JP2021022064A - Tactual sense presentation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a tactual sense presentation device that can bring a vibrator into a better contact with such a recessed position as a palm.SOLUTION: The tactual sense presentation device includes: a base part 11 having a first round part 11a with a round cross section; a DEA 12b arranged in the inside of the first round part 11a; and an expandable-shrinkable part 14 between the first round part 11a and the DEA 12b. The expandable part 14 has a moving wall part 14b, which moves to the inside of the first round part 11a when the expandable part is expanding. The moving wall part 14b is formed of a bendable soft material. The DEA 12b is attached to the moving wall part 14b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a tactile presentation device.

Research is underway to apply tactile presentation devices that feed back tactile sensations to users in technical fields such as interaction computer applications, remote robotics, entertainment, and medical care.

Patent Document 1 includes a bracelet-shaped base worn on the wrist of a user and a vibrator provided on the inner surface of the base, and a tactile presentation device that presents a tactile sensation to the user based on the vibration of the vibrator. It is disclosed. Further, in the tactile sensation presenting device of Patent Document 1, a balloon is arranged on the inner side of the base on the opposite side of the vibrator that sandwiches the user's arm, and the balloon is inflated to press the user's arm against the vibrator side. It is configured as follows.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-197352

In order to reproduce the gripping sensation when grasping an object by hand using the tactile sensation presenting device, it is necessary to transmit the vibration of the vibrator to the palm. However, since the surface of the palm has a complicated undulating shape, it is difficult to properly bring the vibrator into contact with the surface of the palm when the base of the tactile presentation device is attached. In particular, in the recessed part in the center of the palm, the base is stretched between the bulging parts around the recessed part, and the oscillator attached to the base floats from the surface of the palm. It may come into contact with the surface of the palm at an angle. In this case, even if the balloon is arranged on the back side of the hand and the palm is pressed against the base by the expansion of the balloon as in the tactile presentation device of Patent Document 1, the contact pressure in the bulging portion around the recessed portion increases. However, the positional relationship between the recessed portion and the vibrator does not change, and the contact state between the surface of the recessed portion and the vibrator is not corrected.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tactile presentation device capable of more appropriately bringing the vibrator into contact with a mounting portion having a recessed portion such as a palm. is there.

The tactile sensation presenting device that solves the above problems is arranged between a base portion having an annular portion having an annular cross section, a vibrator arranged inside the annular portion, and the annular portion and the vibrator, and expands and contracts. The expanding portion includes a possible expanding portion, the expanding portion includes a moving wall portion that moves inward of the annular portion when expanded, the moving wall portion is made of a bendable soft material, and the vibrator is the same. It is attached to the moving wall.

According to the above configuration, by expanding the expanding portion, the moving wall portion of the expanding portion moves to the inside of the annular portion. As a result, even if the surface of the target portion to which the tactile sensation presenting device is attached has an undulating shape having a recessed portion, the moving wall portion and the vibrator attached to the moving wall portion are predetermined with respect to the surface of the recessed portion. Can be contacted with the pressure of.

Further, the moving wall portion is deformed along the undulating shape of the surface of the target portion, so that the angle of the vibrator attached to the moving wall portion makes surface contact between the surface of the target portion and the vibrator in the orthogonal direction. It is corrected to an appropriate angle that can secure a wide range. Therefore, even if the surface of the target portion has an undulating shape having a recessed portion, the vibrators can be brought into close contact with each other at an appropriate angle. As described above, according to the above configuration, the vibrator can be more appropriately brought into contact with the mounting portion having the recessed portion such as the palm, and as a result, the vibration of the vibrator can be efficiently transmitted to the user. ..

It is preferable that the annular portion is made of a bendable soft material, and the moving wall portion is made of a soft material that is more easily deformed than the annular portion.
According to the above configuration, since the annular portion is made of a soft material, the ease of handling and impact resistance during storage and the like are improved. Further, even when the annular portion is made of a soft material, the moving wall portion is configured to be more easily deformed than the annular portion, so that when the expanded portion is expanded, the moving wall portion moves inward of the annular portion. The part can be moved efficiently.

