JP5675422B2 - Electronics - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic device that detects an operation input by an operator and applies a vibration corresponding to the input to the touch panel, and feeds back an operation feeling to the operator via the touch panel. It is related with what is going to improve the dustproof property, earning the amplitude at the time of doing.

  Currently, touch panels and touch pads are widely used as input devices for electronic devices. In such an input device, when an operator operates a touch panel, a touch pad, or the like, a device that feeds back a feeling of operation to an operator's fingertip by vibrating the touch panel or the touch pad is proposed ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 7 is an external perspective view in which the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 is disassembled. As shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device (display device) described in Patent Document 1 includes a display monitor 100, a panel fixing frame 210, a touch panel 400, and a cover 500. This electronic device is configured by assembling each component such as the touch panel 400 to the display monitor 100.

  In the electronic device described in Patent Document 1, the display monitor 100 is configured by a liquid crystal display (LCD), and has a rectangular and flat shape as a whole. The display monitor 100 displays, for example, objects such as keys and buttons or various information on the display surface according to control by a control device (not shown). On the display surface of the display monitor 100, the touch panel 400 having the same size as that of the monitor 100 is assembled.

  The touch panel 400 is configured so that, for example, when a matrix-like switch circuit is formed on a transparent resin plate and the panel surface is touched by an operator's fingertip or the like, a detection signal corresponding to the contact position is output to the control device. It is configured. That is, the operator can input various information corresponding to the display to the electronic device by operating the panel 400 according to the display on the display monitor 100 displayed through the touch panel 400.

  In this electronic device, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of piezoelectric elements (piezo elements) are provided on the back surface of the touch panel 400 along the upper long side (the back side in the figure) and the lower long side (the front side in the figure). ) 420 is pasted. When the touch panel 400 detects contact by the operator, the electronic device gives a drive signal (voltage) to the piezoelectric element 420 from the control device. When this drive signal is received, the piezoelectric element 420 expands and contracts to deform (bend) the touch panel 400, so that the electronic device can generate vibration on the operation surface of the touch panel 400. That is, the touch panel 400 vibrates with the above operation, so that the operator can obtain an operational feeling.

  In this electronic apparatus, the touch panel 400 is assembled to the display monitor 100 via a panel fixing frame 210. The panel fixing frame 210 is formed of a hard resin material such as ABS, so that the entire panel fixing frame 210 has rigidity.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a holder 220 that holds the touch panel 400 at its four corners is assembled to the panel fixing frame 210. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view showing a state where one of the four holders 220 is attached to the corner of the touch panel 400. Each holder 220 is formed with a slit-like insertion portion 360 into which a corner portion of the touch panel 400 can be inserted. As shown in FIG. 7, a fixing hole 320 for fixing the holder 220 is provided on the peripheral side surface of the panel fixing frame 210 near the end of each side surface. Then, the hooks 340a formed on the holder 220 shown in FIG. 8 are inserted into the fixing holes 320 shown in FIG. 7, so that each holder 220 fixes the touch panel 400 to the panel fixing frame 210.

  As described above, when the four corners of the touch panel 400 are inserted into the respective holders 220, the respective holders 220 hold the touch panel 400 from the outside at the four corners and also from both sides in the thickness direction. Therefore, the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 can be arranged such that the touch panel 400 is fixed.

  Each of the holders 220 is made of a material having a smaller elastic coefficient than that of the panel fixing frame 210, and is integrally formed of, for example, silicon-based resin or rubber. As described above, the holder 220 is configured to be elastically deformable so that the touch panel 400 can vibrate while stably holding the touch panel 400. Note that a gap that allows displacement of the touch panel 400 in the thickness direction is secured between the touch panel 400 and the display monitor 100. For this reason, when the piezoelectric element 420 vibrates, the displacement of the touch panel 400 in the thickness direction accompanying the vibration is possible.

  Therefore, since the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 is configured not to greatly disturb the vibration when the touch panel 400 is vibrated, the operational feeling due to the vibration of the touch panel 400 can be ensured satisfactorily. .

