JP6112544B2 - Electrode substrate for tactile presentation device, tactile presentation device, and display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrode substrate for a tactile presentation device, and a tactile presentation device and a display device including the electrode substrate.

  An electric tactile sensation presentation device (tactile sensation presentation device) is a device that presents a tactile sensation or the like on the skin or the like. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for stimulating sensory nerves in or under the skin from an electrode in contact with the skin of a fingertip. Such a tactile sensation presentation device applies an electric current to the sensory organ through the skin, for example, with electrodes arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. Among these electrodes, an electrode at a place where stimulation is desired is a current source, and the other electrode is a ground.

  As a result, a current path from the current source electrode to the ground electrode is formed in the skin to stimulate the sensory nerve terminal receptor. Whether the current source or the ground is connected to the electrode is determined by switching the switching circuit, for example. By this method, a tactile sensation is presented on the skin of the fingertip.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus for presenting a tactile sensation to the forehead skin. Such a device converts an image into tactile information and operates as a display for a visually impaired user to indirectly grasp visual information, for example.

Japanese Patent No. 4360497 Japanese Patent No. 5057068 Japanese Patent No. 3929881

  The tactile sense presentation device described in Patent Document 1 is excellent in spatial resolution of tactile information. However, since such a device only presents a tactile sense, it cannot be presented in an integrated manner with visual information. In addition, since the device described in Patent Document 2 converts visual information into tactile information, it cannot be presented in an integrated manner with tactile information of what is shaken with a fingertip, for example.

  Patent Document 3 discloses an apparatus that presents visual information on a surface in contact with skin. In such a device, a frictional force is generated on the slider in contact with the skin using an electrostatic attraction force generated on the electrode surface instead of applying an electric current to the skin, and a tactile sensation is presented to the operator through the slider. However, the tactile sensation cannot be presented unless the slider moves. In addition, the structure of the electrode of the device is complicated and it is difficult to increase the area.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a display device that functions as a tactile sense presentation device that applies a current to a sensory organ through the skin and can present tactile information and visual information in an integrated manner. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrode substrate and a tactile presentation device for such a display device.

A plurality of electrode substrates of the tactile presentation device of the present invention are arranged at a predetermined interval between a light transmissive substrate layer and the substrate layer and the target skin to receive the tactile presentation, and the surface on the side of the epidermis is exposed. A wiring layer provided between the substrate layer and the epidermis, and a wiring electrically connected to the electrodes for applying a stimulation current to the plurality of electrodes, the wiring and the epidermis A light-transmitting insulating layer positioned therebetween.

It is preferable that a resistance value between the electrode and the epidermis on a surface where a tactile sensation is presented is smaller than 3.5 MΩ / mm ² . The plurality of electrodes are preferably arranged in an array. It is preferable that the distance between electrode centers between adjacent electrode rows is 2.0 to 3.0 mm.

  The wiring layer and the electrode are preferably laminated on the surface of the substrate layer. The electrode is preferably located between the wiring layer and the skin. It is preferable that the surface of the electrode on the skin side is exposed. It is preferable that the electrode further includes a light-transmissive high-resistance layer that covers the surface of the electrode on the skin side. It is preferable that the electrode and / or the wiring has light transparency. The longer the wiring, the larger the line width.

The tactile presentation device of the present invention includes the electrode substrate and a power supply unit that can be electrically connected to the wiring. The wiring resistance value per line of the wiring is 20 kΩ or less. The power supply unit applies a voltage of 300 to 350 V and a current of 4.5 to 5.5 mA to the electrode substrate to give a stimulation current to the epidermis in contact with the surface of the electrode .

  The display device of the present invention includes the electrode substrate further including an index matching layer positioned between the substrate layer and the wiring layer, and a display unit having a display surface on the skin side. The electrode substrate is located between the display surface and the skin.

  According to the present invention, a display device that functions as a tactile sensation presentation device that applies a current to a sensory organ through the skin and can present tactile information and visual information in an integrated manner, and an electrode substrate and a haptic presentation device for such a display device Can be provided.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the electrode substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the electrode substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the IIB cross section of FIG. 2A. It is a top view which shows the structure of the electrode substrate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the IIIB cross section of FIG. 3A. It is the top view and front view which show the structure of the wiring of the electrode substrate which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the display apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the wiring of the electrode substrate which concerns on an Example. It is a fragmentary top view which shows the wiring of the electrode substrate which concerns on an Example.

