Haptic actuator

Abstract

The haptic actuator of various embodiments of the present application is capable of amplifying the vibration caused by the driving of the piezoelectric element through an amplification member and transmitting it to the cover glass covering the display panel. The amplification member includes a head to which the piezoelectric element is attached, a first support member formed to be smaller in width than the head, standing from the center portion of the head, and a second support member from the center portion of which the first support member stands, formed to be larger in width than the first support member, attached to the back surface of the cover glass.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tactile actuator, the tactile actuator being provided with an amplifying member that amplifies vibrations caused by the driving of a piezoelectric element and transmits them to a cover glass covering a display panel. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of computer-based systems, the ease of use of human-machine interfaces (HMIs) has become increasingly important. HMIs need to be intuitive and easy to use for anyone. Touchscreens or touchpads in interface devices are the most intuitive and easy to use.

[0003] A touchscreen consists of a touch-sensitive panel and a display device. Typically, a touchscreen is operated by direct external contact with the screen to control the position and function of the pointers within it.

[0004] On the other hand, the development of haptic feedback generation devices is actively underway to provide haptic feedback to touchscreens. Here, haptic is the tactile sensation that can be felt through the fingertips when touching an object. It includes the concepts of tactile feedback felt when the skin touches the surface of an object and kinesthetic force feedback felt when the movement of joints and muscles is hindered.

[0005] In particular, vibration effects or haptic feedback can help to alert users to specific events or generate a stronger sense of sensory immersion in simulated or virtual environments to provide realistic feedback.

[0006] As a component suitable for tactile technologies that provide tactile feedback to users, there is a piezoelectric element. A piezoelectric element is a component that generates vibration by producing voltage when mechanical deformation is applied from the outside or by expanding or contracting when a voltage is applied.

[0007] However, piezoelectric elements have an upper limit to the vibrations they can produce, depending on their material, shape, or the magnitude of the applied voltage. Therefore, there is a need for means to efficiently generate larger vibrations. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0009] The present invention relates to a tactile actuator, and more specifically, aims to provide a tactile actuator having an amplifying member for amplifying vibrations caused by the driving of a piezoelectric element and transmitting them to a cover glass covering a display panel.

[0010] In addition, the objective is to provide a tactile actuator that can amplify vibrations transmitted vertically to the back of the cover glass while stably arranging the amplification component.

[0011] The problems to be solved by this invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can clearly understand the technical problems not mentioned through the following description.

[0012] Technical solutions to the problem

[0013] A tactile actuator is provided, located on the back side of a cover glass covering a display panel, comprising: a piezoelectric element driven to generate vibration; and an amplifying member attached to the back side of the piezoelectric element, amplifying the vibration caused by the driving of the piezoelectric element and transmitting it to the cover glass; the amplifying member comprising: a head to which the piezoelectric element is attached; a first support member formed with a width smaller than the width of the head and erected from the center of the head; and a second support member, the first support member erected from the center of the second support member and formed with a width larger than the width of the first support member, attached to the back side of the cover glass.

[0014] The width of the first support member can be less than half the wavelength of the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element.

[0015] The width of the piezoelectric element can be the same as the width of the head, and the width of the first support member can be more than 1 / 10 of the width of the piezoelectric element.

[0016] The width of the head can be less than the vertical distance between the edge of the display panel and the edge of the cover glass.

[0017] The width of the second support member can be made smaller than the width of the head.

[0018] The thickness of the head, the first support member, and the second support member can be 0.5 mm or more, and the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element is less than half a wavelength.

[0019] The thickness of the second support member can be made smaller than the thickness of the head or the first support member.

[0020] The magnifying member can be formed by extending along the length direction, and a plurality of magnifying members are separate from the display panel and attached to the back edge of the cover glass.

[0021] The plurality of the piezoelectric elements may be separated from each other and attached to the head.

[0022] The amplification component may contain metallic or plastic materials.

[0023] It also includes an adhesive member for attaching the piezoelectric element to the head and attaching the second support member to the back of the cover glass.

[0024] The display panel may include a flexible display panel, the cover glass may be bent to have a specified radius of curvature, and the second support member may be bent to have the same radius of curvature as the cover glass.

[0025] The display panel may include an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel.

[0026] Invention Effects

[0027] The tactile actuator according to the present invention may be provided with an amplification member for amplifying the vibration caused by the driving of the piezoelectric element and transmitting it to the cover glass covering the display panel.

