CN113272767A

CN113272767A - Three-dimensional tactile sensation providing device

Info

Publication number: CN113272767A
Application number: CN202080008771.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 金亨俊; 李认凡
Original assignee: CK Materials Lab Co Ltd
Current assignee: CK Materials Lab Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-06-12
Filing date: 2020-06-11
Publication date: 2021-08-17
Also published as: KR20230038690A; KR102308006B1; KR20200142471A; KR20210111225A; KR20210074251A; KR102265399B1; KR102599488B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing device. The present invention relates to a tactile three-dimensional tactile sensation providing apparatus including: a plurality of actuators arranged at intervals; a connecting portion provided with a plurality of actuators and including at least three haptic regions; and a control section that applies an operation signal to the actuator, the control section applying a first signal for driving the actuator and stimulating the first tactile cell at a threshold value or more and a second signal for driving the actuator and stimulating the second tactile cell at a threshold value or more, the connection section providing the synthetic tactile sensation by the plurality of actuators.

Description

Three-dimensional tactile sensation providing device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing device. And more particularly, to a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus for providing various tactile sensations and tactile sensations having a stereoscopic sensation by stimulating respective receptors while providing a frequency change from a low frequency band to a high frequency band.

Background

Human skin has 4 representative skin mechanoreceptors (mechanoreceptors) which are called Merkel cells (Merkel cells), tactoids (Meissner corpuscles), rofeni corpuscles (Ruffini corpuscles), and Pacinian corpuscles (Pacinian corpuscles).

Merkel cells act in the 0-3Hz frequency band, playing a cognitive role by constantly responding to light touch and static stimuli. The tactile corpuscles act in the frequency band of 3-40Hz and mainly respond to dynamic skin deformation such as skin trembling. The Luofini corpuscles act in the 15-400Hz frequency band and react to the pulling of the skin. Finally, pacinian corpuscles act in the frequency band of 10-500Hz and react rapidly to the vibratory stimuli felt by the skin.

Merkel cells and rofenib corpuscles are Slow adaptive receptors (SA) that respond continuously to skin deformation if it occurs, and tactile corpuscles and pacinian corpuscles are fast adaptive Receptors (RA) that respond to skin deformation at the beginning and end of skin irritation.

Referring to fig. 1, it is possible to confirm the reaction of each receptor in the process of pinching an object and lifting it upward with a human finger.

Therein, it can be confirmed that SA1& SA2 reacts continuously to the tightening of the skin during the time when the finger is bent in order to lift the object until the object is lifted, RA1& RA2 reacting both when initially touching the object and when lifting the object down, i.e. only at the beginning and at the end.

Referring to fig. 2, band-based recognizable stimulation thresholds of the respective skin mechanoreceptors may be confirmed. Where the low band (0-20Hz) requires more stimulation than the high band (150-250Hz), the band with the lowest threshold may be around 200-300 Hz.

Accordingly, the necessity of haptic actuators for providing various tactile senses by individually and selectively stimulating human skin sensory receptors is on the increasing trend.

The background art described above is what the inventors have obtained or learned in the course of designing the invention and is not considered to be a known art disclosed to the public prior to filing the present application.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus which can individually and selectively stimulate sensory receptors of the skin of a human body by driving a plurality of actuators at various frequency bands, thereby providing various tactile sensations.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus that can provide a more stereoscopic tactile sensation to a user by driving a plurality of actuators.

However, the technical problems are merely exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Technical scheme

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising: a plurality of actuators arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a connecting portion provided with a plurality of actuators and including at least three haptic regions; and a control unit that applies an operation signal to the actuator, the control unit applying a first signal for driving the actuator to stimulate the first tactile cell at a threshold value or more and a second signal for driving the actuator to stimulate the second tactile cell at a threshold value or more, the connection unit being capable of providing a composite tactile sensation by the plurality of actuators.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control section may apply an operation signal for controlling at least any one of a voltage, a frequency, and a waveform of the plurality of actuators.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control section may be connected with the adjustment section and apply the operation signal to the actuator based on the received control signal, the control signal being a signal combining the generation intensities of the at least two tactile senses.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the adjustment part may be an application program (app), or an adjustment mechanism including any one of a scroll bar, a button, and an equalizer, and the application program or the adjustment mechanism may control at least any one of a tactile type, a tactile intensity, and a tactile region.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the regulating part may control the tactile sensation in the specific tactile area of the connecting part, which is at least any one of soft, rough, light, heavy, smooth, and sharp.

Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first tactile cell, which is a Slow adaptation receptor (SA), may include Merkel cells (Merkel cells) and rofenib corpuscles (Ruffini corpuscles), and the second tactile cell, which is a fast adaptation Receptor (RA), may include tactile corpuscles (Meissner corpuscles) and Pacinian corpuscles (Pacinian corpuscles).

