JP2023072103A - input device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an input device in which self-diagnosis can be conducted without installing a diagnostic sensor.SOLUTION: An input device 1A comprises: a base 10; an operation unit which is supported to be displaceable in a vertical direction relative to the base 10, and has an exterior part 41, an operation panel 42, a touch sensor 43, a spacer 44, a conductive plate 45, and a holding member 46; a displacement detection unit 30 for detecting displacement in the vertical direction of the operation unit caused by pressure of an operator; a vibration unit 50 which is mounted to the operation unit to cause the operation unit to generate vibration; and a control unit 60 for driving and vibrating the vibration unit 50 when the displacement detection unit 30 detects displacement in the vertical direction of the operation unit. The control unit 60 drives the vibration unit 50, and subsequently determines the vibration unit to be normal if an output from the displacement detection unit 30 changes, and determines the vibration unit to be abnormal if the output from the displacement detection unit 30 is unchanged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to input devices.

2. Description of the Related Art As an input device for electronic equipment, there is an input device equipped with a vibration mechanism (force feedback (FFB)) that gives an operator a feeling of operation by generating vibration when the operator touches an operation surface of an operation panel.

As an input device equipped with such force feedback, for example, there is a piezoelectric element that notifies the operator of switch operation on the surface of the panel substrate by vibration, and the piezoelectric element is vibrated by the operator's switch operation, and the piezoelectric element is activated at a predetermined time. A touch panel is disclosed that includes a control unit that vibrates, and a vibration detection unit that detects the vibration of one piezoelectric element with the other piezoelectric element by the control unit and determines the output of the other piezoelectric element (for example, patent Reference 1).

JP 2008-217237 A

However, in the touch panel of Patent Document 1, when checking (self-diagnosis) whether the force feedback is operating normally during use, in addition to one piezoelectric element that notifies the operator of the switch operation by vibration, There is a problem that the other piezoelectric element for detecting vibration must be provided as a diagnostic sensor.

An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide an input device that can perform self-diagnosis without providing a diagnostic sensor.

One aspect of the input device according to the present invention includes a base, an operation unit supported so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction with respect to the base, and detecting vertical displacement of the operation unit due to pressing by an operator. a displacement detection unit, a vibration unit attached to the operation unit for generating vibration in the operation unit, and driving the vibration unit to vibrate when the displacement detection unit detects vertical displacement of the operation unit. and a control unit for driving the vibration unit, the control unit determines that the output from the displacement detection unit is normal when the output from the displacement detection unit changes after driving the vibration unit, and the output from the displacement detection unit does not change. If so, it is judged to be abnormal.

One aspect of the input device according to the present invention can perform self-diagnosis without providing a diagnostic sensor.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of an electrode. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a pressure-sensitive conductive member; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state in which a pressure-sensitive conductive member is pressed; 3 is a block diagram showing functions of a control device; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change in resistance when the displacement detector is pressed; 4 is a flowchart of a self-diagnostic method for determining whether the vibrating section is operating normally; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state in which the vibrating portion vibrates in the horizontal direction; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change in resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member when horizontal vibration occurs in the vibrating portion when the vibrating portion is normal. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a change in resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member when horizontal vibration occurs in the vibrating section when the vibrating section is abnormal. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an input device according to a second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of an input device according to a third embodiment;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals in each drawing, and overlapping descriptions are omitted. Also, the scale of each member in the drawings may differ from the actual scale. In addition, the tilde "~" indicating a numerical range in this specification means that the numerical values before and after it are included as lower and upper limits unless otherwise specified.

[First Embodiment]
An input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the input device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the input device 1A is an input device equipped with force feedback (force feedback type input device), and includes a base 10, a vibration absorbing member 20, a displacement detection section 30, an operation section 40, and a vibration section 50. and a controller 60 . The base 10, the vibration absorbing member 20, the displacement detection section 30 and the operation section 40 are laminated in this order.

