JP2014067219A - Tactile sense presentation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To present tactile sense to an operator without regard to a push-in amount and prevent breakage of a piezoelectric device.SOLUTION: A vibration generation device 11 of a tactile sense presentation device 10 includes: a protection member 70; a pad 40; an actuator 20; and a spring member 80. The actuator 20 includes: a base material 21; and a piezoelectric element 22. The actuator 20 is sandwiched between the protection member 70 and the spring member 80. On a surface on the protection member 70 side of the base material 21, the pad 40 is installed. The pad 40 is inserted through a through hole 73 formed in the protection member 70. One end of the pad 40 protrudes from a surface of the protection member 70 and is in contact with a button type operation portion 30, and the other end is in contact with the base material 21. When strongly pushed in, the button type operation portion 30 is in contact with the protection member 70. Thus, a push-in amount of the pad 40 is regulated, and a curvature amount of the actuator 20 is also regulated.

Description

  The present invention relates to a tactile sensation presentation apparatus that gives an operator a tactile sensation according to an operation.

  Conventionally, when an operator performs an operation input by directly touching an operation input means such as a touch panel or a button, there are various tactile presentation devices that give a tactile sensation such as vibration to the operator's finger according to the operation input. It has been devised. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a portable electronic device including a touch panel as a tactile sense presentation device.

  The tactile sense presentation device described in Patent Document 1 is disposed on the back side of the touch panel in the chassis. The tactile sense presentation device includes a flat shim (base material) and a piezoelectric device element even disposed on one main surface of the base material. The shim is supported in a hollow space in the chassis, with the end portion supported by a support portion erected from the back side of the chassis. At this time, the shim is arranged so that the flat surface of the shim and the flat surface of the touch panel are parallel to each other. The shim is disposed such that the surface on which the piezoelectric device element is disposed is opposite to the surface on the touch panel side of the shim. A pad is disposed at the center of the surface opposite to the surface on which the shim piezoelectric device element is disposed. The pad has a predetermined height, one end in the height direction is in contact with the back surface of the touch panel, and the other end is in contact with the shim.

  In such a structure, when the operator presses the surface of the touch panel, the piezoelectric device element is driven, and the shim vibrates with the direction orthogonal to the flat plate surface as the vibration direction. This vibration is propagated to the touch panel via the pad, giving the operator a tactile sensation due to the vibration.

JP 2010-152888 A

  However, the conventional structure as shown in Patent Document 1 has the following problems.

  In the tactile sense presentation device having a conventional structure, the touch panel and the shim are in contact with each other with a pad interposed therebetween. For this reason, when the surface of the touch panel is pressed, the pad is pushed into the shim side and the shim is curved. Along with this, the piezoelectric device element disposed on the shim also bends. That is, the pressing of the touch panel directly affects the bending of the piezoelectric device element.

  Therefore, if the surface of the touch panel is pressed too strongly, the piezoelectric device element may be greatly bent and damaged.

  Conversely, if the distance between the touch panel and the shim is kept to some extent, the damage of the piezoelectric device element due to strong pressing can be suppressed, but the vibration of the shim cannot be transmitted to the touch panel in the case of weak pressing.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a tactile sensation presentation apparatus capable of presenting a tactile sensation to an operator regardless of the amount of push-in and suppressing damage to a piezoelectric device.

  The present invention relates to a tactile sense presentation device that presents a tactile sense by vibration to an operator, and has the following characteristics. The tactile sense presentation device includes a chassis, an operation unit, an actuator, a vibration transmission member, and a protection member. The chassis has a predetermined internal space and has a shape with an opening on the top surface side. The operation unit is attached to the opening of the chassis and can detect an operation by pushing. The actuator has a flat plate shape and is arranged in the internal space of the chassis. The vibration transmitting member is disposed between the actuator and the operation unit. The protection member is disposed between the actuator and the operation unit. The protection member has a flat plate shape with a gap between the operation unit and the actuator and is elastic in a state where the operation unit is not pushed.

  In this configuration, when the operation unit is pushed in with a strong force, the operation unit contacts the protection member. Thereby, the force applied to the operation unit is distributed to the protection member and the vibration transmission member. Therefore, the force applied to the actuator via the vibration transmission member can be relaxed, and damage to the actuator can be suppressed. On the other hand, since the actuator is always in contact with the operation portion via the vibration transmitting member, the vibration generated by the actuator can be reliably transmitted to the operation portion.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the tactile sense presentation device of the present invention includes a spring plate that biases the actuator on the side opposite to the protective member of the actuator.

  In this configuration, when a large force is applied to the operation unit, the force can be dispersed even with the spring plate. Furthermore, the preload that prestresses the actuator can be realized by the spring plate. Thereby, an actuator with good responsiveness is realizable.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the tactile sense presentation device of the present invention has the following configuration. The actuator and the vibration transmitting member are in contact with each other at substantially the center of the flat plate surface of the actuator. The spring plate is in contact with the corner portion of the flat plate surface of the actuator and is separated from the center of the flat plate surface.

  In this configuration, vibration of the actuator can be effectively applied to the operation unit, and preloading by the spring plate can be effectively realized.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the tactile sense presentation device of the present invention includes a buffer member between the actuator and the protection member or between the actuator and the spring plate.

  In this configuration, the force applied to the actuator when the operation unit is pushed can be further reduced.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the tactile sense presentation device of the present invention has the following configuration. The protective member includes a leg portion that protrudes toward the actuator. The member on the opposite side to the operating portion with respect to the protective member is arranged in a range up to the height of the leg portion. The height of the protective member including the height of the leg portion corresponds to the height of the internal space of the chassis.

  In this configuration, the distance between the inner wall surface on the top surface side and the inner wall surface on the bottom surface side that forms the internal space of the chassis matches the height of the protective member including the leg portion. These members can be fixed at a predetermined position simply by arranging the members on which the is mounted in the chassis. Moreover, since all the stress (external force) applied to the chassis from the outside passes through the protective member, the actuator can be protected from the external force.

  In the tactile sense presentation device according to the present invention, the actuator includes a flat base material and piezoelectric ceramics disposed on at least one main surface of the base material, and vibrates in a direction orthogonal to the flat surface of the base material. A structure is preferred.

  With this configuration, a so-called unimorph or bimorph actuator using a bending mode can be realized. Thereby, an actuator with high responsiveness is realizable.

  In the tactile sense presentation device of the present invention, the protective member may be made of an insulating material, and an electrode for detecting indentation may be formed on the operation unit side of the protective member.

  In this configuration, it is not necessary to separately form the operation detection member of the operation unit. Thereby, the component of a tactile sense presentation apparatus can be reduced and it can be made thin.

