JP2012155613A - Input device and control apparatus therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control apparatus for an input device in which, even if a form of a virtual button displayed on a display is varied, click feelings can be obtained when a user depresses a position of the virtual button.SOLUTION: An input device includes a light transmission unit in which light transmission members which transmit light are arrayed planarly, permanent magnets provided in the light transmission members, an electromagnetic coil unit in which electromagnetic coils which are electrified to generate magnetic fields opposed in a direction of a magnetic field of the permanent magnets are arrayed planarly, and a voltage detection unit which detects voltages of the electromagnetic coils. The light transmission unit and the electromagnetic coil unit are formed in different layers, respectively, and the electromagnetic coils correspond to the light transmission members. A control apparatus for the input device includes an electrification unit which electrifies an electromagnetic coil provided at a position corresponding to a display area of a virtual button in accordance with a form of the virtual button in an image displayed on a display, and a control unit which discriminates the designated virtual button on the basis of a coordinate position, on the input device, of the electromagnetic coil in which a voltage change has been detected by the voltage detection unit, and the display image on the display.

Description

  The present invention relates to an input device capable of obtaining a tactile response when a user presses the position of a virtual button displayed on a display, and a control device thereof.

  Some devices such as ATMs (Automated Teller Machines), vending machines, personal digital assistants, etc. have a touch panel on the display as a device for users to operate these devices. is there. The user can perform a desired operation by pressing or touching the position of the virtual button displayed on the display.

  However, the touch panel is extremely thin with a thickness of about 1 mm. In many cases, the touch panel is bonded on a flat display. For this reason, the user who operates the apparatus using the touch panel cannot obtain the click feeling obtained when operating the keyboard or the like of the personal computer. This feeling of clicking is important because the user can confirm that the operation is being performed with a tactile sensation by obtaining a feeling of clicking during the operation.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view partially showing the switch-equipped display panel disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view partially showing the switch-equipped display panel disclosed in Patent Document 2. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the display panels with switches in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a structure in which a thin switch 80 is stacked on a display panel 2 having an information display function. The thin switch 80 is overlaid on the display panel 2 and has a transparent or translucent touch panel 4 which has one or more switch portions 4a and can be operated with a substantially zero stroke. And one or more operation mechanism sections 30 arranged above. Each operation mechanism unit 30 is movable in a pressing direction with a fixed stroke, and is operated between a transparent or translucent push button 32 that operates a corresponding switch unit 4a of the touch panel 4 and a magnet 52, 54 when pressed. Returning means 50 for applying a returning force to the push button 32 by utilizing the repulsive force is provided.

  FIGS. 11A and 11B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a tactile sheet member disclosed in Patent Document 3. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the tactile sheet member of Patent Document 3 includes a base member 1 for a base material having a predetermined hardness and a sheet shape, and a lump shape having a predetermined size. And a tactile element member 2 distributed at a predetermined position on the base member 1, and the element member 2 has a hardness different from the hardness of the base member 1. Thus, since the element member 2 has a hardness different from the hardness of the base member 1, even if the member surface is observed to be flat, the element surface is actually touched by hand, and the tactile element member from the base member 1 is touched. When slid to 2, a textured feel is obtained.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-7450 JP-A-9-7459 JP 2009-151743 A

  The virtual buttons described above are not always displayed at the same position on the display. That is, the position, size, shape, number, etc. of the virtual buttons can be completely different depending on the display content of the display. However, in the display panel with a switch disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 and the tactile sheet member disclosed in Patent Document 3, the form (position, size, shape, number, etc.) of virtual buttons displayed on the display is changed. Cannot handle.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an input device and a control device for the same that can provide a click feeling when a user presses the position of the virtual button even if the form of the virtual button displayed on the display changes. .

  The present invention provides a light transmissive portion in which a plurality of light transmissive members that transmit light from a display are arranged in a planar shape, a permanent magnet provided in each of the plurality of light transmissive members, and light of the light transmissive portion. A sheet having stretchability and light transmittance covering the output surface, and an electromagnetic coil portion in which a plurality of electromagnetic coils that generate a magnetic field that is opposed to the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet when energized are arranged in a planar shape A voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil unit, wherein the light transmission unit and the electromagnetic coil unit are formed in different layers, and each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil unit A control device of an input device provided on the display surface side of the display corresponding to each or a part of a plurality of light transmissive members, wherein the input is performed according to a form of a virtual button in an image displayed on the display apparatus Among the electromagnetic coil sections, the energization section for energizing the electromagnetic coil provided at the position corresponding to the display area of the virtual button, and the coordinates on the input device of the electromagnetic coil where the voltage detection section has detected a change in voltage There is provided a control device comprising: a control unit that discriminates a designated virtual button in the image based on a position and a display image on the display.

