KR101911634B1 - Tactile display for providing tactile sensation using ultrasonic wave and control method of tactile sensation for tactile display - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a tactile display device in which an ultrasonic cell to emit an ultrasonic wave is arranged in an array shape and a tactile sensation control method thereof. The disclosed tactile display device includes: a substrate; an ultrasonic cell array formed on the substrate and emitting the ultrasonic wave; a medium layer in which the ultrasonic wave propagates in a direction from a bottom side to a top side; and a control unit for controlling the ultrasonic wave emission of the ultrasonic cell array. Accordingly, the present invention can more finely provide tactile information.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a tactile display device and a tactile display device using ultrasonic waves,

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a tactile display device using ultrasonic waves and a tactile control method of a tactile display, and relates to a tactile display device in which ultrasonic cells emitting ultrasonic waves are arranged in an array form and a tactile control method of such a tactile display device.

Ultrasonic waves are sounds that have frequencies higher than those of human audible sounds, that is, audible frequencies (20 to 20,000 Hz).

Since ultrasound can transmit a signal that can not be heard by the human ear, it is used for the purpose of focusing the remote control or the camera. Ultrasonic wave is also used to grasp the shape through ultrasound reflected from the object because it has a short wavelength. In particular, ultrasonic waves are used to detect objects and terrains in the water using the fact that sound waves propagate well in the water, and they are also used to diagnose the body.

Recently, various devices for providing stimulation to users by using ultrasonic waves have been researched and developed. A touch display device for providing tactile sensation with ultrasonic waves, a brain stimulation device using ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic physical therapy device.

Generally, in the case of ultrasonic tactile display using ultrasound, high intensity input energy and a large number of ultrasonic transducers are required to induce high physical energy due to properties such as attenuation and offset of ultrasonic waves. Therefore, in the present tactile display using ultrasonic waves, dozens of ultrasonic transducers are arranged and the respective phases are adjusted to form one focus. This superimposes the physical energies from each transducer.

In such a conventional ultrasonic tactile display, dozens of ultrasonic transducers are disposed in order to form one focus for inducing physical stimulation, and high input energy is required. Therefore, it is possible to form a tactile stimulus only at a distance from the ultrasound tactile display, because it has a limitation in forming multiple focal points at the same time and requires a certain distance to form a single focus. In order to form a single focus through several transducers, the respective transducers must be simultaneously controlled to match the phases. To do so, a complicated internal control circuit is required, which limits the miniaturization.

Related prior arts include Korea Patent No. 10-1516923 and No. 10-0798480.

The present invention provides a tactile display device in which ultrasonic cells emitting ultrasonic waves are arranged in an array form, and a tactile control method for such a tactile display device.

The present invention also provides a tactile display device capable of providing a tactile effect effectively while downsizing an ultrasonic cell, and a tactile control method of such a tactile display device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma display panel comprising: a substrate; An ultrasonic wave cell array formed on the substrate and emitting ultrasonic waves; A medium layer in which the ultrasonic waves propagate in a direction from the bottom surface to the top surface; And a controller for controlling the ultrasonic emission of the ultrasonic wave cell array.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma display panel comprising: a substrate; An ultrasonic wave cell array formed on the substrate and emitting ultrasonic waves; An ultrasonic focusing unit positioned on the ultrasonic wave cell array and concentrating the ultrasonic wave; A medium layer through which the ultrasonic waves pass through the ultrasonic focusing unit; And a controller for controlling the ultrasonic emission of the ultrasonic wave cell array.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tactile control method of a tactile display device including an ultrasonic cell array, the method comprising: receiving coordinate information and tactile information of an image; Determining an ultrasonic cell to emit the ultrasonic wave according to the coordinate information; And controlling the ultrasonic wave emission time or radiation power of the determined ultrasonic cell according to the tactile information.

According to the present invention, the ultrasonic wave emitting the ultrasonic wave and the medium layer converting the ultrasonic energy into the kinetic energy can be used to provide tactile feedback to the user. By arranging the ultrasonic cells in an array form, can do.

Further, according to the present invention, by using the ultrasonic focusing unit, it is possible to efficiently provide tactile information while realizing miniaturization of the ultrasonic cell.

1 is a view showing a tactile display device using ultrasonic waves according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining an example of using a tactile display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between an input image and an ultrasonic cell.
4 and 5 are views for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a view for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view for explaining a tactile control method of a tactile display device including an ultrasonic cell array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a tactile display device using ultrasonic waves according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining an example of using a tactile display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, And shows a cross section of the display device. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between an input image and an ultrasonic cell.

