阅读说明：本技术 振动装置 (Vibration device ) 是由 五味裕章 于 2020-02-25 设计创作，主要内容包括：使向人体提示基于振动的力觉的振动装置的操作简化。提供一种振动装置,该振动装置具有：基座机构；促动器,其基于被供给来的控制信号进行物理运动；滑动机构,其基于促动器的物理运动而相对于基座机构向规定方向和规定方向的相反方向进行周期性的往复滑动运动,向直接地或间接地接触到的人体的部位施加基于往复滑动运动的力；检测部,其相对于滑动机构位于规定方向,对滑动机构所包含的特定部位的位移进行检测。在此,通过从与滑动机构直接地或间接地接触的人体的部位向滑动机构施加力,特定部位能够以比往复滑动运动时的振幅大的幅度向规定方向移动,当利用检测部检测到以比往复滑动运动时的振幅大的幅度向规定方向进行了移动的特定部位时,执行针对促动器的驱动控制。(The operation of a vibration device for presenting a force sense based on vibration to a human body is simplified. Provided is a vibration device provided with: a base mechanism; an actuator that performs physical movement based on a supplied control signal; a slide mechanism that performs a periodic reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction and a direction opposite to the predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on a physical motion of the actuator, and applies a force based on the reciprocating slide motion to a part of the human body that is directly or indirectly in contact with the part; and a detection unit which is positioned in a predetermined direction with respect to the slide mechanism and detects a displacement of a specific portion included in the slide mechanism. Here, the specific portion can be moved in the predetermined direction by applying a force to the sliding mechanism from a portion of the human body directly or indirectly in contact with the sliding mechanism, the specific portion being larger than the amplitude during the reciprocating sliding motion, and when the specific portion moved in the predetermined direction by the larger amplitude than the amplitude during the reciprocating sliding motion is detected by the detection unit, the drive control for the actuator is executed.)

1. A vibration device, comprising:

a base mechanism;

an actuator that performs physical movement based on a supplied control signal;

a slide mechanism that performs a periodic reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction and a direction opposite to the predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on a physical motion of the actuator, and applies a force based on the reciprocating slide motion to a part of a human body that directly or indirectly comes into contact with;

a detection unit that is located in the predetermined direction with respect to the slide mechanism and detects a displacement of a specific portion included in the slide mechanism;

the specific portion is movable in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than an amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion by applying a force to the sliding mechanism from a portion of the human body directly or indirectly in contact with the sliding mechanism,

when the specific portion that has moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion is detected by the detection unit, drive control for the actuator is executed.

2. The vibration apparatus according to claim 1,

the actuator includes a support portion, an elastic body having one end supported by the support portion, a movable portion that reciprocates while being supported by the other end of the elastic body, and a coil that applies a force based on the control signal to the movable portion,

the sliding mechanism performs the reciprocating sliding motion based on physical movement of the movable portion,

the specific portion moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion can be returned to the reference position at least by the elastic force of the elastic body.

3. The vibration device according to claim 1 or 2,

the drive control includes control of driving and stopping of the actuator.

4. The vibration device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the drive control is executed according to the length of the duration of the time during which the detection unit detects that the specific portion has moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion.

5. The vibration device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the detection unit is a switch that detects the specific portion that has moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than an amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion by being pressed in the predetermined direction by the specific portion, or,

the detection unit is a sensor that detects the specific portion that has moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude of the reciprocating sliding motion.

6. The vibration device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the reciprocating sliding motion is a periodic asymmetric vibration,

the sliding mechanism bases the human perception on the simulated force sense of the reciprocating sliding motion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vibration device that applies vibration-based force.

Background

A vibration device has been proposed which controls an electrical actuator based on a control signal to present a force sense based on vibration to a human body (see, for example, non-patent document 1). In such a vibration device, even in a situation where the user does not want to perceive the vibration, the vibration continues while the control signal is input. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide an additional switch or the like to enable the user to freely operate the driving/stopping of the actuator.