  In the control device, the form of the virtual button indicates the position, size, and shape of each virtual button in the display area on the display.

  The present invention is an input device provided on a display surface side of a display, wherein a plurality of light transmissive members that transmit light from the display are arranged in a plane, and the plurality of light transmissive members A first permanent magnet provided in each, a sheet having stretchability and light transmission covering the light output surface of the light transmission part, and a magnetic field direction of the first permanent magnet by being energized An electromagnetic coil section in which a plurality of electromagnetic coils that generate opposing magnetic fields are arranged in a plane; and a voltage detection section that detects a voltage of each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil section, the light transmission section and the electromagnetic The coil portions are formed in different layers, and each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil portion provides an input device corresponding to each or a part of the plurality of light transmission members.

  The input device includes a permanent magnet portion in which second permanent magnets attracting the first permanent magnet are arranged in a planar shape, and the light transmission portion and the permanent magnet portion are formed in different layers. Yes.

  According to the input device and the control device according to the present invention, even if the form of the virtual button displayed on the display changes, a click feeling can be obtained when the user presses the position of the virtual button.

The figure which shows notionally the cross section of the touchscreen of one Embodiment. Top view of optical fiber group 101 Figure showing a cross section of an optical fiber The figure explaining arrangement | positioning of an optical fiber when the permanent magnet 121 is provided in the two side surfaces which an optical fiber opposes The figure which shows the circuit structure which performs the energization state switching of the electromagnetic coil which comprises the touchscreen of FIG. 1, and the voltage detection of the electromagnetic coil. The figure explaining each state of the touch panel shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the control apparatus of the touch panel shown in FIG. 1, and the relationship with the said touch panel and a display. (A) And (B) is a figure which shows the virtual button based on the example of a display, and the protruding part of a touchscreen. Sectional drawing which shows partially the display panel with a switch disclosed by patent document 1 Sectional drawing which shows partially the display panel with a switch disclosed by patent document 2 (A) And (B) is the perspective view and sectional drawing which show the tactile-sheet member disclosed by patent document 3

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a cross section of a touch panel according to an embodiment. The touch panel shown in FIG. 1 includes an optical fiber group 101, a holding sheet 103, an electromagnetic coil group 105, a permanent magnet group 107, base plates 109A and 109B, and a voltage sensor group 111 not shown in FIG. . Note that some optical fibers of the optical fiber group 101 are provided with permanent magnets (not shown in FIG. 1).

  The touch panel shown in FIG. 1 is bonded to the display surface of the display. In this embodiment, when a current is passed through a part of the electromagnetic coils of the electromagnetic coil group 105, only the optical fiber provided with the permanent magnets corresponding to the part of the electromagnetic coils is lifted. That is, the optical fiber is lifted by the magnetic force from the electromagnetic coil. For this reason, if a user presses the part where the optical file was lifted, a click feeling will be obtained.

  Hereinafter, each component provided in the touch panel will be described in detail.

  The optical fiber group 101 includes the same number of optical fibers as the number of pixels of the display to which the touch panel is bonded. Each optical fiber is arranged in a planar shape corresponding to one pixel of the display, and the optical path is provided so as to be perpendicular to the display surface of the display. Therefore, each optical fiber transmits the light of the corresponding pixel of the display to the holding sheet 103 side.

  FIG. 2 is a top view of the optical fiber group 101. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cross section of the optical fiber is a hexagon, but it may be a circle. As described above, permanent magnets are provided on the side surfaces of the optical fibers constituting the optical fiber group 101. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross section of the optical fiber. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, permanent magnets 121 are provided on two opposite side surfaces of the optical fiber. The optical fiber only needs to be provided with at least one permanent magnet 121.

  In FIG. 2, adjacent optical fibers are shown in contact with each other, but since a permanent magnet 121 is provided on the side surface of the optical fiber, a gap is provided between the optical fibers. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the permanent magnets 121 are provided on two opposite side surfaces of the optical fiber, each optical fiber is arranged as shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, among the six side surfaces of each optical fiber, the side surface on which the permanent magnet 121 is provided is indicated by a solid line, and the side surface on which the permanent magnet 121 is not provided is indicated by a dotted line. The gap between the optical fibers shown in FIG. 4 may be filled with highly transparent oil.

  The holding sheet 103 is a sheet having stretchability, light transmittance, and light diffusibility, and covers the entire light output surface of the optical fiber group 101.

