JP3937684B2 - Tactile presentation device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tactile sensation presentation device, and in particular, in a so-called GUI (graphical user interface) in an information processing device, a tactile sensation felt when an object displayed on the information processing device presentation unit is touched or traced is simulated. The present invention relates to a tactile sensation presentation device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, the information obtained from the tactile sensation is finally determined when the object is recognized and a specific judgment is made among the sensory information perceived using the receiving organs such as eyes, ears, nose, hands, and fingers. Often becomes the decisive factor. That is, by touching the object with a hand or a finger, the surface information of the object such as rough feeling or unevenness is understood and various judgments are made.
[0003]
By the way, with the rapid spread of information devices and communication information devices such as the Internet and game machines in recent years, information that is displayed on the screen of a display device such as a personal computer or a television and depends on visual information, such as products and exhibits. Information such as products introduced in documents such as magazines, pamphlets and catalogs is increasing.
[0004]
Information from these information devices and communication information devices is only displayed on the screen and appeals linguistically and visually. Therefore, the user can recognize the object linguistically and visually, but it is difficult to sense the atmosphere and the bodily sensation. Therefore, it is necessary for the user to guess and complement the missing part of the information based on his / her experience to understand.
[0005]
Further, as information communication devices mainly relying on visual information, such as the Internet and game machines, become more popular, user demands are increasing. Therefore, in the future, it is expected that there will be a demand for pseudo-tactile sensation when tracing an untouchable object displayed as an image on an information communication device.
[0006]
As means for obtaining a tactile sensation, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 11-10561, 11-33937, and 9-155785 have been proposed.
[0007]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-10561 has a plurality of object shape presenting means having a head having a curved surface, a flat surface, and a convex edge, and the operator selects the object shape presenting head according to the shape desired to be presented by the operator. An object shape presentation device configured to present an object shape to a fingertip has been proposed.
[0008]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-33937 includes an environment presentation tool having a convex edge, a concave edge, a convex curved surface, a concave curved surface, and a plane, and the surface of the presentation tool is selected according to the shape desired by the environmental operator. Thus, a force-tactile display method for presenting an object shape has been proposed.
[0009]
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-155785 discloses a tactile sensation that processes a signal from a detection means for detecting a contact state with an object, and finally converts it into tactile perception information that can be perceived by a person and transmits it to the user. A presentation device has been proposed.
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the object shape presenting devices disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 11-10561 and 11-33937 accurately present the surface shape and deformation state of the target object. Many types of object shape presentation heads or environment presentation tools corresponding to the shape must be prepared, and the apparatus becomes complicated. In addition, since the tactile sensation is reproduced by the object shape presentation head or the environment presentation tool prepared in advance, there is a problem that the types of tactile sensations that can be presented are limited.
[0011]
Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-33937, it is necessary to install an object for which a tactile sensation is to be presented on the detection means of the tactile sense presentation device. Therefore, when presenting the tactile sensation of a remote object, the object must be set up by reaching the detection means, and there is a problem that the degree of freedom in setting is impaired.
[0012]
Further, an object shape presenting device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-155785 has a voice coil based on an arbitrary waveform signal corresponding to a human perceptual characteristic in a state where a finger is placed on a button-shaped signal presenting part. There is a problem in that the tactile sensation when the surface of the target object is traced cannot be reproduced because the motor is driven to mechanically vibrate the signal presentation site and transmit it to the person.
[0013]
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a tactile sensation providing apparatus capable of reproducing the tactile sensation when tracing the surface of a wide variety of objects.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a tactile sensation reproduction object that reproduces the tactile sensation when touched Things Display means for displaying, and tactile sensation reproduction target displayed on the display means Things Selection means to select and selected by the selection means Tactile reproduction object Based on the feature amount of The tactile sensation reproduction object Information generating means for generating tactile sensation information; A magnetic field generating unit for generating a magnetic field, and a plurality of coils arranged to generate thrust in different directions in a horizontal plane by passing a current through the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating unit. A tactile sensation selected by the selection means by moving the thrust generation unit in a horizontal direction in a direction in which the thrusts generated by the plurality of coils are combined is configured. Reproduction target Presenting means to reproduce and present the tactile sensation of Control means for adjusting the thrust direction for each coil by controlling the flow direction and magnitude of the current to be supplied for each coil based on the tactile information generated by the information generating means; It is equipped with.
