JP7114310B2 - Fixing method of touch panel device and operation panel - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a touch panel device and a method for fixing an operation panel.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a touch panel device that presents a tactile sensation to a user via an operation panel by vibrating the operation panel. In such a touch panel device, the vibration frequency for vibrating the operation panel is adjusted according to the natural frequency of the operation panel (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

WO2013/114793

However, in the conventional technology, there are cases where the vibration frequency at which the operation panel is to be vibrated differs from the natural frequency of the operation panel. For this reason, in the conventional technology, there were cases where it was not possible to appropriately present the tactile sensation to the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a touch panel device and an operation panel fixing method capable of presenting an appropriate tactile sensation to a user.

To solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a touch panel device according to an embodiment includes an operation panel and a vibration element. The operation panel is fixed by a plurality of fixing members, and the natural frequency changes at fixed intervals between the plurality of fixing members. The vibration element is attached to the operation panel and vibrates the operation panel. Further, the operation panel is fixed at the fixed interval with the natural frequency adjusted in accordance with the vibration frequency for vibrating the operation panel.

According to the present invention, an appropriate tactile sensation can be presented to the user.

FIG. 1 is an overall view of a touch panel device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of fixing members. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the operation panel taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view of the operation panel. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a method of fixing the operation panel. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fixed mode of the operation panel according to the modification.

A method for fixing the touch panel device and the operation panel will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

First, the overview of the touch panel device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a touch panel device 1. FIG. In order to simplify the explanation, FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system including the Z-axis whose positive direction is upward in the vertical direction. Such an orthogonal coordinate system may also be shown in other drawings used in the following description. Moreover, below, the case where the touch-panel apparatus 1 is an operation part of the vehicle-mounted audio equipment is demonstrated.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the touch panel device 1 includes an operation panel 10 and vibration elements 20 . FIG. 1 also shows a case where the touch panel device 1 includes a volume control dial 41 and a playback position control dial 42 .

The volume control dial 41 is a dial for adjusting the volume of the audio device, and accepts user's operation for adjusting the volume. The playback position adjustment dial 42 is a dial for adjusting the playback position of the content being played back on the audio device, and accepts a user's operation for adjusting the playback position.

The operation panel 10 has an operation surface 11 as a main surface, and a pressure sensor (not shown) is provided on the back surface of the operation surface 11 to receive a user's touch operation. A vibration element 20 is attached to the operation panel 10, and the operation panel 10 vibrates when the vibration element 20 vibrates.

The vibration element 20 is, for example, a piezoelectric element, and vibrates according to a voltage signal output from a control unit (not shown). Although the example shown in FIG. 1 shows the case where the touch panel device 1 includes a total of two vibration elements 20, one at each of the opposite ends of the operation panel 10, the number of the vibration elements 20 is one. may be three or more.

For example, the vibration element 20 vibrates the operation panel 10 when the user performs a touch operation on the operation panel 10 . In such a case, the vibrating element 20 can provide a predetermined tactile sensation via the operation panel 10 by vibrating the operation panel 10 with a predetermined frequency and vibration amount.

In this manner, the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment provides tactile feedback to the user that the operation panel 10 has received the user's touch operation.

Incidentally, in order to effectively present a predetermined tactile sensation to the user, the touch panel device 1 preferably vibrates the operation panel 10 at the natural frequency of the operation panel 10, that is, the resonance frequency of the operation panel 10.

Therefore, in the prior art, the vibration frequency for vibrating the vibration panel is adjusted in accordance with the natural frequency of the operation panel. However, in the prior art, since such vibration frequency depends on the natural frequency of the operation panel, it was not possible to vibrate the operation panel at a desired vibration frequency.

Therefore, the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment adjusts the natural frequency of the operation panel 10 according to the vibration frequency of the operation panel 10 . That is, in the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment, the natural frequency of the operation panel 10 is adjusted by adjusting the area for vibrating the operation panel 10 .

Specifically, in the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment, by adjusting the fixing intervals of the plurality of fixing members that fix the operation panel 10, the natural frequency of the operation panel 10 can be adjusted to a desired vibration frequency. did.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of fixing members. As shown in FIG. 2 , the operation panel 10 further includes ribs 12 in addition to the operation surface 11 . The ribs 12 are provided on both sides of the operation surface 11, and cover from the sides a main body that accommodates a control circuit (not shown) and the like.