1 and 2, the tactile display device according to the present invention includes a substrate 110, an ultrasonic cell array 120, a medium layer 130, and a control unit (not shown).

On the substrate 110, an ultrasound cell array 120 in which a plurality of ultrasound cells are arrayed is formed.

The ultrasound cell array 120 includes an ultrasound cell A and a plurality of ultrasound cells. Each of the ultrasound cells emits ultrasound using an ultrasound transducer. The ultrasound cell may emit ultrasound waves in the form of spherical waves or plane waves.

In FIG. 1, an ultrasonic wave cell array of 8 horizontal and 8 vertical ultrasonic wave cells is shown as an example, but the number of ultrasonic cells may be changed according to the size of the tactile display device. In FIG. 1, an ultrasonic cell array 120 is shown in which ultrasonic cells are in contact with each other. However, the ultrasonic wave cells may be spaced apart from each other by predetermined intervals as shown in FIG.

Ultrasonic waves radiated from the ultrasonic wave cells propagate in the medium layer 130 and the ultrasonic waves propagate from the lower surface 131 to the upper surface 132 of the medium layer 130. The substrate 110 may be wider than the entire area of the ultrasonic cell array 120 and the medium layer 130 surrounds the ultrasonic cell array protruding from the substrate 110 . Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 1, the medium layer 130 may be formed on the ultrasonic cell array.

When a user touches the upper surface 132 of the medium layer 130 with a finger or the like when ultrasonic waves are radiated from the ultrasonic cell, the user can feel the touch. As ultrasonic energy is converted into kinetic energy, the user can feel the touch.

Some of the ultrasonic waves propagating inside the medium layer 130 are reflected by the upper surface of the medium layer and some are transmitted to the skin of the user contacting the medium layer. The ultrasonic energy is converted into kinetic energy by the difference of the impedance between the air layer and the medium layer between the contact skin of the user and the medium layer, I can feel it.

2, the first to fourth ultrasound cells 210 to 240 emit ultrasound waves, and the ultrasound waves generated by the user are transmitted through the medium layer 130 of the ultrasound cell images 210 to 240, The user can feel the touch by the ultrasonic waves when the finger 250 is in contact with the upper surface 132 of the user. Similar to the case where the color information of an image is provided on a pixel basis, the points 251 to 254 where the user feels tactile feeling in the medium layer 130 correspond to the pixels to which the tactile information is transmitted. From the viewpoint of providing the tactile information, the resolution of the tactile display device may vary depending on the size and arrangement number of the ultrasonic cells.

The medium layer 130 may be an elastic body that can be vibrated by ultrasonic energy. In one embodiment, the medium layer 130 may be made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) having a thickness of about 2 mm. In addition to PDMS, silicon, acrylic, plastic, etc. may be used as the medium layer 130.

The control unit controls ultrasonic emission of the ultrasonic wave cell array and can be formed on the substrate. More specifically, in the ultrasound cell array, the controller selects an ultrasound cell to emit an ultrasound wave, and adjusts the emission power and the focal distance of the ultrasound beam emitted from the ultrasound cell.

The tactile display device according to the present invention can convert image-type information into a tactile-type image, and in this case, an ultrasonic cell that emits ultrasonic waves corresponds to a pixel that transmits tactile information. The radiation power of the ultrasonic wave can represent the material of the image, and the focal distance of the ultrasonic wave can express the depth of the image.

As an example, referring to FIG. 3, of the two rectangles shown in the image 310 of FIG. 3, the left square 311 is an image of a rough material. The right quadrangle 312 is an image of a smooth material, and is positioned behind relative to the left shooting mold 311. For this image 310, the controller selects twelve ultrasound cells hatched in the ultrasound cell array 120 as the first ultrasound radiation cell to transmit tactile information to the left square 311. In order to transmit tactile information to the right quadrangle 312, the controller selects eight ultrasonic cells indicated by black dots as the second ultrasonic radiation cells. In addition, since the left quadrant 311 and the right quadrant 312 are different in material and depth from each other, the controller controls the ultrasonic radiation power and the ultrasonic focal distance of the first and second ultrasonic radiation cells to be different from each other.

If there is a portion having different material or depth in the left square 311 or the right square 312, the control unit may control the radiation power of each of the ultrasonic wave cells included in the first ultrasonic wave emitting cell or the second ultrasonic wave emitting cell, The tactile information for one image object can be finely provided to the user.

A specific control method of the control unit will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

As a result, according to the present invention, the ultrasonic wave emitting the ultrasonic wave and the medium layer converting the ultrasonic energy into the kinetic energy can be used to provide tactile feedback to the user. By arranging the ultrasonic cells in an array form, .