[0028] In addition, the amplifying component can amplify the vibration transmitted vertically to the back of the cover glass while stably arranging the amplifying component on the cover glass.

[0029] The effects that can be obtained in this invention are not limited to those mentioned above. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains can clearly understand other effects not mentioned through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0030] Figure 1 It is a block diagram used to illustrate the various components of a display device.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing a tactile actuator located on the back of a cover glass in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 AA sectional view.

[0033] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of a tactile actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a tactile actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the effect of a tactile actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regardless of the reference numerals, the same or similar constituent elements are given the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for constituent elements in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably only for ease of writing and do not inherently have a distinguishing meaning or function. Furthermore, when describing embodiments disclosed in this specification, detailed descriptions of related well-known technologies will be omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions might unnecessarily obscure the spirit of the embodiments disclosed in this specification. Additionally, the accompanying drawings are only for ease of understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification; the technical concepts disclosed in this specification are not limited by the drawings and should be interpreted to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0037] Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as "first" and "second," can be used to describe various constituent elements, but these constituent elements should not be limited to these terms. The terms can only be used to distinguish one constituent element from another.

[0038] When referring to any constituent element as being "connected" or "linked" to another constituent element, it should be understood that it can be directly connected or linked to another constituent element, or that another constituent element may be present in between. Conversely, it should be understood that if a constituent element is described as being "directly connected" or "directly linked" to another constituent element, then there are no other constituent elements present in between.

[0039] Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions.

[0040] It should be understood that in this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are used only to describe the presence of features, figures, steps, actions, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof as described in the specification, and are not intended to preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features or figures, steps, actions, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof.

[0041] On the other hand, the display device described in this specification is, for example, an intelligent display device that adds computer support to its broadcast reception function. Because it faithfully retains the broadcast reception function while also adding internet functionality, it can be equipped with a more convenient interface than handwriting input devices, touchscreens, or spatial remote controls. Furthermore, by supporting wired or wireless internet functionality, it can connect to the internet and computers to perform functions such as email, web browsing, online banking, or gaming. For these various functions, a standardized general-purpose operating system (OS) can be used.

[0042] Therefore, the display device described in this invention can freely add or remove various applications on a general-purpose OS kernel, thus enabling it to perform a variety of user-friendly functions. More specifically, the display device can be, for example, a network television (TV), a hybrid broadcast broadband television (HBBTV), a smart television (TV), etc., and may also be applicable to smartphones, depending on the circumstances.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the various components of the display device 100. The display device 100 may include a broadcast receiver 110, an external device interface 171, a network interface 172, a storage unit 140, a user input interface 173, an input unit 130, a control unit 180, a display module 150, an audio output unit 160, and / or a power supply unit 190.

[0044] The broadcast receiver 110 may include a tuning unit 111 and a demodulation unit 112.

[0045] On the other hand, unlike the accompanying drawings, the display device 100 may also include only the external device interface 171 and the network interface 172, which are part of the broadcast receiver 110, the external device interface 171, and the network interface 172. That is, the display device 100 may also exclude the broadcast receiver 110.

[0046] The tuning unit 111 is capable of selecting a broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by the user or all stored channels from broadcast signals received via an antenna (not shown) or a cable (not shown). The tuning unit 111 is capable of converting the selected broadcast signal into an intermediate frequency signal or a baseband image or sound signal.

[0047] For example, if the selected broadcast signal is a digital broadcast signal, the tuning unit 111 converts it into a digital IF signal (DIF); if it is an analog broadcast signal, the tuning unit 111 converts it into an analog baseband image or sound signal (CVBS / SIF, composite video broadcast signal / acoustic intermediate frequency signal). That is, the tuning unit 111 can process both digital and analog broadcast signals. The analog baseband image or sound signal (CVBS / SIF) output from the tuning unit 111 can be directly input to the control unit 180.

[0048] On the other hand, the tuning unit 111 can sequentially select broadcast signals from all broadcast channels stored through the channel memory function from the received broadcast signals and convert them into intermediate frequency signals or baseband image or sound signals.

[0049] On the other hand, in order to receive broadcast signals from multiple channels, the tuning unit 111 may be equipped with multiple tuners, or it may be equipped with a single tuner that can simultaneously receive broadcast signals from multiple channels.