It is preferable that a plurality of the oscillators are attached to one expansion portion.
According to the above configuration, vibration can be transmitted over a wide range on the surface of the target portion where the expansion portion is provided. Further, the portion of the moving wall portion to which the oscillator is attached is less likely to be deformed than the portion to which the oscillator is not attached. Therefore, compared to the case where one large oscillator that covers the entire moving wall is attached, by dividing the oscillator into multiple oscillators and attaching them, the deformation of the moving wall during expansion is hindered by the oscillator. It can be suppressed.

It is preferable to have a plurality of the expansion portions to which the vibrator is attached.
According to the above configuration, the oscillator can be appropriately brought into contact with a plurality of locations on the surface of the target portion.

It is preferable to provide a communication portion that communicates the expansion portions with each other.
According to the above configuration, the internal pressures of the plurality of expanding portions communicated by the communicating portions are the same. As a result, when the expanding portion is expanded, the contact pressure of the vibrators attached to the different expanding parts is made uniform, and the vibration of the vibrator can be efficiently transmitted to the user.

The oscillator is preferably a dielectric elastomer actuator.
Since the dielectric elastomer actuator is an elastomer, when the moving wall portion is deformed into a shape along the surface of the target portion due to the expansion of the expanding portion, the dielectric elastomer actuator is similarly deformed following the moving wall portion. As a result, the above-mentioned effect of ensuring a wider range of surface contact between the surface of the target portion and the vibrator in the orthogonal direction can be obtained more remarkably.

According to the tactile sensation presenting device of the present invention, the vibrator can be more appropriately brought into contact with the mounting portion having a recessed portion such as a palm.

Schematic diagram of a tactile presentation device. The cross-sectional view which shows the cross-sectional structure of the dielectric elastomer actuator. FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. The cross-sectional view which shows the 1st annular part in the 1st mounting state. The cross-sectional view which shows the 1st annular part in the 2nd mounting state. The cross-sectional view which shows the expansion part of the modified example. The cross-sectional view which shows the expansion part of the modified example. The cross-sectional view which shows the expansion part of the modified example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the tactile sensation presenting device 10 includes a glove-shaped base 11 that can be worn over the user's hand A. The base portion 11 is a portion for holding the tactile sensation presenting device 10 in the user's hand A. The base 11 is made of a soft material that is bendable and stretchable in the plane direction. Examples of the soft material constituting the base 11 include elastomers such as silicone and urethane, and stretch fabrics.

The base 11 has an annular first annular portion 11a that covers the lower portion of the palm and instep of the user's hand A, and an annular cross section that covers the upper portion of the user's hand A from the base of the finger to the fingertip. It is provided with a second annular portion 11b. In the present embodiment, the first annular portion 11a corresponds to the annular portion. Further, the first annular portion 11a is designed to have a size larger than the assumed user's hand A. The second annular portion 11b is designed to have the same size as the assumed user's hand A.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the inner surface of the second annular portion 11b of the base portion 11, the portion touched by the fingertips of each finger of the user's hand A and the portion touched by the base of each finger are sheet-shaped as an transducer. A dielectric elastomer actuator 12a (DEA: Dielectric Elastomer Actuator) is arranged. A protective film 13 (not shown) for protecting the DEA 12a is attached on the DEA 12a on the inner surface of the base 11 so as to cover the DEA 12a.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the DEA 12a, a plurality of sheet-shaped dielectric layers 20 made of a dielectric elastomer and a plurality of positive electrode electrodes 21 and negative electrode 22 as electrode layers arranged on both sides of the dielectric layer 20 in the direction perpendicular to the plane are laminated. It is a multi-layered structure. An insulating layer 23 is laminated on the outermost layer of the DEA 12a. In DEA12a, when a DC voltage is applied between the positive electrode 21 and the negative electrode 22, the dielectric layer 20 is compressed in the direction perpendicular to the plane and along the plane of the dielectric layer 20 according to the magnitude of the applied voltage. It is deformed so as to extend in the plane direction of DEA12a, which is the vertical direction. The DEA12a makes the user recognize the vibration or the like due to the expansion and contraction of the DEA12a as a tactile sensation.