Documents of the prior art

Non-patent document

Non-patent document 1: tomohiro Amemiya, Shinya Takamuku, Sho Ito, and Hiroaki Gomi, "Buru-Navi 3 given You a Feiling of lying Pulled", "NTT Technical Review", 11.2014, 11.11.12. volume

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the vibration device, since the sensed vibration is different depending on the gripping method, gripping at a correct position (predetermined position) is often required. However, if the switch mechanism is provided separately from the vibration mechanism for presenting the vibration to the human body, the human body such as a finger must be moved away from the predetermined position in order to operate the switch, which is troublesome in the switching operation and also troublesome in that the human body needs to be held at the predetermined position again. Such a problem is not limited to a switch for operating the driving/stopping of the actuator, but is common to a case where an operation unit for performing some operation input from the user side is separately provided.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to simplify an operation input from a user side in a vibration device that presents a force sense based on vibration to a human body.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vibration device including: a base mechanism; an actuator that performs physical movement based on a supplied control signal; a slide mechanism that performs a periodic reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction and a direction opposite to the predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on a physical motion of the actuator, and applies a force based on the reciprocating slide motion to a part of a human body that directly or indirectly comes into contact with; and a detection unit that is located in the predetermined direction with respect to the slide mechanism and detects a displacement of a specific portion included in the slide mechanism. Here, the specific portion is movable in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion by applying a force to the sliding mechanism from a portion of the human body directly or indirectly in contact with the sliding mechanism, and when the specific portion moved in the predetermined direction by the larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion is detected by the detection unit, the drive control for the actuator is executed.

Effects of the invention

In the present invention, a slide mechanism that applies a force based on a reciprocating slide motion to a human body is used as a mechanism for operating drive control for an actuator. This can simplify the operation of the vibration device for presenting the force sense by vibration to the human body.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a simulated force sensation presentation device according to a first embodiment.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the simulated force sensation presentation device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3A is a top perspective view illustrating the structure of the vibration device of the first embodiment. Fig. 3B is a front perspective view illustrating the structure of the vibration device of the first embodiment.

Fig. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating a structure of an actuator according to the first embodiment. Fig. 4A and 4B show a schematic cross section of the actuator 3A-3A according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vibration device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams for explaining a use state of the vibration device according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 7A is a top perspective view illustrating the structure of the vibration device of the second embodiment. Fig. 7B is a front perspective view illustrating the structure of the vibration device of the second embodiment. Fig. 7C is a left perspective view illustrating the structure of the vibration device of the second embodiment.

Fig. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams for explaining a use state of the vibration device according to the second embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a top perspective view illustrating the structure of the vibration device of the third embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[ first embodiment ]

First, the first embodiment will be explained.

The structure of the vibration device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 5. As illustrated in fig. 1 to 5, the vibration device 1 of the present embodiment includes a base 401, an actuator 102-i (where i is 1, 3), plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1, coupling portions 1041-1, 1042-1, a fixing portion 4045-1, a coupling portion 2045-3, a base 409, a connecting portion 403, a contact portion 408, a switch 101 (detection portion), and a control portion 103. The actuator 102-i (i ═ 1, 3) includes a support part 1026-i, a movable part 1025-i, a coupling part 102ea-i, and a coupling part 102 eb-i.

The mechanism including (e.g., the mechanism constituted by) the base 401, the pedestal 409, and the support parts 1026-1, 1026-3 corresponds to "a base mechanism". A mechanism including (for example, a mechanism constituted by) the movable portion 1025-i, the coupling portions 102ea-i, 102eb-i (where i is 1, 3), the plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1, the fixing portion 4045-1, the coupling portions 2045-3, the connecting portion 403, and the contact portion 408 corresponds to a "slide mechanism". The "slide mechanism" performs a periodical reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction (direction XB4 in fig. 5) and a direction opposite to the predetermined direction (direction XA 4) with respect to the base mechanism based on the physical movement of the actuator 102-i, and applies a force based on the reciprocating slide motion to a part of the human body which is in direct or indirect contact with the part. The sliding mechanism of the present embodiment performs periodic asymmetric vibration to make human body feel a pseudo-force sensation based on the reciprocating sliding motion. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention.

< base 401 >

The base 401 is a plate-like member made of synthetic resin such as ABS resin or the like. An example of the base 401 is an electronic circuit substrate on which electronic devices are mounted (for example, a circuit substrate of a smartphone terminal apparatus). The bottom surface side of the actuator 102-1 (the bottom surface side of the support portion 1026-1) and the one plate surface 409a of the plate-shaped base 409 are fixed to the one plate surface 401b side of the base 401. The bottom surface side of the actuator 102-3 (the bottom surface side of the support part 1026-3) is fixed to the other plate surface 409b of the base 409. The length of the fixed actuator 102-1 is angled approximately 90 to the length of the actuator 102-3. The longitudinal direction of the actuator 102-1 is arranged along one side of the base 401, the longitudinal direction of the actuator 102-3 is substantially orthogonal to the one side, and the center portion of the actuator 102-1 is arranged at a position where the actuator 102-3 extends in the longitudinal direction.