[0050] The demodulation unit 112 can receive the digital IF signal (DIF) converted by the tuning unit 111 to perform demodulation. After performing demodulation and channel decoding, the demodulation unit 112 can output a streaming signal (TS). At this time, the streaming signal can be a signal that multiplexes image signals, audio signals, or data signals.

[0051] The streaming signal output from the demodulation unit 112 can be input to the control unit 180. After performing demultiplexing, image / sound signal processing, etc., the control unit 180 can output an image through the display module 150 and output sound through the audio output unit 160.

[0052] The sensing unit 120 refers to a device that detects changes within or outside the display device 100. For example, it may include at least one of a proximity sensor, an illumination sensor, a touch sensor, an infrared sensor (IR sensor), an ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor (e.g., a camera), a sound sensor (e.g., a microphone), a battery gauge, and an environmental sensor (e.g., a hygrometer, a thermometer, etc.).

[0053] The control unit 180 can control the display device 100 to check its status based on the information collected by the sensing unit 120, and inform the user or adjust itself to maintain the best status when a problem occurs.

[0054] Furthermore, the content, image quality, and size of the image provided to the display module 150 can be controlled differently based on factors such as the illuminance of the viewer or surroundings detected by the sensing unit 120, in order to provide an optimal viewing environment. As smart TVs advance, the functions integrated into the display device 100 increase, and the number of sensing units 120 also increases accordingly.

[0055] The input unit 130 may be provided on one side of the main body of the display device 100. For example, the input unit 130 may include a touchpad, physical buttons, etc. The input unit 130 can receive various user commands related to the operation of the display device 100 and can transmit control signals corresponding to the input commands to the control unit 180.

[0056] Recently, as the bezel size of display devices 100 has decreased, there is an increasing number of display devices 100 that minimize the amount of physical buttons exposed to the outside. Instead, a minimum number of physical buttons can be provided on the back or side, and user input can be received via a touchpad or a user input interface 173 described later via a remote control device 200.

[0057] The storage unit 140 may also store programs for signal processing and control within the control unit 180, and may also store processed image, sound, or data signals. For example, the storage unit 140 may store application programs designed to perform various operations that can be processed by the control unit 180, and may selectively provide a portion of the stored application programs when requested by the control unit 180.

[0058] The programs stored in the storage unit 140 are not particularly limited as long as they can be executed by the control unit 180. The storage unit 140 can also perform the function of temporarily storing image, sound, or data signals received from external devices through the external device interface unit 171. The storage unit 140 can store information related to a specified broadcast channel through channel memory functions such as channel mapping.

[0059] Figure 1 Although an embodiment has been shown in which the storage unit 140 and the control unit 180 are arranged separately, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the storage unit 140 may also be included within the control unit 180.

[0060] The storage unit 140 may include at least one of volatile memory (such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), etc.) and non-volatile memory (such as flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), and solid-state drive (SSD), etc.).

[0061] The display module 150 can convert the image signals, data signals, OSD signals, and control signals processed by the control unit 180, or the image signals, data signals, and control signals received from the interface unit 171, into drive signals.

[0062] The display module 150 can be a flexible display or a 3D display. The 3D display module 150 can be divided into glasses-free and glasses-based types.

[0063] The display device 100 may include: a display module 150 occupying most of the front area; and a housing covering the back and sides of the display module 150 to enclose the display module 150.

[0064] Previously, LCDs, which were mainly used, relied on backlight units to receive light because LCDs are not self-emissive. A backlight unit is a device that uniformly supplies light from a light source to the liquid crystal arranged on the front. As backlight units have become thinner, it has become possible to achieve thin LCDs. However, it is difficult to implement backlight units using flexible materials, and when the backlight unit is bent, it is difficult to supply uniform light to the liquid crystal, resulting in brightness variations in the image.

[0065] In contrast, in the case of LED (Light Emitting Diode) or OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes), since the elements constituting the pixels each emit their own light, a backlight unit is not required, thus enabling bending. Furthermore, because each element emits its own light, changes in their positional relationship with adjacent elements do not affect their brightness, thus enabling a flexible display module 150.