[First Embodiment]
<Outline of electrode substrate>
As shown in FIG. 1, in the tactile sense presentation device of the present embodiment, the belly of a finger of a human hand is pressed against the electrode substrate 10 from the illustrated direction to contact the electrode 2 on the electrode substrate. The tactile sensation presenting device presents a tactile sensation by applying an electric current to the abdomen of the finger from the electrode 2 at the site in contact with the abdomen of the finger.

  In the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, the electrode substrate 10 is drawn enlarged in the vertical direction in the drawing. For example, the insulating layer 3 does not have a height that hinders contact between the electrode 2 and the belly of the finger. Also, the size of the finger is drawn slightly smaller than the distance between the electrodes.

  In each of the following embodiments, a belly of a finger of a human hand is assumed as a target to receive a tactile sensation. Hereinafter, the belly of a finger is simply referred to as a finger. It is assumed that the tactile sense presentation device or the electrode substrate or the display device of the embodiment is in contact with the epidermis of the skin of the finger.

  In FIG. 1, an electrode substrate 10 of the tactile sense presentation device of the present embodiment includes a substrate layer 1, an electrode 2, an insulating layer 3, and a wiring 4 (wiring layer). The substrate layer 1 is a substrate made of a light transmissive material. The material of the substrate layer 1 is preferably glass or resin from the viewpoints of light transmittance and workability. As the resin, PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) resin, PEN (Polyethylene naphthalate), PC (Polycarbonate), or transparent PI (Polyimide) is preferable.

  In the present embodiment, being light transmissive means that preferably 70%, more preferably 80%, particularly preferably 90% of light is transmitted upward, particularly from below the electrode substrate in the drawing. . Further, light may be transmitted downward from above the electrode substrate in the figure.

  A plurality of electrodes 2 are provided on substantially the same plane. The term “substantially the same surface” indicates that the heights of the upper surfaces in the drawing of each electrode surface are aligned to the extent that they can be recognized as continuous surfaces when touched with a finger. Each electrode surface of the plurality of electrodes 2 may be on the same plane.

  It is preferable that the electrode 2 does not inhibit light transmission. “Does not inhibit the transmission of light” means, for example, that the substance itself has light permeability. Alternatively, even if the object itself does not have light transmittance, the object is sufficiently thin or has a low density, so that it does not hinder the path of light passing through the surrounding object.

The electrode 2 is located between the substrate layer 1 and the epidermis of the subject receiving the tactile presentation. The resistance value between the electrode 2 and the epidermis on the surface where the tactile sensation is presented is preferably smaller than 3.5 MΩ / mm ² , more preferably 40 kΩ / mm ² or less. It is particularly preferable that the surface of the electrode 2 on the skin side is exposed. With such a configuration, a predetermined current can be applied to the finger.

  The insulating layer 3 is a layer made of a light transmissive material. The insulating layer 3 is located between the wiring 4 and the skin and insulates between the wiring 4 and the skin. However, in this embodiment, the insulating member including the insulating layer 3 is not located at least at a part between the electrode 2 and the skin. Note that the insulating layer 3 is only about 150 nm thick, so it is not significantly different from the thickness of the electrode 2. For this reason, the insulating layer 3 hardly obstructs physical contact of the epidermis with the electrode 2.

  The insulating layer 3 preferably covers the surface of the wiring 4 on the skin side. With this configuration, it is possible to insulate between the wiring 4 and another member at least on the upper side of the wiring 4 in the drawing. Furthermore, it is preferable that the insulating layer 3 covers the outer periphery of the upper surface of the electrode 2 as shown in FIG. With this configuration, the electrode 2 and the wiring 4 can also be insulated.

  Here, the insulating member means a member having an insulation resistance value of 3.5 MΩ or more, for example. When the electrode is covered with such an insulating member, when a voltage of 350 V is applied, the current flowing between the electrode and the skin is 0.1 mA or less. In this embodiment, the excluded insulating member is not made of a specific material. For this reason, the above does not mean that a material generally known as an insulator should always be excluded.

