Tactile cueing devices, electronic devices, accessories and holding devices

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a tactile prompting device, an electronic device, an accessory, and a holding device that can achieve improved installability. [Solution] A tactile prompting device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a wearing unit, a pump unit, and a control unit. The wearing unit is mounted on a target object and includes a surface material, and at least a portion of the contact portion of the surface material with the target object is deformable. The pump unit includes a flow path, which is connected to the wearing unit and supplies a fluid for deforming the surface material to the wearing unit. The control unit controls the driving of the pump unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to a tactile prompting device using fluid pressure, and to an electronic device, an accessory, and a holding device including the tactile prompting device. Background Art

[0002] For example, a device worn on the human body, such as an earphone, needs to be fixed with a constant pressing force so as to be stably installed. However, too high a pressing force may cause discomfort when worn for a long time, while too low a pressing force may cause unstable wearing. Therefore, components with different sizes such as S (small), M (medium) and L (large) are used in some in-ear headphones, etc. In watch straps, etc., the wearing pressure is adjusted according to each user and by fixing the hole position of the buckle tongue or the length of the strap.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an earphone capable of preventing positional deviation of a driver unit by ensuring a force that presses the driver unit toward a user's ear with a certain pressure.

[0004] Reference List

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-263643 Summary of the invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] In recent years, wearable electronic devices have been expected to improve their wearability (wearability) from the perspectives of stability, comfort, and the like.

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present technology is to provide a tactile prompting device, an electronic device, an accessory, and a holding device capable of achieving improved wearability.

[0010] Technical solutions to the problem

[0011] A tactile prompting device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a wearing unit, a pump unit, and a control unit.

[0012] The wearing unit is worn on a target object and includes a surface material, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material with the target object being deformable.

[0013] The pump unit includes a flow path connected to the wearing unit, and supplies a fluid for deforming a surface material to the wearing unit.

[0014] The control unit controls driving of the pump unit.

[0015] Therefore, improvement in wearability can be achieved.

[0016] The wearing unit may further include a variable volume structure portion capable of deforming the surface material under pressure of the fluid.

[0017] The surface material may have a plurality of regions having different elongation rates when subjected to fluid pressure.

[0018] The structural portion may have an annular pressure variable chamber that may communicate with the flow path.

[0019] The structural portion may have a plurality of variable pressure chambers whose internal pressures can be individually controlled.

[0020] The tactile prompting apparatus may further include an electronic device provided in the wearing unit and capable of presenting a sense other than the tactile sense.

[0021] The tactile prompting device may further include a first detector that detects pressure of the fluid, wherein the control unit may control driving of the pump unit based on an output of the first detector.

[0022] The tactile prompting device may further include a second detector that detects a movement or direction of the wearing unit, wherein the control unit may control the driving of the pump unit based on an output of the second detector.

[0023] The wearing unit may further include a temperature detector which detects the temperature of the surface material or the fluid, and a temperature adjustment unit which adjusts the temperature of the surface material or the fluid.

[0024] The control unit may control driving of the pump unit based on notification information from the external device.

[0025] The fluid may be air.

[0026] The tactile prompt device can be applied to electronic devices such as headphones, in-ear headphones, neck speakers, head-mounted displays, AR glasses, VR glasses, watches and hearing aids.

[0027] The tactile cue device may be applied to accessories such as glasses, gloves, shoes, hats, belts or clothing.

[0028] A holding device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a wearing unit, a pump unit, and a control unit.

[0029] The wearing unit is worn on a target object and includes a surface material, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material with the target object being deformable.

[0030] The pump unit includes a flow path connected to the wearing unit, and supplies a fluid for deforming a surface material to the wearing unit.

[0031] The control unit controls driving of the pump unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] [ Figure 1 ]A schematic structural diagram of a tactile prompting device according to a first embodiment of the present technology.

[0033] [ Figure 2 ]A schematic side cross-sectional view of a tactile prompting device according to a second embodiment of the present technology.

[0034] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 2 A plan view of a tactile prompt device.

[0035] [ Figure 4 ]A schematic structural diagram of an earphone unit according to a comparative example.

[0036] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 4 An illustration of the operation of the headset.

[0037] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 2 An explanatory diagram of the operation of the tactile prompt device.

[0038] [ Figure 7 ] shows Figure 2 A plan view of the main parts of a modified example of the configuration of the tactile prompting device.

[0039] [ Figure 8 ]A schematic side sectional view of a tactile prompting device according to a third embodiment of the present technology.

[0040] [ Fig. 9 ]Diagram describing the bony structure of the temporal region of the human body.

[0041] [ Fig.10 ] Figure 8 An explanatory diagram of the operation of the tactile prompt device.

[0042] [ Fig.11 ]A schematic side sectional view of a tactile prompting device according to a fourth embodiment of the present technology.

[0043] [ Fig.12 ]An illustrative diagram showing the relationship between the change in head position while walking (a) and the position offset of the earphones (b).

[0044] [ Fig.13 ] Experimental results showing the relationship between the upward and downward accelerations applied to the head and the inertial forces applied to the headphones

[0045] [ Fig.14 ] shows Fig.11 A flow chart of an example control of a tactile prompt device.

[0046] [ Fig.15 ] Overall view of a tactile prompting device according to a fifth embodiment of the present technology, wherein (a) shows a perspective view from the front; (b) shows a side view; and (c) shows a perspective view from the back.

[0047] [ Fig.16 ] shows Fig.15 A schematic side cross-sectional view of the internal structure of a tactile prompt device.

