Digitizing tablet

• US 7,119,798 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.), SMK Corporation
• Original Assignee: SMK Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Osamu, Ishibashi, Hirotoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US10/414,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20030231170A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11, 178 1901- 1906
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0441 using active external devices, e.g. active pens, for receiving changes in electrical potential transmitted by the digitiser, e.g. tablet driving signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A digitizing tablet that can control the vibration of an operation panel or a support substrate is disclosed. A piezoelectric substrate having a pair of drive electrodes fixed to the front and rear surfaces of the piezoelectric substrate is fixed directly or via one of the drive electrodes to the operation panel or the support substrate. A drive voltage is applied to the pair of drive electrodes after an input as been detected, and the drive voltage causes the expandable piezoelectric substrate to vibrate the operation panel or the support substrate. An additional vibration source is not required. Therefore, the vibration energy is not dissipated and there is no time delay in transmission since the operation panel or the support substrate are vibrated directly by the piezoelectric substrate. The expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric substrate can be controlled so that the vibration can be controlled precisely.

Claims

1. A digitizing tablet comprising:

an operation panel having an input surface and a rear surface,

a support substrate under said rear surface of said operation panel,

an input position detector between said operation panel and said support substrate, said input position detector adapted to detect an input received via said input surface and an input position of said input and to output data regarding said input position, the input position detector comprising;

a plurality of first electrodes arranged in parallel in a first direction;

a plurality of second electrodes arranged in parallel in a second direction

an expandable piezoelectric substrate;

a pair of drive electrodes fixed to front and rear surfaces of the expandable piezoelectric substrate, the expandable piezoelectric substrate being located between first and second planes respectively defined by a front surface of the plurality of first electrodes and a rear surface of the plurality of the second electrodes and being fixed, directly or via one of said pair of drive electrodes, to said operation panel or said support substrate, and

whereby, when an input is detected by the input position detector, the detection of the input is transmitted via vibration by a drive voltage that is applied to said pair of drive electrodes to cause said piezoelectric substrate to vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate thereby generating a feeling of said input.

2. The digitizing tablet according to claim 1, wherein said drive voltage is an output voltage appearing across a coil and is caused by an input low-voltage trigger pulse.

3. The digitizing tablet according to claim 2, wherein said drive voltage is applied at an audible band frequency to said pair of drive electrodes to expand and contract said piezoelectric substrate and thus vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate at said audible band frequency, thereby producing a sound indicative of the detection of said input.

4. The digitizing tablet according to claim 1, wherein said drive voltage is applied at an audible band frequency to said pair of drive electrodes to expand and contract said piezoelectric substrate and thus vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate at said audible band frequency, thereby producing a sound indicative of the detection of said input.

5. The digitizing tablet of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodes is disposed between the rear surface of said operational panel and an insulating sheet.

6. The digitizing tablet of claim 5, wherein the plurality of second electrodes is disposed between a front surface of said support substrate and the insulating sheet.

7. The digitizing tablet of claim 1, wherein the input is detected by the piezoelectric substrate.

8. A digitizing tablet comprising,

an operation panel having an input surface and a rear surface,

a support substrate under said rear surface of said operation panel,

an input position detector adapted to detect an input received via said input surface and an input position of said input and to output data regarding said input position;

an expandable piezoelectric substrate;

a pair of drive electrodes fixed to front and rear surfaces of the expandable piezoelectric substrate said piezoelectric substrate, being fixed to a rear surface of said support substrate, directly or via one of said pair of drive electrodes, such that the rear surface of the expandable piezoelectric substrate is unattached, and

whereby, when an input is detected by the input position detector, the detection of the input is transmitted via vibration by a drive voltage that is applied to said pair of drive electrodes to cause said piezoelectric substrate to vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate thereby generating a feeling of said input.

9. The digitizing tablet according to claim 8, wherein said drive voltage is an output voltage appearing across a coil and is caused by an input low-voltage trigger pulse.

10. The digitizing tablet according to claim 9, wherein said drive voltage is applied at an audible band frequency to said pair of drive electrodes to expand and contract said piezoelectric substrate and thus vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate at said audible band frequency, thereby producing a sound indicative of the detection of said input.

11. The digitizing tablet according to claim 8, wherein said drive voltage is applied at an audible band frequency to said pair of drive electrodes to expand and contract said piezoelectric substrate and thus vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate at said audible band frequency, thereby producing a sound indicative of the detection of said input.

12. The digitizing tablet of claim 8, wherein the plurality of first electrodes is disposed between the rear surface of said operational panel and an insulating sheet.

13. The digitizing tablet of claim 12, wherein the plurality of second electrodes is disposed between a front surface of said support substrate and the insulating sheet.

14. The digitizing tablet of claim 8, wherein the input is detected by the piezoelectric substrate.

15. A digitizing tablet comprising:

an operation panel having an input surface and a rear surface,

a support substrate under said rear surface of said operation panel,

an input position detector between said operation panel and said support substrate, said input position detector adapted to detect an input received via said input surface and an input position of said input and to output data regarding said input position, the input position detector comprising;

a plurality of first electrodes arranged in parallel in a first direction;

a plurality of second electrodes arranged in parallel in a second direction,

an expandable piezoelectric substrate having a front surface and rear surface, the expandable piezoelectric substrate being fixed to one of the group consisting of (1) the rear surface of the operation panel such that the front surface of the piezoelectric substrate is coplanar with a front surface of the plurality of first electrodes, and (2) the front surface of the support substrate such that the rear surface of the piezoelectric substrate is coplanar with a rear surface of the plurality of second electrodes;

a pair of drive electrodes fixed to the front and rear surfaces of the expandable piezoelectric substrate;

whereby, when an input is detected by the input position detector, the detection of the input is transmitted via vibration by a drive voltage that is applied to said pair of drive electrodes to cause said piezoelectric substrate to vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate thereby generating a feeling of said input.

16. The digitizing tablet according to claim 15, wherein said drive voltage is an output voltage appearing across a coil and is caused by an input low-voltage trigger pulse.

17. The digitizing tablet according to claim 16, wherein said drive voltage is applied at an audible band frequency to said pair of drive electrodes to expand and contract said piezoelectric substrate and thus vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate at said audible band frequency, thereby producing a sound indicative of the detection of said input.

18. The digitizing tablet according to claim 15, wherein said drive voltage is applied at an audible band frequency to said pair of drive electrodes to expand and contract said piezoelectric substrate and thus vibrate said operation panel or said support substrate at said audible band frequency, thereby producing a sound indicative of the detection of said input.

19. The digitizing tablet of claim 15, wherein the plurality of first electrodes is disposed between the rear surface of said operational panel and an insulating sheet.

20. The digitizing tablet of claim 19, wherein the plurality of second electrodes is disposed between a front surface of said support substrate and the insulating sheet.

21. The digitizing tablet of claim 15, wherein the input is detected by the piezoelectric substrate.