The wiring 4 is located between the substrate layer 1 and the skin. It is preferable that the wiring 4 does not hinder light transmission. The wiring 4 can be connected to the plurality of electrodes 2. At least some of the electrodes 2 and at least some of the wirings 4 can be electrically connected one-on-one. With this configuration, each electrode can be driven in a multiplex manner. The wiring 4 gathers to form a wiring layer.
With the above configuration, since the electrode substrate 10 has light transmittance as a whole, a tactile sense presentation device (display device) that can present tactile information and visual information in an integrated manner as in a fourth embodiment described later. It can be preferably used.

<Details of electrode substrate>
As shown in detail in FIG. 2A, in the electrode substrate 10, a plurality of electrodes 2 are arranged in a square lattice array. The surface having the electrodes has such a spread, and the plurality of electrodes 2 are driven in a multiplex, so that the tactile sensation presentation apparatus including the electrode substrate 10 can present a haptic to the multiplex. For example, even if two fingers touch different locations on the electrode substrate, different tactile sensations can be presented to both fingers.

  A plurality of, preferably 8-9, electrodes 2 are gathered in the vertical direction to form an electrode array 13. FIG. 2A shows an example in which the electrode array 13 has nine electrodes 2. The other electrodes 2 in the upper part of the figure are not shown. The distance between the electrode centers between two adjacent electrode rows 13 is preferably 2.0 to 3.0 mm, and particularly preferably 2.0 to 2.5 mm. Moreover, the distance between the electrode centers of each electrode 2 in the electrode array 13 is preferably 2.0 to 3.0 mm, and particularly preferably 2.0 to 2.5 mm. When the distance between the electrode centers is within such a range, a smooth tactile sensation can be presented to the finger.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the electrode substrate 10 includes a conductor layer 11 formed by laminating a wiring layer including the electrode 2 and the wiring 4 on the surface of the substrate layer 1. The electrode 2 is preferably composed of a pad having a predetermined shape such as a square or a circle. By making the pad shape, the electrical connection with the epidermis can be ensured.

  Such a pad preferably has one or more conductive materials selected from the group consisting of ITO, ZnO, and Ag nanowires. By selecting such a conductor material, the electrode 2 can obtain preferable light transmittance.

Further, the predetermined shape is preferably a substantially rectangular shape having an area of 0.5 to 1.5 mm ² . Further, a substantially rectangular shape having a side length of 0.5 to 1.5 mm is preferable. As the predetermined shape, a substantially square shape having a side length of preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm, particularly preferably 1 mm can be selected. Such a shape is suitable for forming the electrode 2 with a conductive material such as ITO.

The skin resistance value for the tactile sense presentation device can be adjusted by the pad size of the electrode 2. For example, when the pad size is 1 mm ² , the skin resistance value is 50 to 60 kΩ. At this time, as described later, when a current of 5 mA is applied, a voltage drop of about 300 V (= 60 kΩ × 5 mA) occurs in the skin portion. Further, when the power supply voltage is 350 V, the voltage drop allowed by the wiring resistance is 50 V, and therefore it is preferable to set the wiring resistance to 10 kΩ (= 50 V / 5 mA) or less. It is desirable to set the pad size and the like based on a standard stimulation current described later.

  The wiring 4 includes a connection end with the electrode 2 and an external connection end 12 which is an end portion on the opposite side. The wiring 4 preferably has one or more conductor materials selected from the group consisting of ITO, ZnO, and Ag nanowires. By selecting such a conductor material, the wiring 4 can obtain preferable light transmittance.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the pattern of the wiring 4 can be determined by the number of wirings corresponding to the number of electrodes 2 to be wired in one row as the electrode row 13 and the width between the electrode rows 13 that can be wired. In the figure, the number of wires corresponding to each electrode 2 of the electrode array 13 is nine. The number of wires passing between the lowermost electrodes 2 in the figure is eight. The width between the electrodes through which the wiring 4 should pass is 1.0 to 2.0 mm. The wiring width is preferably about 0.1 mm. Moreover, when forming wiring with the said conductor material, it is preferable that the thickness of wiring is 20-30 micrometers.

  The conductor material has a higher resistance value than copper or aluminum. In addition, since a plurality of electrodes are provided, the shape of the wiring is also limited as described above. When such wiring is formed, the influence of the wiring resistance value on the voltage to be applied to the finger cannot be ignored. For this reason, it is necessary to appropriately design the wiring shape based on the wiring resistance value.

