TOUCH PANEL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20110181530A1
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Tae-Sang, LIM, Seong-Taek
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

A touch panel and an electronic device having the same are provided. The touch panel includes a first substrate; a second substrate that is spaced apart from the first substrate by a gap, the second substrate including a touch surface; an array of driving electrode pairs that is arranged on the first substrate and the second substrate, and induces an electrical field locally between the first substrate and the second substrate when a driving voltage is applied thereto; and electro-rheological fluid that is filled in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, a viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid changing depending on the electrical field induced by the driving electrode pairs. An operating force or a return force is adjusted by controlling an application or release of the driving voltage.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate that is spaced apart from the first substrate by a gap, the second substrate comprising a touch surface;

an array of driving electrode pairs that is arranged on the first substrate and the second substrate, and induces an electrical field locally between the first substrate and the second substrate when a driving voltage is applied thereto; and

electro-rheological fluid that is filled in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, a viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid changing depending on the electrical field induced by the driving electrode pairs,

wherein at least one of an operating force and a return force is adjusted by controlling an application or release of the driving voltage.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein at least one of a number of the driving electrode pairs among the array of the driving electrode pairs, and a location of the driving electrode pairs among the array of the driving electrode pairs, are adjustable.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, and a location of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, is adjustable.

4. The touch panel of claim 2, further comprising a controller,

wherein the controller determines whether an input occurs by measuring a change in a thickness of the gap between the first and second substrates due to a pressing force against the touch surface and compares the measured thickness to a threshold thickness, and the threshold thickness is adjustable.

5. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, and a location of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, is adjustable.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the operating force or the restoring force is adjustable.

17. An electronic device including the touch panel of claim 1 as an input device.

20. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is induced locally between individual ones of the driving electrode pairs when the driving voltage is applied individually to the driving electrode pairs.

7. A touch panel comprising:

a touch panel body comprising a first substrate and a second substrate, electro-rheological fluid that fills in a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, and an array of driving electrode pairs that is arranged on the first substrate and the second substrate to induce an electrical field locally in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate when a driving voltage is applied; and

a controller which adjusts at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied among the array of the driving electrode pairs, and a location of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied among the array of the driving electrode pairs, in order to vary an operating force of the touch panel body.

8. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the array of the driving electrode pairs includes one or more driving electrode pair groups each comprising a plurality of driving electrode pairs which defines an input button area, and

the controller adjusts a number of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied among the driving electrode pairs belonging to each driving electrode pair group, or a location of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied among the driving electrode pairs belonging to each driving electrode pair group, or both.

9. The touch panel of claim 7, further comprising a sensing unit that determines whether an input to a touch surface of the first substrate occurs by measuring a change in a gap thickness between the first substrate and the second substrate.

10. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the sensing unit determines whether the input occurs by comparing the measured change in gap thickness against a threshold gap thickness, and the threshold gap thickness is adjustable.

11. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the controller adjusts at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed, among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, and a location of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed, among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, in order to vary a return force of the touch panel body.

12. The touch panel of claim 11, further comprising a sensing unit that determines whether an input to a touch surface of the first substrate occurs by measuring a change in the gap thickness between the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein the sensing unit determines whether the input occurs by comparing the measured change in gap thickness to a threshold gap thickness, and the threshold gap thickness is adjustable.

18. An electronic device including the touch panel of claim 7 as an input device.

13. A touch panel comprising:

a touch panel body comprising a first substrate and a second substrate, electro-rheological fluid that fills a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, and an array of driving electrode pairs that is arranged on the first substrate and the second substrate to induce an electrical field locally in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate when a driving voltage is applied; and

a sensing unit that determines whether an input to a touch surface of the first substrate occurs by measuring a change in a gap thickness between the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein the change in the gap thickness that is used to determine when an input has occurred, is adjustable.

14. A touch panel of claim 13, further comprising a first controller that adjusts at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied among the array of the driving electrode pairs, and a location of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied among the array of the driving electrode pairs, in order to vary an operating force of the touch panel body.

15. The touch panel of claim 13, wherein the array of the driving electrode pairs includes one or more driving electrode pair groups each comprising a plurality of driving electrode pairs and defining an input button area, and

the first controller adjusts at least one of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied, among the driving electrode pairs belonging to each driving electrode pair group.

16. The touch panel of claim 13, further comprising a second controller that adjusts at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed, among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, and a location of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is removed, among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage has been applied, in order to vary a return force of the touch panel body.

19. An electronic device including the touch panel of claim 13 as an input device.