  According to the present invention, a tactile sensation can be reliably presented to the operator, and damage to the piezoelectric device can be prevented.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a tactile presentation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view of the vibration generator for demonstrating the effect of the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 1st structural example of fixation of the vibration generator in the tactile presentation apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 2nd structural example of fixation of the vibration generator in the haptic presentation apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation device concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the vibration generator used for the tactile presentation apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the fixation aspect of the vibration generator with respect to the tactile presentation apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the vibration generator used for the tactile presentation apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect by the fixed aspect of the actuator of the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the structure of the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view for demonstrating the effect | action of a buffer member of the vibration generator which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and an effect. It is the side view which shows the structure of the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention, and the block diagram before an assembly | attachment. It is a figure which shows the voltage application structure to the actuator in the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the voltage application structure to the actuator in the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on the 7th Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation device concerning an 8th embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of an actuator. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the buffer member formed directly in the receiving plate part. It is the figure which described multiple types of shape of the side part connected to the receiving plate part of a spring board. It is the figure which described multiple types of fixation aspects of the protection member 70, the actuator 20, and the spring board 80. FIG.

(First embodiment)
A tactile sense presentation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a tactile sense presentation device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Although FIG. 1 shows a configuration including one button type operation unit, a plurality of button type operation units may be provided. In FIG. 1, the number of protrusions provided in one button-type operation unit is four, but it may be one or other plurality.

  The tactile presentation device 10 includes an actuator 20, a button type operation unit 30, a pad 40, a protection member 70, a spring plate 80, and a chassis 100.

  The chassis 100 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The chassis 100 includes a top surface side chassis 101 and a bottom surface side chassis 102. The top surface side chassis 101 and the bottom surface side chassis 102 are made of a highly rigid material such as metal or resin.

  The top surface chassis 101 includes a top surface portion 1101 and a side surface portion 1102. The top surface portion 1101 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape when viewed from the top surface side. In the top surface portion 1101, top surface side openings 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D are formed. The top surface side openings 111A to 111D are through holes that penetrate the top surface portion 1101 in the thickness direction. The top side openings 111A, 111B, 111C, and 111D are formed so that protrusions 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D of the button-type operation unit 30 described later are exposed to the outside. For this reason, the top surface part 1101 is located on the operation surface side in the tactile sense presentation device 10.

  The side surface portion 1102 is formed on the peripheral edge portion of the top surface portion 1101 so as to be orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the top surface portion 1101. Thereby, the top surface side chassis 101 is formed so that the side facing the bottom surface side chassis 102 is opened. The side part 1102 has parts with different thicknesses. Specifically, in the side surface portion 1102, the peripheral portion side portion of the top surface portion 1101 is thicker than the central portion side portion of the top surface portion 1101.

  With such a structure, the top surface chassis 101 has a top surface side internal space formed by the top surface part 1101 and the side surface part 1102. The thickness of the side surface portion 1102 (dimension in the direction orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the top surface portion 1101) is appropriately determined by each component arranged in the chassis 100.

  The bottom surface side chassis 102 includes a bottom surface portion 1201 and a side surface portion 1202. The bottom surface portion 1201 is a substantially rectangular flat plate shape when viewed from the top surface side, and is formed to face the top surface portion 1101 of the top surface side chassis 101. The side surface portion 1202 is formed on the peripheral edge portion of the bottom surface portion 1201 so as to be orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the bottom surface portion 1201. Thereby, the bottom surface side chassis 102 is formed so that the side facing the top surface side chassis 101 is opened.

  With such a structure, the bottom surface side chassis 102 has a bottom surface side internal space formed by the bottom surface portion 1201 and the side surface portion 1202. Note that the thickness of the side surface portion 1202 (the dimension in the direction orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the bottom surface portion 1201) is also appropriately determined depending on each component arranged in the chassis 100.

  In the top surface side chassis 101 and the bottom surface side chassis 102 having such a structure, the side surface portions 1102 and 1202 are joined to each other. Thereby, the chassis 100 having the internal space formed by the communication between the top side internal space and the bottom side internal space is configured. Here, if the thickness of the side surface portion 1102 and the side surface portion 1202 is made as thin as possible, the low-profile chassis 100 can be realized.

  A button type operation unit 30 is arranged in the internal space of the chassis 100, more specifically, in the top surface side internal space of the top surface side chassis 101. The button type operation unit 30 includes a base member 31 and projections 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D. The base member 31 is a flat plate, and has a shape (cross shape) in which two rectangles are orthogonal in a plan view. For this reason, the base member 31 consists of a square-shaped center part in plan view and four rectangular parts located around the center part. The protrusions 32 </ b> A, 32 </ b> B, 32 </ b> C, and 32 </ b> D are formed on each rectangular portion of the base member 31. The protrusions 32A, 32B, 32C, and 32D are cylindrical. The protrusion 32A and the protrusion 32C are arranged symmetrically with respect to a position where the rectangles are orthogonal to each other. The protrusion 32B and the protrusion 32D are arranged symmetrically with respect to a position where the rectangles are orthogonal to each other.

  In the button type operation unit 30, the top surfaces of the protrusions 32A to 32D are operation surfaces. The button-type operation unit 30 is attached to the top surface chassis 101 so that the operation surface is exposed to the outside from the top surface openings 111A to 111D of the top surface chassis 101.

  Specifically, the end portions of the rectangular portions of the base member 31 in the button type operation unit 30 are not exposed from the top surface side openings 111A to 111D. A cushioning material 50 is disposed on the surface of the base member 31 on the side where the protruding portions 32A to 32D are formed at the end of each rectangular portion. The buffer material 50 is made of a material having a predetermined elastic modulus such as a resin. Here, the predetermined elastic modulus is preferably an elastic modulus that can prevent the vibration transmitted from the actuators 20 and 20L to the button type operation units 30 and 30L from leaking to the chassis 100. The elastic modulus of the cushioning material 50 is such that the cushioning material 50 extends and contracts in the height direction when the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed. The surface of the cushioning material 50 opposite to the surface that contacts the base member 31 is in contact with the inner surface of the top surface portion 1101. By providing the cushioning material 50 with adhesive properties, the button-type operation unit 30 is bonded to the top surface chassis 101.

  A vibration generator 11 mainly including an actuator 20, a pad 40, a protection member 70, and a spring plate 80 is disposed on the bottom chassis 102 rather than the button-type operation unit 30 in the internal space of the chassis 100. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the configuration of the vibration generator used in the tactile presentation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  The actuator 20, the pad 40, the protection member 70, and the spring plate 80 are arranged in the order of the pad 40 and the protection member 70, the actuator 20, and the spring plate 80 from the button type operation unit 30 side.

