JP2018001909A - Tactile feeling presentation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tactile feeling presentation device capable of transmitting information to an occupant by tactile feeling.SOLUTION: A tactile feeling presentation device 20 mounted on a vehicle, is equipped with a base material 21 which has a recessed portion 21A; a sheet material 22 which is attached to the base material 21 so as to cover the recessed portion 21A and has elasticity; a pump 33 which can deform the sheet material 22 respectively into a first shape recessing along a shape of the recessed portion 21A, and a second shape bulging to the outside of the recessed portion 21A; and a control portion 32 which controls the pump 33 and a solenoid valve 31 on the basis of a vehicle state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a tactile sensation presentation apparatus.

  Conventionally, what is provided with the display means which displays the information regarding a vehicle as a vehicle interior material is known (refer the following patent document 1). Patent Document 1 describes an instrument panel including display means capable of displaying an image such as a meter or an indicator as such a vehicle interior material.

JP 2006-94121 A

  As in the above configuration, when information about a vehicle is transmitted to the occupant using vision, the occupant needs to visually check the display means in order to acquire the information. Here, there is a demand for passengers other than the driver to acquire information about the vehicle in a state where the line of sight is directed to something other than the display means (for example, scenery outside the vehicle). In addition, the vehicle driver is currently premised on driving with a line of sight toward the display means. However, it is considered that if the vehicle is automatically driven in the future, it is possible for the driver to drive without looking at the display means. Under such circumstances, it is required to convey information to the occupant by a sense other than vision, for example, tactile sensation.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a tactile sensation presentation apparatus capable of transmitting information to an occupant by tactile sensation.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a tactile sensation presentation device mounted on a vehicle, which is provided on a vehicle interior material mounted on the vehicle and has a recess and a shape covering the recess. The sheet material is attached to the base material and has elasticity, and an external force is applied to the sheet material so that the sheet material is recessed in a shape following the shape of the recess, and the recess It is characterized by comprising an external force applying device that can be deformed into a second shape that bulges outward, and a control unit that controls the external force applying device based on the state of the vehicle.

  By changing the sheet material into the first shape and the second shape, different touch feelings can be obtained when the occupant touches the sheet material. This makes it possible to convey information to the occupant by the difference in tactile sensation.

  Further, a plurality of the recesses are provided, and the sheet material is attached to the base material so as to cover the plurality of recesses, and each portion of the sheet material that covers each of the plurality of recesses is respectively The first shape and the second shape may be deformable. By deforming each part of the sheet material into the first shape and the second shape, it becomes possible to convey more complicated information to the occupant.

  Moreover, the said some recessed part shall be arranged in the width direction of a vehicle. With such a configuration, for example, the traveling direction (right turn or left turn) of the vehicle can be transmitted to the occupant by sequentially expanding the portions of the sheet material arranged in the width direction along the width direction. .

  Further, the external force applying device includes an air suction portion that deforms the sheet material into the first shape by sucking air in the concave portion, and supplies the air into the concave portion. And an air supply part that is deformed into two shapes. By making the sheet material into the second shape (bulging shape) using air, the occupant can obtain a soft tactile sensation when touching the sheet material. Thereby, a relaxing effect can be given to the passenger.

  The vehicle interior material may be a vehicle door trim, and the base material and the seat material may be provided on an armrest provided in the vehicle door trim. With such a configuration, when the occupant places his arm on the armrest, the seat material can be touched.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the tactile sensation presentation apparatus which can convey information to a passenger | crew by tactile sensation can be provided.