[0015]
The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1 is displayed on the display unit and selected by the selection unit. Tactile reproduction object When the surface of is traced by the selection unit, the information generation unit generates the Tactile reproduction object Presenting means based on the tactile information of Tactile sensation reproduction object by moving the thrust generator in the horizontal direction in the direction that combines the thrust generated by multiple coils Reproduce the tactile sensation received from
[0016]
The information generation means Tactile reproduction object By correcting the reference tactile information according to the feature amount (in other words, the amount of deviation from the reference tactile information). Tactile reproduction object The tactile sensation information is generated, and the presenting means is generated by the information generating means Tactile reproduction object Based on tactile information Move the thrust generator in the horizontal direction in the direction that combines the thrust generated by multiple coils. Said by Tactile reproduction object Reproduce the tactile sensation. That is, in the tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, Tactile reproduction object Various tactile sensations can be reproduced simply by inputting a small amount of feature amount.
[0017]
In addition, as described in claim 2, the information generation unit stores reference tactile information for each of a plurality of predetermined classifications, and is selected by the selection unit. Tactile reproduction object Select the tactile information of the same classification as the classification to which the Tactile reproduction object The tactile sensation information should be generated.
[0018]
For example, there are many fine irregularities on the surface Tactile reproduction object , With a smooth surface with almost no irregularities on the surface Tactile reproduction object , Has an uneven surface with large amplitude Tactile reproduction object Such as multiple surface shapes that have large differences in tactile information Tactile reproduction object By creating standard tactile sensation information every time, it is possible to reduce the amount of calculation when generating tactile sensation information from feature amounts, so that errors included in the finally obtained tactile sensation information can be reduced. it can. Accordingly, it is possible to reproduce a tactile sensation closer to the real thing.
[0019]
In addition As a presentation means for reproducing the tactile sensation, for example, , Magnetic field generator that generates a magnetic field And a portion having a plurality of coils arranged so as to generate thrust in different directions in a horizontal plane by passing a current through the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator, and obtaining a tactile sensation of the user. A tactile sensation reproduction object that is composed of a thrust generation unit that is placed and is selected by the selection means by moving the thrust generation unit in a horizontal direction in a direction in which the thrusts generated by the plurality of coils are combined. The thing of the structure which reproduces and shows the tactile sense of can be used.
[0020]
Note that the number of magnetic field generation units is not limited to one, and the presenting unit is provided with a plurality of magnetic field generation units to control the flow direction and magnitude of the current supplied to each magnetic field generation unit by the control unit. be able to. By configuring in this way, more complicated load reproduction can be realized.
[0021]
The reference tactile sensation information includes the reaction force from the object received by the contacted object corresponding to the amount of movement of the contacted object when tracing an object with a known surface shape, the amount of vertical fluctuation when the object is touched, etc. The physical phenomenon is converted into electrical tactile information, for example, 3 As described in the above, it can be an electrical signal such as digital data or analog data in which the reaction force from the object corresponding to the amount of movement of the contacted object and the vertical fluctuation amount are combined.
[0022]
The feature amount is a shape change amount with respect to the object having the known surface shape, for example, 4 As described above, it can be represented by at least one of the height of the shape constituting the object surface, the object size, and the ratio of the unevenness of the object surface. Note that the feature amount may be a change amount of the driving signal of the presenting means that changes in presentation according to the shape change amount.
[0023]
Furthermore, the reference tactile sensation information may be input from the outside, and 5 Claims 1 to 4 of what The tactile sensation presentation device described in item 1 is predetermined. Shape A tactile sensation information input means for inputting a reaction force and vertical displacement received by the contact as reference tactile sensation information when the surface of the reference object whose surface shape has been determined in advance by the shaped contact is slid. Further, it is also possible to configure so that the physical phenomenon actually received by the contactor is converted into electrical information and input as reference tactile sensation information.