[0048] [ Fig.17 ] Figure showing the cross-sectional structure of a typical shoe

[0049] [ Fig.18 ]A schematic side sectional view of the main parts of a tactile prompting device according to a sixth embodiment of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] [Overview of this technology]

[0051] As an embodiment, the tactile prompting device according to the present technology is worn on the human body (head, wrist, etc.), and its wearing unit is constructed to be deformable by the pressure of a fluid (air, liquid). For example, according to the user's body shape, the user's motion state (still, intense exercise), the user's required wearing comfort, etc., the shape, hardness and contact state of the wearing unit are optimized to achieve stable wearability, comfortable wearability or stable additional functions (sound insulation, heat insulation, etc.).

[0052] In a tactile prompting device according to an embodiment of the present technology, a small pump is provided inside an independent mobile electronic device. The part of the pump to be worn on the human body is connected through a flow path. A part or the entire area in contact with the human body is formed of a deformable material. The deformation of the material is controlled by the suction / output operation of the pump, thereby adjusting the contact state with the human body and achieving wearing comfort and stability. In addition, the comfort can be further improved by controlling the temperature.

[0053] Here, the tactile sense refers to a tactile sense presented to the user, and refers to, for example, a wearing feeling, a hand feeling, a vibration, and the like.

[0054] The present technology can be applied to electronic devices that prompt vision, hearing, taste, smell, etc. Examples of electronic devices include headphones, in-ear headphones, neck speakers, head-mounted displays, AR glasses, VR glasses, watches, hearing aids, etc. In addition, the present technology can also be applied to accessories such as belts, dressings, masks, clothes (e.g., jackets, pants, shirts, underwear, socks), etc.

[0055] Embodiments according to the present technology will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0056] [Tactile prompt device]

[0057] <First Embodiment>

[0058] Figure 1 : is a schematic configuration diagram showing a tactile presenting device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present technology.

[0059] The tactile feedback device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a wearing unit 10 , a pump unit 20 , and a control unit 30 .

[0060] The wearing unit 10 is configured to be wearable on a human body. The wearing unit 10 is worn on an object T1 such as a user's head. For example, the wearing unit 10 is provided on a human body wearing unit (auricle wearing unit) in an electronic device such as a headset or an in-ear earphone. The wearing unit 10 includes a surface material 11, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material 11 with the object T1 being deformable.

[0061] The surface material 11 constitutes a part of the outer surface of the wearing unit 10 and generally constitutes a contact surface with the object T1. The surface material 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is a deformable material. Examples of the surface material 11 include various materials such as film materials (such as cloth and leather) and block materials (such as sponge).

[0062] The wearing unit 10 has a structure 12 that can deform the surface material 11 toward the object T1 as shown by the arrow a in the figure by the pressure of the fluid supplied from the pump unit 20. The structure 12 may be, for example, a variable volume space portion or a bag-like object for applying back pressure to the surface material 11 by receiving the fluid supplied from the pump unit 20, or may be a cylindrical unit or the like for applying deformation stress to the surface material 11 by receiving the fluid.

[0063] The pump unit 20 has a flow path 21 connected to the wearing unit 10. The pump unit 20 is configured as a small pump that can supply a fluid for deforming the surface material 11 to the wearing unit 10 or discharge the fluid from the wearing unit 10. The fluid may be a gas or a liquid. In the present embodiment, air (external air) is used as the fluid.

[0064] The pump unit 20 includes, for example, a first port communicating with the outside air, a second port communicating with the structural portion 12 via the flow path 21, a pump chamber transmitting fluid between the first port and the second port, and a valve mechanism switching the fluid transmission direction between the first port and the second port.

[0065] The control unit 30 controls the driving of the pump unit 20. The control unit 30 is generally configured as a microcomputer including a CPU, a memory, and the like. The control unit 30 controls the deformation amount of the surface material 11 of the wearing unit 10 by controlling the suction and output of the fluid in the pump unit 20. Specifically, the driving of the pump unit 20 is controlled so that the pressure applied to the surface material 11 is a predetermined value or a predetermined range. Therefore, the desired pressing force of the surface material 11 on the object T1 can be achieved.

[0066] The pressing force of the surface material 11 on the object T1 can be appropriately set according to the shape and position of the object T1. In addition, the present technology is not limited to the configuration in which the entire surface material 11 is deformed, and only a part of the surface material 11 can be configured to be deformable. In this case, the contact area with the object T1 can be controlled not only by the pressure but also by the deformed portion. In addition, the pressing force does not have to be fixed but can be changed over time.

[0067] The control unit 30 may control the driving of the pump unit 20 so as to be able to present a tactile sensation other than the pressing force to the object T1 (i.e., the user) through the surface material 11. For example, the control unit 30 may control the driving of the pump unit 20 based on notification information from an external device. In this case, for example, a vibration tactile sensation having a predetermined frequency may be presented to the user to notify the user of an incoming call on a smartphone carried by the user.

[0068] The wearing unit 10 may include Figure 1 Various built-in sensors 13 are shown. The sensor 13 may be, for example, a pressure detector 131 that detects the pressure of the fluid supplied from the pump unit 20 to the wearing unit 10. In this case, the control unit 30 may control the driving of the pump unit 20 based on the output of the pressure detector 131, thereby adjusting the pressure of the fluid introduced into the wearing unit 10 to a desired pressure.