The wiring resistance value from the connection end with the electrode 2 to the external connection end 12 is preferably not more than a predetermined value. Such a predetermined value can be obtained as follows. First, in the tactile sense presentation device of the present embodiment, the standard stimulation current is preferably 2 to 10 mA, more preferably 5 mA or less. This value was experimentally determined as a current sufficient to stimulate the receptor by flowing through the finger. The skin resistance value is 50-60 kΩ for a pad size of 1 mm ² . For this reason, in order to pass a current through the skin of a human finger, it is necessary to apply a voltage corresponding to a voltage drop amount of 250 to 300 (= 50 to 60 kΩ × 5 mA) V.

  In the tactile sense presentation device of this embodiment, the output voltage of the power supply unit to be connected to the electrode substrate 10 is preferably about 300 to 350V. If such a voltage is lower than the voltage to be applied to the skin, the haptic presentation device may not be able to correctly perform the haptic presentation. For this reason, the output voltage of the power supply unit is set higher than the voltage applied to the finger. In this embodiment mode, the voltage of the power supply unit is set to 350V.

  The difference between the output voltage of the power supply unit and the voltage applied to the finger is about 50 to 100V. This difference represents a voltage drop caused by the wiring having the wiring resistance value described above. Such a voltage drop is preferably smaller than an allowable voltage drop for realizing tactile presentation, that is, a wiring part allowable voltage drop. The wiring portion allowable voltage drop is preferably 100V, and particularly preferably 50V. The smaller the voltage drop, the lower the voltage of the power supply unit. Also, the smaller the voltage drop, the easier it is to secure the voltage required for application to the finger.

  As described above, since the standard stimulation current is 5 mA, the wiring resistance value per line of the wiring 4 is preferably 20 kΩ or less in order to satisfy the condition of the allowable voltage drop of the wiring part, and is preferably 10 kΩ or less. Is particularly preferred. In order to satisfy the wiring resistance value, an appropriate wiring shape can be selected as described above. When the wiring resistance value is within such a range, a standard stimulation current of 5 mA can be applied to the finger.

As a material of the insulating layer _3, SiO _2, SiN _x, or manufactured by JSR "NN901" and the like are preferable. By comprising such a material, the insulating layer 3 can ensure insulation between the wiring 4 and the skin. The permissible value of the current flowing between the wiring 4 and the epidermis without passing through the electrode 2, that is, the permissible current between the wiring and the skin is 0.1 mA. If a current greater than this value flows, it may not be possible to present the tactile sense appropriately. In order to satisfy the allowable current from the above-described power supply voltage 350V, the insulation resistance value needs to be 3.5 MΩ or more.

As described above, when the line width is 0.1 mm and the length of the finger touching the electrode substrate is about 10 mm, the area of the region that may be short-circuited between the wiring and the skin is about 1 mm ² . For this reason, it is preferable that the insulation resistance value per unit area of the insulating layer 3 is 3.5 MΩ / mm ² or more. The insulating layer 3 can have an appropriate thickness so as to have such an insulation resistance value per unit area.

  Since the insulating layer 3 suppresses the current between the wiring and the skin, and the electrodes 2 are arranged in an array as described above, the tactile sense presentation device including the electrode substrate 10 is high only by current stimulation from the electrodes 2. The resolution tactile sense can be presented.

<Manufacture of electrode substrate>
As shown in FIG. 2B, a glass substrate is used as a substrate layer 1 and an ITO film is laminated to form electrodes 2 and wirings 4. The pattern of the electrode 2 and the wiring 4 is as described above and shown in FIG. 2A. Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the insulating layer 3 is formed by laminating SiO ₂ while leaving a part of the upper surface of the electrode 2. The formation region of the insulating layer 3 is as described above and shown in FIG. 2A. In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the conductor layer 11 having the electrode 2 and the wiring 4 can be formed at a time, so that the production efficiency is improved.

<Tactile presentation device>
The tactile sense presentation device of the present embodiment includes an electrode substrate 10 and a power supply unit that can be electrically connected to the external connection end 12. As described above, the power supply unit applies a voltage of 350 V or more to the electrode substrate 10. Further, as described above, the power supply unit applies a current of 5 mA to the finger through the electrode substrate. In addition, as described above, the current flowing between the wiring 4 and the skin without passing through the electrode 2 is 0.1 mA or less.

