JP2012185815A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize sufficient waterproofing and dustproofing without attenuating vibration as much as possible in an electronic device in which a piezoelectric element bends and vibrates a touch panel.SOLUTION: An electronic device includes a touch panel 20, vibration parts 50 for vibrating the touch panel 20, and a support member 40 having an opening for placing the touch panel 20 therein. An elastic installation member 60 is disposed between an outer periphery of the touch panel 20 and an opening inner face of the support member 40 along the outer periphery of the touch panel so as to expand and contract and to block outside air.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic device that detects an operation input to a touch panel and feeds back an operational feeling.

  Currently, touch panels and touch pads are widely used as input devices for electronic devices. In such an input device, when an operator operates a touch panel, a touch pad, or the like, a device that feeds back a feeling of operation to an operator's fingertip by vibrating the touch panel or the touch pad is proposed ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 is an external perspective view in which the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 is disassembled. As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device (display device) described in Patent Document 1 includes a display monitor 100, a panel fixing frame 210, a touch panel 400, and a cover 500. This electronic device is configured by assembling each component such as the touch panel 400 to the display monitor 100.

  In the electronic device described in Patent Document 1, the display monitor 100 is composed of a liquid crystal display (LCD), and has a rectangular and flat shape as a whole. The display monitor 100 displays, for example, objects such as keys and buttons or various information on the display surface according to control by a control device (not shown). On the display surface of the display monitor 100, the touch panel 400 having the same size as that of the monitor 100 is assembled.

  The touch panel 400 is configured so that, for example, when a matrix-like switch circuit is formed on a transparent resin plate and the panel surface is touched by an operator's fingertip or the like, a detection signal corresponding to the contact position is output to the control device. It is configured. That is, the operator can input various information corresponding to the display to the electronic device by operating the panel 400 according to the display on the display monitor 100 displayed through the touch panel 400.

  In this electronic device, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of piezoelectric elements (piezo elements) 420 are attached along the upper side (the back side in the figure) and the bottom side (the near side in the figure) of the back surface side of the touch panel 400. It has been. When the touch panel 400 detects contact by the operator, the electronic device gives a drive signal (voltage) to the piezoelectric element 420 from the control device. When this drive signal is received, the piezoelectric element 420 expands and contracts to deform (bend) the touch panel 400, so that the electronic device can generate vibration on the operation surface of the touch panel 400. That is, the touch panel 400 vibrates with the above operation, so that the operator can obtain an operational feeling.

  In this electronic apparatus, the touch panel 400 is assembled to the display monitor 100 via a panel fixing frame 210. The panel fixing frame 210 is formed of a hard resin material such as ABS, so that the entire panel fixing frame 210 has rigidity.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a holder 220 that holds the touch panel 400 at its four corners is assembled to the panel fixing frame 210. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a state where one of the four holders 220 is attached to the corner of the touch panel 400. Each holder 220 is formed with a slit-like insertion portion 360 into which a corner portion of the touch panel 400 can be inserted. As shown in FIG. 7, a fixing hole 320 for fixing the holder 220 is provided on the peripheral side surface of the panel fixing frame 210 near the end of each side surface. Then, the hooks 340a formed on the holder 220 shown in FIG. 8 are inserted into the fixing holes 320 shown in FIG. 7, so that each holder 220 fixes the touch panel 400 to the panel fixing frame 210.

  As described above, when the four corners of the touch panel 400 are inserted into the respective holders 220, the respective holders 220 hold the touch panel 400 from the outside at the four corners and also from both sides in the thickness direction. Therefore, the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 can be arranged such that the touch panel 400 is fixed.

  Each of the holders 220 is made of a material having a smaller elastic coefficient than that of the panel fixing frame 210, and is integrally formed of, for example, silicon-based resin or rubber. As described above, the holder 220 is configured to be elastically deformable so that the touch panel 400 can vibrate while stably holding the touch panel 400. Note that a gap that allows displacement of the touch panel 400 in the thickness direction is secured between the touch panel 400 and the display monitor 100. For this reason, when the piezoelectric element 420 vibrates, the displacement of the touch panel 400 in the thickness direction accompanying the vibration is possible.

  Therefore, since the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 is configured not to greatly disturb the vibration when the touch panel 400 is vibrated, the operational feeling due to the vibration of the touch panel 400 can be ensured satisfactorily. .

JP 2010-44497 A

  As described above, the electronic device described in Patent Literature 1 can ensure a feeling of operation due to vibration of the touch panel, and can be arranged so that the touch panel is fixed.