JP 2010-44497 A

  By the way, in the electronic device of patent document 1, sufficient measures are not taken with respect to the penetration | invasion of the dust etc. into an apparatus. For example, when the electronic device shown in FIG. 7 is assembled, the touch panel 400 is attached to the panel fixing frame 210 while being inserted into the insertion portion 360 of the elastic material holder 220, that is, via the holder 220. This is because if the touch panel 400 is firmly fixed to the panel fixing frame 210, the touch panel 400 is not displaced in the thickness direction when the piezoelectric element 420 vibrates, and the touch panel 400 cannot be vibrated satisfactorily. Because. For this reason, a gap is formed between the touch panel 400 and the panel fixing frame 210, and it is assumed that dust or the like enters from the gap.

  For this reason, in a conventional electronic device, the peripheral portion of the touch panel is covered with a bezel (in Patent Document 1, the front surface portion 520 of the cover 500 corresponds to a “bezel”) and pressed from above, so that the touch panel and the casing are separated from each other. Intrusion of dust or the like is prevented, and in this case, the bend allowance of the touch panel cannot be sufficiently secured due to the presence of the bezel, and the vibration of the touch panel is hindered and a desired amplitude cannot be obtained. Problems arise. In particular, this problem becomes significant when the touch panel and the bezel are fixed to each other.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve dust resistance while increasing the amplitude when the touch panel vibrates for an electronic device configured to feed back an operational feeling to the operator by vibrating the touch panel. is there.

This invention is made in order to solve the said subject, The electronic device of this invention is provided with the touch panel and the piezoelectric element, and while being attached to the said touch panel, the vibration part which curves and vibrates the said touch panel, and , An image display unit arranged on the back side of the touch panel, a support unit provided on the back side of the touch panel and facing a peripheral part of the touch panel, and provided between the touch panel and the image display unit. An elastic member that is in close contact with the touch panel and the image display unit, and the support unit is provided with a plurality of through holes that penetrate the support unit in the thickness direction of the touch panel. The insertion tip is locked around the through-hole, and a projection that holds the touch panel against the support is retained. It is characterized in that provided.

  According to the present invention, by vibrating the touch panel, it is possible to improve the dust resistance while increasing the amplitude when the touch panel vibrates for an electronic device configured to feed back the operational feeling to the operator.

It is a top view of the electronic device of one Embodiment according to this invention. (A) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in FIG. (A) is the top view which expanded a part of FIG. 1, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the BB line in FIG. 3 (a). FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3B, showing a state when the touch panel is pressed in the electronic device of FIG. 1. It is sectional drawing which shows the electronic device of other embodiment according to this invention by the cross section similar to FIG. (A) is a top view which expands and shows a part of electronic device of further another embodiment according to this invention, (b) is sectional drawing which follows CC line in Fig.6 (a) It is. It is a disassembled perspective view explaining the structure of the conventional electronic device. It is a perspective view which expands and shows a part of FIG.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic apparatus (here, a mobile phone terminal as an example) 1 according to this embodiment detects an operation input by an operator, and gives vibration to the touch panel 3 according to the input to the operator. On the other hand, an input device main body 5 that feeds back an operational feeling via the touch panel 3 and a housing 7 that houses the input device main body 5 are provided.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the housing 7 includes an outer peripheral wall 7 a that forms a part of the outer shape and a step down with respect to the upper end of the outer peripheral wall 7 a toward the inside. A support portion 7 b that extends in parallel with the touch panel 3 and faces the peripheral edge of the touch panel 3 is integrally provided. The support portion 7b may be separated from the housing 7. The housing 7 can be formed using a relatively hard synthetic resin material or metal material.

  The input device body 5 includes a touch panel 3 elastically supported by the support portion 7b via the cushion member 9, at least one that vibrates the touch panel 3, in this case, two vibration portions 15 and 16 (see FIG. 1), and a touch panel. 3 is provided with an image display unit 18 disposed on the back surface side, and a substrate (not shown) that is provided with a control unit that controls the entire operation and can be disposed below the image display unit 18, for example. Here, the cushion member 9 is provided along the peripheral edge portion of the touch panel 3 and is adhered to the touch panel 3 and the support portion 7b with a double-sided tape, an adhesive, or the like. Therefore, the cushion between the touch panel 3 and the support portion 7b is cushioned. It is sealed by member 9. As the cushion member 9, various elastic materials including a porous material, for example, soft urethane foam (preferably microcell urethane foam), silicon foam, sponge, and the like can be used. The cushion member 9 does not need to be provided continuously along the peripheral edge of the touch panel 3 and may be interspersed between the touch panel 3 and the support portion 7b.