The dielectric elastomer constituting the dielectric layer 20 is not particularly limited, and a known dielectric elastomer used for DEA can be used. Examples of the dielectric elastomer include crosslinked polyrotaxane, silicone elastomer, acrylic elastomer, and urethane elastomer. One of these dielectric elastomers may be used, or a plurality of types may be used in combination. The thickness of the dielectric layer 20 is, for example, 20 to 200 μm.

Examples of the material constituting the positive electrode 21 and the negative electrode 22 include a conductive elastomer, carbon nanotubes, Ketjen Black (registered trademark), and a metal vapor deposition film. Examples of the conductive elastomer include a conductive elastomer containing an insulating polymer and a conductive filler.

Examples of the insulating polymer include crosslinked polyrotaxane, silicone elastomer, acrylic elastomer, and urethane elastomer. One of these insulating polymers may be used, or a plurality of types may be used in combination. Examples of the conductive filler include carbon nanotubes, Ketjen black (registered trademark), carbon black, and metal particles such as copper and silver. One of these conductive fillers may be used, or a plurality of types may be used in combination. The thickness of the positive electrode 21 and the negative electrode 22 is, for example, 1 to 100 μm.

The insulating elastomer constituting the insulating layer 23 is not particularly limited, and a known insulating elastomer used for the insulating portion of the known DEA can be used. Examples of the insulating elastomer include crosslinked polyrotaxane, silicone elastomer, acrylic elastomer, and urethane elastomer. One of these insulating elastomers may be used, or a plurality of types may be used in combination. The thickness of the insulating layer 23 is, for example, 10 to 100 μm. Further, the thickness of the entire DEA12a is preferably, for example, 0.3 to 3 mm from the viewpoint of ensuring flexibility and strength.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, on the inner surface of the first annular portion 11a of the base portion 11, the portion touched by the palm of the user's hand A is a bag-shaped expansion portion 14 made of a stretchable soft rubber material. Is attached. The expansion unit 14 expands when a fluid such as air is supplied to the air chamber 15 partitioned inside, and contracts when the fluid in the air chamber 15 is discharged. Examples of the rubber material constituting the expansion portion 14 include latex, urethane, SBR, NR and the like.

The expansion portion 14 is a portion that constitutes a surface on the base 11 side, and is a portion that constitutes a fixed wall portion 14a that is adhered to the base 11 and a surface that is opposite to the base 11, and supplies and discharges fluid. It is provided with a moving wall portion 14b that deforms and moves in accordance with the above. A plurality of sheet-shaped DEA12b are attached to the outer surface of the moving wall portion 14b so as to be arranged in the horizontal direction. The configuration of DEA12b is the same as that of DEA12a. A protective film 13 for protecting the DEA 12b and the expanding portion 14 is attached on the DEA 12b and the expanding portion 14 so as to cover the DEA 12b and the expanding portion 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the expansion portion 14 is connected to the tip end portion of the flow path 16 that supplies air to the air chamber 15 of the expansion portion 14 and discharges air from the air chamber 15. A valve body 17 for opening and closing the flow path 16 is provided in the middle of the flow path 16 based on the operation of the user, and a supply / discharge port 18 is provided at the base end portion of the flow path 16.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
The tactile sensation presenting device 10 is put into the first wearing state by putting the glove-shaped base 11 on the user's hand A. In the first wearing state, the second annular portion 11b of the base portion 11 is in close contact with the finger and is firmly held by the finger. Therefore, each of the DEA 12a attached to the second annular portion 11b of the base portion 11 is brought into close contact with the corresponding portion of the user's hand A via the protective film 13.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the first mounting state, the first annular portion 11a of the base portion 11 is loosely held with a clearance C with respect to the palm and the instep of the user's hand A. Become. Therefore, of the DEA12b attached to the moving wall portion 14b of the expansion portion 14, the DEA12b on both ends attached to the position corresponding to the bulging portion A2 around the recessed portion A1 of the palm is bulging. Loosely contacts the portion A2 via the protective film 13. Further, the DEA 12b on the center side attached to the position corresponding to the recessed portion A1 is separated from the recessed portion A1 of the palm by the amount of the depression of the palm and the deflection of the base 11.