  By the way, the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 is assumed to be, for example, a display device of an in-vehicle navigation system, and no measures against dust and water are taken on the electronic device itself. For example, when the electronic device shown in FIG. 7 is assembled, the touch panel 400 is attached to the panel fixing frame 210 while being inserted into the insertion portion 360 of the elastic material holder 220, that is, via the holder 220. This is because if the touch panel 400 is firmly fixed to the panel fixing frame 210, the touch panel 400 is not displaced in the thickness direction when the piezoelectric element 420 vibrates, and the touch panel 400 cannot be vibrated satisfactorily. Because. Therefore, a gap is formed between the touch panel 400 and the panel fixing frame 210, and there is a concern that dust and moisture may enter through the gap.

  The present invention has been developed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to realize a sufficient waterproof and dustproof measure without attenuating vibration in an electronic device in which a touch panel is bent and vibrated by a piezoelectric element or the like.

That is, the present invention
A touch panel;
A vibrating section for vibrating the touch panel;
An electronic device including a support member having an opening in which the touch panel is disposed,
An electronic device is characterized in that an elastic erection member is installed to extend and contract and to block outside air between the outer edge and the inner surface of the opening of the support member over the entire outer edge of the touch panel.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in an electronic device which carries out bending vibration of a touch panel with a piezoelectric element etc., dustproofness and waterproofness can be improved, without attenuating a vibration.

1 is a perspective view of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view which decomposed | disassembled the electronic device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel assembly according to a first embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the electronic device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the electronic device which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the electronic device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the structure of the conventional electronic device. It is another figure explaining the structure of the conventional electronic device.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 includes an upper housing 10 a, a lower housing 10 b, a touch panel 20, and a film 30 in appearance. The “touch panel” means a member disposed on the front surface of the display unit that can be an LCD or the like, that is, a member provided separately from the display unit.

  The upper housing 10a and the lower housing 10b constitute the housing 10 when they are combined together. When the upper casing 10a and the lower casing 10b are combined together, an appropriate waterproof and dustproof measure can be taken, for example, by using a sealed structure with rubber packing. It has been subjected. The upper housing 10a and the lower housing 10b are preferably made of a material that can withstand a certain degree of impact, such as a resin case. In the following description, detailed description of the combined structure of the upper housing 10a and the lower housing 10b is omitted. Further, in the description in the present specification, the upper housing is simply abbreviated as “housing” as appropriate.

  The touch panel 20 is usually disposed on the front surface of a display unit (not shown), and touching an object displayed on the display unit with an operator's finger, a stylus pen or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as “contact object”), Detection is performed on the touch surface of the corresponding touch panel 20. In addition, the touch panel 20 detects the position of contact of the contact object with respect to the touch surface, and notifies the detected position of the contact to a control unit (not shown).

  The touch panel 20 may be a touch panel configured by a resistance film method, a capacitance method, an optical method, or the like. In addition, when the touch panel 20 detects the contact by a contact thing, it is not essential that a contact thing touches the touch panel 20 physically. For example, when the touch panel 20 is optical, the touch panel 20 detects a position where the infrared light on the touch panel 20 is blocked by the contact object, and thus it is not necessary for the contact object to touch the touch panel 20.

  The display unit described above displays an object such as a push button switch (push button switch) such as a key as an image. This object is an image that suggests to the operator an area to be touched on the touch surface of the touch panel 20. The push button switch is a button, key, or the like (hereinafter, simply referred to as “key, etc.”) used by an operator for input operation. This display unit is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal display panel (LCD), an organic EL display panel, or the like. That is, although not shown, a display unit such as an LCD can be arranged on the back side of the touch panel 20 shown in FIG. However, in the present specification, detailed description of display-related matters is omitted.

  The film 30 is disposed between the touch panel 20 and the housing 10a, and is adhered to the touch panel 20 and a bezel described later with a double-sided tape or an adhesive. Further, the film 30 is usually colored in black, and functions to prevent the seam from being seen from the outside by covering the seam between the touch panel and the bezel.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the touch panel assembly P is removed from the housing 10a in the electronic device 1 shown in FIG.
The touch panel assembly P shown in FIG. 2 includes a touch panel 20, a bezel 40, a film 30, and a vibration unit and an elastic erection member which will be described later. In addition, the touch panel assembly P has a structure that can be fitted into the recess 10a-1 formed in the upper part of the housing 10a.

  FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where the film 30 and the vibration unit 50 are removed from the touch panel assembly P shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the touch panel 20 is disposed in the opening of the bezel 40, and an elastic erection member 60 is provided between the side surface and the opening side surface of the bezel 40 over the entire side surface of the touch panel 20. ing. Here, in the present embodiment, the bezel 40 corresponds to a support member.

  The elastic erection member 60 is made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber, and the bezel 40 and the touch panel 20 are integrated via the elastic erection member 60. Therefore, since the touch panel 20 is supported by the bezel 40 via the elastic erection member 60 having elasticity, it is possible to effectively prevent the bending vibration from being attenuated. Moreover, since the intrusion of outside air into the device between the touch panel 20 and the bezel 40 can be blocked, that is, sealed, by the elastic erection member 60, it is possible to take measures for waterproofing and dustproofing the electronic device 1. .

In addition, the elastic erection member 60 is preferably disposed over the entire circumference between the bezel 40 and the touch panel 20 under a tension state. Specifically, it is preferably arranged in a state where a tension of 3.9N to 5.9N is applied, but when the casing is vibrated in the normal use range in the XY direction, the touch feeling of the touch panel 20 is presented. May be arranged in a state where tension is applied to such an extent that it can be determined whether the vibration is due to external vibration or due to the vibration part 50.
The bezel 40 can be made of, for example, metal, plastic, resin, and the like, and is preferably made of a material having a certain degree of strength despite being thin.

As shown in FIG. 3, on the back surface of the touch panel 20, in the present embodiment, the vibrating portion 50 is bonded to the vicinity of the upper and lower edges by, for example, a double-sided tape or an adhesive. The vibration part 50 can be comprised, for example with a piezoelectric element.
Note that the arrangement of the vibration unit 50 is not limited to the vicinity of the upper and lower edges of the touch panel 20, and may be arranged near the left and right edges of the touch panel 20, for example.

  Moreover, the vibration part 50 presents a tactile sensation with respect to the contact object in contact with the touch surface by generating a vibration according to a predetermined vibration pattern. In the present embodiment, the vibration unit 50 generates vibration based on a drive signal supplied from a control unit (not shown), for example.

  Next, the details of the internal configuration of the electronic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  4 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 1 in FIG. However, in this drawing, the touch panel assembly P and the upper casing 10a are shown, and the other lower casing 10b, LCD, substrate, and the like are omitted. Hereinafter, an example in which the electronic apparatus 1 has a bilaterally symmetric configuration will be described. Therefore, in FIG. 4, reference numerals for explaining the configuration on the right side of the figure are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the touch panel assembly P is fitted into the recess 10a-1 formed in the upper part of the housing 10a as described above. In addition, the touch panel assembly P is fixed to the housing 10a by adhering the bezel 40 to the recess 10a-1 over the entire circumference with, for example, a double-sided tape or an adhesive. The adhering portions is a portion indicated by hatching S ₁ in FIG. 4. The gap between the bezel 40 and the housing 10a is sealed by this adhesion. In addition, as described above, the gap between the touch panel 20 and the bezel 40 is sealed by the elastic laying member 60, whereby dust and moisture can be prevented from entering the housing of the electronic device 1. In this way, the electronic device 1 is dust-proofed and waterproofed.

As described above, the film 30 is also the double-sided tape or adhesive hatched S ₂ in FIG. 4, are respectively adhered to the touch panel 20 and the bezel 40. The film 30 is made of a sufficiently stretchable material so as not to attenuate the vibration of the touch panel 20.

According to the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the elastic laying member 60 is used to effectively suppress the attenuation of the bending vibration of the touch panel 20 by the vibration unit 50, while waterproofing the electronic device 1. Dust-proof measures can be taken.
Further, according to the electronic apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the touch panel 20, the vibration unit 50, the bezel 40, the elastic erection member 60, and the film 30 can be prepared as a single component in advance as the touch panel assembly P. By doing in this way, since the electronic device 1 can be assembled easily and rapidly, it can be expected to contribute significantly to a reduction in production cost.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, an electronic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the second embodiment, the electronic device 1 according to the first embodiment described above has the touch panel supported on the bezel via the elastic erection member, whereas the bezel is not used and the touch panel is interposed via the elastic erection member. It is directly supported by the upper housing. Specifically, an opening is provided in the upper casing, and an elastic erection member is provided over the entire circumference of the outer edge between the inner surface of the opening and the outer edge of the touch panel. Further, the film is adhered to the upper casing and the touch panel, respectively, thereby covering the joint between the upper casing and the touch panel. The electronic device according to the second embodiment can be realized by basically the same configuration as the electronic device described in the first embodiment, except for the above points. For this reason, below, the description which becomes the same content as demonstrated in 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electronic device 2 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the electronic device 2 according to the second embodiment is the first except that the film 30 ′ is arranged so as to straddle between the touch panel 20 and the edge of the housing 10 a ′. The external appearance is the same as that of the electronic apparatus according to the embodiment.