[0069] As an alternative or in addition to the pressure detector, the sensor 13 may be a temperature detector 132 that detects the temperature of the fluid in the wearing unit 10. Figure 1As shown, the wearing unit 10 may further include a temperature adjustment section 14 capable of adjusting the temperature of the fluid or the surface material 11. In this case, the control unit 30 may perform control based on the output of the temperature detector 132 to adjust the temperature adjustment section 14 so that the fluid or the surface material 11 has a desired temperature. For example, a heater or a thermoelectric conversion element (such as a Peltier element) may be used as the temperature adjustment section 14.

[0070] The tactile prompting device 100 may further include a power supply unit 40 for supplying power to the pump unit 20 and the control unit 30. The power supply unit 40 is generally a battery. The battery may be a rechargeable secondary battery, or may be a solar cell.

[0071] For example, the tactile prompting device 100 constructed as described above is installed in a driver unit in a headphone or an auricle wearing unit in an in-ear headphone. Therefore, the wearing pressure can be optimized, so that stable wearing property and comfortable wearing property can be ensured. In addition, even if used for a long time, fatigue and pressure can be reduced. In addition, the deterioration of sound insulation and sound quality etc. due to the deviation of the wearing position etc. can be prevented.

[0072] The deformation amount of the surface material 11 of the wearing unit 10 may be a fixed value, or may be variably adjusted according to the user's preference. Therefore, appropriate wearing pressure may be obtained according to the user's posture and movement state.

[0073] Furthermore, the temperature adjustment portion 14 provided in the wearing unit 10 makes it possible to heat the surface material 11, thereby making it possible to use it as a cold-proof device even when used outdoors where the outdoor air temperature is low.

[0074] The tactile prompting device 100 constructed as described above is not limited to headphones, etc., and can be applied to other electronic devices such as neck speakers, head-mounted displays, augmented reality (AR) glasses, virtual reality (VR) glasses, mixed reality (MR) glasses, alternative reality (SR) glasses, watches, and hearing aids.

[0075] Alternatively, the tactile prompting device 100 constructed as described above is not limited to electronic devices, and may be similarly applied to accessories such as glasses, gloves, shoes, hats, belts, clothes, and the like.

[0076] In addition, the tactile prompting device 100 according to the present embodiment can be configured as a holding device capable of holding an object other than a human body by a desired pressing force. For example, the present technology can also be applied as a part of a packaging material or the entire packaging material for packaging an article. In this case, for example, articles such as precision devices and artworks can be appropriately protected from vibration and impact during transportation.

[0077] <Second Embodiment>

[0078] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a tactile prompting device 200 according to a second embodiment of the present technology, Figure 3 It should be noted that components corresponding to those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0079] The tactile prompting device 200 according to the present embodiment constitutes the left and right earphone units in the headset as an electronic device. The left earphone unit and the right earphone unit are respectively arranged at both ends of the headband (not shown), and here, the earphone unit located on one side (e.g., the left side) will be described.

[0080] The tactile prompting device 200 includes the wearing unit 10, a sound generator 201, and a housing 202 that accommodates the sound generator 201 as an electronic device. The sound generator 201 is generally configured as an electromagnetic dynamic speaker having a diaphragm, a voice coil motor, etc. The housing 202 may be configured as a part of the wearing unit 10.

[0081] The wearing unit 10 is supported by the housing 202. The wearing unit 10 has a multilayer structure including an elastic layer 211 and a structural portion 212. The elastic layer 211 is composed of a foamable cushioning material such as sponge, a synthetic rubber such as low resilience polyurethane, or the like, and its surface (wearing surface) is coated with a surface material 11 such as synthetic leather. The elastic layer 211 is formed as Figure 2 Ring shape shown.

[0082] The structural part 212 is disposed between the elastic layer 211 and the housing 202. The structural part 212 is a variable volume bag-shaped object made of an elastic material, and is configured to be able to deform the elastic layer 211 and the surface material 11 by receiving the fluid pressure from the pump unit 20. That is, the structural part 212 forms an annular pressure variable chamber C that can communicate with the flow path of the fluid supplied from the pump unit 20. The outer diameter and inner diameter of the structural part 212 are generally the same as the outer diameter and inner diameter of the elastic layer 211. The respective inner peripheral surfaces of the elastic layer 211 and the structural part 212 form a sound path S1 that guides the sound generated from the sound generator 201 to the user's ear.

[0083] The pump unit 20 and the control unit 30 are provided at predetermined positions within the housing 202. The pump unit 20 delivers the fluid to the pressure variable chamber C or discharges the fluid from the pressure variable chamber C based on a command from the control unit 30.

[0084] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an earphone unit 1 according to a comparative example. Figure 4As shown, the earphone unit 1 according to the comparative example does not include the structure portion 212, and the elastic layer 211 is supported by the housing 202. When the earphone unit 1 having such a configuration is worn on the user's head, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the elastic layer 211 is deformed according to the shape of the user's temporal region T2, and the compression amount in each portion is uneven. As a result, since there are areas with strong and weak pressing forces, it is difficult to wear the earphone unit 1 on the user's head with a constant pressing force over the entire circumference of the elastic layer 211.

[0085] Headphones need to be fixed to the user's head with a constant pressing force to achieve a stable fit. However, if the pressing force is too strong, it will cause discomfort when worn for a long time, and if the pressing force is too weak, the fit will be unstable, resulting in sound leakage and deterioration of sound insulation performance. In addition, in headphones with noise reduction function, the noise reduction performance is reduced due to the deterioration of sound insulation performance.

