Tactile display device and touch panel apparatus with tactile display function

• US 20050285846A1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Funaki, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/004 Details of particular tactile cells, e.g. electro-mechanical or mechanical layout

Abstract

Conductivity of a photoconductive layer 420 changes in accordance with a display pattern made of black and white, which is displayed on a display device 200 of a touch panel apparatus with tactile display function 10. With this change of the conductivity, viscosity of an electrorheological fluid layer 430 changes in accordance with this display pattern. This change of the viscosity is presented to an operator, as tactile information corresponding to the display pattern displayed as the visual information.

Claims

1. A tactile display device disposed on a display screen for outputting display light corresponding to a display pattern, said tactile display device comprising:

a pair of electrodes having a light transmissive property and disposed opposite to the display screen;

a characteristic change layer disposed between said pair of electrodes, said characteristic change layer having a light transmissive property, wherein at least one of conductivity and magnetic permeability of said characteristic change layer changes at each part on the display screen in response to intensity of the display light; and

an electrorheological fluid layer disposed between said pair of electrodes and opposite to said characteristic change layer, said electrorheological fluid layer having a light transmissive property, wherein viscosity of said electrorheological fluid layer changes at each part on the display screen in response to applied voltage applied through said characteristic change layer by said pair of electrodes.

2. The tactile display device according to claim 1, wherein

said characteristic change layer is a photoconductive layer, the conductivity of which changes at each part on the display screen in response to the intensity of the display light.

3. The tactile display device according to claim 1, further comprising

an elastic layer beneath said electrorheological fluid layer above the display screen, said elastic layer having elastic modulus less than that of said electrorheological fluid layer.

4. The tactile display device according to claim 2, further comprising

an elastic layer beneath said electrorheological fluid layer above the display screen, said elastic layer having elastic modulus less than that of said electrorheological fluid layer.

5. The tactile display device according to claim 1, further comprising

a flexible substrate having a light transmissive property, wherein

said pair of electrodes, said characteristic change layer and said electrorheological fluid layer are disposed above said flexible substrate.

6. The tactile display device according to claim 3, further comprising

a flexible substrate having a light transmissive property, wherein

said pair of electrodes, said characteristic change layer and said electrorheological fluid layer are disposed above said flexible substrate.

7. A touch panel apparatus with tactile display function, said touch panel apparatus comprising:

an optically transparent touch panel disposed opposite to a display screen for outputting display light and for allowing an input operation of depressing a part of said optically transparent touch panel corresponding to a part of the display screen in which visual information was displayed, the visual information displayed as the display pattern on the display screen and the visual information being for prompting the input operation; and

said tactile display device according to claim 1 disposed opposite to said optically transparent touch panel at a side different from another side where said optically transparent touch panel is directed toward the display screen.

8. The touch panel apparatus with tactile display function according to claim 7, further comprising

a change addition device for further changing the viscosity of at least a part of said electrorheological fluid layer, if said at least a part of said electrorheological fluid layer is depressed.

9. The touch panel apparatus with tactile display function according to claim 7, further comprising

a display device having the display screen and for displaying the visual information on the display screen.

10. The touch panel apparatus with tactile display function according to claim 8, further comprising

a display device having the display screen and for displaying the visual information on the display screen.

12. The touch panel apparatus with tactile display function according to claim 8, further comprising

a display device having the display screen and for displaying the visual information on the display screen, wherein

said change addition device further changes the viscosity for a change of the visual information by said display device.

11. A touch panel apparatus with tactile display function comprising:

a tactile display device disposed on a display screen for outputting display light corresponding to a display pattern, said device comprising;

(1) a pair of electrodes having a light transmissive property and disposed opposite to the display screen;

(2) a characteristic change layer disposed between said pair of electrodes, said characteristic change layer having a light transmissive property, wherein at least one of conductivity and magnetic permeability of said characteristic change layer changes at each part on the display screen in response to intensity of the display light; and

(3) an electrorheological fluid layer disposed between said pair of electrodes and opposite to said characteristic change layer, said electrorheological fluid layer having a light transmissive property, wherein viscosity of said electrorheological fluid layer changes at each part on the display screen in response to applied voltage applied through said characteristic change layer by said pair of electrodes;

an optically transparent touch panel disposed between said tactile display device and the display screen and opposite to the display screen, said optically transparent touch panel allowing an input operation of depressing a part corresponding to a part of the display screen in which visual information was displayed, the visual information displayed as the display pattern on the display screen and the visual information being for prompting the input operation; and

a change addition device for further changing the viscosity of at least a part of said electrorheological fluid layer, if said at least a part of said electrorheological fluid layer is depressed.

13. The touch panel apparatus with tactile display function according to claim 11, further comprising

a display device having the display screen and for displaying the visual information on the display screen, wherein

said change addition device further changes the viscosity for a change of the visual information by said display device.