JP3855561B2 - Tactile force sense presentation device and information input / output device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tactile force sense presentation device and an information input / output device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a feeling of operation of buttons and windows displayed on a display unit of an information processing device using a graphical user interface (GUI), The present invention relates to a tactile force sense presentation device and an information input / output device for giving a tactile sensation and force sensation when touching an object or tracing its surface to a fingertip in a simulated manner without actually touching the object.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Of the bodily sensation information perceived using the receiving organs such as the eyes, ears, nose, hands, and fingers, the tactile force sense information is often the final decisive factor when recognizing and judging an object. In other words, when an object is present in front of the eyes, a person can touch the object with his / her fingers or fingers to understand and convince the surface of the object such as rough feeling or unevenness and make various decisions. It is believed that
[0003]
On the other hand, we received information on products and exhibits displayed on the screens of televisions and personal computers that cannot be touched directly with fingers, or information on products introduced in documents such as magazines, brochures, and catalogs. In some cases, even if the object can be recognized linguistically and visually, it is difficult to feel the atmosphere or to experience it. For this reason, humans infer the missing parts of these information based on their own experience in the brain and complement them to understand the object, but the supplemented information is based on personal experience, In other cases, the tactile force sense obtained from the object may be different.
[0004]
In order to facilitate the operation of personal computers, a GUI (graphical user interface) for operating the computer by operating buttons and windows displayed on the screen is used. In this GUI, the operational feeling, such as whether the button is pressed correctly, is expressed by changes in color display on the screen and sound output, and the mouse or trackball actually touching the finger The operation feeling cannot be felt from the input device. As described above, the recognition of the operational feeling in the GUI is limited to visual information or simple auditory information, and the depth of the recognition tends to be shallower than that with tactile sensation. As a result, the memory becomes ambiguous at the time of operation, or a mistake in judgment or delay occurs.
[0005]
With the recent development and popularization of information communication devices such as the Internet, such as the Internet in recent years, the demand for obtaining a tactile sensation when touching or tracing the surface of objects displayed as images on information devices has increased. Expected. There will also be a greater demand for a user interface that is easier to use.
[0006]
Conventionally, several devices that present tactile force sense information of an object that cannot actually be touched have been proposed. For example, a simulated tactile sensation presentation apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-19385 includes a holding body that is gripped by an operator and slid along a support surface by rotation of a ball, and a finger that grips the holding body. A pin is installed at a part in contact with the finger, and a tactile sensation is presented to the finger by moving the pin up and down. The input device described in JP-A-7-191798 includes a movable sphere and a rotation control unit that controls the rotation of the sphere, and moves the sphere and the rotation control unit up and down together. The tactile sensation is presented to the finger in contact with the sphere.
[0007]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the simulated tactile sensation presentation apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-19385 is such that a finger is brought into contact with the tip of the pin to sense the movement of the pin. In addition, since the position of the finger is fixed, it is difficult to present the tactile sensation that is felt when a person actually touches or traces the surface of the object with the finger.
[0008]
Further, the input device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-191798 has a structure in which a movable sphere and its rotation control unit are moved up and down together, so that the size of the device increases and the manufacturing cost increases at the same time. Therefore, it is difficult to spread it as a general-purpose device.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tactile force sense presentation device that can more realistically express tactile force sense information of an object. . Another object of the present invention is to provide a tactile force sense with a simple structure, input / output information to / from an information processing device, and more realistic representation of tactile force sense information of an object. To provide an input / output device.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a haptic force sense presentation device of the present invention is a haptic force sense presentation device that represents a haptic force sense of a virtual object, and is held so as to be able to vibrate and rotate , and a cavity is provided therein. and a sphere, with movable state with respect to the spherical body, and housed exercise element to the cavity, the spherical body by action and reaction obtained by Rukoto exercised the movement element in response to tactile force sense signal Drive means for vibrating.
[0011]
A tactile force sense presentation device of the present invention includes a sphere that is held so as to be able to vibrate and rotate and has a cavity therein , and a mover housed in the cavity so as to be movable with respect to the sphere. cage, in a state that by rotating the sphere with a finger, the drive means, a tactile haptic virtual object by vibrating the sphere by action and reaction obtained by Rukoto exercised movement element in response to tactile force sense signal Since it is expressed, a fine and complex tactile force sense can be transmitted to the user's finger through the sphere, and the tactile force sense information of the object can be expressed more realistically.
[0012]
An information input / output device of the present invention includes a sphere that is held so as to be able to vibrate and rotate, and that has a cavity therein, a mover that is housed in the cavity in a state of being movable with respect to the sphere, and the sphere driving means but vibrating the sphere by action and reaction obtained by Rukoto exercised the movement element in response to tactile force sense signal inputted from the information processing apparatus in a state of being rotated, the rotation direction of the spherical body And detecting means for detecting the rotation amount and outputting the rotation information to the information processing apparatus.