[0066] OLED officially debuted in mid-2010 and is rapidly replacing LCD in the small and medium-sized display market. OLED displays are made using the self-emissive phenomenon of fluorescent organic compounds emitting light when an electric current flows through them. Because the image quality response speed is faster than LCD, there is almost no ghosting when displaying dynamic images.

[0067] Since OLEDs are light-emitting display products that use three phosphor organic compounds with self-emissive functions—red, green, and blue—and utilize the phenomenon of electrons injected from the cathode and positively charged particles injected from the anode combining within the organic material to emit light, they do not require backlights that would reduce color performance.

[0068] The display module 150 may include a magnet, a first power supply unit, and a first signal module.

[0069] In the display module 150, the side on which the image will be displayed can be referred to as the front or front side. When displaying an image, the side on which the image cannot be viewed can be referred to as the back or back side. On the other hand, the display module 150 is composed of a touch screen and can be used as an input device in addition to being an output device.

[0070] The audio output unit 160 receives the signal processed by the control unit 180 and outputs it as sound.

[0071] The interface unit 170 serves as a pathway between the display device 100 and various external devices connected to it. The interface unit may include not only wired methods for transmitting and receiving data via cables, but also wireless methods utilizing antennas.

[0072] The interface section 170 may include at least one of the following: a wired / wireless headphone port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device equipped with an identification module, an audio input / output (I / O) port, a video input / output (I / O) port, and a headphone port.

[0073] As an example of a wireless method, it may include the aforementioned broadcast receiver 110, which may include mobile communication signals, short-range communication signals, wireless network signals, etc., in addition to broadcast signals.

[0074] The external device interface section 171 can send or receive data with connected external devices. For this purpose, the external device interface section 171 may include an audio / video (A / V) input / output section (not shown).

[0075] The external device interface unit 171 can connect to external devices such as Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), Bluetooth (Bluray), game console, camera, camcorder, computer (laptop), set-top box, etc. via wired / wireless means, and can also perform input / output operations with external devices.

[0076] In addition, the external device interface unit 171 can receive control signals related to the operation of the display device 100 from the remote control device 200 by establishing a communication network with various remote control devices 200, or can transmit data related to the operation of the display device 100 to the remote control device 200.

[0077] The external device interface unit 171 may include a wireless communication unit (not shown) for short-range wireless communication with other electronic devices. Through this wireless communication unit (not shown), the external device interface unit 171 can exchange data with a neighboring mobile terminal. In particular, the external device interface unit 171 can receive device information, running application information, application images, etc., from the mobile terminal in mirror mode.

[0078] The network interface unit 172 provides an interface for connecting the display device 100 to a wired / wireless network, including the Internet. For example, the network interface unit 172 can receive content or data provided by the Internet or a content provider or network operator. Alternatively, the network interface unit 172 may include a communication module (not shown) for connecting to a wired / wireless network.

[0079] External device interface section 171 and / or network interface section 172 may include communication modules for short-range communication such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, and Near Field Communication (NFC), and communication modules for cellular communication such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advance (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and Wireless Broadband (WiBro).

[0080] The user input interface 173 can transmit user input signals to the control unit 180, or transmit signals from the control unit 180 to the user. For example, it can receive / transmit user input signals such as power on / off, channel selection, and screen settings from the remote control device 200, or transmit user input signals input from local keys (not shown) such as power button, channel button, volume button, and setting button to the control unit 180, or transmit user input signals input from a sensor unit (not shown) that senses the user's gestures to the control unit 180, or send signals from the control unit 180 to the sensor unit.

[0081] The control unit 180 may include at least one processor capable of controlling the entire operation of the display device 100. Here, the processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be a dedicated device such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a processor based on other hardware.

[0082] The control unit 180 can demultiplex or process the stream input through the tuning unit 111, demodulation unit 112, external device interface unit 171 or network interface unit 172 to generate and output a signal for image or sound output.

[0083] The image signal processed by the control unit 180 can be input to the display module 150 and displayed as an image corresponding to the image signal. Additionally, the image signal processed by the control unit 180 can also be input to an external output device via the external device interface unit 171.

[0084] The audio signal processed by the control unit 180 can be output through the audio output unit 160. Additionally, the audio signal processed by the control unit 180 can be input to an external output device through the external device interface unit 171. Although not in... Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the control unit 180 may include a demultiplexing unit, an image processing unit, etc.