The operation panel 10 is fixed to the rib 12 by passing screws 30 as fixing members through both sides of the vibrating element 20 .

Here, the natural frequency described above can be adjusted by the fixing interval L of the screw 30 as a fixing member and the distance H between the operation surface 11 and the screw 30 . Therefore, the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment determines the fixing interval L and the distance H of the screws 30 according to the vibration frequency of the operation panel 10 .

The fixed interval L and distance H can be determined by the geometrical moment of inertia of the operation panel 10 . Note that the moment of inertia of area is an index of how easily the operation panel 10 bends. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1, and is a diagram for explaining the geometrical moment of inertia of the operation panel 10. As shown in FIG.

Note that FIG. 3 omits illustration of the rib 12 on the lower side of the screw 30 to simplify the explanation, and shows a cross section of only the portion where the operation panel 10 vibrates.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the length between the outer peripheral surfaces of the ribs 12 on the operation surface 11 is defined as B, the length between the inner peripheral surfaces of the ribs 12 as b, and the thickness of the ribs 12 as a, the operation panel The second moment of area I of 10 is given by the following formula (1).

e1 and e2 shown in formula ( ₁ ) are obtained by the following formulas ( ₂ ) and (3), respectively.

In equation (2), H is the length from the operation surface 11 to the screw 30, and t is the thickness of the operation surface 11.

Then, using the moment of inertia I, the natural frequency f of the operation panel 10 is obtained from the following equation (4).

Note that in equation (4), λ is a coefficient and L is the fixed interval described above. Also, E is Young's modulus and ρ is density. Also, A is the cross-sectional area of the operation panel 10, which is obtained by the following formula (5).

Here, the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 3 and the material of the operation panel 10 can be arbitrarily changed at the stage of designing the operation panel 10 in consideration of design. Then, the value of the natural frequency f is set as the vibration frequency for vibrating the operation panel 10, and the fixing interval L is calculated backward.

The touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment determines the fixed interval L within a range in which the natural frequency f satisfies the desired vibration frequency. Therefore, when the operation panel 10 is vibrated at a desired vibration frequency, it is possible to appropriately present a desired tactile sensation to the user.

In other words, it is possible to appropriately present a desired tactile sensation to the user from the operation panel 10 .

By the way, for example, when the touch panel device 1 is connected to different devices, it is assumed that the desired vibration frequency differs for each device, or that the vibration frequency is required to be changed depending on the intended use. In such a case, if the operation panel 10 is manufactured for each vibration frequency, the manufacturing cost may increase.

Therefore, in the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment, the rib 12 of the operation panel 10 has the slit-like insertion hole 14 . FIG. 4 is a side view of the operation panel 10. FIG. 4, the operation panel 10 is shown in a simplified manner, and descriptions of the volume control dial 41 and the playback position control dial 42 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted.

The insertion hole 14 shown in FIG. 4 is a through hole penetrating the rib 12 in the thickness direction, into which the screw 30 is inserted. Further, the insertion hole 14 is provided in a slit shape in a direction along the fixed interval L described above.

More specifically, for example, the insertion hole 14 is formed by partially overlapping a plurality of circular through holes 13 . The positions where the through-holes 13 are formed are determined by the vibration frequency described above. That is, each through hole 13 functions as a guide that defines the fixing interval L when the operation panel 10 is fixed.

In this way, by forming the slit-shaped insertion holes 14 in advance in the operation panel 10 so as to correspond to a plurality of vibration frequencies, the versatility of the operation panel 10 can be improved and a plurality of vibration frequencies can be detected. It is possible to easily adjust the fixed interval L according to the frequency.

Also, the rib 12 is a portion that is covered with a cover or the like when the touch panel device 1 is attached to the vehicle. That is, in the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment, it is possible to improve the design by fixing the operation panel 10 at the hidden portion after attachment.

By the way, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the case where the two insertion holes 14 are formed in the rib 12 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, one of the two insertion holes 14 may be formed by one through hole 13 .

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the insertion hole 14 has a shape in which the adjacent through holes 13 partially overlap each other, but the through holes 13 do not have to overlap each other. That is, the through holes 13 may be provided independently.