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first tactile cells may include Merkel cells (Merkel cells) and tactile corpuscles (Meissner corpuscles) stimulated at a low frequency band of 0Hz (more than 0) to 20Hz, and the second tactile cells may include rofenib corpuscles (Ruffini corpuscles), Pacinian corpuscles (Pacinian corpuscles) stimulated at a high frequency band of 150Hz to 250 Hz.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection portion may provide at least two tactile senses including vibration, softness, smoothness, tapping, roughness, and sharpness.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a fixing guide may be provided on the connection portion, and the actuator may be supported and fixed on the connection portion by the fixing guide.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the connecting portion may be formed with a slot, and the actuator may be disposed and fixed in the slot.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a through hole for the through connection portion is formed, and the actuator may be inserted in the through hole.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of connection portions formed with through holes are included, and the actuator may be inserted in the through holes of the plurality of connection portions.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least two of the plurality of connection parts may be composed of different materials from each other.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection part is separated into a plurality of unit connection bodies, and at least two unit connection bodies may be provided with the actuator thereon.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one unit connector may be composed of a material different from that of the remaining unit connectors.

Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection portion may be any one of plastic, metal, glass, rubber, and wood.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator is provided on the connection portion by a connection unit including any one of a knob (knob), an adhesive portion.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least a portion of the connection portion may be connected to the object, and may provide a tactile sensation to the user through the object.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the connection portion is connected to the object through the elastic portion.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, one actuator transmits the haptic sense in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction, and at least two actuators may be disposed on the connection part at different angles to transmit the haptic sense in different directions from each other.

Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the actuator may be disposed at a position apart from the rim of the connection part by a length corresponding to 25% to 35% of the entire length of the connection part.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the connection part has a rectangular plate shape and the two actuators are disposed at the corners of the connection part in the diagonal direction, the intensity of the vibration is maximized when the actuators are applied with the sine wave signal of 200Hz to 250Hz, and the intensity of the soft touch is increased closer to the position where the intensity of the vibration is large.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the intensity of the rough haptic sensation is lower as closer to the actuator to which the sine wave signal is applied, and the intensity of the sharp haptic sensation is higher as closer to the actuator to which the sine wave signal is applied.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when one of the actuators is applied with a rectangular wave signal and the remaining one is applied with a sine wave signal, the intensity of the round tactile sensation is greater as it is closer to the actuator to which the rectangular wave signal is applied.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention configured as described above, the sensory receptors of the human skin are individually and selectively stimulated by driving the plurality of actuators at various frequency bands, thereby having an effect capable of providing various tactile senses.

Further, according to the present invention, there is an effect that more stereoscopic tactile sensation can be provided to the user by driving a plurality of actuators.

The effects described above are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a graph illustrating the response of each receptor during a process in which a person holds an object with a finger and lifts it upward.

Fig. 2 is a graph illustrating band-based recognizable stimulation thresholds of various skin mechanoreceptors.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a connection relationship of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of an adjustment section according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 6 to 8 are schematic cross-sectional views of a stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a connection configuration of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention with an object.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus and a connection form of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus and an object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is an operational view of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of a measurement mode of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to an experimental example of the present invention.

Fig. 13 and 14 are graphs illustrating a variation in vibration with respect to a connection part structure according to an experimental example of the present invention.

Fig. 15 and 16 are graphs illustrating changes in vibration with respect to a measurement position and an interval of an actuator according to an experimental example of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a schematic view of a measured form of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to another experimental example of the present invention.

Fig. 18 to 20 are graphs illustrating a sensory form of each region of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to another experimental example of the present invention.

< reference character >

10: stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 20: connecting part

20a-20 d: unit connector

30. 31, 32: actuator, first actuator, second actuator

40: the connection unit 41: adhesive part

42: the knob 50: control unit

60: the adjusting portion 70: fixed guide

80: the elastic portion 100: object

200: adjusting mechanism

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in detail below in order to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. The various embodiments of the invention should be understood as distinct and not mutually exclusive. For example, the particular shapes, structures and characteristics described herein may enable one embodiment to be implemented within other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the location or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment should be understood as being modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the various aspects, and the length, area, thickness, etc. and forms thereof may be exaggerated for convenience.

The terms "comprises/comprising" or "having" and the like as used in this specification are used to indicate the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components or groups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components or groups thereof.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to enable those skilled in the art to easily practice the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus 10d according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a connection relationship of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic view of an adjustment portion 60 according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 3, the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 of the present invention may include a connection part 20, a plurality of actuators 30(31, 32), and a control part 50.

The connection portion 20 provides an area for disposing the plurality of actuators 30. The connecting portion 20 itself may provide a tactile sensation, or the connecting portion 20 may be connected to another object 100[ see fig. 9] and the object 100 may provide a tactile sensation. The connecting portion 20 may provide a composite haptic sensation through the plurality of actuators 30.

The connection part 20 is made of a material that can transmit a tactile sensation when the actuator 30 generates vibration, and may include plastic, metal, glass, rubber, wood, and the like.

