Electronic device

• US 9,310,906 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2011
• 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: Yumiki, Naoto, Adachi, Yusuke, Okumura, Ryo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Johny
• Application Number:
  US13/667,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20130120290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 362/373
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The user is allowed to simulatively experience a tactile sensation that would be felt when actually touching on the object being displayed on a screen. An electronic device 100 includes a display device 160 for displaying displayed information, a touch panel 130 to be touched by the user, a displayed information control section 32 for controlling display of the displayed information, thermoelectric element sections 190 for cooling or heating the touch panel 130, and a temperature control section 195 for controlling the temperature of the touch panel 130 in accordance with the displayed information displayed on the display device 160.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display displays a displayed object on a portion of the display;

a panel to be touched by a user;

a display controller controls the display of the displayed object on the portion of the display;

a thermoelectric element cools or heats the panel; and

a temperature controller controls a temperature of the panel in a region corresponding to the portion of the display in which the displayed object is displayed, wherein

the temperature controller controls the temperature in accordance with a temperature information associated with the displayed object displayed on the portion of the display; and

when the displayed object is initially displayed on the display, the temperature controller automatically starts to control the temperature of the panel so that the temperature is cooled or heated according to the temperature information associated with the displayed object displayed, and the temperature controller continues to automatically control the temperature of the panel according to the temperature information associated with the displayed object for so long as the displayed object is displayed.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination section determines presence or absence of temperature information associated with the displayed object,

wherein if the temperature information is present, the temperature controller controls the temperature of the panel in accordance with the temperature information.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the temperature information indicates a temperature prescribed by a user for the displayed object.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature controller sets the temperature of the panel to a temperature with which the user is allowed to simulatively experience a temperature which the displayed object would possess in the real-world.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein:

the displayed object represents a captured image of a subject; and

the temperature controller sets the temperature of the panel to a temperature with which the user is allowed to simulatively experience a temperature of the subject.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein when a display position of the displayed object is moved, the temperature controller changes a position at which the temperature of the panel is controlled in accordance with the movement of the display position.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein when different temperatures are prescribed for a plurality of positions of the displayed object, the temperature controller sets temperatures of a plurality of positions of the panel corresponding to the plurality of positions of the displayed object to different temperatures.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein when a plurality of displayed objects having different prescribed temperatures are displayed at the same time on the display, the temperature controller sets temperatures of a plurality of positions of the panel corresponding to the plurality of displayed objects to different temperatures.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vibrating section vibrates the panel; and

a vibration controller controls a vibration pattern of the vibrating section,

wherein the vibration controller controls the vibration pattern of the vibrating section in accordance with the displayed object displayed on the display.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, further comprising:

a determination section determines presence or absence of vibration pattern information associated with the displayed object,

wherein if the vibration pattern information is present, the vibration controller controls the vibration pattern of the vibrating section in accordance with the vibration pattern information.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the vibration controller changes the vibration of the vibrating section when the temperature of the panel reaches a target temperature.

12. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage section stores a plurality of different displayable objects, the plurality of different displayable objects having respective different temperature information associated therewith;

wherein, when any of the plurality of different displayable objects is initially displayed on a respective portion of the display, the temperature controller automatically starts to control the temperature of the panel so that the temperature is cooled or heated according to the temperature information associated with the displayable object displayed on the display.

13. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature controller controls the temperature of the panel in a region corresponding with only that portion of the display in which the displayed object is displayed.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for causing an electronic device to perform a temperature control in accordance with a displayed object, the program causing the electronic device to perform the steps of:

controlling display of the displayed object on a portion of a display;

cooling or heating a panel to be touched by a user;

controlling a temperature of the panel in a region corresponding to the portion of the display in which the displayed object is displayed,

after the displayed object is initially displayed on the display, automatically starting to control the temperature of the panel in accordance with a temperature information associated with the displayed object so that the temperature is cooled or heated according to the temperature information associated with the displayed object displayed on the portion of the display; and

continuing to automatically control the temperature of the panel according to the temperature information associated with the displayed object for so long as the displayed object is displayed on the portion of the display.