  The tactile sensation presentation apparatus according to the present embodiment first identifies a place touched by a user's finger. The tactile sense presentation device identifies the electrode at such a location by detecting a change in the resistance value between the electrodes. Next, the tactile sensation presentation apparatus determines such a place as a place where the tactile sense should be presented.

  The electrode 2 forms an anode or a ground. The electrode 2 where the tactile sensation is to be presented, that is, where it is in contact with the finger, forms an anode. Other electrodes form a ground. Such switching between the anode and the ground can be realized by a switching circuit or the like. In addition, the tactile sense presentation device can be electrically connected to a subject who receives a tactile sense presentation, that is, a user, through a part other than the electrode 2.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, the difference from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. The same applies to the following third and subsequent embodiments.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the insulating layer 3 is located above the wiring layer made of the wiring 4 in the electrode substrate 20. A pad-shaped electrode 2 is located above the insulating layer 3. As shown in FIG. 3A, a via conductor 8 is provided at the center of the pad surface of the electrode 2. By providing the via conductor 8, the electrode 2 can be provided in a different layer from the wiring 4. The via conductor 8 penetrates the electrode 2 and the insulating layer 3 and is connected to the electrode side connection end of the wiring 4. Since the via conductor 8 is sufficiently smaller than the light transmissive electrode 2, it does not affect the light transmissive property of the entire electrode substrate 20. For this reason, the via conductor 8 can also be formed of a material having poor light transmissivity, such as tungsten. When such a material is used, excellent conduction between layers can be secured.

  A resist 9 is located above the insulating layer 3 while leaving a part of the surface above the electrode 2. The resist 9 is light transmissive, and the material thereof may be the same as that of the insulating layer 3. As shown in FIG. 3B, the electrode 2 is located between the wiring 4 and the skin. For this reason, the wiring 4 can be installed in the lower layer in the figure of the pad-shaped electrode 2.

  Thus, the number of wirings can be increased by expanding the area where the wirings 4 can be installed. As described above, the wiring 4 is subject to the limitation on the wiring width due to the wiring resistance value and the limitation on the width between the electrode rows 13, so that there is an upper limit in the number of wires. In the second embodiment, the upper limit of the number of wirings can be raised.

  An increase in the number of wires that can be arranged between the electrode rows 13 causes an increase in the number of electrodes. Since the distance between the electrodes 2 is determined by the distance between the receptors in the skin, increasing the number of electrodes contributes to increasing the size of the electrode substrate.

[Third Embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 4, the electrode substrate according to the third embodiment includes a wiring 34 instead of the wiring 4. The wiring 34 has a larger line width as the length from the connection end to the electrode to the opposite end is longer. For this reason, the wiring 34 can utilize the wiring space between electrodes efficiently, respectively, although it is below the said predetermined wiring resistance value.

  The wiring width can be selected according to the length of each wiring of the wiring 34 so that the wiring resistance values of the respective wirings are equal. By making the wiring resistance values of the respective wirings equal, variations in the voltage applied to the finger from each electrode 2 can be reduced.

[Fourth Embodiment]
<Display device>
4th Embodiment of this invention is a display apparatus provided with the above-mentioned electrode substrate. As shown in FIG. 5, the display device 40 includes an electrode substrate 41 and a display unit 42. The electrode substrate 41 includes a substrate layer 1, an electrode 2, an insulating layer 3, a wiring 4 (wiring layer), a high resistance layer 5, an index matching layer 6, and a display unit 42.

  The display device 40 displays an image as visual information on the display unit 42 and simultaneously functions as a tactile sense presentation device that presents tactile information through an electrode substrate 41 connected to a power supply unit (not shown). That is, when combined with a control unit (not shown), the display device 40 functions as an integrated presentation device that can present tactile information and visual information in an integrated manner.

  The control unit associates tactile information to be presented on the electrode substrate 41 with visual information displayed on the display unit 42. The control unit connects to the electrode substrate 41 a command for presenting a tactile sensation to a portion on the electrode substrate 41 that overlaps with the position displayed on the display unit 42 and is in contact with the finger. Send to power supply.

  The display unit 42 may be any display device. For example, a display device such as a liquid crystal or an AMOLED (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) can be used.