The connection portion 20 may be formed to extend in one direction in a long and narrow manner, or may have a wide plate shape or the like, in order to provide a plurality of actuators 30 and generate various tactile sensations based on the driving of the actuators 30. From another point of view, the connection part 20 may have a form including a plurality of virtual areas providing a tactile sensation. The plurality of virtual areas should be understood to mean areas providing at least mutually different haptics compared to physically well-divided areas. For example, as shown in fig. 3, when two actuators 30 are disposed on the connecting portion 20, the connecting portion 20 may be understood to include three regions of a first region [ for example, a left region of the actuator 31 ], a second region [ for example, a right region of the actuator 32 ], and a third region [ a region between the actuators 31 and 32 ], or may be understood to include more regions that are subdivided. The haptic sensation provided by each actuator 30 is distributed over the web 20 after being attenuated, and thus the web 20 may include a plurality of virtual areas.

The actuator 30 may use a known actuator such as an inertial type actuator including a linear resonance actuator that maximizes the intensity of vibration using a resonance frequency; a piezoelectric actuator having a Beam (Beam) form or a Disk (Disk) form and driven by a piezoelectric element that instantaneously changes in size or shape based on an electromagnetic field; an electroactive polymer actuator that generates vibration by attaching a mass body on an electroactive polymer film and by repeated movement of the mass body; and an electrostatic force actuator or the like that is driven by using an attractive force generated between two glass surfaces charged with different charges from each other and a repulsive force generated when the same kind of charges are charged.

A plurality of actuators 30(31, 32) may be provided on the connection portion 20. Fig. 3 illustrates two

actuators

31, 32 but the number of actuators 30 may be adjusted based on the form, size, etc. of the connection portion 20.

The control portion 50 may apply an operation signal to the plurality of actuators 30. The control section 50 may apply an operation signal for controlling the voltage, frequency, waveform, and the like of the actuator 30 using a known means.

The control section 50 may be connected to the adjustment section 60 by wire or wirelessly. The adjustment section 60 transmits a control signal to the control section 50, and the control signal is converted into an operation signal for controlling the actuator 30 at the control section 50.

The adjustment unit 60 may be the object 100 or another adjustment mechanism 200. The object 100 may be connected to or built in with the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing device 10, and may be a terminal device such as a smartphone display or a smart watch as an article that can receive a tactile sensation when the body U of the user is locally in contact with the object; a joystick; a car steering wheel, etc. The following description will mainly use a smart phone display as an example.

As an example, referring to fig. 5 (a), when the adjustment unit 60 is the object 100, the control signal may be transmitted through an application program (app). The application program is driven on the display screen 110 of the object 100, and the application screen may be configured with a scroll bar for adjusting the type of the sense of touch (soft-rough, light-heavy, smooth-sharp) and the intensity level of the sense of touch. Further, the regions R1-R6, in which a plurality of tactile regions corresponding to the connecting portion 20 are displayed, can also be adjusted by selecting a specific region R2 and adjusting the type/intensity of the tactile sensation.

As another example, referring to fig. 5 (b), when the adjusting part 60 is the adjusting mechanism 200, there are a scroll bar, a button, an equalizer, etc., so that the type of the sense of touch, the intensity of the sense of touch, the tactile area, etc. can be physically controlled. Each scroll bar 210(211, 212, 213, 214 …) corresponds to a type of haptic sensation, and the intensity of the corresponding haptic sensation may be adjusted by adjusting the scroll bar 210 up or down. Of course, as shown in fig. 5 (a), the adjustment mechanism 200 may also be a terminal device such as a smartphone, a smart watch, a remote controller, or the like that does not directly include the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing device 10. The application program is driven by the display screen 210 of the adjustment mechanism 200, and the type of the tactile sensation, the intensity of the tactile sensation, the tactile area, and the like can be controlled on the application program.

Thus, the control unit 50 can apply an operation signal for controlling the actuator 30 by receiving a control signal applied based on the user controlling the adjustment unit 60[ the object 100, the adjustment mechanism 200 ]. The adjustment part 60 is used as a medium for controlling an operation signal applied to the actuator 30, and can adjust the tactile sensation in a specific tactile area of the connection part 20. The haptics in a particular haptic region may include at least any one of soft, rough, flimsy, heavy, rounded, and sharp.

In particular, the present invention is characterized by providing a composite haptic sensation in the haptic region of the link 20 based on the driving of the plurality of actuators 30. Each actuator 30 may receive an operation signal related to the type/intensity of a different haptic sensation through the control part 50, and a composite haptic sensation provided by the plurality of actuators 30 may be provided through the connection part 20. Each haptic region may provide a haptic sensation different from each other according to the composite haptic sensation.

The mutually different tactile senses may mean that at least two tactile senses among a vibration, a soft, a smooth, a tap, a rough, a sharp, etc., tactile sense are provided by the connection part 20. Further, the mutually different tactile senses may mean that at least two tactile senses clearly distinguished in even the same feeling of tactile sense (e.g., vibration), intensity, cycle are provided by the connection portion 20. For this, the voltage, frequency, waveform, position provided on the connection portion 20, and the like of the actuator 30(31, 32) can be controlled separately.