[0024]
The amount of vertical displacement of the contact can be detected by a displacement amount detecting means such as a displacement meter, for example. 6 As described above, the tactile sensation information input means includes at least one of a deformed state of the contact tip, a recessed state of the reference object surface, and a contact area between the contact tip and the reference object surface. The vertical displacement amount may be calculated from the above.
[0025]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a tactile sensation providing apparatus is applied to a personal computer.
[0026]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, the personal computer according to the present embodiment is roughly divided into a control unit 10 that performs various controls of the personal computer, and a display that displays various types of information on the screen based on instructions from the control unit 10. 12. A tactile sensation presentation button 30 for presenting a tactile sensation is provided. Various information is recorded on a recording device such as a pointing device 14 for selecting information displayed on the display screen, a keyboard 16, a feature amount measuring device 18, and a floppy disk or MO. The external recording device 20 is connected via a bus 28.
[0027]
The control unit 10 corresponds to the information generation unit and the control unit of the present invention, and includes a CPU 22, a ROM 24, and a RAM 26. The ROM 24 stores a plurality of reference tactile sensation data and a data generation program that generates tactile data representing the tactile sensation of the object to be reproduced by correcting the reference tactile sensation data based on the feature amount input to the RAM 26. .
[0028]
The RAM 26 stores feature amounts input from the keyboard 16 and the feature amount measuring device 18. The CPU 22 reads out the data generation program from the ROM 24, reads out the feature amount stored in the RAM 26, corrects the reference tactile data based on the feature amount, and generates tactile data representing the tactile sensation of the selected object. The display 12 corresponds to the display means of the present invention, and displays various objects such as text data and images based on various information.
[0029]
As shown in FIG. 2C, the pointing device 14 is provided with a tactile sensation presentation button 30. The tactile sensation presentation button 30 is linked to the cursor displayed on the display 12, places the cursor on an image representing an object such as a bag displayed on the display, and presses the tactile sensation presentation button 30 to display the tactile sensation presentation button 30. A tactile sensation reproduction mechanism that reproduces the tactile sensation of the surface of the object when dragged on the image is provided.
[0030]
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism is movable with respect to the base 42 provided with four magnets of the first magnet 40a to the fourth magnet 40d, and the base 42. And a reproduction unit 44 composed of four coils arranged vertically and horizontally with reference to the center. The base 42 corresponds to the magnetic field generation unit of the present invention, and the reproduction unit 44 corresponds to the thrust generation unit of the present invention.
[0031]
The four magnets 40a to 40d provided in the base 42 are arranged in two rows and two columns so that the magnets adjacent to each other are polarized in reverse, and the direction of the magnetic field is opposite between the magnets adjacent to each other. It is configured as follows.
[0032]
The reproduction unit 44 includes a finger placement unit 45, four coils of a first coil 46a to a fourth coil 46d, and a sliding unit 48. The finger placement unit 45 is provided in the uppermost layer of the reproduction unit 44, and transmits a thrust described later to the placed finger.
[0033]
Four coils are provided on the lower layer side of the finger placement unit 45. As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, each of these four coils has two steps on one side of the pair of opposite sides and four steps on the other side. Thus, the coil 46 has a configuration in which the winding is changed so that the height of one side is half the height of the other side.
[0034]
As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, these four coils 46a to 46d are overlapped and fixed in a cross shape so that the lower sides overlap, and at least each of the coils 46a to 46d is fixed. Each side is provided on the base 42 via the sliding portion 48 so as to cross the magnetic field generated by the magnets 40 a to 40 d provided on the base 42. Since the four coils 46a to 46d are arranged in this way, the thicknesses of the four coils 46a to 46d that are overlaid are substantially equal.
[0035]
In addition, the sliding part 48 is comprised from the low friction material, and transmits the thrust mentioned later to a reproduction part. As such a low friction material, for example, a fluororesin such as polytetrafluoroethylene, a resin impregnated with a lubricating oil, a metal, a fluid such as a lubricating oil, or the like can be used. Moreover, the sliding part 48 can be comprised from members, such as a spherical body and a cylinder which consist of a nonmagnetic body, and it can also comprise so that a finger mounting part may be slid by rolling, such as these spherical bodies and a cylinder.