[0086] In contrast, in the tactile prompting device 200 according to the present embodiment, the structural portion 212 is provided between the elastic layer 211 and the housing 202, and is configured so that the fluid pressure can be introduced from the pump unit 20 into the pressure variable chamber C in the structural portion 212. Since the pressure variable chamber C is formed in a ring shape corresponding to the shape of the elastic layer 211, the structural portion 212 is deformed (expanded or contracted) so that the thickness of the structural portion 212 in the region where the compression amount of the elastic layer 211 is large is smaller than the thickness of the structural portion 212 in the region where the compression amount of the elastic layer 211 is small, such as Figure 6 Therefore, the tactile prompting device 200 can be fixed to the temporal part T2 with a constant pressing force, so that the shape and hardness of the elastic layer 211, the contact state with the temporal part T2, etc. can be optimized, and stable wearability, comfortable wearing feeling, reduced sound leakage, improved noise reduction performance due to enhanced sound insulation, etc. can be achieved.

[0087] The magnitude of the fluid pressure introduced into the variable pressure chamber C is not particularly limited and can be arbitrarily set according to the size of the user's head, the elastic force of the headband or the elastic layer 211, etc. The fluid pressure can be fixed at a preset pressure or can be dynamically changed according to the user's operation. Figure 2 As shown, the pressure sensor 51 (first detector) for detecting the pressure of the variable pressure chamber C can be worn in the wearing unit 10 or the shell 202, and the drive of the pump unit 20 can be controlled by the control unit 30 based on the output of the sensor so that the pressure of the variable pressure chamber C is a predetermined value.

[0088] The pressure variable chamber C constituting the structure portion 212 is not limited to the annular body connected over the entire circumference as described above, and a plurality of (four in this example) pressure variable chambers C1, C2, C3, and C4 may be arranged in an annular shape, such as Figure 7 As shown. In this case, the internal pressure of each variable pressure chamber C1 to C4 is controlled separately by arranging the pump units 20 corresponding to the respective variable pressure chambers C1 to C4. Likewise, through this construction, similar actions and effects to those described above can be obtained. In addition, any variable pressure chamber can be selectively controlled only to expand or contract, so that the pressing force can be optimized so that a stable wearing feeling can be obtained regardless of the user's posture (for example, up or down). It should be noted that the number of divisions of the variable pressure chamber is not limited to four, and can be two, three, or five, or more.

[0089] In the above description, the case where the tactile prompting device 200 is applied to the earphone unit has been described as an example, but it is not limited to this. For example, the tactile prompting device 200 can also be applied to a head-mounted display (HMD). In this case, instead of the sound generator 201, a display panel that displays an image is used as an electronic device. Also in this example, the wearing unit 10 can provide the best fit in front of the user's eyes.

[0090] <Third Embodiment>

[0091] Figure 8 3 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a tactile presenting device 300 according to a third embodiment of the present technology. Note that parts corresponding to those of the second embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0092] The tactile prompting device 300 according to the present embodiment constitutes the left and right earphone units in the headset as an electronic device. The left earphone unit and the right earphone unit are respectively arranged at both ends of the headband (not shown), and here, the earphone unit located on one side (e.g., the left side) will be described.

[0093] The tactile prompting device 300 according to the present embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that the wearing unit 10 has a single-layer structure as a structural part 312. The structural part 312 is a bag-shaped object with a variable volume similar to the structural part 212 of the second embodiment, and forms an annular pressure variable chamber C that can communicate with the flow path of the fluid supplied from the pump unit 20.

[0094] The surface material 11 forms the surface of the structure portion 312 and can be deformed by the pressure in the variable pressure chamber C. In particular, in this embodiment, the surface material 11 has a plurality of regions having different elongation rates when subjected to fluid pressure. Figure 8In the example, the inner peripheral portion 11a of the surface material 11 is made of a material having a higher elongation than the outer peripheral portion 11b. Therefore, when the fluid pressure is introduced into the variable pressure chamber C, the inner peripheral portion 11a of the surface material 11 is deformed more than the outer peripheral portion 11b. Therefore, the tactile prompting device 300 mainly has a force to wrap the ear from the outer periphery to the inner periphery through the inner peripheral portion 11a of the surface material 11, rather than a force to push the temporal part from the side. As a result, the sense of oppression during wearing can be suppressed and a good wearing feeling can be ensured. In addition, the increase in the thickness of the structural portion 312 can be suppressed, and thus the degradation of sound quality due to the change in the distance between the sound generator 201 and the ear canal can be suppressed.

[0095] As a method for making the elongation of the inner peripheral portion 11a of the surface material 11 higher than the elongation of the outer peripheral portion 11b, a technique of forming the inner peripheral portion 11a from a material different from that of the outer peripheral portion 11b is generally used. For example, in the case where the surface material 11 is an elastic film, films having different elastic moduli are joined together. For example, in the case where the surface material 11 is composed of the same material, an inner peripheral portion 11a having a single layer and an outer peripheral portion 11b having a multilayer structure are used. In the case where the surface material is a knitted fabric, an inner peripheral portion 11a woven to be easily elongated and an outer peripheral portion 11b woven to be hardly elongated are used.

[0096] The present technology is not limited to the example in which the surface material 11 is composed of a high elongation material over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral portion 11a, and only a partial area of ​​the inner peripheral portion 11a may be composed of a high elongation material. Fig. 9 As shown in FIG. 1 , below the ear canal P1, there is a concave portion P4 between the mastoid process P2 at the lower part of the temporal bone and the mandibular ramus P3 at the upper part of the mandible. Therefore, when the tactile prompting device 300 is worn, the inner peripheral portion 11a that contacts the concave portion P4 can be made of a material with a higher elongation than other regions. Fig.10 As shown, a pressing force is generated from the back side to the front side of the ear, so a wearing feeling with a small sense of pressure can be provided. In addition, sound leakage near the recess P4 can be effectively suppressed.