Also, here, the case where the insertion hole 14 is formed in the horizontal direction in the drawing has been described, but the insertion hole 14 may be formed in the vertical direction in the drawing. In such a case, by changing "H" shown in FIG. 3, the natural frequency f can be adjusted.

Next, a method for fixing the operation panel 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a method of fixing the operation panel 10. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, first, the fixed interval L is determined based on the vibration frequency (step S101). Subsequently, the operation panel 10 is fixed at the determined fixed distance (step S102). This makes it possible to vibrate the operation panel 10 at a desired vibration frequency.

As described above, the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment includes the operation panel 10 and the vibration element 20 . The operation panel 10 is fixed by a plurality of screws 30 (an example of a fixing member), and the natural frequency f varies with the fixing interval L between the screws 30 . The vibration element 20 is attached to the operation panel 10 and vibrates the operation panel 10 .

Further, the operation panel 10 is fixed at a fixed interval L whose natural frequency f is adjusted in accordance with the vibration frequency for vibrating the operation panel 10 . Therefore, according to the touch panel device 1 according to the embodiment, it is possible to appropriately present a tactile sensation to the user.

By the way, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the fixing member is the screw 30 has been described, but the fixing member is not limited to this. Next, a modified example of the fixing member will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fixing mode of the operation panel 10 according to the modification.

The fixing member according to the modification shown in FIG. 6 is, for example, an adhesive member 30b such as double-sided tape. The adhesive member 30 b is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the rib 12 (inside the operation panel 10 ) to fix the operation panel 10 .

At this time, the position where the operation panel 10 is fixed by the adhesive member 30b (the fixed distance L shown in FIG. 2 and the distance H between the operation surface 11 and the adhesive member) depends not only on the geometrical moment of inertia described above, but also on the elasticity of the adhesive member 30b. Determined based on force.

Even in such a case, since the natural frequency f of the operation panel 10 can be matched with the vibration frequency, it is possible to appropriately present the tactile sensation to the user.

Note that the adhesive member 30b is not limited to the double-sided tape, and may be resin, and other adhesive members can be applied as long as they can be fixed. Further, although the screws 30 and the adhesive members 30b described above are used to fix the operation panel 10 with the ribs 12, the operation panel 10 may be fixed with the operation surface 11. FIG.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the operation panel 10 has the ribs 12 has been described, but the operation panel 10 may be flat. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the touch panel device 1 is an operation unit of an in-vehicle audio device has been described, but the touch panel device 1 is not limited to audio equipment, and can be used as an operation unit of various electronic devices. .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the fixed interval L is determined based on the moment of inertia of area has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the fixed interval L may be determined using experiments or simulations.

In the above-described embodiment, the touch panel device 1 vibrates the operation panel 10 to give the user a sense of touch. However, the operation panel 10 may vibrate to generate sound. In such a case, the natural frequency f of the operation panel 10 is adjusted according to the frequency at which the sound is generated.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the fixed interval L is adjusted to adjust the natural frequency f has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the shape of the rib 12 may be adjusted to adjust the natural frequency f.

Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments so shown and described. Accordingly, various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 touch panel device 10 operation panel 12 rib 13 through hole 14 insertion hole 20 vibration element 30 screw (an example of a fixing member)
30b adhesive member (an example of a fixing member)
L fixed interval f natural frequency

Claims (5)

an operation panel fixed by a plurality of fixing members and having a natural frequency that varies with the fixed intervals of the plurality of fixing members;
and a vibration element that vibrates the operation panel,
The operation panel is
The touch panel device is fixed at the fixed interval in which the natural frequency is adjusted according to the vibration frequency for vibrating the operation panel. The operation panel is
The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed interval is determined based on a moment of inertia of area of the operation panel. The operation panel is
3 . The touch panel device according to claim 1 , wherein when the fixing member is a screw, an insertion hole into which the screw is inserted is provided in a slit shape in a direction along the fixing interval. The operation panel is
An operation surface, which is a main surface, and ribs provided on both sides of the operation surface,
The operation panel is
The touch panel device according to claim 3, wherein the rib is provided with the insertion hole. A method for fixing an operation panel that vibrates with a vibrating element and that has a natural frequency that changes according to the fixed intervals of a plurality of fixing members,
A fixing method for an operation panel, comprising: fixing the operation panel at the fixed interval in which the natural frequency is adjusted in accordance with a vibration frequency for vibrating the operation panel.

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