  The electromagnetic coil group 105 includes the same number of electromagnetic coils as the number of optical fibers included in the optical fiber group 101 or the number of permanent magnets 121 provided on the optical fibers of the optical fiber group 101. The electromagnetic coils of the electromagnetic coil group 105 are arranged in a plane corresponding to one optical fiber or one permanent magnet 121. However, one electromagnetic coil may be provided corresponding to a plurality of optical fibers or a plurality of permanent magnets 121. When a current is passed through the electromagnetic coil, a magnetic field is generated. Each electromagnetic coil is provided to generate a magnetic field that opposes the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 121. Therefore, when a current is passed through the electromagnetic coil, the corresponding permanent magnet 121 repels and the optical fiber is lifted.

  The permanent magnet group 107 includes the same number of permanent magnets as the number of optical fibers included in the optical fiber group 101 or the number of permanent magnets 121 provided in the optical fibers of the optical fiber group 101. The permanent magnets of the permanent magnet group 107 are arranged in a planar shape in the same direction as the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 121 provided in the optical fiber. That is, the permanent magnets of the permanent magnet group 107 are provided so that the upper and lower positions of the optical fibers are stabilized when the electromagnetic coils are in a non-energized state by acting with the permanent magnets provided in the optical fibers.

  The base plate 109A is a substrate on which a non-energized optical fiber is placed. The base plate 109B is a substrate on which the electromagnetic coil group 105 and the permanent magnet group 107 are installed.

  The voltage sensor group 111 includes the same number of voltage sensors as the number of electromagnetic coils constituting the electromagnetic coil group 105. The voltage sensor of the voltage sensor group detects the voltage of the corresponding electromagnetic coil. When the user presses the optical fiber that is lifted because the electromagnetic coil is energized, an induced electromotive force is generated in the electromagnetic coil at this time. Moreover, since the optical fiber is lifted again when the user stops pressing, an induced electromotive force is generated in the electromagnetic coil. Thus, when an induced electromotive force is generated in the energized electromagnetic coil, the voltage of the electromagnetic coil changes. The voltage sensor detects a change in the voltage of the electromagnetic coil. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration for switching the energization state of the electromagnetic coil constituting the touch panel of FIG. 1 and detecting the voltage of the electromagnetic coil.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating each state of the touch panel shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows the movement or state of the optical fiber in the states (A) to (E), the energization state of the electromagnetic coil, and the voltage V detected by the voltage sensor. In the state (A), since the electromagnetic coil is not energized, the optical fiber is attached to the base plate 109A. At this time, the optical fiber is stably attached to the base plate 109 </ b> A by the attractive force acting between the permanent magnet 121 of the optical fiber and the permanent magnet of the permanent magnet group 107. In the state (B), since the electromagnetic coil is energized, a magnetic field is generated in the electromagnetic coil, and the optical fiber is lifted.

  In the state (C), the optical fiber is pressed down by the user via the holding sheet 103. At this time, an induced electromotive force is generated in the electromagnetic coil, and the voltage sensor detects an instantaneous voltage change. In state (D), when the user stops pressing the optical fiber, the optical fiber is lifted again. Also at this time, an induced electromotive force having the opposite sign is generated in the electromagnetic coil in the state (C), and the voltage sensor changes the instantaneous voltage with the opposite sign to that in the state (C). To detect. In state (E), energization of the electromagnetic coil is stopped, so that the optical fiber is attached to the base plate 109A. At this time, the optical fiber is attached to the base plate 109 </ b> A side by the attractive force acting between the permanent magnet 121 of the optical fiber and the permanent magnet of the permanent magnet group 107.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control device for the touch panel shown in FIG. 1 and the relationship between the touch panel and the display. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the touch panel control apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment includes a display processing unit 201, a touch panel drive unit 203, a press detection unit 205, and a control unit 207.

  The display processing unit 201 performs processing to display an image based on the screen data obtained from the control unit 207 on the display. In addition, the display processing unit 201 sends data (virtual button form data) relating to the form of the virtual button in the image displayed on the display to the touch panel driving unit 203. The virtual button is a mark or the like of a predetermined area displayed on the display. The virtual button form indicates the position, size, and shape of each virtual button in the display area of the display. By pressing the part on the touch panel corresponding to the virtual button area, it is possible to instruct the input of characters assigned to each virtual button and the execution of the operation.

  Based on the virtual button form data obtained from the display processing unit 201, the touch panel driving unit 203 energizes the electromagnetic coil of the touch panel provided at a position corresponding to the virtual button display area. When the touch panel driving unit 203 causes a current to flow through a part of the electromagnetic coils of the electromagnetic coil group 105, the optical fiber on the electromagnetic coil is lifted, so that the surface of the touch panel is partially raised. The user can select a virtual button corresponding to the pressed portion by pressing the raised portion of the touch panel.