[0097] <Fourth Embodiment>

[0098] Fig.11 4 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a tactile presenting device 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present technology. Note that parts corresponding to those of the second embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0099] The tactile prompting device 400 according to the present embodiment constitutes the left and right earphone units in the headset as an electronic device. The left earphone unit and the right earphone unit are respectively arranged at both ends of the headband (not shown), and here, the earphone unit located on one side (e.g., the left side) will be described.

[0100] The tactile prompting device 400 according to the present embodiment further includes an acceleration sensor 52. The acceleration sensor 52 is a detector (second detector) that detects the movement and orientation of the wearing unit 10, and is provided in the wearing unit 10 or the housing 202. The acceleration sensor 52 outputs a detection signal to the control unit 30, and the control unit 30 determines the movement and posture of the user based on the detection signal from the acceleration sensor 52. As an alternative to or in addition to the acceleration sensor 52, another inertial sensor such as an angular velocity sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, etc. may be used. In addition to the acceleration sensor 52, the tactile prompting device 400 may further include a pressure sensor 51 (see Figure 2 ).

[0101] In the tactile prompting device 400, as Figure 7 As shown, the structural part 312 (pressure variable chamber C) may be composed of a plurality of pressure variable chambers C1 to C4. In this case, as described later, any pressure variable chamber may be individually controlled based on the output of the acceleration sensor 52, etc. The number of pressure variable chambers, the arrangement of the respective pressure variable chambers, etc. are not particularly limited and may be arbitrarily set.

[0102] The detection axis of the acceleration sensor 52 is usually set to be parallel to the direction of gravity. Therefore, the change in the direction of gravity acting on the head of the user wearing the tactile prompting device 400 when walking or running is detected. Fig.12 As shown in (a), when the user walks normally, the head generates upward and downward accelerations, and the height position of the head changes. As an example, the upward acceleration is 0.5G, and the downward acceleration is 0.75G to 1G. Since the landing impact during fast walking, running, etc., which is higher than the speed in normal walking, is greater than the landing impact during walking, the downward acceleration is, for example, equal to or greater than 2G. Due to the inertial force caused by this acceleration, the tactile prompt device 400 may be offset from the user's head.

[0103] In view of this, four headphones 1 to 4 having different weights were prepared as headphones including the tactile prompting device 400, and the inertial force of the headphones during walking was evaluated based on the output of the acceleration sensor 52. The results are shown in Fig.13 In this case, Fig.12As shown in (b), the pressing force applied from the tactile prompting device 400 to the user's temple (the clamping force of the left and right tactile prompting devices 400 on the head) is set to 2.5N, and the static friction coefficient (μ) between the tactile prompting device 400 (surface material 11) and the temple (skin or hair) is set to about 0.5 (the holding force is 1.25N, that is, the pressing force is (2.5N)×μ(0.5)). In addition, the weight of the earphone 1 is set to 340g, the weight of the earphone 2 is set to 290g, the weight of the earphone 3 is set to 255g, and the weight of the earphone 4 is set to 187g.

[0104] like Fig.13 As shown, relatively light earphones 3 and 4 do not cause positional displacement during normal walking (0.75G to 1G), while relatively heavy earphones 1 and 2 may cause positional displacement. On the other hand, during fast walking (2G or more), inertial forces equal to or greater than the holding force act on all four types of earphones 1 to 4, so positional displacement is prone to occur. Although positional displacement can be suppressed by increasing the pressing force of the tactile prompt device 400 (clamping force of the earphone), the user feels pain due to the clamping and the wearing comfort is hindered.

[0105] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the configuration is such that the positional deviation of the tactile prompting device 400 caused by the inertial force can be suppressed by controlling the internal pressure of the variable pressure chamber C based on the output of the acceleration sensor 52. Generally, when the detected acceleration exceeds a predetermined acceleration threshold, the driving of the pump unit 20 is controlled to increase the internal pressure of the variable pressure chamber C. When the detected acceleration decreases below the acceleration threshold, the internal pressure of the variable pressure chamber C decreases to the initial setting value. Therefore, by increasing the pressing force (holding force) of the tactile prompting device 400 only when the positional deviation is very likely to occur, the positional deviation of the tactile prompting device 400 can be prevented while ensuring wearing comfort.

[0106] Such control can also be applied to the case where the tilt of the user's head is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle. For example, when the head is tilted significantly in the front-to-back direction, positional displacement may occur due to the inertial force of the tactile prompting device 400 or its own weight. Therefore, based on the output of the acceleration sensor 52, when the tactile prompting device 400 is tilted by a predetermined amount or more relative to the direction of gravity, by performing control to increase the internal pressure of the variable pressure chamber C, the positional displacement of the tactile prompting device 400 caused by the tilt of the head can be prevented.

[0107] In addition, when the variable pressure chamber C is divided into a plurality of variable pressure chambers C1 to C4, any variable pressure chamber can be controlled individually according to the direction of acceleration (see Fig.14In this case, the pressing force (holding force) can be increased only at the required portion, so the wearing comfort can be further improved compared to the case where the pressing force is increased over the entire circumference of the wearing unit 10.

[0108] Fig.14 is a flowchart showing an example of a driving control process of the pump unit 20 executed in the control unit 30 .