  The details of each member constituting the input device main body 5 will be described. First, the touch panel 3 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and can vibrate (bend deformation) in response to vibrations from the vibration units 15 and 16. The touch panel 3 detects an operator's operation on the object displayed on the image display unit 18, that is, a position of a finger, a stylus pen, or the like on the touch panel 3, and a control unit provided on the substrate with the detected position. It has a function to notify. As the touch panel 3, for example, a known type such as a resistive film type, a capacitance type, an optical type, or the like can be used.

  Note that it is not indispensable that a finger, a stylus pen, or the like physically touches the touch panel 3 when detecting an operation performed by the operator on the object displayed on the image display unit 18. For example, when an optical (infrared scanning method) touch panel 3 is employed, scanning is performed along the upper surface of the touch panel 3 emitted from a light emitting element (not shown) that can be disposed inside the bezel 9 or the like. Since the position where the infrared ray is blocked by the finger or the like is detected, it is not necessary for the finger or the like to touch the touch panel 3.

  The vibration parts 15 and 16 are attached to the back surface of the touch panel 3 with an adhesive or the like in the vicinity of two opposing sides (here, two short sides) of the touch panel 3. Here, the vibration parts 15 and 16 are composed of piezoelectric elements that expand and contract in the longitudinal direction when a voltage is applied. When the vibration parts 15 and 16 expand and contract, the touch panel 3 repeats warping deformation (curvature deformation) in the thickness direction (direction orthogonal to the touch surface). The vibration units 15 and 16 can generate vibrations with a predetermined vibration pattern (frequency, period, waveform, amplitude) based on a signal from a control unit provided on the substrate, for example, depending on the vibration pattern. It is possible to provide a tactile sensation as if a button was operated on a finger or the like in contact with the touch surface. For example, when providing a click feeling typified by a metal dome switch used in a mobile terminal, when a predetermined load is applied to the touch panel 3, for example, one cycle consisting of a sine wave having a constant frequency of 170 Hz. The vibration units 15 and 16 are driven by the drive signal of minutes, and the touch panel 3 is vibrated by about 15 μm with a predetermined load applied. Thereby, a realistic click feeling can be provided to the operator.

  The image display unit 18 has a rectangular shape in a plan view but is smaller than the touch panel 3 and can display an object such as a push button switch such as a key as an image. The image displayed on the image display unit 18 is not limited to a still image and may be a moving image. As the image display unit 18, for example, an organic EL display or electronic paper can be used in addition to a liquid crystal display (LCD). Further, the image display unit 18 can be held in the housing 7 via a holder (not shown), or may be held directly by the housing 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 1 of this embodiment is provided over the entire periphery between the touch panel 3 and the image display unit 18, and is an elastic member that is in close contact with the touch panel 3 and the image display unit 18. 20 is provided. As the elastic member 20, various elastic materials including a porous material such as soft urethane foam (preferably microcell urethane foam), silicon foam, sponge and the like can be used. The elastic member 20 and the touch panel 3 and the image display unit 18 can be bonded using a double-sided tape, an adhesive, or the like.

  Further, in the electronic device 1, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support portion 7 b has a through hole h penetrating in the thickness direction of the touch panel 3 in the circumferential direction in a region corresponding to the peripheral portion of the touch panel 3. A plurality of pin-shaped protrusions 22 that protrude integrally from the back surface of the touch panel 3 are inserted into the through holes h. The protruding portion 22 has a locking portion 22a having a diameter larger than the opening diameter of the through hole h at a tip portion protruding from the back surface of the support portion 7b through the through hole. Therefore, the touch panel 3 is held upwardly with respect to the support portion 7b by the locking portion 22a of the protruding portion 22 being locked around the through hole h. The locking portion 22a can be formed by welding, or can be formed by melt-molding the tip of the protruding portion 22 using a mold. Moreover, since the latching | locking part 22a should just be latched to the circumference | surroundings of the through-hole h, you may make it just bend the front-end | tip of the projection part 22, and it may be caught in this circumference | surroundings.

