Touch panel apparatus and touch panel control method

• US 9,690,422 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Original Assignee: KYOCERA Document Solutions, Inc. (Kyocera Corporation)
• Inventors: Aono, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Marinelli, Patrick F
• Application Number:
  US14/888,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110014A1
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets

Abstract

Provided is a touch panel apparatus capable of easily setting a touch sense produced by oscillatory waves of plural piezoelectric elements according to a user'"'"'s taste. To this end, a touch sense pattern table (51) stores a plurality of touch sense pattern values made up of plural parameter values of a voltage table (52), plural parameter values of a frequency table (53), and plural parameter values of a phase difference table (54). A vibration diving control part (18) applies a driving signal to the piezoelectric elements of first to third groups to vibrate the touch panel (12) based on the parameter values acquired from the voltage table (52), the parameter values acquired from the frequency table (53), and the parameter values acquired from the phase difference table (54), correspondingly to the plurality of the touch sense patterns stored in the touch sense pattern table 51.

Claims

1. A touch panel apparatus provided on a display surface of a display part and having a touch panel receiving an operation, the touch panel apparatus comprising:

a plurality of piezoelectric elements that vibrate the touch panel;

a vibration control part that drives the plural piezoelectric elements based on a set parameter value of a first parameter, a set parameter value of a second parameter, and a set parameter value of a third parameter;

a first parameter table that stores a plurality of the parameter values of the first parameter;

a second parameter table that stores a plurality of the parameter values of the second parameter;

a third parameter table that stores a plurality of the parameter values of the third parameter;

a touch sense pattern table that stores a plurality of touch sense pattern values made up of a combination of the plurality of the parameter values of the first parameter, the plurality of the parameter values of the second parameter, and the plurality of the parameter values of the third parameter; and

a setting part that sets the parameter value of the first parameter, the parameter value of the second parameter, and the parameter value of the third parameter based on the plurality of the touch sense pattern values stored in the touch sense pattern table,

wherein the vibration control part vibrates the plurality of the piezoelectric elements based on the parameter value of the first parameter, the parameter value of the second parameter, and the parameter value of the third parameter, each corresponding to the touch sense pattern values by changing the touch sense parameter values every predetermined time while the touch panel is touched, and when the touch action is ceased, the setting part sets the parameter value of the first parameter, the parameter value of the second parameter, and the parameter value of the third parameter, each corresponding to the touch sense pattern, when the touch action is ceased, as a setting value for vibrating the plurality of the piezoelectric elements.

2. The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sense pattern values stored in the touch sense pattern table indicate the length of time during which a user feels a touch sense and the strength of the touch sense.

3. The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first parameter is a voltage of a driving signal to be applied to the plurality of piezoelectric elements, the second parameter is a frequency of the driving signal to be applied to the plurality of piezoelectric elements, and the third parameter is a phase difference of the driving signal to be applied to the plurality of the piezoelectric elements.

4. The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the piezoelectric elements are arranged at both sides of the touch panel so as to be opposite to each other, the first parameter table, the second parameter table, and the third parameter table are provided for every pair of the opposed piezoelectric elements arranged at the both sides of the touch panel, and the vibration driving control part drives every pair of the piezoelectric elements based on the touch sense pattern values.

5. The touch panel apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is provided with a plurality of setting reference areas, and the vibration control part drives the plurality of the piezoelectric elements based on the touch sense pattern values set every setting reference area.

6. A touch panel control method executed by a touch panel apparatus including a touch panel provided on a display surface of a display part and receives an operation, and a plurality of piezoelectric elements vibrating the touch panel, the touch panel control method comprising the steps of:

driving the plurality of the piezoelectric elements based on a set parameter value of a first parameter, a set parameter value of a second parameter, and a set parameter value of a third parameter; and

setting the parameter value of the first parameter, the parameter value of the second parameter, and the parameter value of the third parameter based on a plurality of touch sense pattern values which are made up of a combination of a plurality of parameter values of the first parameter stored in a first parameter table, a plurality of parameter values of the second parameter stored in a second parameter table, and a plurality of parameter values of the third parameter stored in a third parameter table, and are stored in a touch sense pattern table,

wherein the plurality of the piezoelectric elements are vibrated based on the parameter value of the first parameter, the parameter value of the second parameter, and the parameter value of the third parameter, each corresponding to the touch sense pattern values by changing the touch sense parameter values every predetermined time while the touch panel is touched, and

wherein when the touch action is ceased, the parameter value of the first parameter is set, the parameter value of the second parameter is set, and the parameter value of the third parameter is set, each corresponding to the touch sense pattern, when the touch action is ceased, as a setting value for vibrating the plurality of the piezoelectric elements.