  Next, an internal configuration of the electronic apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A′-A ′ of the electronic device 2 in FIG. 5. However, in this drawing, the touch panel 20, the vibration part 50, the elastic erection member 60, the film 30 ', and the casing 10a' are shown, and the other lower casing 10b, LCD, substrate, and the like are omitted. Hereinafter, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, illustration of the configuration on the right side of the electronic device 2 is omitted to describe an example in which the electronic device 2 has a symmetrical configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the electronic device 2 according to the present embodiment, the touch panel 20 is disposed in the opening of the housing 10 a ′, and the outer edge and the housing 10 a ′ are arranged over the entire outer edge of the touch panel 20. An elastic erection member 60 is constructed between the inner surface of the opening. Here, in the present embodiment, the housing 10a 'corresponds to a support member.

The elastic erection member 60 is made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber, and the housing 10 a ′ and the touch panel 20 are integrated via the elastic erection member 60. Therefore, since the touch panel 20 is supported by the housing 10a ′ via the elastic erection member 60 having elasticity, as described above, it is possible to effectively prevent the bending vibration from being attenuated. In addition, the space between the touch panel 20 and the housing 10a ′ can be sealed by the elastic erection member 60, which makes it possible to effectively take waterproof and dustproof measures on the electronic device 2. is there.
In addition, the elastic erection member 60 is preferably disposed over the entire circumference between the housing 10a ′ and the touch panel 20 under a tension state, and preferably between the housing 10a ′ and the touch panel 20. The point arrange | positioned in the state to which the tension | tensile_strength of 9N-5.9N is provided is the same as that of 1st Embodiment.

The film 30 ', the double-sided tape or adhesive hatched S ₃ in FIG. 6, the touch panel 20 and the housing 10a' are bonded respectively. Further, the film 30 ′ is the same as the first embodiment in that a sufficiently stretchable material is used so as not to attenuate the vibration of the touch panel 20.

  According to the electronic device 2 according to the present embodiment described above, the elastic erection member 60 is used to effectively suppress the attenuation of the bending vibration of the touch panel 20 by the vibration unit 50, while waterproofing the electronic device 2. Dust-proof measures can be taken.

Further, according to the electronic device 2 according to the present embodiment, since the configuration does not use a bezel, the configuration of the touch panel can be configured to be more effectively used compared with FIG.
Furthermore, according to the electronic device 2 according to the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to use a bezel, the number of parts necessary for manufacturing can be reduced, and the electronic device can be assembled easily and quickly. It can be expected to contribute to reduction.

  In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, Many deformation | transformation or a change is possible. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, an aspect has been described in which an object is displayed on a display unit (not shown) disposed on the back side of the touch panel and the touch panel detects an operator's contact. However, the present invention is not limited to such a mode, and can be applied to a mode in which an object is directly printed with ink or the like on the touch surface of the touch panel without having a display unit, for example. is there.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the contact with respect to the touch surface of the said touch panel was detected using the touch panel. That is, in the above embodiment, the touch panel has been described assuming a member such as a so-called touch sensor. However, the touch panel used in the electronic device according to the present invention may be any as long as it can be touched by a contact object such as an operator's finger or a stylus pen.

  For example, the touch panel used in the electronic device according to the present invention may be a member such as a simple “panel” that does not detect the position of contact of the contact object with the touch surface (that is, has no sensing function). In the electronic device having such a configuration, for example, it is possible to determine that contact with the touch panel has been made based on the pressure detected by the pressure detection unit by further providing a pressure detection unit that detects pressure on the touch panel. it can.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the contact with respect to the touch surface of the said touch panel was detected using the touch panel. However, it is also possible to determine that the touch detection unit detects a press on the touch panel and that the touch is made on the touch panel based on the press.

  The above-described press detection unit detects a press on the touch surface of the touch panel. For example, a strain gauge sensor or a piezoelectric that changes physical or electrical characteristics (strain, resistance, voltage, etc.) according to the press. An arbitrary number of elements can be used. Further, when the vibration unit is a piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element can also be used as a press detection unit. By adopting such a configuration and detecting the distortion of the touch panel due to the press, it is possible to assume a configuration in which the pressure on the touch panel is calculated from the distortion.