  The display unit 42 includes the display surface 14 and the display substrate 7. The display unit 42 is located below the substrate layer 1. The display surface 14 is located on the surface of the display unit 42 on the skin side. For this reason, the substrate layer 1 can also function as a cover panel for the display surface 14. With this configuration, the electrode substrate 41 and the display unit 42 can be integrally formed to form the display device 40. By using resin such as the above-mentioned PET as the constituent material of the substrate layer 1 and including, for example, AMOLED as the display unit 42, the display device 40 has flexibility and can be bent into an arbitrary shape.

  The high resistance layer 5 covers the surface of the electrode 2 on the skin side. The high resistance layer 5 is light transmissive, and the material thereof may be the same as that of the insulating layer 3. Since the high resistance layer 5 has light transmittance, the visibility of the image displayed on the display unit of the display device 40 is improved.

  The high resistance layer 5 prevents the electrode 2 from being exposed. For this reason, the high resistance layer 5 suppresses a short circuit between the electrode 2 and the skin. The high resistance layer 5 is in contact with the insulating layer 3 to further suppress such a short circuit. Thereby, the safety | security of the display apparatus 40 can be improved more.

The resistance value per unit area of the high resistance layer 5 is preferably 5 to 40 kΩ / mm ² . Since the high resistance layer 5 has such a resistance value, the current concentration at the pain point in the skin of the finger in contact with the display device 40 can be reduced. In addition, the standard stimulation current of 5 mA can be ensured without significantly increasing the output voltage of the power supply unit. For this reason, the case where a user feels pain during use can be reduced.

  The index matching layer 6 is located between the substrate layer 1 and the wiring 4 and the electrode. The index matching layer 6 has a structure specific to the reflectivity of each layer structure above the index match layer 6, thereby absorbing the difference in reflectivity. That is, the index matching layer 6 has a reflectivity such as a portion where only the insulating layer 3 is laminated, a portion where the electrode 2 and the high resistance layer 5 are laminated, a portion where the wiring 4 and the insulating layer 3 are laminated, and the like. Absorb the difference.

  Thereby, the index matching layer 6 makes the whole electrode substrate 41 have a uniform reflectance. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the image displayed on the display unit 42 from becoming difficult to see due to each member of the electrode substrate 41.

<Use of display device>
The user using the display device 40 can receive tactile information corresponding to the displayed content while visually recognizing the content displayed on the display unit 42. For example, visual information including an image of clothes is displayed on the display unit 42. Then, a tactile sensation corresponding to each part of the clothing displayed on the display surface 14 is presented on the electrode substrate 41 as tactile information. As a result, the user can simultaneously obtain tactile information such as a material feeling and a touch feeling of clothes that cannot be obtained only by visual information in a form associated with the visual information.

[Modification of each embodiment]
Although the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Needless to say.

  For example, in the fourth embodiment, the index matching layer and the high resistance layer provided on the electrode substrate can be similarly provided on the electrode substrates of the first to third embodiments. In the fourth embodiment, the index matching layer and the high resistance layer provided on the electrode substrate can be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the electrodes of the electrode substrate are arranged in an array of square lattices, but they may be arranged in an array of regular triangular lattices or regular hexagonal lattices, or may be arranged at equal intervals on concentric circles. In addition, the vertical and horizontal directions of the array are made to coincide with the vertical and horizontal directions of the electrode substrate, but an arbitrary angle may be given to the directions. For example, a square lattice may be rotated 45 degrees to form a diamond-like lattice array.

  In the present embodiment, a case where a tactile sensation is presented to the belly of the finger of the hand has been shown, but it may be a palm or other body part. In addition, since the use is not particularly limited as long as there is a sensory nerve, it may be a nasal cavity without a skin or a surface in the oral cavity. In this embodiment, the target is a human, but an animal may be used as long as the skin is exposed. When a part other than the belly of the finger of the hand is targeted, the distance between the electrode centers can be appropriately set according to the interval at which the receptors responsible for tactile sensation, pressure sensation and the like are arranged in the skin.

  In the present embodiment, the electrode substrate is combined with a visual information display device to form a display device. On the other hand, in the modification of the embodiment, a printed matter may be used as long as visual information can be presented. For example, by placing the electrode substrate on the printed material, the user can receive tactile information corresponding to the printed content while visually recognizing the printed content. For example, in the case of a printed matter having a photograph of wood grain, the tactile sensation of the wood grain can be presented as corresponding tactile information.