According to an embodiment, at least one of the plurality of actuators 30(31, 32) is drivable in such a way that a first haptic cell is stimulated above a threshold value, and at least another one is drivable in such a way that a second haptic cell is stimulated above a threshold value. In order to realize the above driving, the control section may apply a first signal to the actuator 30 to stimulate the first tactile cell at a threshold value or more, and apply a second signal to stimulate the second tactile cell at a threshold value or more, respectively. For example, the first haptic cell is a slow adaptation receptor (SA) and may include Merkel cells (Merkel cells) and rofenib corpuscles (Ruffini corpuscles), and the second haptic cell is a fast adaptation Receptor (RA) and may include tactile corpuscles (Meissner corpuscles) and Pacinian corpuscles (Pacinian corpuscles).

According to another embodiment, at least one of the plurality of actuators 30(31, 32) may be driven based on a low frequency band (0-20Hz), and at least another one may be driven based on a high frequency band (150-250 Hz). Actuators driven in the low frequency band stimulate receptors sensitive to this response (e.g., merkel cells, haptoglobin), and actuators driven in the high frequency band can stimulate receptors sensitive to this response (e.g., rofenib corpuscles, pacinian corpuscles).

Thus, the present invention is able to stimulate all 4 receptors, thereby effectively delivering a variety of haptic effects. Further, each region of the connection part 20 provides a composite haptic sense, thereby having an effect of providing a more abundant type of haptic sense through each region. Namely, a stereoscopic tactile sensation and a stereoscopic tactile sensation can be provided.

The actuator 30 may be disposed on the connection part 20 through the connection unit 40.

As an example, referring to fig. 3 (a), a plurality of actuators 30(31, 32) are disposed on the connection portion 20 to be spaced apart from each other, and each actuator 30 may be connected to the connection portion 20 by an adhesive portion 41. The adhesive portion 41 may adhere the actuator 30 to the connection portion 20, and an adhesive, a tape, or the like may be used without particular limitation as long as the purpose of transmitting the vibration of the actuator 30 to the connection portion 20 can be achieved.

As another example, referring to fig. 3 (b), each actuator 30 may be connected to the connection part 20 by a knob (knob) 42. The knob 42 has a form and a structure capable of connecting the actuator 30 to the connecting portion 20, and is not particularly limited.

Fig. 6 to 8 are schematic cross-sectional views of a stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus 10 according to various embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 6 (a), the plurality of actuators 30(31, 32) are disposed on the connecting portion 20, and a fixing guide 70 is provided on a portion where the plurality of actuators 30 are disposed. The fixing guide 70 may fix the actuator 30 on the connection part 20.

For example, the fixing guide 70 may be bonded to the connection part 20 or formed integrally with the connection part 20. In addition, the fixed guide 70 may have various shapes including a triangle, a quadrangle, or a circle. Further, at least a portion of the fixed guide 70 has a shape that is a shape-fit with the shape of the actuator 30 to allow a portion of the actuator 30 to be inserted.

Referring to fig. 6(b), a plurality of actuators 30(31, 32) may be disposed and fixed on the connection part 20. The connecting portion 20 has a recess-shaped slot 25, and the actuator 30 is inserted into the slot 25.

For example, the actuator 30 may be inserted into the slot 25. The shape and depth of the insertion groove 25 may have various forms based on the shape and size of the actuator.

Referring to fig. 7 (a), a plurality of actuators 30 may be interposed on the connection part 20. The connecting portion 20 has a through hole 26 penetrating from one side to the other side, and a part of the actuator 30 is inserted into the through hole 26.

For example, the actuator 30 is fixed by an attaching means in a state of being inserted into the through hole 26. Conversely, the actuator 30 may have a through hole (not shown) formed therein and the connection portion 20 may be inserted into the through hole.

Referring to fig. 7 (b), a plurality of connection portions 20(21, 22) may be provided with through holes 26. One actuator 30 may be inserted into the plurality of connection portions 20 as a part of the actuator 30 is inserted into the through hole 26.

For example, the plurality of connection portions 20(21, 22) may be arranged in parallel along the longitudinal direction.

For example, the plurality of connecting portions 20 may have the same form but be composed of different materials from each other. At this time, the tactile senses provided in the first and second connection portions 21 and 22 may be different from each other according to the operation of the actuator 30. For example, if the two first connection parts 21 and the second connection parts 22 are in a thin plate form and are arranged in close proximity, the tactile sensation provided by the first surface [ the first connection part 21] and the tactile sensation provided by the second surface [ the second connection part 22] which is the opposite surface of the first surface in the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 may be displayed to be different from each other.

Referring to fig. 8 (a), the connection part 20 may be separated into a plurality of

unit connection bodies

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20 d. At least two

unit connectors

20a and 20d among the plurality of

unit connectors

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d may be provided with an actuator 30.

For example, any one of the

unit connectors

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d may be formed of a material different from that used for the other unit connectors. If the

unit link bodies

20a, 20d of the corner sides are different materials from each other, the left/right corner regions of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 may provide different tactile sensations from each other. The three regions of the left corner region, the right corner region, and the inner region can provide different tactile sensations from each other if the

unit connection bodies

20b, 20c of the inner region are made of different materials from each other. As an example, assuming that the

unit link bodies

20a, 20d of the corner region are of a hard plastic material and the remaining

unit link bodies

20b, 20c are of a rubber material, the corner region may provide a tactile sensation (soft, vibration, etc.) having a fine and short frequency pattern, and the inner region may provide a tactile sensation (smooth, tapping, etc.) having a strong and long frequency pattern combined with a rubber elastic force. Therefore, there is an effect of providing different tactile senses according to the portion contacted by the user.

