Touch Panel Vibration Control Using Position-Dependent Suppression Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch panels, such as those used in ATMs and smartphones, provide limited tactile feedback, making it difficult for users to confirm if their touch has been detected correctly, and existing vibration methods result in uncomfortable feelings due to uneven vibration amplitudes across the panel.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a touch panel, vibrator, and signal generator that produces a drive signal and a suppression signal to control vibration, where the suppression signal's effectiveness changes based on the touch position to reduce inertial vibration and provide consistent tactile feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch panel is vibrated to present tactile feeling, then tactile feedback is improved, but vibration amplitude becomes uneven across the panel causing uncomfortable feeling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adjusting the drive voltage according to the touch position. Different regions of the touch panel (center vs. end portions) are supplied with different voltages to compensate for the natural vibration characteristics, ensuring uniform tactile feedback across the entire panel surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the drive voltage parameter based on the detected touch position. The control unit dynamically adjusts the voltage supplied to the piezoelectric element, increasing voltage for end portions and decreasing voltage for the center portion to achieve uniform vibration amplitude across different touch locations.
2Ease of operation
If drive voltage is increased to enhance vibration amplitude, then tactile feeling is improved, but inertial vibration increases causing uncomfortable feeling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by generating a suppression signal that counteracts the inertial vibration before it becomes problematic. The suppression signal is generated based on the drive signal and is designed to cancel out the unwanted inertial vibrations while preserving the useful tactile feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a suppression signal as an intermediary element between the drive signal and the panel vibration. This suppression signal acts as a mediator that reduces the harmful inertial vibration components while allowing the beneficial tactile feedback to remain.
3Ease of operation
If vibration amplitude is made uniform across the panel, then tactile consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by integrating the vibration control functionality into the existing touch panel control unit. The same control unit that manages touch detection also handles vibration control, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies self-service by using the touch panel's own control unit to generate and manage the vibration signals. The control unit automatically adjusts drive voltages and generates suppression signals based on touch position detection, making the system self-regulating without external intervention.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces uncomfortable tactile feelings by attenuating inertial vibrations, ensuring consistent feedback across the panel, thereby enhancing user experience by minimizing the impact of inertial vibrations on subsequent operations.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric element, and expands and contracts by application of voltage, thereby, to generate flexural vibration
Implementation Method 2
inertial vibration occurs, whereby the uncomfortable tactile feeling is reduced
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a panel which a user touches, a detector that detects the touch of the user on the panel, a vibrator that vibrates the panel, and a signal generator. The signal generator generates a signal for driving the vibrator, the signal including a drive signal that generates vibration of the panel and a suppression signal that suppresses inertial vibration of the panel. The suppression signal has a degree of suppression the inertial vibration that changes depending on a touch position detected by the detector.