< actuator 102-i >)

The actuator 102-i (where i is 1, 3) includes a support part 1026-i, a movable part 1025-i that vibrates asymmetrically with respect to the support part 1026-i, a rod-like coupling part 102eb-i that is connected to or integrally formed with one longitudinal end of the movable part 1025-i and extends in the longitudinal direction, and a coupling part 102ea-i that is connected to or integrally formed with the other longitudinal end of the movable part 1025-i and extends in the longitudinal direction.

The actuator 102-i performs physical movement based on the supplied control signal. The structure of the actuator 102-i has been disclosed, for example, in reference 1(WO2017/183537 publication) and the like. As illustrated in fig. 4A and 4B, the actuator 102-i is an electrical actuator that performs physical movement based on a control signal supplied thereto.

As illustrated in fig. 5, the movable portion 1025-i can vibrate asymmetrically with respect to the support portion 1026-i along the D-i axis passing through the connection portions 102ea-i and 102eb-i in a state of being supported by the support portion 1026-i. The vibration directions (axial directions of the D-i axes) of these asymmetric vibrations are all substantially parallel to the plate surface 401b of the base 401, and the angle formed by the D-1 axis and the D-2 axis is substantially 90 °.

< connecting parts 1041-1, 1042-1 >)

The coupling portions 1041-1 and 1042-1 are columnar rigid bodies or members that can be regarded as rigid bodies. The coupling portions 1041-1 and 1042-1 are made of, for example, a synthetic resin. The other end side of the coupling portion 102ea-1 disposed outside the support portion 1026-1 supports the side surface of the one end side of the coupling portion 1042-1. The other end side of the coupling portion 102eb-1 disposed outside the support portion 1026-1 supports the side surface of the one end side of the coupling portion 1041-1. The coupling portion 1041-1 is disposed outward of one end side in the longitudinal direction of the actuator 102-1, and the coupling portion 1042-1 is disposed outward of the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the actuator 102-1.

< leaf spring parts 1043-1, 1044-1 and fixing part 4045-1 >

The plate spring portions 1043-1 and 1044-1 are plate-shaped springs made of synthetic resin. One ends of the plate spring portions 1043-1 and 1044-1 are supported by the coupling portions 1041-1 and 1042-1, respectively. The other ends of the plate spring portions 1043-1 and 1044-1 are supported by the fixing portion 4045-1. The fixing portion 4045-1 is a plate-like member having a columnar projection 4045 a-1. The fixing portion 4045-1 may be made of, for example, a synthetic resin. The projection 4045a-1 is provided on the outer side of the fixing portion 4045-1 (on the opposite side to the actuator 102-1 side). Plate spring portion 1043-1 and plate spring portion 1044-1 are arranged in parallel in the direction along the axis D-1, and fixing portion 4045-1 is arranged between plate spring portion 1043-1 and plate spring portion 1044-1.

< connecting part 2045-3 >

The connecting portion 2045-3 is a substantially G-shaped member made of synthetic resin or the like. The other end side of the connecting portion 102ea-3 disposed outside the support portion 1026-3 of the actuator 102-3 supports the one end 2045b-3 of the connecting portion 2045-3. The other end side of the coupling portion 102eb-3 disposed outside the support portion 1026-3 supports the other end 2045c-3 of the coupling portion 2045-3. The one end 2045b-3 and the other end 2045c-3 of the connecting portion 2045-3, and the axes of the connecting portions 102ea-3 and 102eb-3 are arranged along the D-2 axis. On the other end 2045c-3 side of the connecting portion 2045-3, a support portion 2045a-3 having an insertion hole 2045aa-3 is provided. The angle formed by the axis of the central axis of insertion hole 2045aa-3 and the D-1 axis and the angle formed by the axis of the central axis of insertion hole 2045aa-3 and the D-2 axis are both substantially 90 degrees. When the actuator 102-3 is driven, the connecting portion 2045-3 performs asymmetric vibration along the D-2 axis with respect to the base portion 201.

< connecting portion 403 and contact portion 408 >

The connection portion 403 is a plate-like member made of synthetic resin or the like, and the contact portion 408 is a disk-like member made of synthetic resin or the like. A columnar rotating shaft 4031 is provided on one plate surface 4033 side at one end of the connecting portion 403. The other end of the connection portion 403 is provided with a through hole 4034 penetrating between the plate surface 4033 and the plate surface 4032 as the rear surface thereof. The opening end of the through hole 4034 is circular, and the inner diameter of the through hole 4034 may be substantially the same as or larger than the outer diameter of the end face of the projection 4045 a-1. A cylindrical protrusion 4081 having a cylindrical shape with an open distal end is provided at the center of the contact portion 408 on the one plate surface 408b side. The axial direction of the cylindrical protrusion 4081 is substantially orthogonal to the plate surface 408 b. The outer diameter of the cylindrical projection 4081 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the through hole 4034, and the inner diameter of the cylindrical projection 4081 is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the end face of the projection 4045 a-1.