Referring to fig. 8 (b), the connection part 20 may be recombined after being separated into the

unit connection bodies

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20 d. For example, the

unit connectors

20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d may be in the form of modules or blocks. Another stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 can be manufactured by combining the three

unit connectors

20a, 20b, and 20d except for the unit connector 20 c. Since the length and shape of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 are changed, the tactile sensation providing shape is also changed. In addition, the present invention can also implement the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 as detachable, modular.

Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a connection configuration of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 and the object 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 9 (a), the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 may be connected to various objects 100 and provide a tactile sensation to the objects 100.

For example, assuming that the object 100 is a smartphone display, the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 may constitute a housing of the smartphone display. The connection portion 20 is made of a material such as plastic or metal, and may constitute all or a part of a back cover of the smartphone display. The actuator 30 is provided on the housing and disposed inside the smartphone, and the tactile sensation generated based on the plurality of actuators 30 can be moved along the entire smartphone through the housing [ or the connection portion 20 ]. Accordingly, the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 of the present invention has an effect that vibration generated by the plurality of actuators 30 is transmitted along the surface of the link 20 to provide a tactile sensation to multiple directions (multi-direction).

Referring to fig. 9 (b), in addition to the structure of fig. 9 (a), an elastic portion 80 may be further provided between the connection portion 20 and the connection portion of the object 100[ as an example, a smartphone display ]. The elastic part 80 may use a spring, a polymer, or the like having elasticity without limitation. The driving effect of the actuator 30 can be further improved by the elastic portion 80.

For example, as shown in fig. 9 (b), the elastic portion 80 expands and contracts in the vertical direction, and the driving width and strength in the vertical direction can be increased. As another example, the elastic portion 80 may be disposed in a horizontal direction, may further increase the driving width and strength in the horizontal direction, and may be disposed in a direction other than the vertical/horizontal direction.

In addition, the elastic portion 80 may be a structure in which a part of the connection portion 20 includes an elastic body. At this time, the elastic part 80 may be formed on a portion of the housing not close to the display of the smart phone.

Fig. 10 is a schematic sectional view illustrating the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 ((a), (b) of fig. 10) and a connection form of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus and the object 100 ((c) of fig. 10) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 10, in the stereoscopic haptic sensation enhancing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment, a plurality of actuators 30 are disposed on a connection part 20 in a spaced state and disposed in driving directions different from each other.

For example, when the actuator 30 is horizontally disposed, it is possible to drive in a first direction and a second direction (as an example, an up-down direction) opposite thereto, one actuator 31 on the connecting portion 20 is horizontally disposed and driven in the up-down direction, and the other actuator 32 is vertically disposed and driven in the left-right direction.

Referring to fig. 10 (a), the actuator 30 can be inserted into the

grooves

25 and 26 formed by being depressed in the connecting portion 20 in a state where the driving directions are arranged differently from each other. The first groove 25 and the second groove 26 are formed in a depressed form at different angles from each other, and the respective actuators 30 can be arranged so that the directions of orientation of the driving directions are different from each other only by interposing them.

Referring to fig. 10 (b), the connection part 20 further includes a cap 23, and a portion of

depressed grooves

25, 26 are formed on the connection part 20, and the remaining portion of

depressed grooves

27, 28 are formed on the cap 23. The first and

second grooves

25, 27, 26, 28 together may be shaped to correspond to the actuator 30. The portions of the actuator 30 inserted in the

grooves

25, 26 of the connecting portion 20 and exposed upward may be covered by being inserted in the

grooves

27, 28 of the cover portion 23.

Referring to fig. 10 (c), the connection part 20 can be connected to the object 100 in a state where the actuators 30 are arranged on the connection part 20 in different driving directions. Thus, the present invention can have an effect of directly providing the object 100 with tactile sensations in different directions.

For example, the two actuators 30(31, 32) are configured to provide vibrations in the vertical and horizontal directions, respectively, so that vertical and horizontal tactile sensations can be provided to the smartphone display. The actuator 30 may be provided in the housing portion at a position corresponding to the display of the smartphone. In addition, various haptic modalities are mixed by driving each

actuator

31, 32 with different frequencies, waveforms, on the basis of haptic directions, thereby further providing a more stereoscopic haptic effect.

Fig. 11 is an operation view of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to (a) of fig. 11, the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 according to an embodiment may apply input signals having various waveforms, frequencies, voltages, etc. in order to individually stimulate 4 skin mechanoreceptors.

For example, to stimulate sensitive receptors (merkel cells, tactile corpuscles) in the low frequency band, a low frequency sine wave, rectangular wave, or triangular wave may be input. In addition, in order to stimulate a receptor (rofenib corpuscle, pacinian corpuscle) sensitive to a reaction in a high frequency band, a high frequency sine wave, a rectangular wave, or a triangular wave may be input.

