Electronic device

• US 8,970,534 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Adachi, Yusuke, Okumura, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Nguyen H
• Application Number:
  US13/919,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20130271412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/50 having a stacked or multilayer structure
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/872 Connection electrodes of multilayer piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices, e.g. external electrodes

Abstract

Provided is an electronic device including: a base; a panel; a support for supporting the panel with respect to the base; and a vibrator for causing the panel to vibrate at a given frequency. The support includes a first region located at a part corresponding to a node of vibration of the panel, and a second region located at a part other than the node of the vibration of the panel. The support has a rigidity that is smaller in the first region than in the second region.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a base;

a panel;

a support for supporting the panel with respect to the base; and

a vibrator for causing the panel to vibrate at a given frequency,

wherein the support is provided at a pair of opposing long sides and a pair of opposing short sides of the panel,

wherein the support comprises a first region located at a part corresponding to a node of vibration of the panel, and a second region located at a part other than the node of the vibration of the panel,

wherein, in a plane perpendicular to a direction in which one of the pair of opposing long sides and the pair of opposing short sides of the support extends, a cross sectional area of the first region is smaller than a cross sectional area of the second region,

wherein the support has a rigidity that is smaller in the first region than in the second region, and

wherein the panel vibrates both at the first region and the second region by the vibrator.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the panel has a rectangular shape, and

wherein the support is configured to come into contact with a peripheral edge of the panel to support the panel with respect to the base.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein a space surrounded by the support is formed between the panel and the base.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the vibrator is mounted in a vicinity of one of the pair of opposing short sides of the panel and causes the panel to vibrate.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the first region in the support comprises 2N first regions, where N is a natural number of 1 or more,

wherein N first regions are located at each of the pair of opposing long sides, and

wherein the N first regions located at one of the pair of opposing long sides and the N first regions located at another of the pair of opposing long sides are respectively located one by one on N straight lines parallel to a direction in which the pair of opposing short sides extends.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1,

wherein the first region and the second region of the support are made of a first material and a second material, respectively, and wherein the first material has a rigidity smaller than a rigidity of the second material.

7. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein, in a plane perpendicular to a direction in which one of the pair of opposing long sides and the pair of opposing short sides of the support extends, a cross section area of the first region is smaller than a cross section area of the second region.

8. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein, on a plane parallel to the base and in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which one of the pair of opposing long sides and the pair of opposing short sides extends, a width of the first region is smaller than a width of the second region.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator comprises a piezoelectric element.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator is bonded onto the panel.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the vibrator comprises an electrode connected to a reference potential on a surface to be bonded onto the panel.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator vibrates a part of the panel in a vicinity of a part of an antinode of the vibration.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the panel vibrates in a high-order vibration mode.

14. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the panel comprises a touch panel.

15. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a display portion.

16. The electronic device according to claim 14, further comprising:

a drive portion for driving the vibrator; and

a controller for receiving a signal indicating an input from the panel in response to a designation from an operator based on contact of an arbitrary position in an input surface of the panel, and outputting, to the drive portion, a control signal for driving the vibrator based on the signal.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the controller outputs the control signal to the drive portion so that the panel vibrates in different vibration conditions in accordance with a position designated by the operator.

18. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator, comprising:

a piezoelectric body having a mounting surface and at least one another surface;

a plurality of first internal electrodes and a plurality of second internal electrodes alternately arranged at given intervals inside the piezoelectric body;

a first terminal electrically connected to the plurality of first internal electrodes and formed on the at least one another surface;

a second terminal electrically connected to the plurality of second internal electrodes and formed on the at least one another surface;

a reference electrode formed on the mounting surface of the piezoelectric body; and

a third terminal electrically connected to the reference electrode and formed on the at least one another surface.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18,

wherein a part of the piezoelectric body, in which the plurality of first internal electrodes and the plurality of second internal electrodes are arranged, is divided into a plurality of layers by the plurality of first internal electrodes and the plurality of second internal electrodes, and

wherein, of the plurality of layers, a layer located on an outermost side has a thickness larger than a thickness of a layer located inside.

21. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the cross sectional area of the first region is zero.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

a base;

a panel;

a support for supporting the panel with respect to the based; and

a vibrator for causing the panel to vibrate at a given frequency,

wherein the support is provided at a pair of opposing long sides and a pair of opposing short sides of the panel,

wherein the support comprises a first region located at a part corresponding to a node of vibration of the panel, and a second region located at a part other than the node of the vibration of the panel,

wherein, on a plane parallel to the base and in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which one of the pair of opposing long sides and the pair of opposing short sides of the support extends, a width of the first region is smaller than a width of the second region,

wherein the support has a rigidity that is smaller in the first region than in the second region, and

wherein the panel vibrates both at the first region and the second region by the vibrator.