In the present embodiment, the stacking direction of the base 10, the vibration absorbing member 20, the displacement detection unit 30, and the operation unit 40 is the height direction (vertical direction) of the input device 1A, and the direction orthogonal to the height direction is the horizontal direction. direction (horizontal direction). The height direction of the input device 1A is the Z-axis direction, and the horizontal direction is the X-axis direction. The operation unit 40 side in the Z-axis direction is the +Z-axis direction, and the base 10 side is the -Z-axis direction. In the following description, the +Z-axis direction may be referred to as upward or upward, and the −Z-axis direction may be referred to as downward or downward, but this does not represent a universal vertical relationship.

As shown in FIG. 1, the base 10 is a flexible substrate and includes a base substrate 11, an adhesive layer 12, and electrodes 13. The adhesive layer 12 and the electrodes 13 are arranged in this order on the upper surface 111 of the base substrate 11. Laminated. The base 10 holds the displacement detector 30 on the upper surface 111 of the base substrate 11 via the adhesive layer 12 and the electrodes 13 .

The base substrate 11 is a member formed in a substantially rectangular shape. The base substrate 11 can be formed using a known material for forming a flexible substrate. Materials for forming the base substrate 11 include, for example, polyamide (PA), polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulfone (PES), and polystyrene. (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene nitrile, polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), phenol, epoxy (with glass filler) and polycarbonate (PC). be able to.

The thickness of the base substrate 11 can be appropriately designed, and depends on the type of material, but it is 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm in order to ensure the rigidity of the base substrate 11 and to have sufficient strength of the base substrate 11. is preferred.

The adhesive layer 12 is provided between the base substrate 11 and the electrodes 13 . The adhesive layer 12 has a function of enhancing adhesive strength between the base substrate 11 and the electrodes 13 , and can adhere the electrodes 13 to the base substrate 11 .

The adhesive layer 12 can be formed using a common adhesive. The adhesive layer 12 preferably contains a triazine-based compound and can be formed using a molecular adhesive containing a triazine-based compound.

A triazine thiol compound can be used as the triazine-based compound. As the triazinethiol compound, for example, a triazine ring to which a thiol group (--SH group) or a thiol group to which an alkali metal salt is bound can be used. Any one of the functional groups may have other structures such as dibutylamino group and anilino group. Specific examples of triazinethiol compounds include 2,4,6-trimercapto-1,3,5-triazine monosodium salt (n-TES).

When the adhesive layer 12 is formed using a general adhesive, the thickness of the adhesive layer 12 is preferably 1 μm to 20 μm. When the adhesive layer 12 is formed using a molecular adhesive containing a triazine-based compound, the thickness of the adhesive layer 12 is preferably 1 nm to 100 nm.

The electrode 13 is formed on the base substrate 11 with the adhesive layer 12 interposed therebetween, as shown in FIG. An example of the configuration of the electrode 13 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode 13 can consist of a pair of electrodes 13A and 13B. As the electrode 13, a comb-teeth electrode in which a pair of electrodes 13A and 13B are provided facing each other while being insulated from each other and tip portions 131A and 131B are formed in a comb-teeth shape can be used.

Materials for forming the electrode 13 include metals such as Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Fe, Al, Sn, Pb, Cr, Co, and alloys thereof; carbon black, graphite (graphite), carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers ( carbon fiber), carbon-based materials such as fullerene, and the like. The materials forming the electrodes 13A and 13B may be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, Ag and Cu are preferable as materials for forming the electrodes 13A and 13B from the viewpoints of stability of connection, reduction of manufacturing cost, ease of fabrication, and the like. The electrodes 13A and 13B may be formed of one metal layer, or may be formed by laminating a plurality of metal layers.