  The press detection unit 205 detects a coordinate position of the pressed part on the touch panel based on a change in voltage generated when the user or the like presses the raised part of the touch panel. In the press detection unit 205, a terminal to which a signal indicating a voltage detected by each voltage sensor of the voltage sensor group 111 constituting the touch panel is input is provided for each voltage sensor. Therefore, coordinate points on the touch panel are assigned to each terminal. For this reason, the press detection unit 205 can detect the coordinate position on the touch panel of the pressed part based on which terminal the signal whose voltage has changed is input to. Similarly, the press detection unit 205 can detect the coordinate position on the touch panel of the released part based on which terminal the signal whose voltage has changed is input to when the user or the like stops pressing. .

  The control unit 207 sends image data (screen data) to be displayed on the display to the display processing unit 201. In addition, the control unit 207 identifies a virtual button designated by the user in the image based on the coordinate position detected by the press detection unit 205 and the data of the image displayed on the display. That is, the control unit 207 determines a virtual button corresponding to the coordinate position of the pressed part or the released part on the touch panel.

  As described above, in the touch panel of this embodiment, only the optical fiber corresponding to the energized electromagnetic coil is lifted, and the surface of the touch panel is partially raised. In addition, the touch panel control device 200 controls to energize the electromagnetic coil in the area of the touch panel corresponding to the display area of the virtual button according to the form of the virtual button included in the image displayed on the display. Furthermore, the control device 200 detects a position where the raised portion of the touch panel is pressed, and determines a virtual button corresponding to the position.

  Therefore, according to the touch panel and the control device 200 of the present embodiment, even if the form of the virtual button displayed on the display changes, the raised portion of the touch panel can be changed in accordance with the change of the form. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating virtual buttons and a raised portion of the touch panel based on display examples of the display. In the example shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the virtual button is indicated by reference numeral 11, and the raised portion of the touch panel is indicated by reference numeral 13 for the area indicated by hatching. According to this embodiment, even if the display on the display is changed from the display in FIG. 8A to the display in FIG. 8B, the raised portion of the touch panel changes according to the form of the virtual button in each display. Therefore, even if the form of the virtual button displayed on the display changes, the user can obtain a click feeling when pressing the position of the virtual button.

  The input device according to the present invention is useful as a touch panel or the like that provides a click feeling when the user presses the position of the virtual button displayed on the display.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Optical fiber group 103 Holding sheet 105 Electromagnetic coil group 107 Permanent magnet group 109A, 109B Base board 111 Voltage sensor group 200 Control apparatus 201 Display processing part 203 Touch panel drive part 205 Press detection part 207 Control part

Claims (4)

A light transmitting portion in which a plurality of light transmitting members that transmit light from the display are arranged in a planar shape;
A permanent magnet provided in each of the plurality of light transmitting members;
A sheet having stretchability and light transmission covering the light output surface of the light transmission section;
An electromagnetic coil portion in which a plurality of electromagnetic coils that generate a magnetic field facing the direction of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet when energized are arranged in a plane;
A voltage detection unit for detecting the voltage of each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil unit,
The light transmission part and the electromagnetic coil part are formed in different layers,
Each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil unit corresponds to each or part of the plurality of light transmitting members, and is a control device for an input device provided on the display surface side of the display,
In accordance with the form of the virtual button in the image displayed on the display, an energization unit that energizes an electromagnetic coil provided at a position corresponding to the display area of the virtual button among the electromagnetic coil unit of the input device;
A control unit for determining a designated virtual button in the image based on a coordinate position on the input device of the electromagnetic coil on which the voltage detection unit has detected a voltage change and a display image on the display;
A control device comprising: The control device according to claim 1,
The form of the virtual button indicates the position, size and shape of each virtual button in the display area on the display. An input device provided on the display surface side of the display,
A light transmissive portion in which a plurality of light transmissive members that transmit light from the display are arranged in a planar shape;
A first permanent magnet provided in each of the plurality of light transmission members;
A sheet having stretchability and light transmission covering the light output surface of the light transmission section;
An electromagnetic coil portion in which a plurality of electromagnetic coils that generate a magnetic field facing the direction of the magnetic field of the first permanent magnet when energized are arranged in a plane;
A voltage detection unit that detects a voltage of each electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic coil unit,
The light transmission part and the electromagnetic coil part are formed in different layers,
Each electromagnetic coil of the said electromagnetic coil part respond | corresponds to each or one part of these light transmissive members, The input device characterized by the above-mentioned. The input device according to claim 3,
A second permanent magnet attracting the first permanent magnet is provided with a permanent magnet portion arranged in a plane;
The input device, wherein the light transmission part and the permanent magnet part are formed in different layers.

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