  The pad 40 is made of a material having rigidity capable of transmitting the vibration of the actuator 20 to the button type operation unit 30. This pad 40 is a vibration transmission member of the present invention. The pad 40 has a cylindrical shape, and the height of the pad 40 matches the distance between the actuator 20 and the button type operation unit 30. Thereby, in a state where the actuator 20 and the button type operation unit 30 are attached to the chassis 100, one end in the height direction of the pad 40 abuts on the bottom surface of the button type operation unit 30, and the other end is the top surface of the actuator 20. Abut.

  The protection member 70 includes a flat plate 71. The flat plate 71 is made of an elastic body having a predetermined thickness. It is preferable that the flat plate 71 is made of a material that is not too soft and has a predetermined rigidity and a predetermined elasticity.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the protective member 70 is made of an insulating material. By making the protective member 70 an insulating material, it is possible to prevent the drive signal applied to the actuator 20 from leaking to the chassis 100. Thereby, even if the chassis 100 is formed of a conductive material such as metal, it is possible to prevent the drive signal from leaking to the operator.

  The protection member 70 includes a through hole 73 at the approximate center of the flat plate 71. The diameter of the through hole 73 is wider than the diameter of the pad 40 by a predetermined width. The pad 40 is disposed in the through hole 73 so as to be inserted therethrough.

  The actuator 20 is a piezoelectric actuator, and includes a flat base substrate 21 and a flat piezoelectric element 22. The base substrate 21 is formed of a metal such as 42Ni or stainless steel, or a resin such as glass epoxy. The first main surface of the base substrate 21 is a surface on the pad 40 and the protection member 70 side, and the second main surface is a surface facing the first main surface. In other words, the second main surface is a surface opposite to the surface of the base substrate 21 on the pad 40 and protection member 70 side. The base substrate 21 should have high elasticity. By increasing the elasticity, vibration loss can be reduced. Further, when the base substrate 21 is formed of an insulating resin, it is possible to prevent a drive signal (voltage) applied to the piezoelectric element 22 from leaking to the chassis 100, the button type operation unit 30, and the like.

  The piezoelectric element 22 includes a plate-like piezoelectric body made of piezoelectric ceramics and the like, and a drive electrode that applies a drive signal to the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric body only needs to be formed of a material including lead zirconate titanate ceramics, and may be formed of a material including non-lead piezoelectric ceramics such as alkali niobate ceramics such as potassium sodium niobate. . Although not shown, the drive electrodes are respectively formed on the opposing flat plate surfaces of the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric element 22 is driven in the d31 mode and is displaced so as to expand and contract along the flat plate surface of the piezoelectric body. The piezoelectric element 22 is disposed on the second main surface of the base substrate 21.

  Due to the displacement of the piezoelectric element 22, the actuator 20 bends and generates vibration along a direction orthogonal to the flat surface of the base substrate 21. Thus, the actuator 20 is an actuator having a unimorph structure using a bending mode.

  The pad 40 is in contact with the first main surface of the base material 21 of the actuator 20. At this time, the pad 40 is in contact with the approximate center of the first main surface. A buffer member 61 is disposed on the first main surface of the substrate 21. The buffer members 61 are respectively disposed at the four corners on the first main surface of the substrate 21. The buffer member 61 is made of a material having a predetermined elasticity. The buffer member 61 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the protection member 70 and the base material 21 of the actuator 20.

  A buffer member 62 is disposed on the second main surface of the base material 21 of the actuator 20. The buffer members 62 are respectively disposed at the four corners of the second main surface of the base material 21. In other words, the buffer member 62 is disposed so as to face the buffer member 61 with the base material 21 interposed therebetween. Similarly to the buffer member 61, the buffer member 62 is made of a material having a predetermined elasticity.

  The spring plate 80 includes a flat main plate portion 81 and is made of a material capable of having a spring property. For example, the spring plate 80 is made of a metal plate having a certain degree of rigidity. The main plate portion 81 is disposed so as to be parallel to the actuator 20 and the protection member 70.

  On two opposite sides of the main plate portion 81, side plate portions 82 having a shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the main plate portion 81 are provided. The side plate portion 82 is formed in a shape extending from the corner portion of the main plate portion 81 that is both ends of the two sides except for a portion having a predetermined length.

  A receiving plate portion 83 is provided at both ends of the two sides where the side plate portion 82 of the main plate portion 81 is formed, that is, at a corner portion of the main plate portion 81. The receiving plate portion 83 includes a main receiving portion that is a plane parallel to the plane of the main plate portion 81, and a connecting portion that connects the main receiving portion and the main plate portion 81. The connecting portion has a shape having a predetermined inclination with respect to the main plate portion 81. With this structure, the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83 is arranged at a position different from the main plate portion 81 along the direction orthogonal to the main plate portion 81. More specifically, the main receiving portion exists at a position separated from the main plate portion 81 along the direction in which the side plate portion 82 extends. By adopting such a structure, if the main receiving portion is pushed in from the extending side of the side plate portion 82 in the direction orthogonal to the main receiving portion, the spring property of the connecting portion causes the direction to be orthogonal to the main receiving portion. A repulsive force can be generated. A side plate portion 84 is formed at the tip of the receiving plate portion 83. The side plate portion 84 has a shape that extends in a direction orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the receiving plate portion 83. The side plate portion 84 contacts the side surface of the stacked portion of the actuator 20 and the buffer members 61 and 62. By providing the side plate portion 84, the laminated portion of the actuator 20 and the buffer members 61 and 62 is held.

  The actuator 20, the pad 40, the protection member 70, and the spring plate 80 having such a configuration are assembled as follows to form the vibration generator 11.

The actuator 20 is disposed on the back surface of the protection member 70 via the buffer member 61. At this time, the main surface of the protection member 70 and the main surface of the actuator 20 are parallel to each other and arranged so as to overlap in plan view. The pad 40 is disposed through the through hole 73 of the protection member 70. At this time, the pad 40 is disposed so as to contact the first main surface of the actuator 20. Note that the height of the pad 40 is thicker than the thickness obtained by adding the thickness of the protective member 70 and the thickness of the buffer member 61. Therefore, the end of the pad 40 opposite to the side that contacts the actuator 20 protrudes from the through hole 73 of the protection member 70.

  A spring plate 80 is disposed on the second main surface side of the actuator 20. The spring plate 80 is disposed such that the side plate 82 sandwiches the side surface of the protection member 70. Further, the spring plate 80 is disposed such that the main receiving portion of each receiving plate portion 83 is in contact with each buffer member 62 and a predetermined pressing force is applied to the main receiving portion. With such a structure, it is possible to perform preload in which stress is applied to the actuator 20 in advance. Thereby, an actuator can be operated effectively.