[0036]
A current is supplied from the drive circuit 15 to each of the coils 46a to 46d. The direction and magnitude of the current supplied to each of the coils 46a to 46d are adjusted by the control unit 10 described later. When a current is supplied to each of the coils 46a to 46d, a thrust corresponding to the direction and magnitude of the current flows to each of the coils 46a to 46d according to Fleming's left-hand rule shown in FIG. Therefore, a resultant force obtained by synthesizing the thrust generated in each of the coils 46a to 46d acts on the finger placement portion, and this becomes the tactile sensation of the object to be reproduced.
[0037]
Here, the magnetic field by the magnet and the direction in which the current supplied to the coil flows will be described by taking, for example, the first magnet 40a and the first coil 46a shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B) as examples. To do. Here, it is assumed that the first magnet 40 a is polarized with the N pole on the upper surface side and the S pole on the lower surface side, and generates a magnetic field in the Z-axis direction that is the vertical direction of the base portion 42. Further, the first coil 46a is arranged along the X direction, which is an arbitrary direction in a plane parallel to the surface of the base 42 above one side of the first coil 46a.
[0038]
That is, a current in the X-axis direction passes through a magnetic field in the Z-axis direction, which is the vertical direction of the base portion 42, thereby generating a thrust in the Y-axis direction. For this reason, when a clockwise current is passed through the first coil 46a, the coil generates thrust in the + Y-axis direction. Moreover, if the direction of the current is changed counterclockwise, the direction in which the thrust acts is also changed to the −Y axis direction. Furthermore, if the value of the flowing current is increased, a large thrust is generated, and if the current is decreased, a small thrust is generated. Therefore, the magnitude of the generated thrust can be adjusted by adjusting the magnitude of the flowing current value. it can.
[0039]
Furthermore, the direction of the thrust that can be generated is not limited to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and it is also possible to generate the thrust in a direction that rotates about the Z-axis. That is, in FIG. 2, a clockwise current is passed through the first coil 46a, and a counterclockwise current is passed through the third coil 46c arranged to face the first coil 46a, so that thrusts acting in opposite directions to each other are applied. As a result, a rotation moment about the Z-axis acts on the finger placement unit 45 as a result. The same applies to the second coil 46b and the fourth coil 46d disposed to face the second coil 46b.
[0040]
Furthermore, if the magnitudes of currents flowing through the two coils are different, the balance of forces acting in opposite directions also changes according to the current value, so that the center of rotation can be shifted. That is, it is possible to adjust the rotation center by changing the magnitude of the current passed through the two coils.
[0041]
In the present embodiment, two coils are arranged in correspondence with one magnet, and the configuration is such that two types of currents that can be adjusted in size and orthogonal to each other are supplied to one magnet. A three-dimensional tactile sensation is reproduced by originally generating a thrust and synthesizing the thrust generated by combining four such magnets and coils.
[0042]
FIG. 5 shows an example of the direction of thrust acting according to the combination of directions of currents flowing through the magnet and the coil. FIG. 5A shows the direction in which thrust acts when two coils 47a and 47b are made to correspond to one magnet 41 and current is passed in two orthogonal directions, and FIG. The direction in which the thrust generated according to the magnetic field by each magnet acts when three currents are passed in a direction orthogonal to the three coils 47a, 47b, 47c corresponding to the magnets 41a, 41b, 5 (C) shows the direction in which the thrust generated according to the magnetic field by each magnet acts when the arrangement of the three coils 47a, 47b, 47d with respect to the two magnets 41a, 41b in FIG. 5 (B) is changed. ing.
[0043]
The feature quantity measuring device 18 corresponds to tactile sensation information input means, and includes a contact 50, a displacement meter 52, and a first reference pad 54 as shown in FIG. The contact 50 includes a force sensor 56, and the force sensor 56 converts a reaction force received by the contact 50 into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal to the control unit 10.
[0044]
The contact 50 has a size and a shape corresponding to a site that presents a tactile sensation. Here, a case where a tactile sensation is presented to a human fingertip will be described. Therefore, the contact 50 has a shape similar to a human fingertip. For example, the tip may be a hemispherical cylinder with a diameter of about 15 mm. Of course, the contact 50 is not limited to this size.