The thickness of the electrode 13 is preferably 1 μm to 50 μm from the viewpoint of ensuring sufficient conductivity.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vibration absorbing member 20 is a rubber-like member provided so as to cover the base 10 and the displacement detection section 30. As shown in FIG. As the vibration absorbing member 20, ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM), chloroprene rubber (CR), butyl rubber (IIR), silicone rubber, or the like can be used. Among these, silicone rubber is preferred.

As shown in FIG. 1, the displacement detection unit 30 is sandwiched between the base 10 and the vibration absorbing member 20 above the area including the electrode 13 installed on the base 10, and the lower surface 311 is between the electrode 13 and the vibration absorbing member 20. , and the upper surface 312 is arranged so as to be in contact with the vibration absorbing member 20 . As shown in FIG. 2, the displacement detection section 30 is formed in a columnar shape, and is arranged so that the lower surface 311 is stacked on a region including the tip portions 131A and 131B of the pair of electrodes 13A and 13B. are electrically connected to the tips 131A and 131B of the electrodes 13A and 13B. In addition, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 may be formed in an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape, or the like when viewed in the axial direction.

The displacement detection unit 30 is a member that detects vertical displacement of the operation unit 40 due to pressing by the operator. The displacement detector 30 can be formed of an elastically deformable pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 . The pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is elastically deformed by a change in pressing force, and the vertical and horizontal displacements of the operating portion 40 can reduce the resistance value. As the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 elastically deforms, the electrodes 13A and 13B in contact with the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 become energized, and the electrical resistance value between the electrodes 13A and 13B changes to the pressing force. will change depending on That is, the resistance value of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 changes according to the change in the pressing force, and the resistance between the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 and the electrodes 13A and 13B also changes. can be seen as a change in

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 can be formed using a conductive elastomer containing an elastomer 33 containing a particulate conductive material 32 . The pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is made of a conductive elastomer containing the conductive material 32, so that the conductive material 32 provides electrical continuity and facilitates deformation and restoration against pressing force.

Pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 preferably includes conductive material 32 substantially uniformly dispersed in elastomer 33 . This makes it possible to more stably ensure the electrical continuity of the conductive material 32 .

As the conductive material 32, a conductive material such as metal particles or a carbon-based material can be used. As the metal particles and the carbon-based material, materials similar to those of the electrodes 13A and 13B described above can be used.

The average particle size of the conductive material 32 is preferably 0.05 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 0.5 μm to 60 μm, even more preferably 1.0 μm to 30 μm. If the average particle size of the conductive material 32 is within the range of 0.05 μm to 200 μm, aggregation of the conductive material 32 can be suppressed and dispersibility in the elastomer 33 can be enhanced. Also, when the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is elastically deformed, by suppressing the movement of the conductive material 32 within the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 from becoming relatively small, the change in resistance due to elastic deformation is slowed. can be reduced. In addition, the average particle size means a volume average particle size based on an effective diameter, and the average particle size is measured by, for example, a laser diffraction/scattering method or a dynamic light scattering method.

Examples of the elastomer 33 include natural rubber, silicone rubber, chloroprene rubber, isoprene rubber, butyl rubber, acrylic rubber, nitrile rubber, urethane rubber, polyisobutylene rubber, butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, and chlorosulfonated rubber. Polyethylene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, polyester rubber, fluororubber, modified products thereof, and the like can be used. These may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type. Among them, silicone rubber is preferable. By using silicone rubber, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 has high elasticity, and good adhesion to the adhesive layer 12 can be achieved. Further, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is deformed at the point of action of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 and can receive the pressure without moving the point of action. , 13B and the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 are accurately transmitted.

The pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 preferably has a rubber hardness within the range of 30-70. If the rubber hardness is within the range of 40 to 70, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 can have sufficient strength and exhibit high restoring force. The rubber hardness is a value specified by Japanese Industrial Standard JIS K6301.

The thickness of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 can be appropriately set, and is preferably 0.1 mm to 10 mm, for example. If the thickness of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is within the range of 0.1 mm to 10 mm, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 can have sufficient strength and elasticity.