  The vibration generator 11 configured as described above is disposed on the back side of the button type operation unit 30 in the chassis 100. At this time, the pad 40 of the vibration generator 11 is disposed so as to contact the back surface of the base member 31 of the button type operation unit 30. Although not shown, the vibration generator 11 is fixed to either the top surface chassis 101 or the bottom surface chassis 102 with a predetermined configuration.

  The tactile sense presentation device 10 having such a configuration operates as follows by pressing the button type operation unit 30. FIG. 3 is a side view of the vibration generating device for explaining the effect of the tactile sense presentation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A shows a case where the button-type operation unit is pressed weakly, and FIG. 3B shows a case where the button-type operation unit is pressed strongly.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when the button-type operation unit 30 is weakly pressed to the extent that it does not contact the protective member 70, the pad 40 moves to the actuator 20 side in response to the button-type operation unit 30 being pushed. To do. At this time, the movement amount of the pad 40 is small.

  A force is applied to the base material 21 of the actuator 20 by the movement of the pad 40. A force F <b> 10 applied to the base material 21 of the actuator 20 is equal to a force F <b> 1 pushing the button type operation unit 30. The base material 21 and the piezoelectric element 22 of the actuator 20 are bent by the force F10 applied to the base material 21. However, since the force F10 applied to the base material 21 is small, in other words, the moving amount of the pad 40 is small, the bending amounts of the base material 21 and the piezoelectric element 22 are also small. Therefore, the piezoelectric element 22 is not damaged.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, when the button type operation unit 30 is pressed strongly until it contacts the protection member 70, the movement toward the actuator 20 side by the pressing of the button type operation unit 30 is restricted by the protection member 70. Is done. Thereby, the amount of movement of the pad 40 toward the actuator 20 is also restricted.

  In this case, since the button type operation unit 30 is in contact with not only the pad 40 but also the protection member 70, the force F <b> 2 pressing the button type operation unit 30 includes the force F <b> 21 pressing the pad 40 and the protection member 70. Acts as a pressing force F22. Furthermore, since the actuator 20 and the protection member 70 are supported by the spring plate 80 from the direction opposite to the direction in which the force is applied, the force F2 pushing the button type operation unit 30 is applied to the receiving plate portion 83 of the spring plate 80. Also acts as force F23. In other words, the force F <b> 2 that pushes the button type operation unit 30 acts by being distributed to the pad 40, the protection member 70, and the spring plate 80.

  Therefore, the force F21 for pressing the pad 40 is smaller than the force F2 for pressing the button type operation unit 30, and the force F21 for pressing the pad 40 is suppressed. Thereby, the movement amount of the pad 40 is also suppressed.

  Here, when the piezoelectric element 22 is bent by the movement of the pad 40, the elastic modulus of the protection member 70 and the protection member 70 and the button are set so that the movement amount of the pad 40 is less than the bending amount that the piezoelectric element 22 is damaged. The interval with the mold operation unit 30 is determined. As a result, the amount of movement of the pad 40 can be made equal to or less than the amount of movement corresponding to the amount of bending of the piezoelectric element 22, no matter how hard the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed. Thereby, damage to the piezoelectric element 22 can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the spring plate 80 is used has been described. However, the spring plate 80 may be omitted. In this case, the protective member 70 and the actuator 20 can be integrally fixed by applying and bonding an adhesive or the like on both surfaces of the buffer member 61.

  By the way, the fixed structure of the vibration generator 11 in the tactile sense presentation device 10 having such a structure may be, for example, the following structure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first configuration example of fixing of the vibration generating device in the haptic presentation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second configuration example of fixing the vibration generating device in the haptic presentation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first configuration example shown in FIG. 4, the protection member 70 ′ includes fixing protrusions 72 that partially protrude on two opposing sides of the flat plate 71. A screwing through hole 74 is formed in the fixing protrusion 72.

  When the vibration generator 11 ′ is fixed to the chassis 100, the screw generation through hole 74 is inserted and screwed so as to be embedded in the wall surface of the top surface chassis 101. Thereby, the vibration generator 11 ′ can be fixed to the chassis 100.

  In the second configuration example shown in FIG. 5, the protective member 70 ″ has a rectangular shape in which a flat plate 71 ″ is longer in one direction in plan view than the flat plate 71. In the case of such a shape, the spring plate 80 may be installed so that both side surfaces of the flat plate 71 ″ are sandwiched between the side plate portions 82 of the spring plate 80.

  When the vibration generating device 11 ″ having such a configuration is fixed to the chassis 100, a guide groove 112 as shown in FIG. 5 is provided in the top surface side chassis 101. Thus, the vibration generating device 11 ″ can be fixed to the chassis 100 by inserting the portion protruding from the actuator 20 and the spring plate 80 along the guide groove 112.

  In these fixing structures, if the top chassis 101 is formed in a flat plate shape and the height of the side surface portion 1202 of the bottom chassis 102 is increased, the fixing becomes easier.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a tactile sense presentation device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration generating device used in the tactile sense presentation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the configuration of the vibration generating device used in the tactile sense presentation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view showing a manner in which the vibration generating device is fixed to the tactile sense presentation device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8 shows a case where the button-type operation unit 30A having one protrusion is used, the button-type operation unit 30 having a plurality of protrusions shown in the first embodiment is also used in this embodiment. The configuration can be applied.

  The tactile presentation device 10A of the present embodiment is the same in the structure of the actuator 20, the button-type operation unit 30, the pad 40, and the spring plate 80 as the tactile presentation device 10 shown in the first embodiment. The description of the components of is omitted.

  The protective member 70 </ b> A includes a substantially rectangular flat plate 71 in which a through hole 73 is formed at a substantially center in plan view, and a leg portion 75. There are four leg portions 75, which are formed at the four corners of the flat plate 71 in plan view. The leg portion 75 has a shape extending in a direction orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the flat plate 71. The height of the leg portion 75 is the same. The height of the leg portion 75 is such that the spring plate 80 is attached to the leg portion 75 in the height direction in a state where the actuator 20 and the spring plate 80 to which the buffer members 61 and 62 are attached are attached to the leg portion 75 side of the flat plate 71. The height is set so as not to protrude. In addition, although the leg part 75 should just be installed in the two corner | angular parts used as a diagonal, it is preferable to be installed in four corner | angular parts.

  The top surface chassis 101A includes a top surface portion 1101A and a side surface portion 1102A. The side surface portion 1102A is formed in a shape standing along the peripheral portion of the top surface portion 1101A. A concave portion is formed in the top surface portion 1101A, and the button type operation portion 30A is disposed in the concave portion.