[0085] In addition, the control unit 180 can control the entire operation within the display device 100. For example, the control unit 180 can control the tuning unit 111 to select a broadcast corresponding to a channel selected by the user or a stored channel.

[0086] Furthermore, the control unit 180 can control the display device 100 using user commands or internal programs input through the user input interface unit 173. On the other hand, the control unit 180 can control the display module 150 to display images. At this time, the image displayed on the display module 150 can be a static image or a dynamic image, and can be a 2D image or a 3D image.

[0087] On the other hand, the control unit 180 can display a specified 2D object within the image displayed on the display module 150. For example, the object can be at least one of the following: a linked web page (newspaper, magazine, etc.), an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), various menus, widgets, icons, still images, moving images, and text.

[0088] On the other hand, the control unit 180 can use amplitude shift keying (ASK) to modulate and / or demodulate the signal. Here, amplitude shift keying (ASK) can refer to a method of setting the amplitude of the carrier wave differently according to the data value to modulate the signal or to restore the analog signal to digital data value according to the amplitude of the carrier wave.

[0089] For example, the control unit 180 can use amplitude shift keying (ASK) to modulate the image signal and transmit it through the wireless communication module.

[0090] For example, the control unit 180 can demodulate and process the image signal received through the wireless communication module using amplitude shift keying (ASK).

[0091] Thus, the display device 100 can easily send and receive signals with other adjacent image display devices even without using unique identifiers such as Media Access Control (MAC) Address or complex communication protocols such as Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP).

[0092] On the other hand, the display device 100 may also include a camera unit (not shown). The camera unit can capture images of the user. Although the camera unit can be implemented by a single camera, it is not limited to this and can also be implemented by multiple cameras. On the other hand, the camera unit can be embedded in the upper part of the display module 150 of the display device 100 or set separately. The image information captured by the camera unit can be input to the control unit 180.

[0093] The control unit 180 can identify the user's position based on the image captured by the camera unit. For example, the control unit 180 can determine the distance (z-axis coordinate) between the user and the display device 100. In addition, the control unit 180 can determine the x-axis and y-axis coordinates within the display module 150 corresponding to the user's position.

[0094] The control unit 180 can detect the user's gestures based on images captured by the camera unit or signals detected by the sensor unit, or a combination thereof.

[0095] The power supply unit 190 can provide power to the entire display device 100. In particular, it can supply power to the control unit 180, the display module 150 for image display, and the audio output unit 160 for audio output, which are implemented in the form of a system on chip (SOC).

[0096] Specifically, the power supply unit 190 may include: a converter (not shown) that converts AC power to DC power, and a DC / DC (Dc / Dc) converter (not shown) that converts the level of the DC power.

[0097] On the other hand, the power supply unit 190 serves to receive power from an external source and distribute the power to the various components. The power supply unit 190 can be configured to supply AC power by directly connecting to an external power source. The power supply unit 190 may include a battery that is charged for use.

[0098] In the former case, it is used by connecting a wired cable, making it difficult to move or limiting its range of movement. In the latter case, although it allows for free movement, it adds weight equivalent to the size of a battery and becomes larger. In order to charge, it needs to be directly connected to a power cable or combined with a charging unit (not shown) that supplies power at a constant time.

[0099] The charging unit can be connected to the display device via exposed terminals, or it can be wirelessly charged by being near the built-in battery.

[0100] The remote control device 200 can transmit user input to the user input interface 173. For this purpose, the remote control device 200 can use Bluetooth, radio frequency (RF) communication, infrared (IR) communication, ultra-wideband (UWB) communication, ZigBee, etc. Furthermore, the remote control device 200 can receive image, sound, or data signals output from the user input interface 173 and display them on the remote control device 200 or output them as sound.

[0101] On the other hand, the aforementioned display device 100 may be a fixed or mobile digital broadcast receiver capable of receiving digital broadcasts.

[0102] on the other hand, Figure 1 The block diagram of the display device 100 shown is only a block diagram for one embodiment of the present invention. The constituent elements of the block diagram can be combined, added or omitted according to the specifications of the actual display device 100.

[0103] That is, two or more constituent elements can be integrated into one constituent element, or one constituent element can be split into two or more constituent elements, as needed. Furthermore, the functions performed in each box are used to illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and their specific operations or apparatus do not limit the scope of the invention.