As shown in FIG. 4, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 has few conductive materials 32 in contact with each other when no pressing force is applied by the operation unit 40, and almost no conductive paths are formed. (see white circles in FIG. 4), the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 has a predetermined resistance value. When a pressing force acts on the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31, the conductive materials 32 approach each other, and the number of the conductive materials 32 in contact with each other increases. A conductive path (see black circles in FIG. 4) is formed in such a manner that the resistance value of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 becomes small. In this manner, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is deformed by the pressing force, and the conductive materials 32 contact or separate from each other, thereby changing the resistance value of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 .

Moreover, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 may be formed in a truncated cone shape. In this case, it is preferable to enlarge the upper surface 312 and reduce the lower surface 311 so that the upper surface 312 with a large area is in contact with the vibration absorbing member 20 and the lower surface 311 with a small area is in contact with the electrodes 13A and 13B. As a result, the area to which the pressing force is applied can be widened, and the load per unit area on the distal end portions 131A and 131B of the electrodes 13A and 13B can be increased.

Moreover, the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is preferably formed so that its upper surface 312 is sized to cover the tip portions 131A and 131B of the electrodes 13A and 13B in plan view. Since the upper surface 312 of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is formed so as to cover the entire surfaces of the tip portions 131A and 131B, the pressing force applied to the operation portion 40 can be reliably transmitted to the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31. .

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation unit 40 is supported by the base 10 via the vibration absorbing member 20 and the displacement detection unit 30 so as to be vertically displaceable with respect to the base 10 . The operating section 40 includes an exterior section 41 , an operating panel 42 , a touch sensor 43 , a spacer 44 , a conductive plate 45 and a holding member 46 .

The exterior part 41 has a frame part 41a formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape, and a wall part 41b extending downward from the outer peripheral edge part of the frame part 41a.

The operation panel 42 is used to operate on-vehicle equipment, and is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The operation panel 42 is arranged on the rear surface of the peripheral portion of the opening of the frame portion 41 a of the exterior portion 41 . The operation panel 42 is normally arranged so that a vertical gap is formed between it and the touch sensor 43 .

The touch sensor 43 detects the position of the operator's finger contacting the touch sensor 43 via the operation panel 42 and the contact area thereof. As the touch sensor 43, a capacitive type can be used. The touch sensor 43 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. A touch controller 47 is arranged on the rear surface of the central portion of the touch sensor 43 . The touch controller 47 is electrically connected to the touch sensor 43 and outputs input information from the touch sensor 43 as a signal.

The spacer 44 is a member for holding the touch sensor 43 and the conductive plate 45 at regular intervals, which is formed in a substantially rectangular frame plate shape. The spacer 44 can be formed using a known synthetic resin or the like.

The conductive plate 45 is a substantially rectangular metal member. A recessed portion 24 a is formed in the central portion of the conductive plate 45 so as to be recessed on the back side. The conductive plate 45 can reduce electric field noise from the vibrating section 50 to the touch sensor 43 .

The holding member 46 is a member that holds the touch sensor 43 , the spacer 44 , the conductive plate 45 and the vibrating portion 50 . The holding member 46 includes a substantially rectangular plate portion 46 a on which the touch sensor 43 , the spacer 44 and the conductive plate 45 are installed, an accommodating portion 46 b that accommodates the vibrating portion 50 , and a predetermined distance from the center portion of the bottom surface 461 . and a pair of pressing portions 46c protruding downward (in the −Z-axis direction) at the position of . The pressing portion 46 c can press the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 via the vibration absorbing member 20 . The pressing portion 46c can be formed in a cylindrical shape, a cubic shape, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vibrating section 50 is provided inside the operating section 40 and has a function of horizontally vibrating the operating section 40 . The vibrating section 50 can horizontally vibrate the operating section 40 by horizontally vibrating the operating section 40 . Note that the vibrating section 50 may be attached to the outside of the operating section 40 .