The connection portion 403 is disposed such that the plate surface 4033 side faces the plate surface 409b side of the base 409 (the plate surface 401b side of the base 401). The rotation shaft 4031 of the connection portion 403 is rotatably supported by the insertion hole 2045 aa-3. Projection 4045a-1 of fixing portion 4045-1 is inserted from plate surface 4033 side into through hole 4034 of connection portion 403. Cylindrical protrusion 4081 of contact portion 408 is inserted from plate surface 4032 side into through hole 4034 of connection portion 403. Further, a projection 4045a-1 penetrating through the through hole 4034 is inserted and fixed to the inner wall surface side of the cylindrical projection 4081. Thereby, the other end of the connecting portion 403 and the contact portion 408 are attached to the fixing portion 4045-1.

< switch 101 >

A switch 101 having a pressing portion 101a is fixed to the plate surface 409b side of the base 409. The switch 101 of the present embodiment is located in the XB4 direction (fig. 5: predetermined direction) with respect to the slide mechanism including the movable portion 1025-3, the coupling portions 102ea-3, 102eb-3, the coupling portion 2045-3, the coupling portion 403, and the contact portion 408, and detects the displacement of the support portion 2045a-3 (specific portion) included in the slide mechanism by detecting that the pressing portion 101a is pressed (in the present embodiment, pressed) in the XB4 direction. That is, the switch 101 is disposed such that the pressing portion 101a faces the pressing portion 101a side. The pressing portion 101a does not contact the supporting portion 2045a-3 in a state where the movable portion 1025-i of the actuator 102-i is stopped and the elastic forces from the springs 1022-i and 1023-i are balanced with each other, and in a state where the slide mechanism performs a periodic reciprocating slide motion in the XB4 direction (predetermined direction) and the XA4 direction (opposite direction to the predetermined direction) with respect to the base mechanism based on the physical motion of the actuator as described later. On the other hand, when the supporting portion 2045a-3 reaches the pressing portion 101a and presses the pressing portion 101a in the XB4 direction, a pressing signal indicating this (i.e., a signal indicating that the pressing portion 101a is in a pressed state) is transmitted to the control portion 103, and drive control is performed on the actuator 102-i, which will be described later. For example, the switch 101 is arranged at a position where the signal line is short-circuited and the switch is turned on when the pressing distance of the pressing portion 101a in the XB4 direction exceeds a threshold value. Examples of the switch 101 are a push switch such as a tactile switch.

< control part 103 >

The control unit 103 is attached to the surface 401a of the base 401. The control unit 103 is a device that performs drive control of the actuator 102-i in response to the depression signal sent from the switch 101. The control unit 103 may be configured by only an electronic circuit, or may be configured by reading a predetermined program into a cpu (central processing unit). The control unit 103 is electrically connected to the switch 101 and the actuator 102-i. For example, a signal line of the switch 101 is electrically connected to a digital interface port of the control unit 103, and a signal line of the control unit 103 is electrically connected to the coil 1024-i of the actuator 102-i. The control unit 103 is also electrically connected to a power supply, not shown. The drive control of the actuator 102-i by the control unit 103 may be control in a drive mode of driving (starting) and stopping (closing) the actuator 102-i, or may be control in another drive mode of the actuator 102-i. Examples of the control in the other drive modes include control of the magnitude of a control signal (current or voltage) supplied to the coil 1024-i of the actuator 102-i, control of the type of the waveform of the control signal, and switching control of the actuator 102-i to which the control signal is supplied. The control unit 103 performs drive control in accordance with the state of the press signal from the switch 101. For example, the control unit 103 may switch between driving and stopping of the actuator 102-i (supplying and stopping of the control signal to the coil 1024-i) each time the push signal is detected, or may measure the duration of the detected push signal and perform drive control according to the length of the duration of the push signal. That is, the drive control may be executed according to the length of the duration of the time in which the switch 101 (detection unit) detects that the support 2045a-3 (specific portion) has moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude of the reciprocating sliding motion. For example, the control unit 103 may set a drive mode (a mode in which a control signal is supplied to the coil 1024-i) for driving the actuator 102-i when the pressing unit 101a is pressed for a short time and the duration of the detected pressing signal is equal to or less than a threshold value, and set a drive mode (a mode in which a control signal is not supplied to the coil 1024-i) for stopping the actuator 102-i when the pressing unit 101a is pressed for a long time and the duration of the detected pressing signal exceeds the threshold value. Alternatively, three or more drive modes as exemplified above may be set in advance, and the control unit 103 may switch the drive modes in accordance with the duration of the press signal.