[0104] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing a tactile actuator 200 located on the back of a cover glass 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 yes Figure 2 AA sectional view. Figure 4 This is an exploded view of a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a perspective view of a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the effect of a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0105] Hereinafter, when describing a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the left-right direction is based on the x-axis direction, the up-down direction is based on the y-axis direction, and the direction towards the front and back is based on the z-axis direction.

[0106] A tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be located on the back of the cover glass 220 covering the display panel 210, and may include a piezoelectric element 230 and an amplifying member 240.

[0107] The piezoelectric element 230 can generate vibration by being driven, and it can be attached to the back of the amplifying member 240. Furthermore, the amplifying member 240 can amplify the vibration caused by the driving of the piezoelectric element 230 and transmit it to the cover glass 220. Here, the display panel 210 may include an LCD panel.

[0108] Since liquid crystal displays (LCDs) cannot emit light themselves, they rely on backlight units to receive light. A backlight unit is a device that uniformly supplies light from a light source to the liquid crystals located on the front. Furthermore, as backlight units become thinner, thinner LCD panels are possible.

[0109] In the case of an LCD panel, in order to achieve haptic feedback, such as Figure 2 As shown, the piezoelectric element 230 can be positioned on the bezel portion, i.e., the back edge of the cover glass 220. This is because there is an air layer between the layers where the LCD panels are stacked, so positioning the piezoelectric element 230 on the back of the LCD panel may result in a decrease in vibration transmission efficiency.

[0110] Therefore, as Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, in a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an amplifying member 240 extends along the length direction (x-axis direction), and a plurality of amplifying members are separated from the back side of the display panel 210 and attached to the back edge of the cover glass 220.

[0111] In addition, as mentioned above, depending on the material, shape, or magnitude of the applied voltage, there is an upper limit to the vibration that the piezoelectric element 230 can generate. Therefore, it is necessary to amplify the vibration transmitted to the display panel 210 to improve the tactile effect.

[0112] Refer to together Figure 3 and Figure 4 In a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the amplification member 240 may include a head 241, a first support member 242, and a second support member 243. The head 241 may be attached to a piezoelectric element 230. Furthermore, the width w2 of the first support member 242 is smaller than the width w1 of the head 241, allowing it to stand upright from the center of the head 241. Additionally, the second support member 243 has the first support member 242 standing upright at its center, and its width w3 is larger than the width w2 of the first support member 242, allowing it to be attached to the back of the cover glass 220.

[0113] Therefore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the amplification member 240 can amplify the vibration transmitted to the display panel 210 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) by means of the first support member 242 standing upright from the center of the head 241 to which the piezoelectric element 230 is attached. As a result, the tactile effect can be improved by transmitting vibrations to the display panel 210 in both the horizontal direction (x-axis or y-axis direction) and the vertical direction (z-axis direction).

[0114] However, the width w2 of the first support member 242, described later, must be smaller than the width w1 of the head 241 in order to amplify the vibration. Therefore, the first support member 242, which amplifies the vibration, may not be suitable for attachment to the back of the display panel 210.

[0115] Therefore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the amplifying member 240 may include a second support member 243, which is formed to have a width w2 larger than that of the first support member 242 and is attached to the back of the cover glass 220. That is, the amplifying member 240 can amplify the vibration generated in the piezoelectric element 230 by the first support member 242 to improve the tactile effect, and at the same time, the second support member 243 can improve the adhesion of the amplifying member 240 to the cover glass 220.

[0116] Furthermore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the width w2 of the first support member 242 can be less than half the wavelength of the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element 230. As described above, the smaller the width w2 of the first support member 242 that stands upright from the center of the head 241, the more advantageous it is to amplify the vibration transmitted to the cover glass 220 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction).

[0117] Therefore, in one embodiment of the tactile actuator 200 of the present invention, the width w2 of the first support member 242 can be formed to be less than half the wavelength of the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element 230. For example, in order to generate a resonant frequency of about 60 kHz by driving the piezoelectric element 230, the width w2 of the first support member 242 can be formed to be the length of half the wavelength, about 6 mm.

[0118] Furthermore, in a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the width w4 of the piezoelectric element 230 can be the same as the width w1 of the head 241. In this case, the width w2 of the first support member 242 can be more than 1 / 10 of the width w4 of the piezoelectric element 230. Here, the width w1 of the head 241 can be less than or equal to the vertical distance between the edge of the display panel 210 and the edge of the cover glass 220, that is, it can be the same as the width of the head 241. Figure 2 The width of the border section in the description is below.

