by the drive signal generation unit 21 is displayed on the operation display panel 11. Can be generated. As a result, even when the vibration frequency is high, the vibration frequency can be kept small, so that the operator can clearly recognize the vibration and can surely recognize the acceptance of the touch operation input.

  Each component of the touch panel unit 10 is realized by an arbitrary combination of hardware and software, centering on a CPU, a memory, a control program for realizing each component, a storage unit for storing the control program, and an external connection interface. be able to. As those methods and apparatuses, those skilled in the art will understand that various conventional methods and apparatuses can be used, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and illustrated examples.

  As is clear from the above description, the touch input device of the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and illustrated examples. It is possible to implement in various modes without departing from the gist of the invention. In the present invention, for example, other modifications as shown below are possible.

(1) In the illustrated example, the nth-order vibration mode in the operation display panel 11 has been described as the third order.
(2) In the illustrated example, the vibration actuator 16 is constituted by a solenoid, but the operation display panel 11, the unit substrate 13, The structure which interposes a vibration member in between may be sufficient.
(3) In the illustrated example, the touch sensor 12 is exemplified by a capacitance type sensor, but may be a contact detection type sensor or a non-contact detection type sensor based on pressure, optics, radio waves, or the like.
(4) In the illustrated example, the touch-type input device is provided in the peripheral portion of the image display device 5 of the center cluster 4. However, for example, an instrument other than the center cluster 4 that is difficult to operate unless the operator takes a forward leaning posture. You may make it provide in the design surface of the panel 2, the screen of the image display apparatus 5, etc. FIG.
(5) The touch input device of the present invention can be applied to various devices having a touch operation surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Instrument panel, 3 ... Steering wheel, 4 ... Center cluster, 5 ... Image display apparatus, 10 ... Touch panel unit, 11 ... Operation display panel, 11a ... Opening part, 12 ... Touch sensor, 13 ... Unit Substrate, 14 ... LED, 15 ... fixed support, 16 ... vibration actuator, 17 ... space, 18 ... support member, 20 ... touch panel controller, 21 ... drive signal generator, 22 ... oscillator, 23 ... drive, 24 ... Amplitude modulation unit, 31 ... Air conditioner, 32 ... Car navigation device, 33 ... Audio device, 34 ... In-vehicle LAN

Claims (4)

An operation panel with a fixed periphery and a touch sensor;
A touch-type input device, comprising: a vibration actuator disposed at a position where an n-th vibration mode (n is a natural number) of the operation panel is generated.   The touch-type input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation panel is vibrated at a natural frequency of the n-th vibration mode.   3. The touch input device according to claim 1, wherein the signal for driving the vibration actuator is an amplitude-modulated signal. A substrate corresponding to the operation panel;
The touch-type input device according to claim 1, wherein the operation panel is fixed to the substrate so as to form a space between the operation panel and the substrate.

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