The tactile display device according to the present invention can be used as a tactile feedback device for providing tactile feedback for a game, a movie or a disabled person, and can be combined with an image display device to simultaneously provide tactile information and image information.

4 and 5 are views for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 and 5, the tactile display apparatus according to the present invention further includes an ultrasound focusing unit 410 and 510 positioned on the ultrasound cell array and concentrating ultrasound waves. It is preferable that the above-described ultrasonic cells are provided in a miniaturized form in order to provide more precise tactile information. In this case, there is a limit in improving the output of ultrasonic waves.

Therefore, the present invention uses an ultrasonic focusing unit to provide the same effect as the case where the output of the ultrasonic wave is increased without increasing the output of the ultrasonic wave. Since the ultrasonic focusing unit can concentrate the ultrasonic wave energy without being scattered, the ultrasonic wave output can effectively provide tactile sensation.

In one embodiment, the refractive index of the ultrasonic focusing unit 410 is different from the refractive index of the medium layer. As is well known, the traveling direction of a sound wave which is a wave can be changed by the difference in refractive index, and therefore, the ultrasonic wave that has passed through the ultrasonic focusing section reaches the medium layer having a refractive index different from that of the ultrasonic focusing section, , And ultrasound can be concentrated in one place.

In another embodiment, the ultrasonic focusing unit may have a configuration in which ultrasonic waves can be concentrated separately from the refractive index. In one embodiment, the ultrasound focusing unit may be a convex acoustic lens 510 as shown in FIG. At this time, the acoustic lens 510 may be different from or the same as the refractive index of the medium layer.

Although not shown in the drawing, ultrasonic waves may be focused using a shape of one surface of the ultrasonic wave emitting the ultrasonic waves. In the case where the one surface of the ultrasonic wave emitting the ultrasonic wave is concave in the direction of the interior of the ultrasonic cell, the ultrasonic wave can be focused similarly to the principle of the reflection of the light reflected in the concave mirror into one place.

Therefore, according to the present invention, by using the ultrasonic focusing unit, tactile information can be efficiently provided while realizing miniaturization of the ultrasonic cell.

6 is a view for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the ultrasound focusing unit 600 includes a first focusing unit 610 and a second focusing unit 620, which are located between the ultrasonic wave cell array and the medium layer.

The first focusing unit 610 is located on the ultrasonic cell and the second focusing unit 620 is surrounding the first focusing unit 610. The first focusing unit 610 and the second focusing unit 620 may be made of a medium having different speeds of the proceeding sound waves. As an example, each of the first focusing unit 610 and the second focusing unit 620 may be made of PDMS and silicon, or may be made of PDMS and air. Accordingly, the ultrasonic waves radiated from the ultrasonic cell can be transmitted only through the first focusing unit 610.

The first focusing unit 610 may be configured such that the width of the first focusing unit 610 decreases toward the medium layer 130. Accordingly, the ultrasonic waves propagating through the first focusing unit 610 are incident on the first focusing unit 610 610, the acoustic pressure can be increased and converged as it approaches the medium layer.

7 is a view for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The tactile display device according to the present invention can emit ultrasonic waves in units of predetermined ultrasonic cell groups. That is, as described in FIG. 1, the controller may control the ultrasonic waves to be radiated in units of ultrasonic cells or may control the ultrasonic waves to be emitted in units of preset ultrasonic cell groups as shown in FIG. When an ultrasound wave is emitted in units of ultrasound cells, one ultrasound cell forms a pixel for providing tactile sensation, as described in FIG. 1, and when an ultrasound wave is emitted in units of ultramodern cell groups, Thereby forming one pixel that provides tactile sensation.

7 shows an example in which three groups of ultrasonic wave cells 710, 720 and 730 are set and an ultrasonic wave cell group is composed of four ultrasonic cells, the number of ultrasonic wave cell groups and the number of ultrasonic wave cells constituting the ultrasonic wave cell group are Depending on the embodiment.

The control unit can adjust the direction of the ultrasonic beam and the ultrasonic focal distance by adjusting the ultrasonic wave emission time of the ultrasonic cell constituting the ultrasonic wave cell group. 7, the focal length of the ultrasonic wave 711 formed by the first ultrasonic wave cell group 710 is longer than the focal distance of the ultrasonic waves 712 and 713 formed by the second and third ultrasonic wave cell groups 720 and 730. The longer the difference in the emission time of the ultrasound cells, the longer the focal length can be.