[0109] When the earphone is worn on the user's head, the controller 30 drives the pump unit 20 to pressurize the variable pressure chamber C to maintain the desired wearing state (step 101). In this state, as described in the first embodiment above, a constant pressing force is obtained over the entire area of ​​the wearing unit 10 by the action of the structural part 212 (variable pressure chamber C).

[0110] Subsequently, the control unit 30 monitors the state of acceleration acting on the wearing unit 10 based on the output of the acceleration sensor 52 (step 102). Therefore, the movement of the head can be detected. It should be noted that in the case where the pressure sensor 51 is provided, the state of the internal pressure of the variable pressure chamber C can be monitored based on the output of the pressure sensor 51. In this case, the change in acceleration applied to the head due to the change in the internal pressure of the variable pressure chamber C can be understood.

[0111] Then, the control unit 30 determines whether the detected acceleration has exceeded an acceleration threshold value, which is an acceleration value causing a positional shift of the tactile prompting device 400 (step 103). The acceleration threshold value is a value that differs according to the weight of the headset and is predetermined by experiments or the like.

[0112] Then, the control unit 30 determines the position in the tactile prompting device 400 where the pressing force (holding force) needs to be adjusted to prevent the position from shifting (step 104). Fig.13 In the test example, the downward acceleration is greater than the upward acceleration, so the downward acceleration may exceed the acceleration threshold, and the position of the tactile prompting device 400 is shifted downward. In the case where the variable pressure chamber C is divided into a plurality of variable pressure chambers C1 to C4, in order to prevent the downward position shift of the tactile prompting device 400, the driving of the pump unit 20 corresponding to the variable pressure chamber is controlled so that the variable pressure chamber ( Figure 7 The internal pressure of the variable pressure chambers C3 and C4 in the example of FIG. 1 is increased (step 105). Therefore, a pressing force that pushes the tactile prompting device 400 upward is generated, and the downward position deviation of the tactile prompting device 400 is suppressed.

[0113] It should be noted that, at the same time, the driving of the pump unit 20 corresponding to the pressure variable chamber may be controlled so that the pressure variable chamber ( Figure 7 The internal pressure of the variable pressure chambers C1 and C2 in the example of FIG. 4 is reduced (step 105). Therefore, the wearing comfort can be further improved while suppressing the downward position deviation of the tactile prompting device 400.

[0114] The above internal pressure control of the variable pressure chambers C1 to C4 is repeatedly performed until the wearing state of the tactile prompting device 400 reaches the desired wearing state (step 106). The desired wearing state refers to, for example, a state in which the wearing state is restored to the wearing state at the beginning of wearing after the acceleration decreases to be equal to or less than the acceleration threshold.

[0115] <Fifth Embodiment>

[0116] Fig.15 (a) to (c) show overall views of a tactile prompting device 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present technology, and (a) shows a perspective view from the front; (b) shows a side view; and (c) shows a perspective view from the back. Fig.16 1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the tactile presentation device 500. The tactile presentation device 500 according to the present embodiment constitutes an in-ear earphone inserted into the ear canal as an electronic device. Here, the earphone located on one side (eg, the left side) will be described.

[0117] The tactile prompting device 500 has an inserting portion 510 inserted into the ear canal and a wearing unit 520 worn on the anti-helix, and they are made of elastic material that can expand radially under fluid pressure. The surface of the inserting portion 510 and the surface of the wearing unit 520 constitute the surface material that contacts the user's ear.

[0118] It should be noted that Fig.15 In FIG. 1 , the state before expansion (initial time) is shown in the upper part, the state after expansion (wearing time) is shown in the lower part, and the circular or arc-shaped part indicated by the solid line represents the expansion range. Fig.16 In FIG. 5 , the expansion ranges of the insertion portion 510 and the wearing unit 520 are indicated by dotted lines.

[0119] The tactile feedback device 500 further includes a main body 530 supporting the insertion part 510 and the wearing unit 520. The main body 530 accommodates a sound generator 531, a pump unit 532, a flow path switching valve 533, a control unit 534, a first pressure sensor 535, a second pressure sensor 536, an acceleration sensor 537, and the like.

[0120] The sound generator 531 is generally an electromagnetic dynamic speaker, and transmits the generated sound to the ear canal through the sound path 538 formed in the insertion part 510. The pump unit 532 supplies fluid (air) to the annular first pressure variable chamber C5 formed inside the insertion part 510 and outside the sound path 538, and the annular second pressure variable chamber C6 formed inside the wearing unit 520. The switching valve 533 switches the supply destination of the fluid from the pump unit 20 between the first pressure variable chamber C5 and the second pressure variable chamber C6. The control unit 534 is configured as a driving circuit board that controls the driving of the sound generator 531, the pump unit 532, the switching valve 533, etc. The control unit 534 is configured to be able to control the driving of the pump unit 532 and the switching valve 533 based on the outputs of the first pressure sensor 535, the second pressure sensor 536, and the acceleration sensor 537. The first pressure sensor 535 is provided in the flow path connecting the pump unit 532 and the first pressure variable chamber C5, and detects the internal pressure of the first pressure variable chamber C5. The second pressure sensor 536 is provided in the flow path connecting the pump unit 532 and the second variable pressure chamber C6 and detects the internal pressure of the second variable pressure chamber C6. The acceleration sensor 537 detects the direction and magnitude of acceleration acting on the tactile presentation device 500.