[0045]
In addition, since this invention can be applied to any part as long as it can feel a touch feeling such as a palm, the sole of a foot, and an arm, the shape of the contact 50 is also a shape corresponding to the target part. it can.
[0046]
Further, the contact 50 is moved so as to slide on the first reference pad 54 by a driving mechanism (not shown). As shown in FIG. 7A, the first reference pad 54 is provided with a plurality of convex portions having a rectangular cross-sectional shape on the surface. The height dimension h, the width dimension w, the unevenness ratio, and the uneven pattern (that is, the repetition period S) are determined in advance. Note that the reference pad is not limited to such a shape, and if it has a known surface shape, for example, a pad having another configuration such as a pad having a configuration in which a number of hemispheres are distributed on the pad surface. Can be used as a reference pad.
[0047]
The displacement meter 52 detects a mark provided in advance on the contact 50 when the contact 50 is slid on the first reference pad 54 by a drive mechanism (not shown), thereby causing the amount of vertical fluctuation of the contact 50 to be detected. And the obtained result is output to the control unit 10.
[0048]
Here, a graph 60 of one component Fx of reaction force information received by the contact 50 when the contact 50 slides on the first reference pad 54 and a graph 62 showing the vertical fluctuation amount of the contact 50 are shown. It is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, the reaction force information component is shown on the left axis, the right axis is the amount of vertical fluctuation of the contact, and the horizontal axis is the distance (mm) from the start of sliding. In addition, the first reference pad 54 used here is one having a projecting portion height dimension h = 1 mm, a width dimension w = 4 mm, and an unevenness ratio of 0.2.
[0049]
Here, as shown in FIG. 7B, the contact 50 is slid on the second reference pad on which a plurality of convex portions having a triangular cross-sectional shape are continuously provided in the same manner as described above. FIG. 9 shows a one-component Fx graph 61 of reaction force information received by the contact 50 and a graph 63 showing the amount of vertical fluctuation of the contact 50. As the second reference pad, a protrusion having a protruding portion height dimension h = 1 mm, a width dimension w = 4 mm, and an unevenness ratio of 0.5 is used.
[0050]
8 and 9, when the surface shape is similar, the graph of the one-component Fx of the detected reaction force information and the graph showing the vertical fluctuation amount of the contact 50 are similar, It can be seen that the difference in the other feature amount with respect to the waveform appears as a waveform difference. Therefore, by classifying the surface shape for each similar shape and obtaining the waveform change corresponding to the change in the feature amount, the tactile sensation of the desired surface shape can be reproduced only by inputting the feature amount.
[0051]
Here, a tactile sensation data generation routine performed by the control unit 10 using the data generation program will be described with reference to FIG. First, in step 100, it is determined whether there is a selected image displayed on the display. If there is a selected image, the process proceeds to the next step 102 to determine whether or not the feature data is included in the image data representing the image. Here, the feature amount includes a classification, a size of an image represented by image data that reproduces tactile sensation, a height of unevenness, a ratio of unevenness, and an uneven pattern.
[0052]
If no feature amount data is attached in step 102, the image is not a tactile sensation reproduction target, and thus this routine ends. If feature amount data is attached, the process proceeds to step 104, and the basic waveform corresponding to the classification of the selected image data among the plurality of basic waveforms prepared in advance (for example, FIG. )). Here, although the waveform of the vertical fluctuation amount will be described, in the present invention, for example, the same processing is performed for each of various components such as the waveform corresponding to the reaction force to obtain the waveform corresponding to the feature amount. .
[0053]
In the next step 106, it is determined whether the size dimension represented by the size information included in the feature amount data is different from the size dimension represented by the selected basic waveform. Shifts to step 108, corrects the basic waveform based on the size information included in the feature amount data, and shifts to step 110. For example, the width of FIG. 11B is reduced so that the waveform has a size half that of the basic waveform shown in FIG.
[0054]
In step 110, it is determined whether the height dimension represented by the height information included in the feature amount data is different from the height dimension represented by the selected basic waveform. If the height dimension is the same, the process proceeds to step 114. The process proceeds to step 112, the basic waveform is corrected based on the height information included in the feature amount data, and the process proceeds to step 114. For example, in FIG. 11C, the height of the waveform is enlarged so as to be 3/2 times the size of the waveform shown in FIG.