The vibrating section 50 may use a known vibrating member as long as it can generate vibration. For example, an actuator, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or the like can be used as the vibrating section 50 . The vibrating section 50 gives a tactile sensation to a contacting object that is in contact with the operation panel 42 by generating vibration according to a predetermined vibration pattern. The vibrating section 50 generates vibrations based on electrical signals transmitted from the control device 60 . The vibrating section 50 may vibrate so as to give a tactile sensation to the position (coordinates) on the operation panel 42 where the contact is in contact.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the control device 60 is electrically connected to the displacement detection section 30 and the vibration section 50 . FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing functions of the control device 60. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 , the control device 60 includes a resistance measuring section 61 , a control section 62 and an operation control section 63 .

The resistance measurement section 61 is electrically connected to the displacement detection section 30, acquires an electrical signal indicating a resistance value sent from the displacement detection section 30, and calculates the resistance value of the displacement detection section 30. FIG. The resistance measurement unit 61 is electrically connected to the control unit 62 and inputs the calculated resistance value to the control unit 62 as input information.

The control unit 62 determines whether the resistance value has changed based on the resistance value calculated by the resistance measurement unit 61, and determines whether the vibrating unit 50 is functioning normally. The control unit 62 determines that the vibration unit 50 is functioning normally when the resistance value of the displacement detection unit 30 has decreased from the resistance value in the state before deformation.

The control unit 62 drives the vibration unit 50 to vibrate the operation unit 40 when the displacement detection unit 30 detects vertical displacement of the operation unit 40 . After the vibration is generated by driving the vibration unit 50, the control unit 62 determines that the output from the displacement detection unit 30 is normal when the output from the displacement detection unit 30 changes, and when the output from the displacement detection unit 30 does not change is judged to be abnormal. If the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 increases when the vibrating section 50 is driven, the control section 62 can determine that it is normal.

The control unit 62 has storage means for storing control programs and various types of stored information, and calculation means for operating based on the control programs. The storage means includes a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage, etc., which are main storage devices. The computing means includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit: processor) and the like. The control unit 62 is realized by reading out and executing a control program or the like stored in the storage means by the calculation means.

Information indicating the types of the pressure-sensitive conductive members 31 and the relationship between the signal and the resistance value for each type of the pressure-sensitive conductive members 31 may be stored in the storage means of the control unit 62 .

The operation control section 63 is electrically connected to the vibrating section 50 and outputs a signal that causes the vibrating section 50 to vibrate. The motion control unit 63 may cause the vibrating unit 50 to generate a signal to generate vibration so as to give a tactile sensation to the position (coordinates) of the touched object on the operation panel 42 .

The operation control section 63 is electrically connected to the display section 70 and outputs a signal to the display section 70 indicating that the vibrating section 50 is normal or that the vibrating section 50 is abnormal due to failure or the like. The display unit 70 is any display device used in a vehicle, such as a meter panel, car navigation system, head-up display, or the like.

In the input device 1A, when the driver presses an arbitrary position on the operation panel 42 of the operation unit 40 while the vehicle is in operation, the operation unit 40 is displaced downward (-Z axis direction) by the pressing force, thereby causing displacement. The pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 forming the detection section 30 is deformed downward (−Z axis direction). In addition, as the operation unit 40 is displaced downward (−Z axis direction), the vibration unit 50 vibrates in the horizontal direction (X axis direction) with respect to the displacement detection unit 30, thereby causing the displacement detection unit 30 to move. The constituting pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is vibrated in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction). Due to this vibration in the horizontal direction, the plurality of conductive materials 32 contained in the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 are temporarily separated from each other, making it difficult to establish electrical continuity between the conductive materials 32 . temporarily reduces conductivity. Therefore, the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 temporarily increases (rises). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of changes in resistance when the displacement detector 30 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 6, the displacement detection unit 30 temporarily increases the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 due to vibration of the vibration unit 50 in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) when the operation unit 40 is pressed. Therefore, by detecting the change in the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31, the vibration of the vibrating section 50 gives the driver a tactile sensation that an arbitrary place on the operation panel 42 is pressed, and the operation panel 42 is given a tactile sensation. It is possible to make the user recognize that the place of is pressed.