[0121] In the tactile prompting device 500 according to the present embodiment constructed as described above, when the insertion portion 510 is inserted into the ear canal, the control unit 534 controls the pump unit 532 and the switching valve 533 to supply fluid to the first variable pressure chamber C5. Therefore, the first variable pressure chamber C5 is pressurized and expanded, and the surface of the insertion portion 510 is in close contact with the inner wall of the ear canal. Based on the output of the first pressure sensor 535, after the internal pressure of the first variable pressure chamber C5 reaches a predetermined pressure, the control unit 534 stops pressurizing the first variable pressure chamber C5 to maintain its internal pressure.

[0122] The control unit 534 has no particular restrictions on the driving timing of the pump unit 532, and it can be the moment when the user performs an input operation, or it can be the moment when the control unit 534 determines based on the output of the first pressure sensor 535 that the internal pressure of the first variable pressure chamber C5 increases when the insertion portion 510 is inserted into the ear canal.

[0123] The control unit 534 controls the pump unit 532 and the switching valve 533 to supply fluid to the second variable pressure chamber C6. As a result, the second variable pressure chamber C6 is pressurized and expanded, and the surface of the wearing unit 520 is in close contact with the anti-helix. Based on the output of the second pressure sensor 536, after the internal pressure of the second variable pressure chamber C6 reaches a predetermined pressure, the control unit 534 stops pressurizing the second variable pressure chamber C6 to maintain its internal pressure. The pressurization of the second variable pressure chamber C6 can be performed either after the pressurization of the first variable pressure chamber C5 or simultaneously with the pressurization of the first variable pressure chamber C5.

[0124] The control unit 534 detects the direction and magnitude of the acceleration acting on the tactile prompting device 500 based on the output of the acceleration sensor 537. The control unit 534 detects the inclination of the user's head or the amplitude of the movement based on the output of the acceleration sensor 537. When the control unit 534 determines that the position shift or fall-off may occur due to the own weight, inertial force, etc. of the tactile prompting device 500, the control unit 534 performs control to pressurize at least one of the first variable pressure chamber C5 or the second variable pressure chamber C6. Therefore, the wearing stability of the tactile prompting device 500 is improved, and position shift or fall-off can be prevented. In addition, since the control of pressurizing the variable pressure chambers C5 and C6 is performed only when an acceleration of a predetermined size or above is detected, the comfort of the wearing feeling can be prevented from being damaged.

[0125] <Sixth Implementation Method>

[0126] Next, the sixth embodiment of the present technology will be described. In the above second to fifth embodiments, examples have been described in which the tactile prompting device is mainly applied to headphones, but the present technology is not limited to this. The present technology can also be applied to accessories such as shoes and clothing. In the following, an application example of the present technology in shoes will be described.

[0127] Fig.17 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a typical shoe 90, which has a sole 91 and an insole 92 provided on the sole 91. In the shoe 90 having such a configuration, depending on the shape of the foot F, the standing manner, and the weight application manner, the load is concentrated on a portion of the insole 92, and pain and discomfort are caused. Fig.18 As shown, the tactile prompting device according to the present technology is applied to an insole in order to suppress pain and discomfort caused by uneven deformation of the insole 92.

[0128] Fig.181 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the tactile prompting device 600 according to the sixth embodiment of the present technology. As shown in the figure, the tactile prompting device 600 according to the present embodiment includes: an insole 60, a structural part 61 having a plurality of variable pressure chambers C, a plurality of pump units 62 provided corresponding to the respective variable pressure chambers, and a control unit 63 capable of independently controlling the plurality of pump units 62.

[0129] The insole 60 is constructed as a wearing unit having a surface material that contacts the rear of the foot F. A plurality of variable pressure chambers C are provided between the insole 60 and the sole 91, and are arranged in a predetermined pattern on almost the entire lower surface of the insole 60. The shape of the variable pressure chambers C and the number of the variable pressure chambers C are not particularly limited, and may be arbitrarily arranged according to the shape, size, etc. of the insole 60. For example, the variable pressure chambers C are arranged in one or more rows from the toe side to the heel side of the insole 60.

[0130] The tactile prompting device 600 has a plurality of pressure sensors 64 for detecting the internal pressure of each variable pressure chamber C. The control unit 63 controls the plurality of pump units 62 respectively based on the outputs of the plurality of pressure sensors. Generally, the control unit 63 controls the shape of each variable pressure chamber C respectively according to the user's body shape (shape of the foot F) or state (rest, intense exercise, etc.), thereby achieving the optimal shape, hardness, and contact state of the insole 60. Therefore, stable wearability, comfortable wearing feeling, pain relief by correction of deviation in standing or weight application, posture correction, etc. can be achieved.

[0131] The control method is not particularly limited, and for example, the internal pressure of each variable pressure chamber C can be controlled according to the size and pressure of each variable pressure chamber C. More specifically, when the size (height) of each variable pressure chamber C is less than a predetermined value, the variable pressure chamber having a relatively high internal pressure is selectively pressurized. In addition, when the size (height) of each variable pressure chamber C is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the variable pressure chamber having a relatively low internal pressure is selectively depressurized. It should be noted that the size (height) of the variable pressure chamber C can be estimated based on the flow rate of the fluid supplied to the variable pressure chamber C, etc.

[0132] It should be noted that the present technology can also adopt the following configurations.

[0133] (1) A tactile prompting device, comprising:

[0134] a wearing unit, the wearing unit being mounted on a target object and comprising a surface material, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material with the target object being deformable;

[0135] a pump unit having a flow path connected to the wearing unit and supplying a fluid for deforming the surface material to the wearing unit; and

[0136] A control unit controls driving of the pump unit.

[0137] (2) The tactile prompting device according to (1), wherein

[0138] The wearing unit further includes a variable volume structure portion, and the variable volume structure portion can deform the surface material under the pressure of the fluid.