The front view which shows the vehicle door trim which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The top view which shows the base material which comprises a tactile sense presentation apparatus Sectional drawing which shows a tactile sensation presentation device (corresponding to the figure cut along line III-III in FIG. 2) Sectional drawing which shows the state which changed the displacement part of the sheet | seat material into the 1st shape dented by following the shape of a recessed part Sectional drawing which shows the state which changed the displacement part of the sheet material into the 2nd shape which bulges outside a recessed part

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, what is mounted in a vehicle is illustrated as a tactile sense presentation apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle door trim 10 (vehicle interior material) mounted on a vehicle is provided with a base material 21 and a sheet material 22 (details will be described later) constituting the tactile sensation presentation device 20. The vehicle door trim 10 includes a door trim main body 11 formed in a plate shape by injection molding a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and an ornament 12 attached to the door trim main body 11. Further, the door trim body 11 is provided with a speaker grill 13, an armrest 14, a door pocket 15, and the like.

  The armrest 14 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the base material 21 and the seat material 22 are provided on the armrest 14. More specifically, the base material 21 is embedded in the armrest 14, and the sheet material 22 is exposed on the upper surface of the armrest 14. That is, the sheet material 22 constitutes a part of the skin material of the armrest 14. For this reason, the occupant can touch the surface of the sheet material 22 when the arm is placed on the upper surface of the armrest 14.

  The tactile sensation presentation device 20 has a function of transmitting vehicle information to the occupant by presenting a tactile sensation to the occupant's arm placed on the armrest 14. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tactile sensation presentation device 20 includes a base material 21, a sheet material 22, a plurality of electromagnetic valves 31, and a control unit 32 that can control each electromagnetic valve 31, And a pump 33. As shown in FIG. 2, the base material 21 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a plurality of concave portions 21A are formed on the upper surface thereof. The concave portion 21A is opened upward and has a quadrangular pyramid shape that forms a rhombus shape in plan view. In the present embodiment, the plurality of recesses 21A are arranged along the vehicle front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 2) and the vehicle width direction (up-down direction in FIG. 2, width direction of the vehicle). The plurality of recesses 21A are provided without any gaps.

  The sheet material 22 has elasticity, and is attached to the base material 21 with an adhesive or the like so as to cover the plurality of concave portions 21A as shown in FIG. Examples of the material of the sheet material 22 include, but are not limited to, a polyolefin thermoplastic resin (TPO resin) having relatively high flexibility. The sheet material 22 is affixed over the entire circumference of the opening edge 21D of each recess 21A. Thereby, each part which covers each of several recessed part 21A in the sheet | seat material 22 becomes a structure which can be displaced to an up-down direction. In the following description, a portion (a non-contact portion with the base material 21) that covers the concave portion 21A in the sheet material 22 is referred to as a displacement portion 24. That is, the sheet material 22 has a plurality of displacement portions 24 corresponding to the plurality of recesses 21A.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an air flow passage 21 </ b> B that extends downward from the bottom of the recess 21 </ b> A is formed in the base material 21. A hose 23 is connected to the air flow passage 21 </ b> B, and the hose 23 is connected to a pump 33 via an electromagnetic valve 31.

  The pump 33 (air suction unit and air supply unit) is provided in the vehicle, and is a reversible pump, for example. For example, when the pump 33 is driven in the positive direction, the air in the recess 21A is sucked, and the inside of the recess 21A becomes negative pressure. Thereby, the displacement part 24 of the sheet | seat material 22 can be deform | transformed into the 1st shape (refer FIG. 4) dented in the shape which follows the shape of the recessed part 21A. When the pump 33 is driven in the reverse direction, air is supplied into the recess 21A, so that the interior of the recess 21A becomes positive pressure. Thereby, the displacement part 24 of the sheet | seat material 22 can be changed into the 2nd shape (refer FIG. 5) which bulges outside the recessed part 21A. The sheet material 22 has a flat shape as shown in FIG. 3 in a natural state (a state where the pump 33 is stopped).

  The electromagnetic valve 31 is provided in each of the plurality of recesses 21A. A controller 32 is electrically connected to the plurality of solenoid valves 31. The control unit 32 can control the opening / closing of each electromagnetic valve 31 and the driving of the pump 33. Thereby, the some displacement part 24 in the sheet | seat material 22 can be changed into a 1st shape and a 2nd shape, respectively. That is, the electromagnetic valve 31 and the pump 33 constitute an external force applying device that deforms the displacement portion 24 by applying an external force (air pressure) to the sheet material 22.