Next, a self-diagnostic method for determining whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally using the input device 1A will be described. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing a self-diagnostic method for determining whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally. As shown in FIG. 7, when the driver turns on the power switch of the vehicle, the input device 1A is activated (step S11), and the control device 60 outputs a signal to cause the vibrating section 50 to vibrate. 50 is horizontally vibrated (step S12).

Then, the control device 60 detects horizontal vibration caused by the vibration of the vibrating section 50, and determines whether or not the vibrating section 50 vibrates (step S13). FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state in which the vibrating section 50 vibrates in the horizontal direction. It is a figure which shows an example. As shown in FIG. 8, when the vibration section 50 vibrates in the horizontal direction, the horizontal vibration causes the displacement detection section 30 to vibrate in the horizontal direction, and the resistance temporarily increases as shown in FIG. . When the control device 60 receives a signal relating to the resistance of the displacement detection unit 30 and determines that the resistance is increasing (step S14: Yes), the control device 60 detects that the vibration unit 50 is operating normally. (step S15), and the process ends.

On the other hand, when the vibrating section 50 does not vibrate in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. Step S14: No), the control device 60 determines that the vibrating section 50 is in an abnormal state due to failure or the like (step S16), and displays a warning on the meter panel or the like (step S17).

As described above, the input device 1A according to the present embodiment includes the base 10, the displacement detection section 30, the operation section 40, the vibration section 50, and the control device 60. The control device 60 drives the vibration section 50, If there is a change in the output from the displacement detection section 30, it is determined to be normal, and if there is no change in the output from the displacement detection section 30, it is determined to be abnormal. In the input device 1A, the displacement detection section 30 can detect that the vibrating section 50 has vibrated in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) when it vibrates in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction). can output a signal that it is working. Therefore, the control device 60 can diagnose whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally based on the signal output from the displacement detecting section 30 . Therefore, the input device 1A can perform self-diagnosis without providing a diagnostic sensor for checking whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally.

In the input device 1A, the displacement detection unit 30 can detect displacement in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) when the operation unit 40 is pressed, and therefore outputs a signal indicating that the operation unit 40 has been pressed. can do. Therefore, the input device 1A can inform the operator by tactile sensation that the operation unit 40 has been pressed.

As described above, the input device 1A can make the operator recognize that the operation unit 40 is pressed by vibration as a tactile sensation, and can perform self-diagnosis as to whether the vibration unit 50 is operating normally. , FFB can be effectively used for a touch panel or the like.

Further, the input device 1</b>A can install the vibrating section 50 in the operation section 40 and use the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 as the displacement detection section 30 . Since the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 can change resistance by displacement in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and horizontal direction (X-axis direction) of the operation unit 40, the vibration direction of the operation unit 40 is horizontal. By detecting the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 even in the (X-axis direction), the self-diagnosis of the vibrating portion 5 can be performed more reliably.

Furthermore, the input device 1A can use a conductive elastomer containing the conductive material 32 in the elastomer 33 as the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 . As a result, when the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 is deformed, the conductive materials 32 can be easily connected to each other. increases, it can be easily determined that the vibrating section 50 is operating normally. Further, when the vibrating portion 50 vibrates in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction), the conductive materials 32 are separated from each other, making it difficult to temporarily conduct between the conductive materials 32 . Therefore, when the vibration unit 50 is driven, the control device 60 can easily determine whether or not the vibration unit 50 is operating normally due to an increase in the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member 31 . . Therefore, the input device 1A can perform self-diagnosis of the vibrating section 50 with higher accuracy.