< action >

The operation of the vibration device 1 will be described with reference to fig. 5 and 6. The user holds the vibration device 1 in a state where the palm of the user's body 1000 is in contact with the other plate surface 408a of the contact portion 408, or in a state where a cloth or the like is sandwiched between the body and the plate surface 408a (fig. 6A). The slide mechanism (mechanism including the movable portion 1025-i, the coupling portions 102ea-i, 102eb-i, the leaf spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1, the fixing portion 4045-1, the coupling portion 2045-3, the connecting portion 403, and the contact portion 408) performs a periodic reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction (XB4 direction, YB4 direction) and a direction opposite to the predetermined direction (XA4 direction, YA4 direction) with respect to the base mechanism (mechanism including the base 401, the base 409, the support portions 1026-1, 1026-3) based on the physical motion of the actuator-i, and applies a force based on the reciprocating slide motion to a portion of the human body 1000 directly or indirectly in contact with the contact portion 408. The following description will be made in detail.

When the actuator 102-3 is driven, the movable unit 1025-3, the connection units 102ea-3, 102eb-3, and the connection unit 2045-3 vibrate asymmetrically (slide-back) along the D-2 axis in the XA4-XB4 direction. Accordingly, a force in the direction along the D-2 axis is applied to the connecting portion 403 supported by the connecting portion 2045-3, and a force in the direction along the D-2 axis is also applied to the contact portion 408 supported by the connecting portion 403. Thus, the contact portion 408 performs asymmetric vibration (reciprocating sliding motion) together with the movable portion 1025-3, the coupling portions 102ea-3, 102eb-3, and the coupling portion 2045-3. As a result, a force based on the asymmetric vibration is applied to a part of the human body that directly or indirectly contacts the contact portion 408. The force in the direction of the D-2 axis applied to the contact portion 408 is applied to the plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1 and the fixing portion 4045-1. Thereby, the plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1 are elastically deformed (flexed) in the direction along the D-2 axis. This can suppress the actuator 102-1 from interfering with the asymmetrical vibration of the contact portion 408 along the D-2 axis, and can efficiently present a pseudo force sensation from the contact portion 408 supported by the connection portion 403. As described above, during this reciprocating sliding motion, the support portions 2045a-3 do not contact the pressing portion 101a of the switch 101.

On the other hand, when the actuator 102-1 is driven, the movable unit 1025-1 and the coupling units 102ea-1, 102eb-1, 1041-1, and 1042-1 vibrate asymmetrically (slide reciprocally) along the D-1 axis in the YA4-YB4 direction. Accordingly, a force in the direction along the D-1 axis is applied to the plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1 and the fixing portion 4045-1 supported by the coupling portions 1041-1, 1042-1. Thus, the plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1 vibrate asymmetrically (slide back and forth) along the D-1 axis in the YA4-YB4 direction together with the movable portion 1025-1 and the coupling portions 102ea-1, 102eb-1, 1041-1, 1042-1. The plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1 to which a force in the direction along the D-1 axis is applied from the coupling portions 1041-1, 1042-1 apply a force in the direction along the D-1 axis to the fixing portion 4045-1. The fixing portion 4045-1 applies a force in this direction to the connecting portion 403 and the contact portion 408. Thus, connecting portion 403 and contact portion 408 perform periodic asymmetric rotational motion (asymmetric rotational motion about rotation axis 4031 substantially orthogonal to the D-1 axis and D-2 axis) about insertion hole 2045aa-3 of support portion 2045a-3 of connecting portion 2045-3. Thereby, a force based on the asymmetric rotational motion is applied to a part of the human body which is in direct or indirect contact with the contact portion 408. Further, it is possible to suppress the actuator 102-3 from interfering with the asymmetrical vibration of the contact portion 408 along the D-1 axis, and to efficiently apply the pseudo force sensation to the portion of the human body that is in direct or indirect contact with the contact portion 408. During this reciprocating sliding movement, the support portions 2045a-3 do not contact the pressing portion 101a of the switch 101.

The same applies to the case where the actuators 102-1 and 102-3 are driven simultaneously.