  The control unit 32 detects the state of the vehicle based on the operation of various switches (for example, a direction indicator) mounted on the vehicle and various sensors (for example, a steering sensor) for detecting the state of the vehicle. By controlling the electromagnetic valve 31 and the pump 33 on the basis of the state, each displacement portion 24 can be individually deformed. In addition, as the control part 32, ECU mounted in the vehicle can be illustrated, for example.

  Next, an example of control of each displacement part 24 by the control part 32 is demonstrated. For example, when detecting a right turn of the vehicle based on a turning of the vehicle steering or a signal from a direction indicator, the control unit 32 drives the pump 33 in the reverse direction and sequentially opens and closes the plurality of electromagnetic valves 31. Thus, an operation of sequentially bulging the plurality of displacement portions 24 in the sheet material 22 from the left side (left side with reference to the vehicle traveling direction) along the width direction is performed, and this operation is continuously repeated. That is, the plurality of displacement parts 24 are operated so that the bulging displacement parts 24 flow from the left side to the right side. Accordingly, the occupant can grasp that the vehicle turns right by touching the seat material 22.

  Further, when the vehicle turns left, the control unit 32 sequentially bulges the plurality of displacement portions 24 in the sheet material 22 from the right side to the left side along the width direction. Thereby, the passenger | crew can grasp | ascertain that a vehicle turns left by touching the sheet | seat material 22. FIG. Further, when the vehicle goes straight, the occupant can grasp that the vehicle goes straight by, for example, sequentially bulging the displacement portion 24 of the seat material 22 from the vehicle rear to the vehicle front.

  Further, when the vehicle has a function of performing automatic driving, for example, the control unit 32 detects the traveling direction (left turn, right turn, straight travel) of the vehicle based on the map data (including road information), Based on this, an operation of sequentially bulging each displacement portion 24 of the sheet material 22 may be performed.

  For example, when the seat mounted on the vehicle is set in the relax mode, the control unit 32 opens all the solenoid valves 31 and drives the pumps 33 in the reverse direction so that all the displacement units 24 is expanded. Thereby, when a passenger | crew touches the sheet | seat material 22, it can acquire comparatively soft tactile sense and can acquire the relaxation effect. On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle is in the drive mode, the control unit 32 opens each electromagnetic valve 31 and drives the pump 33 in the forward direction to dent all the displacement units 24. Thereby, when a passenger | crew touches the sheet | seat material 22, a comparatively hard tactile sensation can be obtained and concentration can be heightened.

  Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, by changing the sheet material 22 into the first shape and the second shape, different tactile sensations can be obtained when the occupant touches the sheet material 22. This makes it possible to convey information to the occupant by the difference in tactile sensation.

  Also, a plurality of recesses 21A are provided, and the sheet material 22 is attached to the base material 21 so as to cover the plurality of recesses 21A, and each displacement portion 24 that covers each of the plurality of recesses 21A in the sheet material 22 Each can be transformed into a first shape and a second shape. By changing each displacement portion 24 of the sheet material 22 to the first shape and the second shape, it is possible to convey more complicated information to the occupant.

  The plurality of recesses 21A are arranged in the width direction of the vehicle. With such a configuration, the displacement portions 24 of the sheet material 22 arranged in the width direction are sequentially swelled along the width direction, for example, to inform the occupant of the traveling direction (right turn or left turn) of the vehicle, for example. be able to.

  In addition, a pump 33 is provided, and the sheet 33 is deformed into the first shape by sucking air in the recess 21A by the pump 33, and the sheet material 22 is secondly supplied by supplying air into the recess 21A by the pump 33. It is set as the structure changed into a shape. By making the sheet material 22 into the second shape (bulging shape) using air, the occupant can obtain a soft tactile sensation when touching the sheet material 22. Thereby, when a passenger | crew touches the sheet | seat material 22, a passenger | crew can be given a relaxation effect.