Next, the valve body 17 is operated so as to open the flow path 16, and the fluid is supplied from the supply / discharge port 18 to the air chamber 15 of the expansion portion 14. The method of supplying the fluid is not particularly limited, and for example, air may be supplied by the user breathing in, or an external device such as a manual pump is connected to the supply / discharge port 18 and the air is supplied. A fluid such as air may be supplied by operating an external device.

When the fluid is supplied to the air chamber 15 of the expanding portion 14, the expanding portion 14 gradually expands toward the palm side, and the moving wall portion 14b of the expanding portion 14 moves toward the palm side. Then, when the moving wall portion 14b is in close contact with the surface of the recessed portion A1 of the palm via the protective film 13, the fluid supply is stopped and the valve body 17 is closed so as to close the flow path 16. Manipulate. As a result, the tactile sensation presenting device 10 is put into the second wearing state.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the second mounting state, when the expanding portion 14 expands, the moving wall portion 14b of the expanding portion 14 is formed in the recessed portion A1 of the palm and the bulging portion A2 around the DEA 12b and It is pressed through the protective film 13. As a result, the DEA 12b attached to the moving wall portion 14b is in close contact with the recessed portion A1 of the palm and the bulging portion A2 around the DEA 12b via the protective film 13.

In particular, the moving wall portion 14b made of a soft rubber material is deformed into a shape that follows the undulating shape of the palm when pressed against the palm. As a result, the angle of the DEA12b attached to the moving wall portion 14b is corrected to an angle along the surface of the palm, and a wide range of surface contact between the surface of the palm and the DEA12b in the orthogonal direction is secured.

Further, in the second mounting state, the instep of the user's hand A is pressed against the base 11 by the expansion pressure of the expansion portion 14. As a result, the first annular portion 11a of the base portion 11 is also firmly held by the user's hand A.

When a voltage is applied to the DEA 12a and 12b of the tactile presentation device 10 in the second mounting state, the DEA 12a and 12b extend in the plane direction. After that, when the voltage applied to the DEA 12a and 12b is lowered, the DEA 12a and 12b contract so as to return to the original state. By repeatedly increasing and decreasing the applied voltage with respect to the DEA 12a and 12b, for example, by applying the voltage in a pulsed manner, the DEA 12a and 12b vibrate by repeating expansion and contraction.

The user recognizes the vibration of DEA12a and 12b as a tactile sensation by being transmitted. As a result, the tactile sensation is presented to the user from the tactile sensation presenting device 10. By changing the magnitude of the applied voltage to the DEA 12a and 12b and the timing of switching the applied voltage to change the vibration pattern of the DEA 12a and 12b, the user can recognize various tactile sensations.

Further, when the tactile sensation presenting device 10 is removed, the valve body 17 is operated so as to open the flow path 16, and the fluid in the air chamber 15 of the expansion portion 14 is discharged from the supply / discharge port 18. When the fluid is discharged from the air chamber 15, the expansion portion 14 contracts, and the tactile presentation device 10 returns to the first wearing state. In the first wearing state, since the first annular portion 11a of the base 11 is loosely held against the palm and instep of the user's hand A, the tactile sensation presenting device 10 can be easily pressed from the user's hand A. Can be removed.

Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.
(1) The tactile sensation presenting device 10 is arranged between the base portion 11 having the first annular portion 11a having an annular cross section, the DEA 12b arranged inside the first annular portion 11a, and the first annular portion 11a and the DEA 12b. It is provided with an inflatable portion 14 that can be expanded and contracted. The expansion portion 14 includes a moving wall portion 14b that moves inward of the first annular portion 11a when expanded. The moving wall portion 14b is made of a bendable soft material. The DEA 12b is attached to the moving wall portion 14b.