[0139] (3) The tactile prompting device according to (2), wherein

[0140] The surface material has a plurality of regions, and the plurality of regions have different elongation rates when subjected to pressure from the fluid.

[0141] (4) The tactile prompting device according to (2) or (3), wherein

[0142] The structural portion has an annular pressure variable chamber capable of communicating with the flow path.

[0143] (5) The tactile prompting device according to (2) or (3), wherein

[0144] The structural portion has a plurality of variable pressure chambers whose internal pressures can be individually controlled.

[0145] (6) The tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising:

[0146] An electronic device is provided in the wearing unit and is capable of presenting a sense other than a tactile sense.

[0147] (7) The tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (6), further comprising:

[0148] a first detector for detecting the pressure of the fluid, wherein

[0149] The control unit controls driving of the pump unit based on the output of the first detector.

[0150] (8) The tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (7), further comprising:

[0151] a second detector for detecting the movement or direction of the wearable unit, wherein

[0152] The control unit controls driving of the pump unit based on the output of the second detector.

[0153] (9) The tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein

[0154] The wearing unit further comprises:

[0155] A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the surface material or the fluid; and

[0156] A temperature regulating unit that regulates the temperature of the surface material or the fluid.

[0157] (10) The tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein

[0158] The control unit controls driving of the pump unit based on notification information from an external device.

[0159] (11) The tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein

[0160] The fluid is air.

[0161] (12) An electronic device comprising the tactile notification device according to any one of (1) to (11).

[0162] (13) The electronic device according to (12), which is a headset, an in-ear headset, a neck speaker, a head-mounted display, AR glasses, VR glasses, a watch or a hearing aid.

[0163] (14) An accessory comprising the tactile prompting device according to any one of (1) to (11).

[0164] (15) The accessory according to (14), which is glasses, gloves, shoes, hats, belts or clothes.

[0165] (16) A holding device comprising:

[0166] a wearing unit, the wearing unit being mounted on a target object and comprising a surface material, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material with the target object being deformable;

[0167] a pump unit having a flow path connected to the wearing unit and supplying a fluid for deforming the surface material to the wearing unit; and

[0168] A control unit controls driving of the pump unit.

[0169] Reference numerals

[0170] 10 Wearing unit

[0171] 11 Surface material

[0172] 13 Sensors

[0173] 14 Temperature control unit

[0174] 20,532 Pump Unit

[0175] 21 flow path

[0176] 30,534 Control Unit

[0177] 51, 535, 536 Pressure sensor

[0178] 52 Acceleration sensor

[0179] 61, 212, 312 Structure

[0180] 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 tactile prompt devices

[0181] 201 Sounder

[0182] 131 Pressure Detector

[0183] 132 Temperature detector

[0184] C, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6 Variable pressure chambers

[0185] T1 Target object

Claims

1. A tactile prompting device, comprising: a wearing unit, the wearing unit being mounted on a target object and comprising a surface material, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material with the target object being deformable; a pump unit having a flow path connected to the wearing unit and supplying a fluid for deforming the surface material to the wearing unit; a first detector for detecting movement and direction of the wearable unit; and a control unit, the control unit controlling the driving of the pump unit, wherein The wearing unit further includes a variable volume structure capable of deforming the surface material under the pressure of the fluid, and the structure includes a plurality of variable pressure chambers capable of controlling internal pressures independently. The first detector detects the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the wearing unit. The control unit controls driving of the pump unit according to the magnitude and direction of the acceleration detected by the first detector, thereby individually controlling the internal pressure of each of the plurality of variable pressure chambers.

2. The tactile prompting device according to claim 1, wherein The surface material has a plurality of regions, and the plurality of regions have different elongation rates when subjected to pressure from the fluid.

3. The tactile prompting device according to claim 1, further comprising: An electronic device is provided in the wearing unit and is capable of presenting a sense other than a tactile sense.

4. The tactile prompting device according to claim 1, further comprising: a second detector for detecting the pressure of the fluid, wherein The control unit controls driving of the pump unit based on the output of the second detector.

5. The tactile prompting device according to claim 1, wherein the wearing unit further comprises: A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the surface material or the fluid; and A temperature regulating unit that regulates the temperature of the surface material or the fluid.

6. The tactile prompting device according to claim 1, wherein The control unit controls driving of the pump unit based on notification information from an external device.

7. The tactile prompting device according to claim 1, wherein The fluid is air.

8. An electronic device comprising the tactile prompting device according to claim 1.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, which is a headset, an in-ear headset, a neck speaker, a head-mounted display, AR glasses, VR glasses, a watch or a hearing aid.

10. An accessory comprising the tactile prompting device according to claim 1.

11. The accessory according to claim 10, which is glasses, gloves, shoes, hats, belts or clothes.

12. A holding device comprising: a wearing unit, the wearing unit being mounted on a target object and comprising a surface material, at least a portion of a contact area of ​​the surface material with the target object being deformable; a pump unit having a flow path connected to the wearing unit and supplying a fluid for deforming the surface material to the wearing unit; a detector for detecting movement or direction of the wearable unit; and a control unit, the control unit controlling the driving of the pump unit, wherein The wearing unit further includes a variable volume structure capable of deforming the surface material under the pressure of the fluid, and the structure includes a plurality of variable pressure chambers capable of controlling internal pressures independently. The detector detects the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the wearing unit, The control unit controls driving of the pump unit according to the magnitude and direction of the acceleration detected by the detector, thereby individually controlling the internal pressure of each of the plurality of variable pressure chambers.

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