  The bottom chassis 102A is made of a flat plate. An internal space is formed by bringing the side surface portion 1102A of the top surface side chassis 101A into contact with the bottom surface side 102A.

  Here, the thickness between the inner surface of the top surface portion 1101A of the top surface side chassis 101A and the inner surface of the bottom surface side chassis 102A is the sum of the thickness of the flat plate 71 of the protective member 70A and the thickness of the leg portion 75 (total thickness). To match.

  With such a configuration, the vibration generator 11 is arranged in the top surface chassis 101A, and the inner surface of the bottom surface chassis 102A is simply attached so as to contact the side surface portion 1102A of the top surface chassis 101A. The vibration generator 11 can be fixed to the chassis 100A. Accordingly, the vibration generator can be easily attached to the chassis, and can be easily removed from the chassis even when only the vibration generator is replaced for some reason.

  Further, since the actuator 20 is fixed to the chassis via the protective member 70A having elasticity, even if an external force is applied to the chassis, the protective member 70A serves as a buffer material against the external force. Therefore, almost no external force is applied to the actuator 20, and damage to the actuator 20 due to the external force can be suppressed.

  The material of the protection member 70A has a certain degree of elasticity when it is sandwiched between the top surface side chassis 101A and the bottom surface side chassis 102A and has a certain degree of elasticity when the button type operation unit 30 is pushed in. It is preferable to use a material having rigidity capable of holding Further, the flat plate and the leg may be made of different materials, and the flat plate may be made softer than the leg and the leg may be made harder than the flat plate.

(Third embodiment)
A tactile sense presentation device according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the configuration of the vibration generating device used in the tactile sense presentation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The structure of the spring plate 80B of the present embodiment and the fixing structure among the actuator 20, the protection member 70, and the spring plate 80B are characteristic, and other configurations are the same as those of the tactile sense presentation device shown in the first embodiment. It is the same as the vibration generator.

  The spring plate 80B has a structure in which the side plate portion 84 is not provided with respect to the spring plate 80 shown in the first embodiment. Further, in the spring plate 80B, the length of the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83B is longer than that of the spring plate 80 shown in the above-described embodiment.

  A corner portion of the base material 21 of the actuator 20 in plan view is sandwiched between the buffer member 61 and the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83B. At this time, no adhesive is used between the buffer member 61 and the base material 21 and between the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83 </ b> B and the base material 21. That is, the base material 21 of the actuator 20 is simply sandwiched between the buffer member 61 and the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83B.

  With such a configuration, the following effects can be obtained. FIG. 10 is a diagram for illustrating the operational effect of the actuator fixing aspect of the tactile presentation device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a side view in which the fixed portion of the actuator is partially enlarged. FIG. 10A shows a state in which the actuator 20 is not curved in the fixing mode of the present embodiment (a state in which the button type operation unit is not pushed in), and FIG. 10B shows a fixing mode of the present embodiment. 2 shows a state in which the actuator 20 is curved (a state in which the button type operation unit is pushed in). FIG. 10C shows a state in which the actuator 20 is bent (a state in which the button type operation unit is pushed in) when the buffer member 61, the base member 21, and the main receiving part of the receiving plate part 83B are fixed.

  If the actuator 20 is not curved, as shown in FIG. 10A, the actuator 20 is simply sandwiched between the buffer member 61 and the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83B. Therefore, no stress due to this fixed state is generated in the actuator 20.

  When the actuator 20 is curved, the peripheral portion of the actuator 20 moves so as to be pulled toward the center side in plan view. At this time, by using the fixing mode according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10B, only the actuator 20 is pulled to the center side, and the buffer member 61 and the receiving plate portion are moved along with the movement of the actuator 20. 83B is not deformed. Therefore, no stress acting on the actuator 20 due to the movement of the actuator 20 occurs.

  On the other hand, when the buffer member 61, the actuator 20, and the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83B are bonded, the buffer member 61 and the receiving plate portion 83B are deformed as only the actuator 20 is pulled toward the center. For this reason, the restoring force of the buffer member 61 and the receiving plate portion 83 </ b> B generated in the direction parallel to the flat plate surface of the actuator 20 acts on the actuator 20. For this reason, stress is applied to the actuator 20 in a direction parallel to the flat plate surface of the actuator 20 so as to return to the state before the bending.

  As described above, by using the configuration of the present embodiment, when the actuator 20 is bent, the stress generated by the fixing structure of the actuator 20 is not applied, and the so-called stress hysteresis problem can be solved.

In this case, the static friction coefficient between the base material 21 of the actuator 20 and the cushioning member 61 as a mu _1, the static friction coefficient between the receiving plate portion 83B base 21 of the actuator 20 and mu _2, the cushioning member during bending The force received by 61 and the receiving plate portion 83B is F. If the stress received by the actuator 20 is Fs, the material and surface shape of the buffer member 61 and the material and surface shape of the receiving plate portion 83B may be determined so as to satisfy the following equation.

μ ₁ F + μ ₂ F <Fs
By satisfying this condition, the stress applied to the actuator 20 can be more effectively suppressed.

  Further, by using the configuration of the present embodiment, the actuator 20 is not fixed to the spring plate 80B or the buffer member 61, so that only the actuator 20 can be easily replaced. Thereby, if the structure of 3rd Embodiment is applied, a vibration generator can be replaced | exchanged easily and also only an actuator can be replaced | exchanged easily.

  Further, the vibration generator 11B of the present embodiment includes a contact prevention member 90 on the actuator 20 side of the main plate portion 81 of the spring plate 80B. The contact prevention member 90 is preferably formed from a material having low elasticity such as a urethane foam. Thereby, even if the tactile sense presentation device is dropped from a high position onto a hard surface and the actuator 20 is greatly curved, the actuator 20 does not directly contact the spring plate 80B but contacts the contact prevention member 90. Impact can be mitigated. Thereby, damage to the actuator 20 can be suppressed. In addition, this contact prevention material 90 is applicable also to the tactile sense presentation apparatus which concerns on other embodiment.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a tactile sense presentation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the configuration of the vibration generating device used in the tactile sense presentation device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  The vibration generating device 11C of the tactile presentation device of the present embodiment is different from the vibration generating device 11 according to the first embodiment in the material of the buffer members 61C and 62C. Therefore, only a different part from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated concretely, and description of another structure is abbreviate | omitted.

  The buffer members 61C and 62C have shapes that are more easily deformed than the buffer members 61 and 62 described in the above embodiments.

  FIG. 12 is a side view for explaining the operation and effect of the buffer member of the vibration generating device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the holding portion of the actuator 20.