Further, the same input signal is input to the plurality of actuators 30, so that the amplitude of the output signal can be increased.

Further, mutually different input signals may be applied to the plurality of actuators 30. Fig. 11 (a) illustrates an example in which the first actuator 31 applies a low-band sine wave and the second actuator 32 applies a high-band rectangular wave. In addition, as shown in fig. 11 (b), different input signals such as a sine wave, a rectangular wave, and a triangular wave are applied to each actuator 30, and the actuators 30 can form output signals of various forms according to combinations of the input signals different from each other. The coupling portion 20 may receive the resultant haptic sensation provided by the plurality of actuators 30, and the haptic sensation provided by each actuator 30 may be attenuated and distributed throughout the coupling portion 20. Fig. 11 (b) is a simple composite signal of the plurality of actuators 30 without considering the attenuation.

In addition, the actuator 30 may be applied with an input signal of a corresponding sound source. For example, the first actuator 31 may apply an input signal corresponding to a low frequency band of a sound source, and the second actuator 32 may apply an input signal corresponding to a high frequency band of a sound source. Thus, 4 skin mechanoreceptors can be effectively stimulated by two actuators and by a stereoscopic haptic effect corresponding to the sound source.

As another example, 2 actuators continuously stimulate receptors by frequency variation of an input signal from a low frequency band to a high frequency band, so that a haptic sensation based on the frequency variation can be provided.

According to the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 of an embodiment, by adjusting the voltage, frequency, or waveform inputted to the plurality of actuators 30, respectively, it is possible to provide a tactile sensation that is simultaneously and multiply varied, which cannot be achieved by only one actuator 30 in the related art. The voltage, frequency, and waveform of the actuator 30 are further combined with the installation position and direction of the actuator 30, so that the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10[ or the connection portion 20] can be operated as a tactile sensation providing source as a whole.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of a measurement mode of the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 according to an experimental example of the present invention.

According to an experimental example, the vibration force based on the shape of the connection portion 20 and the input signal condition of the actuator 30 was measured. As shown in fig. 12 (a), (b), and (c), a connecting portion 20 formed to be long in one direction is used. Experiments were conducted on 6 types of joints 20 each having a joint 20 length of (a) 150mm, (b) 150mm, (c) 90mm, and a gap between the

actuators

31 and 32 of (a) 85.8mm, (b) 45.8mm, and (c) 25.8mm, in which the joint was in an open type and a closed type (the open type corresponds to the form of (a) in fig. 7, and the closed type corresponds to the form of (b) in fig. 6). The

actuators

31 and 32 are disposed at positions separated by (a) 20mm, (b) 40mm, and (c) 20mm from the left/right ends of the connecting portion 20, respectively.

In fig. 12 (a) and (b), P1 is the measurement point of the left region, P2-P4 are the measurement points of the middle region, and P5 is the measurement point of the right region, and in fig. 12 (c), P1 is the measurement point of the left region, P2 is the measurement point of the middle region, and P3 is the measurement point of the right region.

The input signal waveform of the actuator 30 uses a Sine wave (Sine wave) and a Rectangular wave (Rectangular wave) in the two

actuators

31, 32, and 4 kinds of input signal conditions are used in total. When the input voltage is Sine wave, different voltages, such as Sine 1V, 2V, 3V and 4V, are input. When the input voltage is a rectangular wave, different voltages, such as Rect 2V, 3V, 4V and 5V, are input. For applying the resonance frequency, 210Hz was used for the sine wave and 5Hz was used for the rectangular wave.

Fig. 13 and 14 are graphs illustrating a change in vibration with respect to the structure of the connection part 20 according to an experimental example of the present invention.

In each graph, a1 represents driving of the first actuator 31, a2 represents driving of the second actuator 32, S represents a sine wave, R represents a rectangular wave, the open type is a form in which the actuator 30 is exposed to the outside from the connection portion 20 as shown in fig. 7 (a), the closed type is a form in which the actuator 30 is depressed and inserted into the connection portion 20 as shown in fig. 6(b), 85.8mm represents a measurement form of fig. 12 (a), 45.8mm represents a measurement form of fig. 12 (b), and 25.8mm represents a measurement form of fig. 12 (c).

First, in the case of driving only one actuator, that is, applying a sine wave, a rectangular wave only in a1 or a2, it is observed that the maximum vibration intensity is shown at the corresponding position and the vibration intensity becomes lower as it becomes farther. However, the open type shows greater strength.

Referring to (a) and (b) of fig. 13, a case where a sine wave is applied or a case where a rectangular wave is applied to each of a1 and a2 is shown. It is observed from the figure that the open type has greater strength than the closed type. This is because the actuators 30 are inserted through the connecting portions 20, and therefore structurally interfere with each other less than in a depressed form, thereby exhibiting a larger force.