According to the above configuration, by expanding the expansion portion 14, the moving wall portion 14b of the expansion portion 14 moves to the inside of the base portion 11. As a result, even if the surface of the target portion to which the tactile sensation presenting device 10 is attached has an undulating shape having a recessed portion, the DEA 12b attached to the moving wall portion 14b and the moving wall portion 14b with respect to the surface of the recessed portion. Can be brought into contact with a predetermined pressure.

Further, as the moving wall portion 14b is deformed along the undulating shape of the surface of the target portion, the angle of the DEA12b attached to the moving wall portion 14b is such that the surface of the target portion and the DEA12b come into surface contact in the orthogonal direction. It is corrected to an appropriate angle that can secure a wide range. Therefore, even if the surface of the target portion has an undulating shape having a recessed portion, the DEA 12b can be brought into close contact with the DEA 12b at an appropriate angle. As a result, the vibration of DEA12b can be efficiently transmitted to the user.

Here, as another method of bringing the vibrator into contact with the mounting portion having a surface shape including the recessed portion, a base portion having a three-dimensional shape matching the surface of the mounting portion is formed, and the vibrator is mounted on the inner surface of the base portion. Can be considered. However, since the surface shape of the palm or the like is different for each person, in this case, the versatility of the tactile presentation device is greatly reduced. In addition, since the entire base is in close contact with the mounting portion at the time of mounting, the attachment / detachment operation becomes very difficult.

On the other hand, in the case of the above configuration, the DEA 12b is in close contact with the surface of the target portion in the mounting state before expanding the expanding portion 14 and the mounting state after contracting the expanding portion 14, that is, in the first mounting state. You don't have to be. Therefore, it is possible to design a large base portion 11 so that a clearance C is formed between the surface of the target portion and the base portion 11, and thereby versatility that can correspond to individual differences in the surface shape of the target portion. And the detachability can be improved.

(2) The first annular portion 11a of the base portion 11 is made of a bendable soft material. The moving wall portion 14b of the expansion portion 14 is made of a soft material that is more easily deformed than the first annular portion 11a.

From the viewpoint of ease of handling during storage and impact resistance, it is preferable that the base 11 is made of a soft material. According to the above configuration, even when the base portion 11 is made of a soft material, the moving wall portion 14b can be efficiently moved inward of the first annular portion 11a when the expanding portion 14 is expanded. it can.

(3) A plurality of DEA12b are attached to one expansion portion 14.
According to the above configuration, vibration can be transmitted over a wide range on the surface of the target portion where the expansion portion 14 is provided. Further, the portion of the moving wall portion 14b of the expansion portion 14 to which the DEA12b is attached is less likely to be deformed than the portion to which the DEA12b is not attached. Therefore, as compared with the case where one large DEA12b that covers the entire moving wall portion 14b is attached, the deformation of the moving wall portion 14b at the time of expansion is hindered by the DEA12b by dividing and attaching the moving wall portion 14b. Can be suppressed. Further, the plurality of DEA12b can transmit the vibration to the target portion by the uniform internal pressure.

(4) The oscillator attached to the expansion unit 14 is DEA12b.
Since the DEA 12b is an elastomer, when the expanding portion 14 is deformed into a shape along the surface of the target portion due to the expansion, the DEA 12b is similarly deformed following the moving wall portion 14b. As a result, the above-mentioned effect of ensuring a wider range of surface contact between the surface of the target portion and DEA12b in the orthogonal direction can be obtained more remarkably.

In addition, this embodiment can be implemented by changing as follows. The present embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
The bag-shaped expansion portion 14 may be made of a soft material having no elasticity. Examples of the soft material having no elasticity include a resin film such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

The expansion portion 14 is not limited to the bag shape, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, an expansion portion 14 other than the bag shape may be adopted.
In the expansion portion 14 of the example shown in FIG. 6, a moving wall portion 14b made of a single sheet material is arranged so as to overlap the inner surface of the base portion 11, and the moving wall portion 14b and the moving wall portion 14b are arranged along the peripheral edge of the moving wall portion 14b. By adhering the base portion 11, the air chamber 15 is formed between the base portion 11 and the moving wall portion 14b.