  When the buffer member according to the present embodiment is used, when the actuator 20 is bent, the buffer members 61C and 62C are also deformed as shown in FIG. Thereby, the actuator 20 is curved with a large diameter (the curved diameter is increased). As the bending diameter decreases, the stress on the bending portion increases. In other words, the stress applied to the bent portion and the bent portion becomes smaller. Therefore, by using the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress damage due to the bending of the actuator 20.

  Furthermore, since the buffer members 61C and 62C are soft, the buffer members 61C and 62C may be crushed when the actuator 20 and the spring plate 80 are attached to the protective member 70. However, when the configuration of the present embodiment is used, as shown in FIG. 12, the spring plate 80 with the tip of the side plate 84 of the spring plate 80 in contact with the back surface of the protection member 70 (the surface on the actuator 20 side). By assembling to the protection member 70, it is possible to ensure a minimum necessary interval with respect to the buffer members 61C and 62C. Thereby, the protection member 70, the actuator 20, and the spring plate 80 can be arranged at a desired interval.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, a tactile sense presentation device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13: is a side view which shows the structure of the vibration generator used for the tactile sense presentation apparatus based on the 5th Embodiment of this invention, and the block diagram before an assembly | attachment. FIG. 13A is a side view of the vibration generator 11D. FIG. 13B is a state diagram before the spring plate 80D is assembled.

  In the spring plate 80D, the length of the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83D is longer than that of the spring plate 80 shown in the above-described embodiment with respect to the spring plate 80 shown in the first embodiment. Here, the spring plate 80D is erected at a large angle (for example, about 45 ° to 60 °) with respect to the main plate portion 81 due to the spring property of the receiving plate portion 83D in a state before assembly. At this time, the spring plate 80D is shaped so that the interval WK between the receiving plate portions 83D facing each other is longer than the length of the actuator 20 (the length in the direction parallel to the interval WK) WA.

  With this configuration, when the spring plate 80D is assembled, the side on which the receiving plate portion 83D of the spring plate 80D is erected is the actuator 20 side, and the centers thereof are arranged to substantially coincide with each other. Then, the spring plate 80D is pushed into the actuator 20 side. As a result, the receiving plate portion 83D of the spring plate 80D is deformed so as to approach the main plate portion 81. When the side plate 82 sandwiches the protective member 70, the main receiving portion of the receiving plate portion 83 </ b> D comes into contact with the buffer member 62 installed in the actuator 20. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12A, the spring plate 80D is assembled to the protective member 70 with the actuator 20 interposed therebetween.

  Thus, the spring plate 80D can be easily assembled by using the configuration of the present embodiment.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, a tactile sense presentation device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration for applying a voltage to the actuator in the vibration generating device used in the tactile sense presentation device according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14A is a side view of the vibration generator 11E, and is an enlarged view near the installation area of the flexible cable 270. FIG. FIG. 14B is a side view showing a connection configuration between the electrode pad 711 and the drive electrode 220, and is a partially enlarged view. FIG. 14C is a side view showing a connection configuration between the electrode pad 712 and the drive electrode 210, and is a partially enlarged view.

  The vibration generator 11E of this embodiment is obtained by adding a specific voltage application structure example to the actuator 20 to the vibration generator 11 shown in the first embodiment. Therefore, only a different part from the vibration generator 11 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated concretely.

  A drive electrode 210 is formed on the surface of the piezoelectric element 22 on the substrate 21 side. A drive electrode 220 is formed on the surface of the piezoelectric element 22 opposite to the surface on the substrate 21 side.

  Electrode pads 711 and 712 are formed on the surface of the protection member 70 opposite to the actuator 20 (the surface on the button type operation unit 30 side). The electrode pads 711 and 712 are connected to a drive signal generation circuit (not shown).

  The vibration generator 11E further includes a flexible cable 270. The flexible cable 270 has flexibility. The flexible cable 270 includes linear electrode patterns 272 and 273. The linear electrode patterns 272 and 273 have shapes extending in parallel with each other, and are disposed so as to be spaced apart from each other. The linear electrode patterns 272 and 273 are covered with an insulating film 271. At this time, both end portions of the linear electrode patterns 272 and 273 are exposed from the film 271. Further, the film 271 has a shape in which both ends in the extending direction of the linear electrode patterns 272 and 273 are divided into two portions on the linear electrode pattern 272 side and the linear electrode pattern 273 side.

  One end of the linear electrode pattern 272 of the flexible cable 270 having such a configuration is connected to the drive electrode 210 and the other end is connected to the electrode pad 711. In addition, one end of the linear electrode pattern 273 is connected to the drive electrode 220 and the other end is connected to the electrode pad 712. At this time, the flexible cable 270 is installed in a shape that swells in an arc shape outward from the side surface of the vibration generator 11E.

  With such a configuration, a driving voltage can be supplied to the actuator 20. Even if the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed in and the actuator 20 is displaced and deformed, the flexible cable 270 extends along the pushing direction, so that the connection between the drive electrodes 210 and 220 and the electrode pads 711 and 712 is disconnected. Therefore, the connection between these electrodes can be reliably maintained.

(Seventh embodiment)
Next, a tactile sense presentation device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration for applying a voltage to the actuator in the vibration generating device used in the tactile sense presentation device according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15A is a side view showing a connection configuration between the electrode pad 711 and the drive electrode 220, and is a partially enlarged view. FIG. 15B is a side view showing a connection configuration between the electrode pad 712 and the drive electrode 210, and is a partially enlarged view.

  The vibration generator 11F of this embodiment is different from the vibration generator 11E shown in the first embodiment in a specific voltage application structure example to the actuator 20 different from the vibration generator 11E (see FIG. 14). It is added. Therefore, only a different part from the vibration generator 11 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated concretely.

  A drive electrode 210 is formed on the surface of the piezoelectric element 22 on the substrate 21 side. A drive electrode 220 is formed on the surface of the piezoelectric element 22 opposite to the surface on the substrate 21 side.

  Electrode pads 711 and 712 are formed on the surface of the protection member 70 opposite to the actuator 20 (the surface on the button type operation unit 30 side). The electrode pads 711 and 712 are connected to a drive signal generation circuit (not shown).

  Electrode pads 721 and 722 are formed on the surface of the protective member 70 on the actuator 20 side. The electrode pad 721 is formed so as to at least partially overlap the electrode pad 711 when the protective member 70 is viewed in plan. The electrode pad 721 and the electrode pad 711 are connected by a conductive through hole 731 that penetrates the protective member 70. The electrode pad 722 is formed so as to at least partially overlap the electrode pad 712 when the protective member 70 is viewed in plan. The electrode pad 722 and the electrode pad 712 are connected by a conductive through hole 732 that penetrates the protective member 70.