[0055]
In step 114, it is determined whether the unevenness ratio information included in the feature amount data is different from the unevenness ratio of the selected basic waveform. If they are the same, the process proceeds to step 118. If they are different, the process proceeds to step 116. Then, the basic waveform is corrected based on the information on the unevenness ratio included in the feature amount data, and the process proceeds to step 118. For example, in FIG. 11D, in the waveform shown in FIG. 11C, the ratio of the unevenness of the waveform is changed so that the width of the concave portion: the width of the convex portion = 1: 5.
[0056]
In the next step 118, it is determined whether the uneven pattern represented by the uneven pattern information included in the feature amount data is different from the uneven pattern of the selected basic waveform. If the pattern is the same, the process proceeds to step 122. Proceeding to 120, the basic waveform is corrected based on the information of the uneven pattern included in the feature amount data, and the routine proceeds to Step 122. For example, FIG. 11E is an example when the convex pattern is corrected in the waveform shown in FIG.
[0057]
In step 122, the obtained waveform is output to the drive circuit 15 as tactile sensation reproduction data, and this routine is terminated.
[0058]
The tactile sensation driving data generated by the control unit in this way is output to the driving circuit 15. The drive circuit 15 determines the magnitude of the drive current flowing in each coil and the direction in which the current flows so that the same reaction force and vertical displacement amount as the tactile sensation reproduction data are reproduced on the finger placement unit. To drive each coil. For example, each coil may be driven by PWM control capable of suppressing power consumption.
[0059]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the basic waveform of the corresponding classification is corrected based on the feature amount attached to the image data, and the tactile sensation of the image to be reproduced is reproduced in advance. It is not necessary to store tactile data corresponding to each tactile sensation, and it is possible to reproduce the tactile sensation when tracing the surface of various objects. In addition, it can also be set as the structure which inputs feature-value from input devices, such as a keyboard. In this case, since the feature amount can be stored in association with the image displayed on the display screen, a new tactile sensation reproduction image can be easily created.
[0060]
In the present embodiment, the case where the tactile sensation providing apparatus of the present invention is applied to the button of the pointing device 14 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide a tactile sensation providing device 19 that is different from 14 and provide the tactile sensation providing device 19 to provide a tactile sensation.
[0061]
Moreover, although the structure which provided four magnets as a magnetic field generation | occurrence | production part was demonstrated, as shown in FIG. 13, the 2nd magnet 40f of reverse polarity is arrange | positioned in the cyclic | annular substantially rectangular 1st magnet 40e, It can also be set as the structure arrange | positioned so that the four coils 46e-46h may straddle both the 1st magnet 40e and the 2nd magnet 40f.
[0062]
In addition, the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism is not limited to a configuration composed of four magnets and four coils. As shown in FIG. 14, a magnetic field generation unit is composed of a large number of magnets 40 such as nine, and the reproduction unit 44 is configured by combining a plurality of coils so that a plurality of coils correspond to each of the plurality of magnets 40, or as shown in FIG. 15, on a magnetic field generating unit configured by a large number of magnets, for example, Any configuration using the magnet 40 and the coil 46, such as a configuration in which the reproduction unit 44 including four coils moves, can be applied to various configurations.
[0063]
In the present embodiment, the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism includes a magnet and a coil, and is configured to reproduce the tactile sensation by adjusting the thrust generated by adjusting the current flow direction and magnitude. Is not limited to this configuration, for example, a large number of minute pin members are laid up, and a finger or the like placed on the upper end side of the pin member is perceived by tilting the pin member with an actuator or the like. The present invention can also be applied to other configurations such as a configuration for transmitting a tactile sensation to the part.
[0064]
In the present embodiment, the feature amount measuring device is integrally provided, the basic waveform measured by the feature amount measuring device is stored, and various processes are performed using the stored waveform as a basic invention. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the feature quantity measuring device is not provided integrally.