The expansion portion 14 of the example shown in FIG. 7 has a fixed wall portion 14a adhered to the base portion 11, a bellows-shaped side wall portion 14c formed along the peripheral edge of the fixed wall portion 14a, and an upper edge of the side wall portion 14c. It is a box-shaped portion composed of a moving wall portion 14b to be closed, and an air chamber 15 is formed inside the box-shaped portion. The expansion portion 14 expands when a fluid is supplied to the air chamber 15 and the bellows-shaped side wall portion 14c extends. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the protective film 13 may also be provided with a bellows-shaped portion.

As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of expansion portions 14 may be provided on the base portion 11, and DEA 12b may be attached to each expansion portion 14. In this case, it is preferable to provide a communication portion 19 that communicates the expansion portions 14 with each other so that the fluid can move between the expansion portions 14. According to the above configuration, the pressure in the air chamber 15 is the same for the plurality of expanding portions 14 communicated by the communicating portion 19. As a result, when the expanding portion 14 is expanded, the contact pressure of the DEA 12b attached to the different expanding portion 14 is made uniform, and the vibration of the DEA 12b can be efficiently transmitted to the user. Further, the fluid may be supplied and discharged independently to the plurality of expanding portions 14.

-The shape of the base 11 can be appropriately changed according to the mounting portion to which the tactile presentation device 10 is mounted. For example, when the wearing part is a finger or an arm, it may be a base having a shape like a ring or a wristband, and when the wearing part is a body, it may be a clothing-like base. Further, the annular portion of the base portion 11 may be a portion that becomes annular by wrapping the band-shaped base portion 11 around a finger, an arm, or the like and fixing it with a hook-and-loop fastener or the like, or a part thereof such as a C ring. It may be a chipped annular portion in cross section.

-The base 11 may be made of a non-stretchable soft material, or may be made of a hard material such as a ring. Further, the material may be changed for each part of the base 11. For example, the base portion 11 of the above embodiment may be a base portion having a first annular portion 11a made of a hard material and a second annular portion 11b made of a soft material.

The number of DEAs as oscillators provided on the base 11 and the mounting position can be appropriately changed according to the mounting location where the tactile presentation device 10 is mounted, the application of the tactile presentation device 10, and the like. When a plurality of DEAs are provided as oscillators, it is arbitrary which DEA is the DEA 12b attached to the base 11 via the expansion portion 14. For example, in the above embodiment, the DEA provided in the second annular portion 11b of the base portion 11 may be the DEA 12b attached to the base portion 11 via the expansion portion 14.

The mounting mode of the DEA 12b to the moving wall portion 14b of the expanding portion 14 is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and the DEA 12b also moves with the movement of the moving wall portion 14b due to the expansion and contraction of the expanding portion 14. Anything is fine. For example, the DEA 12b may be indirectly attached to the moving wall portion 14b via some member.

-DEA12a and 12b may be changed to other oscillators. Examples of other oscillators include other electroactive polymer actuators (EPAs) such as ion exchange polymer metal composites (IPMCs), eccentric motors, and piezoelectric elements.

10 ... tactile presentation device, 11 ... base, 11a ... first base, 11b ... second base, 12a, 12b ... dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA), 14 ... expansion part, 14b ... moving wall part, 15 ... air chamber, 19 … Communication department.

Claims (6)

A base having an annular portion having an annular cross section and
An oscillator arranged inside the annular portion and
It is provided between the annular portion and the vibrator and has an expandable and contractible expansion portion.
The expanding portion includes a moving wall portion that moves inward of the annular portion when expanded.
The moving wall portion is made of a bendable soft material.
The vibrator is a tactile presentation device attached to the moving wall portion. The annular portion is made of a bendable soft material.
The tactile sensation presenting device according to claim 1, wherein the moving wall portion is made of a soft material that is more easily deformed than the annular portion. The tactile sensation presenting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the vibrators are attached to one expansion portion. The tactile sensation presenting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a plurality of the expansion portions to which the vibrator is attached. The tactile sensation presenting device according to claim 4, further comprising a communication portion that communicates the expansion portions with each other. The tactile sensation presenting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vibrator is a dielectric elastomer actuator.