Further, as illustrated in fig. 6B, by applying a force in the D-21 direction to the contact portion 408 (sliding mechanism) from a portion of the human body 1000 directly or indirectly in contact with the contact portion 408, the support portion 2045a-3 (specific portion of the sliding mechanism) can move in the D-22 direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the above-described reciprocating sliding motion. When the support 2045a-3 thus moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude during the reciprocating sliding motion reaches the pressing portion 101a of the switch 101 and presses the pressing portion 101a in the D-22 direction (when the detection portion detects the support 2045a-3 moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude during the reciprocating sliding motion), a pressing signal indicating this is sent to the control portion 103, and the control portion 103 executes the above-described drive control for the actuator 102-i. Note that the user can perform this operation regardless of whether or not a control signal is supplied to the actuator 102-i (whether or not the actuator 102-i is driven). The user can perform this operation without detaching or changing his/her hand from the vibration device 1, and the convenience of operation is high.

As described above, the slide mechanism (mechanism including the movable portion 1025-3, the coupling portions 102ea-3, 102eb-3, the coupling portion 2045-3, the coupling portion 403, and the contact portion 408) of the present embodiment performs the reciprocating slide movement with respect to the base mechanism (mechanism including the base 401, the base 409, and the support portion 1026-3) based on the physical movement of the movable portion 1025-3 of the actuator 102-3. Here, the movable portion 1025-3 is supported by the support portion 1026-3 via springs 1022-3 and 1023-3. Therefore, the support portions 2045a-3 (specific portions of the sliding mechanism) which have moved in a predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion can be returned to the reference position (position where the support portions 2045a-3 do not contact the pressing portion 101a of the switch 101) at least by the elastic force of the springs 1022-3, 1023-3 (elastic bodies). The support portions 2045a-3 are also allowed to return to the reference positions by the elastic force of the plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1 via the connection portions 403. Accordingly, the support portions 2045a-3 are separated from the pressing portion 101a of the switch 101 only by reducing the force in the D-21 direction applied from the human body 1000 to the contact portion 408 (for example, only by separating the human body 1000 from the contact portion 408). It is not necessary to return the support portions 2045a-3 to the reference position by a force in the direction opposite to the direction of D-21 from the human body 1000, and therefore the operability is good.

[ second embodiment ]

A second embodiment will be explained. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the structure of the contact portion. The other is the same as the first embodiment. Hereinafter, differences from the embodiments described above will be mainly described, and the same portions will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

The structure of the vibration device 2 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 7A to 7C and 8. As illustrated in fig. 7A to 7C and 8, the vibration device 2 of the present embodiment includes a base 401, an actuator 102-i (where i is 1, 3), plate spring portions 1043-1, 1044-1, coupling portions 1041-1, 1042-1, a fixing portion 4045-1, a coupling portion 2045-3, a base 409, a connecting portion 403, a contact portion 508, a switch 101, and a control portion 103. The actuator 102-i (i ═ 1, 3) includes a support part 1026-i, a movable part 1025-i, a coupling part 102ea-i, and a coupling part 102 eb-i.

The contact portion 508 is a rigid body or a member that can be regarded as a rigid body. The contact portion 508 includes a first region 5081 disposed on the side of the one plate surface 401b of the base 401, a second region 5082 supported by one end of the first region 5081, and a third region 5083 supported by the other end of the second region 5082 and disposed on the side of the other surface 401a of the base 401 (the side of the other surface of the base mechanism). Each of the first region 5081, the second region 5082, and the third region 5083 has a substantially plate shape. In this embodiment, the substantially plate-like portion of the first region 5081 is disposed substantially parallel to the substantially plate-like portion of the third region 5083, and the substantially plate-like portion of the second region 5082 is substantially perpendicular thereto. The first region 5081 has a cylindrical projection 4081 described in the first embodiment provided at the center of the first region 5081 on the side of the one plate surface 5081 b. The connection portion 403 is disposed such that the plate surface 4033 side faces the plate surface 409b side of the base 409. The rotation shaft 4031 of the connection portion 403 is rotatably supported by the insertion hole 2045 aa-3. Projection 4045a-1 of fixing portion 4045-1 is inserted from plate surface 4033 side into through hole 4034 of connection portion 403. Cylindrical protrusion 4081 of contact portion 508 is inserted from plate surface 4032 side into through hole 4034 of connection portion 403. Further, a projection 4045a-1 penetrating through the through hole 4034 is inserted and fixed to the inner wall surface side of the cylindrical projection 4081. Thus, first region 5081 is supported by fixing portion 4045-1. Further, at least a part of the mechanism including the base 409 and the support parts 1026-1 and 1026-3, at least a part of the mechanism including the movable part 1025-1 and the connection parts 102ea-1, 102eb-1, 1041-1 and 1042-1, and at least a part of the mechanism including the spring parts 1043-1 and 1044-1 and the fixing part 4045-1 are disposed between the first region 5081 and the third region 5083.