  Electrode pads 211 and 221 are formed on the surface of the base material 21 of the actuator 20 opposite to the piezoelectric element 22. The electrode pad 211 is connected to the drive electrode 220 via a conductive through hole 212 that penetrates the base material 21 and a routing electrode 213 formed on the surface of the actuator 20. The electrode pad 221 is connected to the drive electrode 210 through a conductive through hole 222 that penetrates the base material 21.

  Even with such a configuration, a driving voltage can be applied to the actuator 20.

(Eighth embodiment)
Next, a tactile sense presentation device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 16 is a plan view of a vibration generating device used in the tactile presentation device according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention.

  The vibration generator 11G of the present embodiment is obtained by adding various electrode patterns to the surface of the protective member 70 (the surface opposite to the actuator 20 side) with respect to the vibration generator 11 shown in the first embodiment. It is. Therefore, only a different part from the vibration generator 11 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated concretely.

  On the surface of the protective member 70, electrode pads 711, 712, 713A1, 713A2, 713A3, 713A4, 714C1, and 714C2 are formed. These electrode pads are formed at predetermined intervals along one side of the protective member 70 in plan view. These electrode pads are formed in a region close to this one side. The one side is a side corresponding to a surface different from the surface on which the side surface portion 82 of the spring plate 80 sandwiches the protection member 70. The electrode pads 713A1, 713A2, 713A3, 713A4, 714C1, and 714C2 are connected to a push button detection circuit (not shown).

  On the surface of the protective member 70, push detection electrodes 76A1, 76A2, 76A3, and 76A4 are formed. The push-in detection electrodes 76A1, 76A2, 76A3, and 76A4 are arranged at positions that overlap the button-type operation unit 30 in a plan view with the vibration generating device 11G mounted on the tactile sense presentation device. The indentation detection electrodes 76A1, 76A2, 76A3, and 76A4 have a substantially circular shape in plan view.

  The indentation detection electrode 76A1 is composed of partial electrodes 76A11 and 76A12 each having a shape in which the sides facing each other are interdigitated. The partial electrodes 76A11 and 76A12 are brought into conduction when the projection 32A of the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed in and the electrodes installed on the back surface of the projection 32A come into contact with each other.

  The indentation detection electrode 76A2 is composed of partial electrodes 76A21 and 76A22 each having a shape in which sides facing each other are interdigitated. The partial electrodes 76A21 and 76A22 are brought into conduction when the projection 32B of the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed in and the electrodes installed on the back surface of the projection 32B come into contact with each other.

  The indentation detection electrode 76A3 includes partial electrodes 76A31 and 76A32 each having a shape in which the sides facing each other are interdigitated. The partial electrodes 76A31 and 76A32 become conductive when the protrusion 32C of the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed in and the electrodes installed on the back surface of the protrusion 32C come into contact with each other.

  The indentation detection electrode 76A4 is composed of partial electrodes 76A41 and 76A42 each having a shape in which the sides facing each other are interdigitated. The partial electrodes 76A41 and 76A42 are brought into conduction when the projection 32D of the button-type operation unit 30 is pushed in and the electrodes installed on the back surface of the projection 32D come into contact with each other.

  The partial electrode 76A11 is connected to the electrode pad 713A1 through the routing electrode 741A1. The partial electrode 76A21 is connected to the electrode pad 713A2 via the routing electrode 741A2. The partial electrode 76A31 is connected to the electrode pad 713A3 via the routing electrode 741A3. The partial electrode 76A41 is connected to the electrode pad 713A4 via the routing electrode 741A4.

  The partial electrode 76A22 is connected to the electrode pad 714C1 through the routing electrode 742C1 and is connected to the partial electrode 76A12 through the routing electrode 742C2. The partial electrode 76A12 is connected to the partial electrode 76A42 via the routing electrode 742C3. The partial electrode 76A42 is connected to the partial electrode 76A32 via the routing electrode 742C4. The partial electrode 76A32 is connected to the electrode pad 714C2 via the lead electrode 742C5.

  With such a configuration, if the voltage or current between the electrode pads 713A1 and 714C1 is detected, it is possible to detect the pressing of the protrusion 32A of the button type operation unit 30.

By detecting the voltage or current between the electrode pads 713A2 and 714C1, it is possible to detect the pressing of the protrusion 32B of the button type operation unit 30.

By detecting the voltage or current between the electrode pads 713A3 and 714C2, it is possible to detect the pressing of the protrusion 32C of the button type operation unit 30.

By detecting the voltage or current between the electrode pads 713A4 and 714C2, it is possible to detect the pushing of the protrusion 32D of the button type operation unit 30.

  Electrode pads 76D1 and 76D2 are formed on the surface of the holding member 70. The electrode pads 76D1 and 76D2 are connected to an external drive voltage application circuit (not shown). The electrode pads 76D1 and 76D2 are appropriately formed at positions that can be easily connected to the drive voltage application circuit. The electrode pad 76D1 is connected to the electrode pad 711 through the routing electrode 761. The electrode pad 76D2 is connected to the electrode pad 712 via the lead-out electrode 762.

  By using such a configuration, it is not necessary to separately use a substrate provided with an electrode for detecting indentation or an electrode for applying a driving voltage. Therefore, the vibration generator can be formed thin.

  In the actuator 20 of the above-described embodiment, an example in which the drive electrodes are formed on both opposing main surfaces of the piezoelectric element 22 has been described. However, the drive electrodes may have other configurations. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the actuator. FIG. 17A shows a case where only the drive electrode is provided, and FIG. 17B shows a case where the drive electrode and the pressing force detection electrode are provided.

  In the actuator 20H1 shown in FIG. 17A, the drive electrodes 210H and the drive electrodes 220H are alternately arranged at intervals along the thickness direction of the piezoelectric element 22. At this time, the drive electrode 210H and the drive electrode 220H are arranged so as to overlap each other when the piezoelectric element 22 is viewed in plan. Even with such a configuration, the actuator can be vibrated.

  In the actuator 20H2 shown in FIG. 17B, pressing force detection electrodes 230H and 240H are further added to the structure of the drive electrodes 210H and 220H shown in FIG. The pressing force detection electrodes 230H and 240H are arranged parallel to the drive electrodes 210H and 220H and spaced apart from the drive electrodes 210H and 220H along the thickness direction of the piezoelectric element 22. The pressing force detection electrodes 230H and 240H are also arranged apart from each other along the thickness direction of the piezoelectric element 22. With such a configuration, the amount of bending of the piezoelectric element 22 can be detected by detecting the current or voltage between the pressing force detection electrodes 230H and 240H. Thereby, the pushing amount of the button type operation unit 30 can be detected.