  For example, when the pressure detection unit is configured using a piezoelectric element or the like, the piezoelectric element of the pressure detection unit is a load (force) magnitude (or magnitude of the load (force) related to the pressure on the touch surface of the touch panel. The voltage magnitude (voltage value), which is an electrical characteristic, changes according to the speed (acceleration) at which the voltage changes. In this case, the pressure detection unit can notify the control unit of the magnitude of the voltage (voltage value (hereinafter simply referred to as data)). The control unit acquires the data when the press detection unit notifies the control unit of the data, or when the control unit detects data related to the piezoelectric element of the press detection unit. That is, a control part acquires the data based on the press with respect to the touch surface of a touchscreen. That is, a control part acquires the data based on a press from a press detection part. Then, when the data based on the press satisfies a predetermined standard, the control unit can determine that contact has been made and generate a predetermined vibration. Here, the predetermined reference can be set as appropriate according to the load characteristic when the push button switch is to be expressed.

  Such a press detection part can assume various structures according to the contact detection system in a touch panel. For example, in the case of the resistance film method, a strain gauge sensor, a piezoelectric element, or the like is used by associating the magnitude of the resistance corresponding to the size of the contact area with the pressing load (force) on the touch surface of the touch panel. It can be configured without. Alternatively, in the case of the capacitance method, the capacitance can be configured without using a strain gauge sensor or a piezoelectric element by associating the size of the capacitance with a load (force) of pressing against the touch surface of the touch panel. it can.

  Further, the vibration unit is configured by using an arbitrary number of piezoelectric vibrators, is configured by providing a transparent piezoelectric element on the entire surface of the touch panel, or configured to rotate the eccentric motor once in one cycle of the drive signal. You can also do it. Furthermore, when the pressure detection unit and the vibration unit are configured using a piezoelectric element, the pressure detection unit and the vibration unit may be configured by sharing the piezoelectric element. This is because the piezoelectric element generates a voltage when pressure is applied and deforms when the voltage is applied.

  Further, as described above, when the magnitude (voltage value (data)) of the voltage of the piezoelectric element that also serves as the pressure detection unit satisfies a predetermined standard, the vibration unit drives the piezoelectric element to generate vibration. It can also be generated. Here, when the voltage level (voltage value (data)) of the piezoelectric element satisfies a predetermined reference, the voltage value (data) may reach a predetermined reference value, It may be when the value (data) exceeds a predetermined reference value or when a voltage value (data) equal to the predetermined reference value is detected.

  In the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming the configuration in which the touch panel is disposed so as to overlap the upper surface of the display unit. The electronic apparatus according to the present invention does not necessarily have such a configuration, and the touch panel and the display unit can be separated from each other. However, the configuration in which the touch panel is arranged so as to overlap the upper surface of the display unit allows the operator to easily recognize the correspondence between the displayed image, the region where the operation input is detected, and the generated vibration. Can do.

  In addition, the display unit and the touch panel in the description of the above-described embodiment may be configured by an integrated device, for example, by providing both functions of the display unit and the contact detection unit on a common substrate. As an example of the configuration of the device in which both functions of the display unit and the contact detection unit are integrated as described above, a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements such as photodiodes are regularly arranged in a matrix electrode array of pixel electrodes included in the liquid crystal panel. Can be mentioned. This device displays an image with a liquid crystal panel structure, while reflecting the light of a backlight for liquid crystal display at the tip of a pen that touches and inputs a desired position on the surface of the panel. The reflected light is reflected by peripheral photoelectric conversion elements. The touch position can be detected by receiving the light.

  The vibration unit may be configured to vibrate the touch panel indirectly by vibrating the electronic device based on a vibration motor (eccentric motor) or by arranging a piezoelectric element on the touch panel. The touch panel may be configured to vibrate directly.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 Electronic device 10a, 10a 'Upper housing | casing 10b Lower housing | casing 10a-1 Recess 20 Touch panel 30, 30' Film 40 Bezel 50 Vibration part 60 Elastic construction member P Touch panel assembly

Claims (1)

A touch panel;
A vibrating section for vibrating the touch panel;
An electronic device including a support member having an opening in which the touch panel is disposed,
An electronic apparatus comprising an elastic erection member that is extendable and can be shielded from outside air between the outer edge and the inner surface of the opening of the support member over the entire outer periphery of the touch panel.

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