As shown in fig. 13 (b), when a1 and a2 are applied with a rectangular wave, the most intermediate portions P3[ fig. 12 (a), (b) ] and P2[ fig. 12 (c) ] are observed in fig. 12 (a), (b) and (c).

Referring to (a) and (b) of fig. 14, a state in which a combined waveform is applied by applying a rectangular wave or a sine wave to a1 and a2, respectively, is shown. Fig. 14 is the same as fig. 13, and a greater strength is observed for the open type than for the closed type.

Fig. 15 and 16 are graphs illustrating changes in vibration with respect to a measurement position and an interval of the actuator 30 according to an experimental example of the present invention.

First, in the case of driving only one actuator, that is, applying a sine wave, a rectangular wave only in a1 or a2, it is observed that the maximum vibration intensity is shown at the corresponding position and the vibration intensity becomes lower as it becomes farther, but the intensity of the sine wave shows more sensitive to distance than that of the rectangular wave.

Referring to (a) and (b) of fig. 15, a case where both a1 and a2 are applied with a sine wave or a state where both are applied with a rectangular wave is shown. It is observed from the figure that the open type has greater strength than the closed type.

As shown in fig. 15 (b), when rectangular waves are applied to both a1 and a2, the most intermediate portions P3[ fig. 12 (a), (b) ] and P2[ fig. 12 (c) ] are observed in the forms (a), (b) and (c) of fig. 12, respectively, and have the greatest forces. Therefore, it is known that the rectangular wave shows a higher resultant vibrational force at the center.

Referring to (a) and (b) of fig. 16, it can be seen that the places where the sine wave is applied in a1 and a2 show greater force. The closed type shows stronger linearity than the open type, which shows more sensitivity to the source position to which the sine wave is applied.

From the results of fig. 12 to 16, it is understood that the force transmitted by the open structure is increased by 40% at maximum in terms of morphology as compared with the closed structure. When the rectangular wave is synthesized, the central portion has a higher impact amount, and when the sinusoidal wave is synthesized, has an impact amount similar to a noise shape as a whole. When a sine wave and a rectangular wave are synthesized, the sine wave source has a higher impact amount, which linearly decreases with distance. Considering that the interference of the sine wave becomes large when the actuators 30 are far away from each other, the most effective positions of the first actuator 31 and the second actuator 32 are arranged near about 1/3 of the connection part 20 and at a distance of about 25-35% of the total length of the connection part 20 from the rim of the connection part 20.

According to an experimental example, after the stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus 10 was connected to the display of the smart phone, the vibration force based on the input signal condition of the actuator 30 was measured. The connection portion 20 corresponds to a back case of the smartphone, and has lateral and longitudinal lengths of about 149mm and 68 mm.

The first actuator 31 and the second actuator 32 are arranged in a diagonal direction. In fig. 17, P1, P2, and P3 are measurement points of the upper region, P4 is a measurement point of the middle region, and P5, P6, and P7 are measurement points of the lower region.

actuators

31, 32, and 4 kinds of input signal conditions are utilized in total. Sine2V was used when the input voltage was Sine wave, Rect3V was used when the input voltage was rectangular wave, 100Hz, 150Hz, 200Hz, 250Hz, or 350Hz was used for Sine wave and 5Hz, 10Hz, 15Hz, or 20Hz was used for rectangular wave for the applied resonance frequency.

Fig. 18 to 20 are graphs of sensory profiles of respective regions of a stereoscopic tactile sensation providing apparatus according to another experimental example of the present invention. FIG. 18 shows the measured data of the P1-P3 region, FIG. 19 shows the measured data of the P3-P5 region, and FIG. 20 shows the measured data of the P5-P7 region.

As the haptic change based on the frequency, feelings that can be realized in the high frequency band region are a feeble feeling and a smooth feeling, and a strong, fast, and light feeling can be recognized as being closer to the high frequency band.

In particular, as can be seen from FIGS. 18 to 20, the vibrations all show the largest impact amount among 200-250Hz in P1-P7.

The haptic sensations of the tap, as seen in P3 and P5, are more intense the closer the actuator, and the center portion appears to be sensitive to resonance.

The intensity of the soft touch is greater closer to resonance, and the intensity of the soft touch is greater from the position, the closer to the source of the tap, the softer, and the closer to the position where the vibration becomes stronger.

The closer to the sine wave source, the lower the intensity of the rough touch and shows no correlation with the resonance of the sine wave.

The intensity of the sharp haptic is greater closer to the sine wave source and greater closer to resonance, however outside this range it does not increase proportionally.

The intensity of the smooth touch becomes larger as the rectangular wave source is closer to the touch pad, and the smooth touch appears to be independent of the resonance of the sine wave.

Referring again to fig. 18, it is understood that there is no significant difference between P1-P3 when the vibration is 200Hz or more, but the feeling of softness and smoothness increases as the resonance is closer. Positionally, the rough tactile sensation is enhanced closer to P3, and the soft and rounded tactile sensation is increased closer to P1.

Referring again to FIG. 19, there was no significant difference exhibited at vibration above 200Hz in P3-P5, however, the softer the haptic sensation was enhanced the closer to the sine wave source. The tapping and rough and sharp haptics show no dependence on the sine wave.