  Moreover, you may replace the buffer member 62 between the base material 21 in the above-mentioned embodiment and the receiving plate part 83 of the spring plate 80 with the buffer member directly formed in the receiving plate part of the structure shown next. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a structure example of the buffer member directly formed on the receiving plate portion. FIG. 18A shows a case where a single buffer member is formed, and FIG. 18B shows a case where a plurality of buffer members are formed.

  In FIG. 18A, the buffer member 831 is formed so as to be stacked on the surface of the receiving plate portion 83. The buffer member 831 is made of, for example, a resin that can be applied. In this case, the buffer member 831 can be formed by applying a liquid resin to the surface of the receiving plate portion 83 and curing it. The buffer member 832 shown in FIG. 18B is also made of the same material as the buffer member 831 and can be formed in the same process.

  Moreover, you may implement | achieve the side part 84 connected to the receiving plate part 83 of the spring board 80 in the above-mentioned embodiment using the following structure. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of types of shape of the side surface portion connected to the receiving plate portion of the spring plate.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 19A, the side surface portion 84 </ b> J has a shape extending in the same plane as the receiving plate portion 83 without standing in the middle in the direction extending along the surface of the receiving plate portion 83.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 19B, the side surface portion 84J is erected not only on the side of the receiving plate portion 83 opposite to the inclined portion of the main receiving portion, but also on the end piece orthogonal to the end side. Has been.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 19C, the standing portion 85 is formed by causing the receiving plate portion 83 to project linearly. In addition, this projection part 85 can be utilized as a side part by forming in the edge part vicinity of the inclination part of the main receiving part in the receiving plate part 83 on the opposite side.

  Moreover, the buffer members 61 and 62 described above can be replaced with the following configuration. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of types of fixing modes of the protection member 70, the actuator 20, and the spring plate 80.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 20A, the buffer member 600 </ b> A is disposed so as to be in contact with both main surfaces and end surfaces of the base material 21 of the actuator 20.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 20B, the buffer member is formed such that the surface of the base member 21 opposite to the piezoelectric element 22 is brought into contact with the protective member 70 and the surface of the base member 21 on the piezoelectric element 22 side and the end face thereof are in contact. 600B is arranged.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 20C, the buffer member 600C is formed so that the surface of the substrate 21 opposite to the piezoelectric element 22 is in contact with the protective member 70 and only the surface of the substrate 21 on the piezoelectric element 22 side. Is arranged.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 20D, the vicinity of the end portion of the surface of the base material 21 on the piezoelectric element 22 side is brought into contact with the receiving plate portion 83 of the spring plate 80 so that the base 21 is opposite to the piezoelectric element 22 side. The buffer member 600D is disposed so as to contact the surface and the end surface.

  In the structure shown in FIG. 20 (E), the vicinity of the end portion of the surface of the base material 21 on the piezoelectric element 22 side is brought into contact with the receiving plate portion 83 of the spring plate 80, so that the base 21 is opposite to the piezoelectric element 22 side. The buffer member 600E is disposed so as to contact only the surface.

  In the above-described embodiment, the unimorph type actuator is shown as an example, but a bimorph type actuator may be used.

  The configuration of each of the above-described embodiments is a partial example that exhibits the effects of the present invention, and a configuration obtained by combining the configurations of the plurality of embodiments is also within the scope of the present invention. .

10, 10A: Tactile presentation device,
11, 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E, 11F, 11G: vibration generator,
20, 20H1, 20H2: Actuator,
21: base material,
22: Piezoelectric element,
30, 30A: Button type operation unit,
31: base member,
32A to 32D: protrusions,
40: pad
50: cushioning material,
61, 61C, 62, 62C, 600A, 60B, 600C, 600D, 600E, 831, 832: cushioning members,
70, 70 ', 70 ": protective member,
71: flat plate,
73: through hole,
75: Leg,
80, 80B, 80D: spring plate,
81: main plate part,
82, 84, 84J, 84K: side plate part,
83, 83B, 83D: receiving plate part,
85: Standing part,
90: Contact prevention material,
101: Top side chassis,
110A: Top side internal space,
111A to 111D: top surface side opening,
102: bottom side chassis,
120: bottom side internal space,
210, 220, 210H, 220H: drive electrodes,
230H, 240H: pressing force detection electrodes,
270: Flexible cable,
271: film,
272, 273: linear electrode pattern,
211, 221, 711, 712, 721, 722, 713A1, 713A2, 713A3, 713A4, 714C1, 714C2, 76D1, 76D2: electrode pads,
76A1, 76A2, 76A3, 76A4: Indentation detection electrodes,
76A11, 76A12, 76A21, 76A22, 76A31, 76A32, 76A41, 76A42: partial electrodes,
741A1, 741A2, 741A3, 741A4, 742C1, 742C2, 742C3, 742C3, 742C4, 742C5, 761, 762: routing electrodes,
212, 222, 731, 732: conductive through holes,
1101: top surface,
1102, 1202: side surface,
1201: Bottom part

Claims (7)

A chassis having a predetermined internal space and having a top surface opened;
A push-type operation unit attached to the opening of the chassis;
A planar actuator disposed in the internal space;
A vibration transmitting member disposed between the actuator and the operation unit;
A flat plate-like and elastic protective member that is disposed between the actuator and the operation unit and has a gap between the operation unit or the actuator in a state where the operation unit is not pushed in, Tactile presentation device.   The tactile sense presentation device according to claim 1, further comprising a spring plate that urges the actuator against the actuator on a side opposite to the protection member. The actuator and the vibration transmission member abut on the substantially flat plate surface of the actuator,
The tactile sense presentation device according to claim 2, wherein the spring plate is in contact with a corner portion of the flat plate surface of the actuator and is separated at the center of the flat plate surface.   The tactile sense presentation device according to claim 2, further comprising a buffer member between the actuator and the protection member, or between the actuator and the spring plate. The protective member includes a leg portion protruding toward the actuator side,
The member on the opposite side to the operation portion with respect to the protection member is disposed in a range up to the height of the leg portion,
5. The tactile sense presentation device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the protection member including a height of the leg portion matches a height of the internal space of the chassis.   The said actuator consists of a flat base material and the piezoelectric ceramic arrange | positioned at least on one main surface of this base material, and vibrates in the direction orthogonal to the flat plate surface of the said base material. The tactile sense presentation device according to any one of the above. The protective member is made of an insulating material,
The tactile sense presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an electrode for detecting indentation is formed on the operation portion side of the protection member.

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