  In such a case, it is preferable to provide an input unit for inputting the contents of the printed matter in the tactile sense presentation device including the electrode substrate. With this configuration, it is possible to present tactile information suitable for the content of the printed matter that the user wants to see.

  In the present embodiment, the place where the user's finger touches is specified by the resistance change, and this place is determined as the place where the tactile sensation should be presented. As a modification of the embodiment, the place where the finger touches is specified by the change in the capacitance between the electrodes due to the contact of the user's finger with the electrode substrate, and the place where the tactile sensation should be presented is determined. Good. In such a case, the electrode is preferably covered with the above-described high resistance layer.

  Hereinafter, examples will be described focusing on the conductor layer according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 6, the conductor layer 21 included in the electrode substrate was produced by patterning ITO on a glass substrate. The conductor layer 21 has left and right electrode rows 13 composed of eight electrodes 2 arranged in the horizontal direction in the figure. The shape of the electrode 2 was a 1 mm square pad shape. The distance between the electrodes 2 was such that the distance between the electrode centers was 3.0 mm.

  The left and right electrode rows 13 are arranged in the vertical direction in the figure to form the left and right electrode arrays 23. The distance between the electrode rows 13 was such that the distance between the electrode centers was 3.0 mm. The left and right electrode arrays 23 are combined to form the electrode layer of the conductor layer 21.

  Each wiring 4 was connected to each corresponding electrode 2 and extended to the left and right external connection ends 12 so as to pass between the electrode rows 13. The external connection end 12 was connected to the external connection terminal 22. The external connection terminal 22 was electrically connected to a power supply unit (not shown).

  FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the left electrode array 23 in FIG. The external connection terminal 22 has a width larger than the wiring width of the wiring 4 in order to ensure a sufficient connection area. Therefore, the wiring 4 is bent near the external connection end 12.

  As described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments or examples, and various modifications, corrections, and combinations that can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention of the claims of the claims of the present application. Of course.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate layer 2 Electrode 3 Insulating layer 4 Wiring 5 High resistance layer 6 Index matching layer 7 Display substrate 8 Via conductor 9 Resist 10 Electrode substrate 11 Conductive layer 12 External connection end 13 Electrode array 14 Display surface 20 Electrode substrate 21 Conductive layer 22 External Connection terminal 23 Electrode array 34 Wiring 40 Display device 41 Electrode substrate 42 Display unit

Claims (9)

A light transmissive substrate layer;
A plurality of electrodes arranged at a predetermined interval between the substrate layer and the target skin to receive tactile presentation, and the surface on the side of the skin exposed ,
Located between the substrate layer and the skin, and the wiring layer Ru provided with a wiring for providing a stimulation current to the plurality of electrodes,
A light-transmitting insulating layer that lies between the wiring and the skin,
An electrode substrate for a tactile presentation device. The electrode and the wiring layer were formed on the same surface of the substrate layer,
The electrode substrate of the tactile sense presentation device according to claim 1. A resistance value between the electrode and the epidermis on the surface where the tactile sensation is presented is smaller than 3.5 MΩ / mm2,
The plurality of electrodes are arranged in an array in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
The distance between the electrodes centered between the electrode columns and the electrode adjacent rows is 2.0 to 3.0 mm,
The substrate of electrode tactile sense presentation device according to claim 1 or 2. The electrode is disposed on the surface of the skin, and a high resistance layer having light transmittance is exposed on the surface of the skin.
The substrate of electrode tactile sense presentation device according to any one of claims 1-3. The electrode and / or the wiring has optical transparency, the electrode substrate of the tactile sense presentation device according to any one of claims 1-4. The wiring has a larger long nearly as line width, the electrode substrate of the tactile sense presentation device according to any one of claims 1-5. The electrode substrate of the tactile presentation device according to claim 1 , wherein the wiring layer and the electrode are laminated on a surface of the substrate layer. And the electrode substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 7
A power supply unit electrically connectable to the wiring,
The wiring resistance value per line of the wiring is 20 kΩ or less,
The power supply unit applies a voltage of 300 to 350 V and a current of 2 to 10 mA to the electrode substrate to give a stimulation current to the epidermis in contact with the surface of the electrode.
Tactile presentation device. Located between the wiring layer and the substrate layer, further comprising an index matching layer, and the electrode substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 7
A display unit having a display surface on the skin side,
The electrode substrate is located between the display surface and the skin;
Display device.

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