[0013]
An information input / output device of the present invention includes a sphere that is held so as to be able to vibrate and rotate, and that has a cavity therein , and a mover that is movable with respect to the sphere and is housed in the cavity. The information processing apparatus moves the pointer according to the rotation information of the sphere input from the detection means, and outputs a haptic force signal from when the pointer touches the image displayed on the screen. In a state where the sphere is rotated, drive means, and the action and reaction obtained by Rukoto exercised the movement element in response to tactile force sense signal inputted from the information processing apparatus to vibrate the sphere tactile force Sense is presented.
[0014]
Thus, by presenting a tactile force sense using a sphere that is a part of the structure of the information input / output device, it is possible to present a tactile force sense and input / output information with a simple structure. . In addition, because the sphere is vibrated by moving the mover enclosed in the sphere, the haptic force sense of the virtual object is expressed, so that a minute and complex tactile force sense is transmitted to the user's finger through the sphere. The tactile force sense information of the object can be expressed more realistically.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of an information input / output device having a tactile force sense presentation function according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is an example in which the information input / output device of the present invention is applied to a trackball of an information processing device.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 1, the trackball 10 includes a box 11, a sphere 12 that is rotatably and rotatably held on the upper surface of the box 11, and a drive that vibrates the sphere by a magnetic force in accordance with a tactile force sense signal. Devices 14A and 14B and detection means 16 for detecting the rotation direction and the amount of rotation of the sphere are provided. The drive devices 14A and 14B and the detection means 16 are connected to the information processing device 18 via the input / output device 17. ing. The information processing apparatus 18 is connected to a monitor 20 that displays processing results.
[0017]
The spherical body 12 is held in a hole 13 provided on the upper surface of the box body 11 so as to vibrate and rotate. The inside of the sphere 12 is a cavity, and as shown in FIG. 2, a mover 28 that can arbitrarily move is enclosed in the cavity 26 inside the spherical shell 24. The spherical body 12 vibrates due to the action / reaction obtained by the movement of the moving element 28 in the cavity 26 arbitrarily. The moving element 28 is made of a magnetic material such as iron, and moves by being attracted by the magnetic force acting from the driving devices 14A and 14B arranged outside the sphere 12. For this reason, the spherical shell 24 is made of a magnetically permeable material that does not hinder the transmission of magnetic force from the outside to the moving element 28.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 1, the driving devices 14 </ b> A and 14 </ b> B are arranged on the left and right of the sphere 12 so as to sandwich the sphere 12. The driving device 14A includes an electromagnet 15A and a control circuit (not shown), and the control circuit energizes the electromagnet 15A in accordance with a haptic force signal input from the information processing device 18 via the input / output device 17. The magnitude and direction of the current and voltage are controlled, and the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field of the electromagnet 15A are controlled. The magnetic field controlled in this way acts on the moving element 28 enclosed in the cavity portion 26 of the sphere 12 to control the movement of the moving element 28. The driving device 14B has the same structure as the driving device 14A.
[0019]
Next, the operation of the trackball 10 according to the present embodiment will be described.
[0020]
When the user rotates the sphere 12 with his / her fingers (not shown), the rotation direction and amount of rotation of the sphere 12 are detected by the detection means 16 and input to the information processing device 18 via the input / output device 17. . The rotation information of the sphere 12 input to the information processing device 18 is displayed on the monitor 20 as the movement of the pointer 30.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 3, the rotation information of the sphere 12 is displayed on the monitor 20 by the pointer 30. In addition to the pointer 30, an icon 32 indicating a computer file is displayed on the monitor 20, and when the pointer 30 overlaps the icon 32 on the monitor 20 or when the pointer 30 leaves the icon 32, the information processing apparatus 18 The tactile force sense signal is output to the driving devices 14A and 14B via the input / output device 17.
[0022]
The control circuits of the driving devices 14A and 14B control the magnitude and direction of the current and voltage supplied to the electromagnet according to the input haptic force signal, thereby controlling the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field of the electromagnets 15A and 15B. Then, the controlled magnetic field acts on the moving element 28 enclosed in the cavity portion 26 of the sphere 12 to control the movement of the moving element 28. The sphere 12 vibrates due to the action / reaction obtained from the movement of the mover 28, and the vibration is transmitted to the finger of the user who rotates the sphere 12, so that the user's finger is replaced by the icon 32 instead of the pointer 30. The user is presented with a feeling of operation as if touching.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the object 34 having fine irregularities on the surface is displayed in addition to the pointer 30 on the monitor 20, the pointer 30 moves on the object 34 on the monitor 20. Accordingly, the information processing device 18 outputs a tactile force sense signal corresponding to a tactile force sense when the object 34 is touched with the pointer 30 to the drive devices 14A and 14B via the input / output device 17.