As illustrated in fig. 8A, the user supports the mechanism (base mechanism) side including the base 409 and the support portions 1026-1 and 1026-3 with the palm of the human body 1000, and grips the mechanism so as to sandwich the outer plate surface 5081a of the first region 5081 and the outer plate surface 5083a of the third region 5083 of the contact portion 508.

Further, as illustrated in fig. 8B, by applying a force in the D-21 direction to the contact portion 508 (sliding mechanism) from a portion of the human body 1000 directly or indirectly in contact with the contact portion 508, the support portion 2045a-3 (specific portion of the sliding mechanism) can move in the D-22 direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the above-described reciprocating sliding motion. When the support 2045a-3 thus moved in the D-22 direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude during the reciprocating sliding motion reaches the pressing portion 101a of the switch 101 and presses down the pressing portion 101a in the D-22 direction (when the detection portion detects the support moved in the predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude during the reciprocating sliding motion), a pressing signal indicating this is sent to the control portion 103, and the control portion 103 executes the above-described drive control for the actuator 102-i.

[ third embodiment ]

In the first and second embodiments, instead of the switch 101, a sensor that detects the support 2045a-3 (a specific portion included in the sliding mechanism) that has moved in the XB4 direction (predetermined direction) by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion may be used as the "detection portion".

For example, in the vibration device 3 illustrated in fig. 9, the switch 101 of the vibration device 2 according to the second embodiment is replaced with a sensor 301 (detection unit). The others are the same as the vibration device 2. Sensor 301 is a sensor for detecting that support portion 2045a-3 has reached position P. As the sensor 301, a laser displacement sensor, an LED sensor, a magnetic position sensor, or the like can be used. The support portions 2045a-3 do not reach the position P in a state where the movable portion 1025-i of the actuator 102-i is stopped and the elastic forces from the springs 1022-i and 1023-i are balanced with each other, and in a state where the slide mechanism performs a periodic reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction and in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on the physical motion of the actuator as described later. On the other hand, as illustrated in fig. 8B, when a force in the D-21 direction is applied from the human body 1000 to the contact portion 408 (sliding mechanism) and the support portion 2045a-3 (specific portion of the sliding mechanism) moves in the D-22 direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion, the support portion 2045a-3 can reach the position P. The fact that support 2045a-3 has reached position P (the fact that support 2045a-3 has moved in a predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude of the reciprocating sliding motion) is detected by sensor 301, and a detection signal indicating this fact is sent to control unit 103. The control unit 103 performs the drive control of the actuator 102-i in accordance with the detection signal instead of the push signal of the first embodiment. The other points are the same as those of the first and second embodiments.

[ other modifications, etc. ]

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the first to third embodiments, the vibration devices 1 to 3 present the user with the pseudo-force sensation, but the vibration devices 1 to 3 may present the user with a force sensation other than the pseudo-force sensation. The reciprocating sliding motion may be the aforementioned asymmetric vibration or symmetric vibration.

In the third embodiment, the sensor 301 detects that the support 2045a-3 (the specific portion included in the sliding mechanism) has reached the specific position P, and thereby detects the support 2045a-3 that has moved in the XB4 direction (the predetermined direction) by a larger amplitude than the amplitude of the reciprocating sliding motion, and this sensor 301 is used as the "detecting unit". However, as long as support portions 2045a-3 that have moved in the XB4 direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of reciprocating sliding motion can be detected, various sensors may be used as "detection portions". For example, a sensor for detecting the position of a portion other than support portions 2045a-3 included in the slide mechanism may be used as the "detection portion", or a sensor for detecting the distance from a specific portion included in the slide mechanism may be used as the "detection portion". Alternatively, a sensor that detects the intensity of the magnetic field from the permanent magnet attached to the slide mechanism may be used as the "detection unit".