[0119] This is because a larger width w4 of the piezoelectric element 230 is more conducive to transmitting vibration. However, as described above, since the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention is located in the frame portion, the width w1 of the head 241 can be formed to be less than or equal to the width of the frame portion. Alternatively, the width w4 of the piezoelectric element 230 can be the same as the width w1 of the head 241.

[0120] Furthermore, the smaller the width w2 of the first support member 242, the more advantageous it is for amplifying and transmitting vibrations. However, since it is not conducive to attaching to the back of the cover glass 220, it is necessary to ensure the structural stability of the amplification member 240. Therefore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the width w2 of the first support member 242 can be set to more than 1 / 10 of the width w4 of the piezoelectric element 230.

[0121] Furthermore, in a tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the width w3 of the second support member 243 can be formed to be smaller than the width w1 of the head 241, that is, the width w3 of the second support member 243 can be formed to be larger than the width w2 of the first support member 242 and smaller than the width w1 of the head 241.

[0122] This is to ensure the adhesion of the amplifying component 240 to the cover glass 220 while efficiently transmitting the amplified vibration to the cover glass 220 through the amplifying component 240.

[0123] Here, Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the effect of the amplification member 240 in the tactile actuator 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is also experimental data illustrating the effects of different widths w2 of the first support member 242 and the presence or absence of the second support member 243.

[0124] Reference Example 1 shows a case where the width w2 of the first support member 242 is 4 mm, and the first support member 242 is attached to the back of the cover glass 220. Reference Example 2 shows a case where the width w2 of the first support member 242 is 2 mm, and the first support member 242 is attached to the back of the cover glass 220. Furthermore, the present invention is an embodiment in which the width w2 of the first support member 242 is 2 mm, and the second support member 243 is 4 mm, and the second support member 243 is attached to the back of the cover glass 220.

[0125] By comparing the data of Reference Example 1 with the data of Reference Example 2, it can be confirmed that the smaller the width w2 of the first support member 242 is formed, the greater the amplitude of the vibration transmitted to the cover glass 220.

[0126] That is, as described above, it can be confirmed that the vibration transmitted to the cover glass 220 in the vertical direction (z-axis direction) is amplified by the first support 242 standing upright on the cover glass 220, thereby improving the tactile effect.

[0127] Furthermore, by comparing the data of Reference Example 2 with the data of the present invention, it can be confirmed that when the cover glass 220 is attached to the back side by forming a second support 243, the amplitude of the vibration transmitted to the cover glass 220 increases.

[0128] That is, it can be confirmed that by increasing the adhesion of the second support member 243 to the cover glass 220, the vibration amplified by the first support member 242 can be efficiently transmitted to the cover glass 220. Therefore, it can be confirmed that the tactile effect can be improved.

[0129] Moreover, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness t1 of the head 241, the thickness t2 of the first support member 242, and the thickness t3 of the second support member 243 are all greater than 0.5 mm, and are all below half the wavelength of the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element 230.

[0130] This is to design the minimum thickness to ensure the structural stability of the amplification component 240. In addition, if the amplification component 240 is too thick, the vibration caused by the drive of the piezoelectric element 230 will be lost during the transmission to the cover glass 220. Therefore, it is necessary to design a maximum thickness that can transmit the amplified vibration to the cover glass 220.

[0131] Furthermore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness t3 of the second support member 243 can be formed to be smaller than the thickness t1 of the head 241 or the thickness t2 of the first support member 242. In addition, by making the thickness t3 of the second support member 243 smaller, the thickness t2 of the first support member 242 can be made relatively larger, thereby enabling the vibration transmitted to the cover glass 220 to be further amplified.

[0132] Refer again Figure 2 and Figure 5 In a tactile actuator 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention, an amplifying member 240 extends along the length direction (x-axis direction), and a plurality of amplifying members are separated from the back surface of the display panel 210 and attached to the back edge of the cover glass 220. Here, a plurality of piezoelectric elements 230 can be separated from each other and attached to the head 241. In addition, the amplifying member 240 can improve the tactile effect by amplifying the vibrations caused by driving the plurality of piezoelectric elements 230 and transmitting them to the cover glass 220.