[0024]
Each drive circuit of the drive devices 14A and 14B controls the magnitude and direction of the current and voltage supplied to the electromagnet according to the input haptic force signal, thereby controlling the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field of the electromagnets 15A and 15B. Then, the controlled magnetic field acts on the moving element 28 enclosed in the cavity portion 26 of the sphere 12 to control the movement of the moving element 28. The spherical body 12 vibrates finely by the action / reaction obtained from the movement of the moving element 28, and the vibration is transmitted to the finger of the user who rotates the spherical body 12, so that the user's finger is used instead of the pointer 30. The user is presented with a realistic tactile force sense such as “roughness” that can be felt when the object 34 is actually traced.
[0025]
In the above-described embodiment, an example using a sphere in which a single moving element 28 that can arbitrarily move in the hollow portion 26 inside the spherical shell 24 is shown, but as shown in FIG. A sphere in which a plurality of mover groups 28m (three movers in FIG. 5) that can arbitrarily move in the hollow portion 26 inside the spherical shell 24 may be used. By using a plurality of moving elements, the spherical body 12 vibrates due to the action / reaction of each of the moving element groups 28m arbitrarily moving in the cavity 26, and presents a finer and more complex tactile sensation to the user's fingers. can do.
[0026]
In this embodiment, the moving element 28 is spherical. However, the moving element 28 is not limited to this, and may have a barrel shape or an infinite number of protrusions, and the surface need not be smooth. Further, the inner surface of the cavity 26 does not need to be smooth and may be a rough surface.
[0027]
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the electromagnets 15 </ b> A and 15 </ b> B are arranged on the left and right of the sphere 12 when viewed from the user. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, electromagnets 15A, 15B, 15C, and 15D are arranged on the front, rear, left and right of the sphere 12 when viewed from the user, and the magnetic field acting on the moving element 28 is controlled by the four electromagnets 15A to D. May be.
[0028]
The number of electromagnets is not limited to two or four, but can be one, three, or five or more. By increasing the number of electromagnets, it is possible to control the movement of the mover enclosed in the hollow portion of the sphere more precisely, and more force and tactile sensation is provided to the user's fingers (not shown) via the sphere. A larger number of electromagnets is preferable because it can be presented with high accuracy.
[0029]
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the electromagnets 15 </ b> A and 15 </ b> B are arranged at the same height slightly below the center of the sphere 12 when viewed from the side, but at the same height as the center of the sphere 12. It may be arranged, and a plurality of electromagnets may be arranged at different heights. By diversifying the number and arrangement of the electromagnets, it is possible to more accurately present the haptic sense to the user's fingers.
[0030]
In the above embodiment, the detection means 16 for detecting the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the sphere is provided to input and output the rotation information of the sphere. However, as a tactile force sense presentation device that does not have an information input / output function. When used, it is not necessary to provide such detection means.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the tactile force sense presentation device according to the present invention expresses the tactile force sense of the virtual object by vibrating the sphere by moving the mover enclosed in the sphere. Thus, a complex tactile force sense can be transmitted to the user's finger, and the tactile force sense information of the object can be expressed more realistically.
[0032]
In addition, the information input / output device of the present invention presents a tactile force sense using a sphere that is a part of the structure of the information input / output device, thereby presenting the tactile force sense and inputting information. Since the sphere is vibrated by moving the mover enclosed inside the sphere, the haptic force sense of the virtual object is expressed, so the minute and complicated haptic force sense is used via the sphere. Can be transmitted to a person's finger, and the tactile force sense information of the object can be expressed more realistically.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a structure of an information input / output device of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the structure of a sphere portion of the information input / output device of the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an operation example of the information input / output device of the embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining another example of operation of the information input / output device according to the present embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another example of the structure of the spherical portion of the information input / output device.
FIG. 6 is a top view showing the arrangement of electromagnets in the information input / output device of the present embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a top view showing another arrangement example of the electromagnet of the information input / output device.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Trackball 12 Sphere 14A-D Drive apparatus 16 Detection means 18 Information processing apparatus 20 Monitor 28 Moment child 30 Pointer 32 Icon 34 Object

Claims (2)

A tactile force sense presentation device that expresses a tactile force sense of a virtual object,
A sphere that is held to vibrate and rotate and that has a cavity therein;
A mover housed in the cavity in a state of being movable with respect to the sphere;
Driving means for vibrating the sphere by action and reaction obtained by Rukoto exercised the movement element in response to tactile force sense signal,
A tactile force sense presentation device. A sphere that is held to vibrate and rotate and that has a cavity therein;
A mover housed in the cavity in a state of being movable with respect to the sphere;
Driving means for vibrating the sphere by action and reaction obtained by Rukoto exercised the movement element in response to tactile force sense signal inputted from the information processing apparatus in a state in which the spherical body is rotated,
Detecting means for detecting a rotation direction and a rotation amount of the sphere and outputting rotation information to an information processing device;
An information input / output device.

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