  In addition, the code | symbol 24 shown in FIG.3 (b) is a film for the decoration provided in the touch surface peripheral part of the touchscreen 3, and the projection part 22, the cushion member 9, an elastic member, etc. are externally provided by this film 24. It is invisible. The film 24 can be integrated with the touch panel 3 by in-mold transfer or insert molding, or may be attached after forming the touch panel 3 using an adhesive film.

  In the electronic device 1 having such a configuration, when the operator presses the touch panel 3 with a finger or the like, the touch panel 3 is displaced downward (toward the image display unit 18) together with the protrusion 22 as shown in FIG. A gap s is formed between the locking portion 22a at the tip of the protrusion 22 and the back surface of the support portion 7b. That is, the touch panel 3 has an upward deflection allowance (displacement allowance) z2 corresponding to the gap s in addition to the downward allowance (displacement allowance) z1 between the touch panel 3 and the support portion 7b. In this state, when the vibration units 15 and 16 vibrate based on the drive signal from the control unit, the touch panel 3 can vibrate with a sufficient amplitude due to the presence of the bending allowances z1 and z2. On the other hand, a good operation feeling is fed back via the touch panel 3. On the other hand, since the touch panel 3 is prevented from coming off upward via the protrusions 22, the touch panel 3 can be prevented from coming off (dropping out). In addition, since the space between the touch panel 3 and the image display unit 18 is sealed by the elastic member 20, dust and the like can be prevented from entering between the touch panel 3 and the image display unit 18.

  As described above, according to the electronic apparatus 1, the dustproof property can be improved by the elastic member 20 between the touch panel 3 and the image display unit 18 while increasing the amplitude when the touch panel 3 vibrates without using the bezel. it can.

  Moreover, according to the electronic device 1 of this embodiment, since the cushion member 9 is provided between the touch panel 3 and the support portion 7b, the space between the casing 7 and the touch panel 3 can be sealed, The dustproofness of the device 1 can be further improved.

  In this embodiment, the elastic member 20 and the cushion member 9 are formed separately. However, the elastic member 20 and the cushion member 9 may be integrally formed as shown in FIG. 9 need not be provided. In the above embodiment, the touch panel 3 is elastically supported upward via the cushion member 9 and the elastic member 20. However, when the cushion member 9 is omitted, the load of the touch panel 3 is supported by the elastic member 20. can do. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the elastic member 20 is placed on the image display unit 18. However, when the display main body of the image display unit 18 is accommodated in a boulder (not shown), the elastic member 20 is placed in the holder. Alternatively, the holder itself may be formed of an elastic material to constitute the “elastic member” of the present invention. That is, the “image display unit” in the present invention is a concept that can include not only the display main body but also a holder that accommodates and holds the display main body. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated that the bending allowance z2 was formed between the latching | locking part 22a and the back surface of the support part 7b when the touch panel 3 was pushed in, the length of the projection part 22 is set long. In addition, a gap may be provided in advance between the locking portion 22a of the protruding portion 22 and the back surface of the support portion 7b. In this way, when the touch panel 3 is not pressed with a finger or the like, or the amount of pressing is small. Even in a very small case, the upward bending allowance z2 of the touch panel 3 can be secured. Further, the cushion member 9 may have uniform elasticity around the entire circumference, or the elastic modulus may be set high only at the four corners of the cushion member 9 to enhance the support stability of the touch panel.

  Next, an electronic apparatus according to another embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the element similar to previous embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the previous embodiment, it has been described that the cushion member 9 is disposed between the touch panel 3 and the support portion 7b so as to elastically support the touch panel 3, but in this embodiment, the touch panel 3 is provided at the four corners. While being rigidly supported, the other side portions are elastically supported. More specifically, a raised portion 7c that is raised to the vicinity of the back surface of the touch panel 3 is formed at locations corresponding to the four corners of the touch panel 3 of the support portion 7b, and the touch panel 3 is formed on the upper surface of the raised portion 7c. It is fixed via a double-sided tape 26 or an adhesive.