Referring again to fig. 20, it is understood that there is no significant difference in the vibration values of 200Hz or more in P5 to P7, and that there is no significant difference in the vibration-related characteristics in all regions at 200Hz or more. Further, the tactile sensation of the tap is shown as weakest in the lower central region P6.

As can be seen from the results of fig. 17 to 20, when the vibration is applied to the display of the smart phone, the vibration shows the maximum impact amount and feeling in the range of 200-250Hz (the resonant frequency of 210 Hz). There is no significant difference in the rectangular wave shapes, but a higher impact amount is shown as the frequency increases.

As described above, the present invention can provide various tactile senses of vibration, softness, smoothness, tapping, roughness, sharpness, etc. by individually and selectively stimulating the human skin sensory receptors by driving the plurality of actuators at various frequency bands. In addition, when the plurality of actuators are driven, the tactile sensation is provided in multiple directions along the whole area through the connecting part, and different tactile sensation forms can be provided based on different areas, so that a more three-dimensional tactile sensation can be provided for a user.

As described above, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.

Claims

1. A stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of actuators arranged to be spaced apart from each other;

a connecting portion provided with a plurality of actuators and including at least three haptic regions; and

a control section that applies an operation signal to the actuator,

the control unit applies a first signal for driving the actuator to stimulate the first tactile cell at a threshold value or more and a second signal for driving the actuator to stimulate the second tactile cell at a threshold value or more,

the connecting portion provides a composite haptic sensation through the plurality of actuators.

2. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the control unit applies an operation signal for controlling at least one of a voltage, a frequency, and a waveform of the plurality of actuators.

3. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 2,

the control part is connected with the adjusting part and applies an operation signal to the actuator based on the received control signal,

the control signal is a signal that combines the generated intensities of at least two haptic sensations.

4. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 3,

the adjustment section is an application program, or an adjustment mechanism including any one of a scroll bar, a button, an equalizer,

the application or adjustment mechanism can control at least any one of the haptic type, haptic intensity, haptic region.

5. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 4,

the adjustment part controls the sense of touch in a specific tactile area of the connection part,

the tactile sensation in the specific tactile region of the connecting portion is at least any one of soft, rough, light, heavy, round, and sharp.

6. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the first tactile cells, which act as slow adaptive receptors, include Meckel cells and Luofinib corpuscles,

the second tactile cell acts as a fast-adaptation receptor, including the tactile corpuscle and the pacinian corpuscle.

7. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the first haptic cells comprise meikel cells and haptic bodies stimulated at a low frequency band of 0Hz (above 0) to 20Hz,

the second tactile cell comprises a rofenib corpuscle, a pacinian corpuscle, which is stimulated at a high frequency band of 150Hz to 250 Hz.

8. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the connecting portion provides at least two tactile sensations including vibration, softness, smoothness, tapping, roughness, and sharpness.

9. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the connecting portion is provided with a fixed guide, and the actuator is supported by the fixed guide and fixed to the connecting portion.

10. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the connecting part is provided with a slot, and the actuator is arranged and fixed in the slot.

11. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

a through hole for passing through the connection portion is formed, and the actuator is inserted into the through hole.

12. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 11,

the actuator includes a plurality of connection portions formed with through holes, and the actuator is inserted into the through holes of the plurality of connection portions.

13. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 12,

at least two of the plurality of connecting portions are composed of mutually different materials.

14. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the connecting part is separated into a plurality of unit connecting bodies,

at least two unit connectors are provided with actuators.

15. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 14,

at least one unit connector is composed of a material different from that of the remaining unit connectors.

16. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the connecting part is made of any one of plastic, metal, glass, rubber and wood.

17. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the actuator is provided on the connection portion by a connection unit including any one of a knob and an adhesive portion.

18. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

at least a part of the connecting part is connected to the object and provides a tactile sensation to the user through the object.

19. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 18,

the connecting part is connected with the object through the elastic part.

20. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

an actuator transmits haptic sensations in a first direction and a second direction opposite the first direction,

at least two actuators are disposed on the connecting portion at different angles so as to transmit tactile sensation toward mutually different directions.

21. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

the actuator is disposed at a position apart from the rim of the connecting portion by a length corresponding to 25% to 35% of the entire length of the connecting portion.

22. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1,

when the connection part is rectangular plate-shaped and the two actuators are disposed at the corners of the connection part in the diagonal direction, the vibration intensity is the greatest when the actuators are applied with a sine wave signal of 200Hz to 250Hz, and the intensity of the soft touch is greater closer to the position where the vibration intensity is greater.

23. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 22,

the closer to the actuator to which the sine wave signal is applied, the lower the intensity of the rough haptic sensation,

the intensity of the sharp haptic sensation is greater the closer the actuator is to the sine wave signal applied.

24. The stereoscopic haptic sensation providing apparatus according to claim 22,

when one of the actuators is applied with a rectangular wave signal and the remaining one is applied with a sine wave signal, the closer to the actuator to which the rectangular wave signal is applied, the greater the intensity of the round haptic sense.