  The base material 21 and the sheet material 22 are provided on the armrest 14. In this way, when the arm is placed on the armrest 14, the sheet material 22 can be touched.

  Further, by displacing each displacement portion 24 of the sheet material 22 and making the surface of the sheet material 22 uneven, it is possible to increase the frictional resistance of the surface compared to a flat shape. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the articles placed on the surface of the sheet material 22 from slipping.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In the above embodiment, the pump 33 and the electromagnetic valve 31 are exemplified as the external force applying device for displacing the displacement portion 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. Examples of the external force applying device include an electric actuator such as a piezoelectric element (piezo element). Specifically, a configuration may be adopted in which a piezoelectric element is disposed on the back side of the sheet material 22 and an external force is applied to the sheet material 22 by displacing the piezoelectric element.
(2) In the above embodiment, the surface of the sheet material 22 is exposed on the upper surface of the armrest 14, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a soft material or a skin material may be laminated on the surface of the sheet material 22, and a configuration in which an occupant can recognize the unevenness of the sheet material 22 through the soft material or the skin material may be employed.
(3) Although the ECU has been exemplified as the control unit 32 in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this. The control unit 32 may be a component (for example, a microcomputer) different from the ECU. In this case, the microcomputer receives information on the vehicle transmitted from the ECU, and opens and closes the electromagnetic valve 31 and pumps. It is good also as a structure which controls the drive of 33. FIG.
(4) In the said embodiment, although the base material 21 and the sheet | seat material 22 illustrated the structure provided in the armrest 14 of the vehicle door trim 10, it is not limited to this. For example, the base material 21 and the seat material 22 may be provided on an armrest or an instrument panel of a vehicle seat.
(5) In the above embodiment, the concave portion 21A has a rhombus shape in plan view, but the shape of the concave portion 21A is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the recess 21A may have a rectangular shape in plan view. Further, the opening direction of the recess 21A is not limited to the upper side, and may be, for example, the vehicle interior side or the lower side. The arrangement of the recesses 21 </ b> A is not limited to that illustrated in the above embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.
(6) In the said embodiment, although the mode set to the advancing direction and vehicle of the vehicle was illustrated as a state of a vehicle, it is not limited to this.
(7) In the above embodiment, the vehicle is exemplified as the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The tactile sensation presentation device may be mounted on various vehicles other than the vehicle.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle door trim (vehicle interior material), 14 ... Armrest, 20 ... Tactile presentation device, 21 ... Base material, 21A ... Recess, 22 ... Sheet material, 24 ... Displacement part (part which covers a recessed part in a sheet material), 31 ... Solenoid valve (external force applying device), 32 ... control unit, 33 ... pump (external force applying device, air suction unit and air supply unit)

Claims (5)

A tactile sensation presentation device mounted on a vehicle,
A base material provided on the vehicle interior material mounted on the vehicle and having a recess;
A sheet material that is attached to the base material in a form covering the concave portion and has elasticity,
By applying an external force to the sheet material, the sheet material can be deformed into a first shape that is recessed following the shape of the recess and a second shape that bulges outside the recess. An external force imparting device;
A tactile sensation presentation apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the external force application device based on a state of the vehicle. A plurality of the recesses are provided,
The sheet material is attached to the base material so as to cover a plurality of the recesses,
The tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each portion of the sheet material covering each of the plurality of concave portions is deformable into the first shape and the second shape, respectively.   The tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of recesses are arranged in a width direction of the vehicle. The external force applying device is:
An air suction part that deforms the sheet material into the first shape by sucking air in the recess;
The tactile sensation presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an air supply unit that deforms the sheet material into the second shape by supplying air into the recess. The vehicle interior material is a vehicle door trim,
The tactile sensation presentation device according to claim 1, wherein the base material and the sheet material are provided on an armrest provided in the vehicle door trim.

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