  According to the electronic apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the dustproof property can be improved by the elastic member while increasing the amplitude when the touch panel 3 vibrates without using the bezel, as in the above embodiment. Further, since the support rigidity of the four corners of the touch panel 3 is increased, a stable touch operation of the electronic device 1 can be realized. Moreover, according to the electronic device 1 of this embodiment, since the space | interval between the housing | casing 7 and the touchscreen 3 can be sealed with the cushion member 9 between the touchscreen 3 and the support part 7b, Dustproofness can be further improved. In order to stably support the touch panel 3, the displacement in the thickness direction of the touch panel 3 may be made smaller at the corner than the side of the peripheral edge of the touch panel 3. For example, the corner of the cushion member 9 may be You may form harder than a part.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the illustrated examples, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the claims. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the touch panel 3 is supported via the elastic member 20 by the support portion 7b formed integrally with the housing 7, but the image display portion 18 is more generally replaced by the support portion 7b. The image display unit 18 may be supported via the elastic member 20 as a “support unit” of the present invention.

  In the present invention, the touch panel may be a flat plate member such as a simple “panel” that does not have a function (sensing function) for detecting a position where a finger or the like is in contact with the touch surface. In the electronic apparatus having such a configuration, for example, a load detection unit that detects a pressing load is provided, and when the detected load satisfies a predetermined pressing load standard, the touch panel is touched. Can be determined. Such a load detection unit can be configured by providing an arbitrary number of strain gauge sensors or the like on the touch panel. Further, when the vibration part is a piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element can also be used as a strain gauge sensor.

  Moreover, this invention may be provided with elements other than the element demonstrated in the above-mentioned embodiment, for example, a load detection part (illustration omitted). In this case, the control unit can monitor the input to the touch panel and monitor the load detected by the load detection unit, that is, the input to the touch panel can be applied to the input object displayed on the image display unit. When it is detected whether the input and the pressing load detected by the load detection unit satisfies a predetermined criterion for receiving the input while increasing by pressing the touch panel, the input to the touch panel at that time is received and vibration is detected. The part can be driven with a predetermined drive vibration, and the touch panel can be vibrated with a predetermined vibration pattern set in advance. Here, the predetermined reference can be set as appropriate according to the load characteristic when the push button switch is to be expressed. As the load detection unit, for example, four strain gauge sensors that can be arranged at the four corners of the touch panel can be applied, and in the case of a resistive film type touch panel, the change in the output signal based on the resistance change due to the contact area The load can be detected from In the case of a capacitive touch panel, a load can be detected from a change in output signal based on a change in capacitance.

  In the above-described embodiment, the vibration unit has been described as using a pair of piezoelectric elements. However, a transparent film piezoelectric body that can be attached to the entire surface of an arbitrary number of piezoelectric vibrators or touch panels, or a drive signal An eccentric motor configured to rotate once in one cycle can be used.

  Furthermore, the present invention is applied not only to mobile phone terminals but also to various electronic devices (game terminals, tablet PCs, car navigation systems, etc.) that include an image display unit and a touch panel that transmits an image displayed on the image display unit. can do.

  Thus, according to the present invention, by vibrating the touch panel, it is possible to improve the dust resistance while increasing the amplitude when the touch panel vibrates for an electronic device configured to feed back the operational feeling to the operator. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electronic device 3 Touch panel 5 Input device main body 7 Case 7a Outer peripheral wall 7b Support part 7c Bottom raising part 7b Support part 9 Cushion member 15, 16 Vibration part 18 Image display part 20 Elastic member 22 Protrusion part 22a Locking part h Through-hole

Claims (1)

A touch panel;
A vibration unit that includes a piezoelectric element, is attached to the touch panel , and vibrates by bending the touch panel .
An image display unit disposed on the back side of the touch panel;
A support portion provided on the back side of the touch panel and facing a peripheral portion of the touch panel;
An elastic member that is provided between the touch panel and the image display unit and is in close contact with the touch panel and the image display unit,
In the support part, a plurality of through holes that penetrate the support part in the thickness direction of the touch panel are provided,
An electronic device comprising a plurality of protrusions on the back surface of the touch panel, each of which is inserted into the through-hole and whose tip is locked around the through-hole to hold the touch panel against the supporting portion. machine.

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