[0065]
In other words, the basic waveform can be read from a recording medium such as a floppy disk or MO by the external recording device 20 and used. In this case, the feature quantity measuring device may be an independent device.
[0066]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reproduce the tactile sensation when tracing the surface of a wide variety of objects.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of a personal computer according to an embodiment.
2A is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view of the pointing device.
3A is a top view showing a configuration of a coil used in the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the direction of thrust generated when a current in a fixed direction is passed through a magnet that generates a magnetic field in the vertical direction.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the direction of thrust acting according to a combination of directions of currents flowing through a magnet and a coil.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a feature amount measuring apparatus.
FIG. 7A is a perspective view for explaining the surface shape of the first reference pad, and FIG. 7B is a perspective view for explaining the surface shape of the second reference pad.
FIG. 8 is a graph of one component Fx of reaction force information received by the contact when the contact slides on the first reference pad, and a graph showing the vertical fluctuation amount of the contact.
FIG. 9 is a graph of one component Fx of reaction force information received by a contact when the contact slides on a second reference pad, and a graph showing the amount of vertical fluctuation of the contact.
FIG. 10 is a tactile sensation data generation routine performed by the control unit according to the data generation program.
11A is a basic waveform of an arbitrary classification, and FIG. 11B is a waveform when the waveform of FIG. 11A is corrected based on size information included in feature data. FIG. 11C shows a waveform when the waveform of FIG. 11B is corrected based on the height information included in the feature amount data, and FIG. 11D shows the unevenness included in the feature amount data. 11C is a waveform when the basic waveform of FIG. 11C is corrected based on the ratio of the above, and FIG. 11E is a waveform obtained by correcting the basic waveform of FIG. 11D based on the concavo-convex pattern included in the feature amount data. It is a waveform when.
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the tactile sensation providing apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the magnetic field generator of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing still another embodiment of the tactile sensation reproduction mechanism of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Control unit
12 display
14 pointing devices
15 Drive circuit
16 keyboard
18 Feature measuring device
19 Tactile display device
20 External recording device
28 Bus
30 Tactile presentation button
40, 41, 41a, 41b, 40a-40f Magnet
42 Base
44 Reproduction part
45 Finger rest
46, 46a-46h Coil
48 Sliding part
50 contacts
52 Displacement meter
54 Reference Pad
56 Force sensor

Claims (6)

Display means for displaying a tactile sensation reproduction object that reproduces the tactile sensation when touched;
Selecting means for selecting a tactile sensation reproduction object displayed on the display means;
Information generating means for correcting the tactile sensation information of the tactile sensation reproduction object by correcting the reference tactile sensation information stored in advance based on the feature amount of the tactile sensation reproduction object selected by the selection means;
A magnetic field generating unit for generating a magnetic field, and a plurality of coils arranged to generate thrust in different directions in a horizontal plane by passing a current through the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating unit. A tactile sensation selected by the selection means by moving the thrust generation unit in a horizontal direction in a direction in which the thrusts generated by the plurality of coils are combined is configured. Presenting means for reproducing and presenting the tactile sensation of the object to be reproduced;
Control means for adjusting the thrust direction for each coil by controlling the flow direction and magnitude of the current to be supplied for each coil based on the tactile information generated by the information generating means;
A tactile sensation presentation device comprising: The information generating means stores reference tactile information for each of a plurality of predetermined categories, and selects the reference tactile information of the same classification as the classification to which the tactile reproduction target object selected by the selection means belongs. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tactile sensation information of the selected tactile sensation reproduction target is generated.   The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference tactile sensation information is an electrical signal that combines a reaction force from an object and a vertical variation amount when the object is touched. The feature amount, the height of the shape constituting the object surface, the object size, and the tactile sensation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 at least is one of the ratio of the unevenness of the object surface. Tactile information input means for inputting predetermined reaction force and the vertical displacement of previously surface shape receiving said contact when sliding the surface of the reference object which is determined by the shape of the contacts as a reference tactile information The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , further comprising: The tactile sensation information input means calculates the vertical displacement amount from at least one of a deformed state of the contact tip, a recessed state of the reference object surface, and a contact area between the contact tip and the reference object surface. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 5 to calculate.

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