The directions of the ultrasound beams formed by the first to third ultrasound cell groups 710, 720, and 730 are different from each other. The ultrasound beam formed by the second ultrasound cell group 720 is biased to the right with respect to the ultrasound beam 711 formed by the first ultrasound cell group 710, Is formed to be biased to the left. The second ultrasound cell group 720 sequentially emits ultrasound waves from the leftmost ultrasound cell and the third ultrasound cell group 730 sequentially emits ultrasound waves from the rightmost ultrasound cell.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a tactile display device according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which the embodiment described in FIGS. 6 and 7 is combined.

8, the first focusing unit 810 is located on each ultrasonic wave cell group 830, and the second focusing unit 820 surrounds the first focusing unit 810. 8, the second focusing unit 820 is represented on the upper side of the arbitrary straight line 840 in order to expose the shape of the first focusing unit 810, and the second focusing unit 820 ) Are removed.

A medium layer is formed on the ultrasonic focusing part including the first and second focusing parts 810 and 820.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a tactile control method of a tactile display device including an ultrasonic cell array according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the tactile control method according to the present invention can be performed in a controller of a tactile display device.

The tactile display device according to the present invention receives coordinate information and tactile information of an image (S910), i.e. receives input. The tactile information may include at least one of material information and depth information for the image. The coordinate information may be information corresponding to the position of the ultrasonic cell.

The tactile display device determines an ultrasonic wave cell to emit ultrasonic waves in accordance with the coordinate information (S920), and adjusts the ultrasonic wave emission time or radiation power of the ultrasonic wave cell in which the ultrasonic wave radiation has been determined (S930) according to the tactile information. The ultrasonic waves travel inside the medium layer formed on the ultrasonic cell array, and the user can feel the touch.

Referring to FIG. 3, the tactile display device can select the shaded ultrasound cells and the dotted ultrasound cells through the coordinate information on the rectangular images 311 and 312. The ultrasonic cell for expressing the tactile sensation of the left rectangular image 311, which is a rough material, can emit ultrasonic waves with stronger power than the ultrasonic cell for expressing the touch of the right rectangular image 312, which is a smooth material. The focal distance formed by the ultrasonic cell for expressing the tactile sensation of the right rectangular image 312 having a relatively large depth value may be longer than the focal distance formed by the ultrasonic cell for expressing the tactile sensation of the left rectangular image 311 .

Referring back to FIG. 9, in step S930, the tactile display device can adjust the ultrasound emission time or radiation power in units of predetermined ultrasound cell groups or ultrasound cell units.

The above-described technical features may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, such as specific elements, and specific embodiments and drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above- And various modifications and changes may be made thereto by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described, and all of the equivalents or equivalents of the claims, as well as the following claims, belong to the scope of the present invention .

Claims (15)

Board;
An ultrasonic wave cell array formed on the substrate and emitting ultrasonic waves;
A medium layer in which the ultrasonic waves propagate in a direction from the bottom surface to the top surface; And
And a control unit for controlling ultrasonic emission of the ultrasonic wave cell array,
Wherein one surface of the ultrasonic wave cell on which the ultrasonic wave is radiated
Concave
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
The ultrasonic wave is radiated in units of predetermined ultrasonic cell groups or ultrasonic waves are radiated in units of ultrasonic cells
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
The method according to claim 1,
The control unit
And controlling the ultrasonic radiation power or the ultrasonic emission time of the ultrasonic cell array
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
delete Board;
An ultrasonic wave cell array formed on the substrate and emitting ultrasonic waves;
An ultrasonic focusing unit positioned on the ultrasonic wave cell array and concentrating the ultrasonic wave;
A medium layer through which the ultrasonic waves pass through the ultrasonic focusing unit; And
A controller for controlling the ultrasonic emission of the ultrasonic wave cell array;
And a display unit for displaying the tactile display.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the ultrasonic focusing unit positioned between the ultrasonic wave cell array and the medium layer comprises:
A plurality of first focusing units positioned on the ultrasonic cells; And
And a second focusing unit that surrounds the first focusing unit and is made of a medium having a velocity different from that of the first focusing unit,
And a display unit for displaying the tactile display.
The method according to claim 6,
The first focusing unit
And the width is decreased as the layer is closer to the medium layer
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
The method according to claim 6,
Each of the first focusing portions
And a plurality of ultrasound cell groups
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
6. The method of claim 5,
The refractive index of the ultrasonic focusing unit is
The refractive index of the medium layer
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
6. The method of claim 5,
The ultrasound focusing unit
A convex acoustic lens
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
6. The method of claim 5,
The medium layer
And a plurality of electrodes
A tactile display device using ultrasonic waves.
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