[0133] Furthermore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the amplifying member 240 may contain a metallic or plastic material. This is because the stiffness or elastic coefficient of the amplifying member 240 is related to the amplification of vibration.

[0134] That is, the greater the stiffness or elasticity coefficient of the amplifying member 240, the more beneficial it is to amplify vibrations. Therefore, as an embodiment of the present invention, the metal material may include aluminum, which has high rigidity. Moreover, since the tactile actuator 200 of an embodiment of the present invention can amplify the vibrations generated by the piezoelectric element 230 through the amplifying member 240, it may contain other materials with rigidity or elasticity in addition to metal or plastic materials.

[0135] In addition, the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention may also include an adhesive member 250 for attaching the piezoelectric element 230 to the head 241 of the amplifying member 240 and attaching the second support member 243 to the back of the cover glass 220.

[0136] Here, as an embodiment of the present invention, in order to amplify vibration, the stiffness of the adhesive member 250 can be above 3 GPa. Additionally, as an embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive member 250 can be coated with a thickness t of 100 micrometers or more and 250 micrometers or less between the piezoelectric element 230 and the head 241, and between the second support member 243 and the back surface of the cover glass 220.

[0137] In addition, the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention can be designed with the width w3 or the thickness t3 of the second support member 243 by means of the stiffness and other specifications of the adhesive member 250, thereby improving the adhesion to the cover glass 220 and efficiently transmitting the amplified vibration to the cover glass 220.

[0138] Furthermore, in the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention, the display panel 210 may include a flexible display panel 210. Additionally, the cover glass 220 may be bent to have a predetermined radius of curvature. That is, the cover glass 220 may be formed into a shape corresponding to the flexible display panel 210 to cover the flexible display panel 210.

[0139] In this case, the second support 243 of the amplifying member 240 can be bent to have the same radius of curvature as the cover glass 220. That is, the tactile actuator 200 of one embodiment of the present invention can amplify the vibration caused by the driving of the piezoelectric element 230 to improve the tactile effect by forming the cover glass 220 and the second support 243 in accordance with various shapes of the display panel 210.

[0140] In summary, the tactile actuator of the present invention may include an amplifying member for amplifying and transmitting vibrations caused by the driving of a piezoelectric element to a cover glass covering a display panel. Furthermore, the amplifying member can be stably positioned on the cover glass while simultaneously amplifying vibrations transmitted vertically to the back of the cover glass.

[0141] The detailed description above should not be construed as restrictive in all respects, but rather as exemplary. The scope of the invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the invention fall within its scope.

Claims

1. A tactile actuator located on the back of a cover glass covering a display panel, wherein, include: Piezoelectric elements are driven to generate vibration; as well as The amplifying component has the piezoelectric element attached to its back side, amplifying the vibration caused by the driving of the piezoelectric element and transmitting it to the cover glass; The amplification component includes: The head to which the piezoelectric element is attached; A first support member, having a width smaller than the width of the head, stands upright from the center of the head; and The second support member, which is formed with a width greater than that of the first support member, stands upright from the center of the second support member and is attached to the back of the cover glass.

2. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the first support member is less than half the wavelength of the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element.

3. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the piezoelectric element is the same as the width of the head. The width of the first support member is more than 1 / 10 of the width of the piezoelectric element.

4. The tactile actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that, The width of the head is less than or equal to the vertical distance between the edge of the display panel and the edge of the cover glass.

5. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the second support member is smaller than the width of the head.

6. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the head, the first support member, and the second support member is 0.5 mm or more, and the vibration generated by the piezoelectric element is less than half a wavelength.

7. The tactile actuator according to claim 6, characterized in that, The thickness of the second support member is made smaller than the thickness of the head or the first support member.

8. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The magnifying member extends along the length direction, and a plurality of the magnifying members are separate from the display panel and attached to the back edge of the cover glass.

9. The tactile actuator according to claim 8, characterized in that, The plurality of the piezoelectric elements are separated from each other and attached to the head.

10. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The magnifying component contains metallic or plastic materials.

11. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an adhesive member for attaching the piezoelectric element to the head and attaching the second support member to the back of the cover glass.

12. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display panel includes a flexible display panel. The cover glass is bent to have a specified radius of curvature. The second support member is bent to have the same radius of curvature as the cover glass.

13. The tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display panel includes a liquid crystal display panel.

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