In the first to third embodiments, the vibration device has only one detection unit, but the vibration device may have a plurality of detection units (for example, switches, sensors, and the like). In this case, the user applies a force in each direction to the slide mechanism, whereby each specific portion of the slide mechanism is displaced in each direction, and a part or all of the detection unit detects the displacement of each specific portion. By applying a force to the sliding mechanism from a part of the human body that is in direct or indirect contact with the sliding mechanism, each specific part can move in each direction with a larger amplitude than that during the reciprocating sliding motion. When each specific portion that has moved in each direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating sliding motion is detected by each detection unit, each drive control for the actuator is executed in accordance with the state detected by each detection unit. For example, the vibration device may have: a base mechanism; a first actuator that performs physical movement based on the supplied first control signal; a second actuator that performs physical movement based on the supplied second control signal; a slide mechanism that performs a first reciprocating slide motion periodically in a direction opposite to the first predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on a physical motion of the first actuator, applies a force based on the first reciprocating slide motion to a part of the human body that is directly or indirectly in contact with the part, and performs a second reciprocating slide motion periodically in a direction opposite to the second predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on a physical motion of the second actuator, and applies a force based on the second reciprocating slide motion to the human body; a first detection unit that is located in a first predetermined direction with respect to the slide mechanism and detects a displacement of a first specific portion included in the slide mechanism; and a second detection unit which is located in a second predetermined direction with respect to the slide mechanism and detects a displacement of a second specific portion included in the slide mechanism. The first predetermined direction is different from the second predetermined direction, and the first predetermined direction is substantially orthogonal to the second predetermined direction, for example. By applying a force to the sliding mechanism from a part of the human body that is in direct or indirect contact with the sliding mechanism, the first specific part can move in the first predetermined direction with a larger amplitude than that at the time of the first reciprocating sliding motion. When a first specific portion that has moved in a first predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the first reciprocating sliding motion is detected by the first detection unit, drive control is performed for the first actuator and/or the second actuator. The second specific portion can move in the second predetermined direction by applying a force to the sliding mechanism from a portion of the human body that directly or indirectly contacts the sliding mechanism, with a magnitude larger than the amplitude at the time of the second reciprocating sliding motion. When a second specific portion that has moved in a second predetermined direction by a larger amplitude than the amplitude at the time of the second reciprocating sliding motion is detected by the second detection unit, drive control is performed for the first actuator and/or the second actuator.

The various processes described above may be executed not only in time series according to the description, but also in parallel or individually according to the processing capability or need of the apparatus that executes the processes. It is needless to say that the present invention can be appropriately modified within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

The control unit 103 is configured to execute a predetermined program by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer including a processor (hardware processor) such as a cpu (central processing unit) and a memory such as a RAM (random-access memory) or a ROM (read-only memory). The computer may have one processor and one memory, or may have a plurality of processors and memories. The program may be installed in a computer or may be stored in advance in a ROM or the like. Instead of an electronic circuit (circuit) configured to read a program and implement a function, such as a CPU, a part or all of the processing unit may be configured using an electronic circuit that implements a processing function without a program. The electronic circuit constituting one device may include a plurality of CPUs.

When the control unit 103 is implemented by a computer, the processing contents of the functions to be provided by the control unit 103 are described by a program. By executing the program with a computer, the processing function of the control unit 103 is realized on the computer. The program describing the processing content can be recorded in advance in a computer-readable recording medium. An example of the recording medium readable by the computer is a non-transitory (non-transitory) recording medium. Examples of such recording media are magnetic recording devices, optical disks, magneto-optical recording media, semiconductor memories, and the like.

The program is distributed by, for example, selling, transferring, lending, etc. portable recording media such as DVDs and CD-ROMs on which the program is recorded. Further, the program may be stored in a storage device of the server computer in advance, and the program may be distributed by transferring the program from the server computer to another computer via a network.

The program computer executing the program temporarily stores, for example, a program recorded in a portable recording medium or a program transferred from a server computer in its own storage device. When executing the processing, the computer reads a program stored in its own storage device and executes the processing in accordance with the read program. As another execution mode of the program, the computer may directly read the program from the portable recording medium and execute the processing according to the program, or the computer may sequentially execute the processing according to the received program each time the program is transferred from the server computer to the computer. Instead of transmitting a program from the server computer to the computer, the above-described processing may be executed by a so-called asp (application Service provider) type Service that realizes a processing function only by the execution instruction and the result acquisition.

Instead of executing a predetermined program on a computer to realize the processing functions of the control unit 103, at least a part of the processing functions may be realized by hardware.

Description of the reference numerals

1 to 3 vibration device

401 base (base mechanism)

409 pedestal (base mechanism)

1026-1, 1026-3 support (base mechanism)

102-i actuator

1025-i Movable part (sliding mechanism)

102ea-i, 102eb-i junction (sliding mechanism)

1043-1, 1044-1 plate spring part (sliding mechanism)

4045-1 fixed part (sliding mechanism)

2045-3 linking part (sliding mechanism)

403 connecting part (sliding mechanism)

408. 508 contact part (sliding mechanism)

101 switch (detecting part)

301 sensor (detecting part)