[Second embodiment]
An input device according to the second embodiment will be described. The input device according to the present embodiment is obtained by changing the vibration absorbing member 20 of the input device 1A according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. It has the same configuration as

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the input device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the input device 1B includes a base 10, a film 80, a displacement detection section 30, an operation section 40, a vibration section 50 and a control device 60. As shown in FIG. The base 10, the displacement detection section 30, the film 80 and the operation section 40 are laminated in this order. In this embodiment, the configuration other than the film 80 is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

The film 80 is a rubber-like member provided on the base 10 in a dome shape so as to cover the displacement detection section 30 . As the film 80, ethylene propylene rubber, chloroprene rubber, butyl rubber, silicone rubber, or the like can be used. Among these, silicone rubber is preferred.

In the input device 1B, as in the input device 1A according to the first embodiment, the control device 60 can diagnose whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally based on the signal output from the displacement detection section 30. Self-diagnosis can be performed without providing a diagnostic sensor for inspecting whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally.

[Third embodiment]
An input device according to the third embodiment will be described. The input device according to this embodiment has an elastic deformation member 90 provided above the vibration absorbing member 20 of the input device 1A according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. , and the rest of the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view simply showing the configuration of the input device according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the input device 1C includes a base 10, a displacement detection section 30, an elastic deformation member 90, an operation section 40, a vibration section 50, and a control device 60. As shown in FIG. The base 10, the displacement detection section 30, the elastic deformation member 90, and the operation section 40 are laminated in this order. In this embodiment, the configuration other than the elastic deformation member 90 is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

The elastic deformation member 90 is provided in a dome shape on the base 10 so as to cover the displacement detection section 30 .

The elastic deformation member 90 includes a second elastic body having a higher elastic modulus than the first elastic body inside the first elastic body.

The first elastic body can be made of, for example, an elastic material such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or synthetic resin. The second elastic body may be an elastic body having a higher elastic modulus than the first elastic body, and may be formed of a spring member such as a metal coil spring. Specifically, a rubber spring or the like can be used as the elastic deformation member 90 .

In the input device 1C, as in the input device 1A according to the first embodiment, the control device 60 can diagnose whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally based on the signal output from the displacement detection section 30. Self-diagnosis can be performed without providing a diagnostic sensor for inspecting whether the vibrating section 50 is operating normally.

As described above, the embodiment has been described, but the above embodiment is presented as an example, and the present invention is not limited by the above embodiment. The above embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various combinations, omissions, replacements, changes, etc. can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

1A, 1B, 1C Input device 10 Base 11 Base board 12 Adhesive layer 13, 13A, 13B Electrode 20 Vibration absorbing member 30 Displacement detector 40 Operation unit 50 Vibration unit 60 Control device 62 Control unit 80 Film 90 Elastic deformation member

Claims (3)

a base;
an operation unit supported so as to be vertically displaceable with respect to the base;
a displacement detection unit that detects a vertical displacement of the operation unit due to pressing by an operator;
a vibrating unit attached to the operating unit and configured to generate vibration in the operating unit;
a control unit that drives and vibrates the vibration unit when the displacement detection unit detects vertical displacement of the operation unit;
with
The control unit determines that the output from the displacement detection unit is normal when the output from the displacement detection unit changes after driving the vibration unit, and determines that the output from the displacement detection unit is abnormal if the output from the displacement detection unit does not change. Device. The vibration unit is provided in the operation unit so as to horizontally vibrate the operation unit with respect to the base,
2. The displacement detection unit according to claim 1, wherein the displacement detection unit is provided between the base and the operation unit, and includes a pressure-sensitive conductive member whose resistance changes according to vertical and horizontal displacements of the operation unit. input device. The pressure-sensitive conductive member comprises a conductive elastomer containing a conductive material in the elastomer,
3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines that the operation is normal when the resistance of the pressure-sensitive conductive member increases when the vibrating unit is driven.

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