JP6953093B2 - Tactile presentation device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tactile presenting device that presents a tactile sensation obtained when pressing the surface of an object, and more particularly to a tactile presenting device that presents a desired tactile sensation using a ferrofluid.

For example, the tactile presentation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an accommodating body accommodating a magnetic viscous fluid and an electromagnet, and applies a magnetic field to the magnetic viscous fluid by the electromagnet to present a desired tactile sensation. The yoke of the electromagnet (referred to as the "main yoke" in the same document) faces each other at a position where both ends are far apart from each other, and an accommodating body that serves as a tactile sensation is installed between them.

In the tactile presentation device disclosed in the same document, since a magnetic material (referred to as "relay yoke" in the same document) is provided between both ends of the yoke, both ends of the yoke are greatly separated. Also, a magnetic field of sufficient strength can be applied to the ferrofluid, and a desired tactile sensation can be presented.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-173774

By the way, although it is not as far apart as the two ends of the yoke of Patent Document 1, a magnetic viscous fluid accommodating body is installed between both ends of the yoke which are separated to some extent without interposing a magnetic material. There is a desire to present the desired tactile sensation. However, in this case, it is necessary to considerably increase the magnetomotive force of the electromagnet, which causes a problem of consuming a large amount of electric power.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above problems, and even if the accommodating body accommodating the ferrofluid is sandwiched between both ends of the yoke at a certain distance, the tactile presenting device is installed. The purpose is to be able to efficiently present a desired tactile sensation while suppressing power consumption.

The tactile presentation device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an accommodating body that accommodates a ferrofluid and is deformed by being pressed, a yoke having opposite end portions, a coil wound around the yoke, and the like. The housing is installed so as to be sandwiched between both ends of the yoke, and the yoke is installed between the coil-wound portion and the end portion from the coil side. It is characterized by having a cross-sectional area decreasing portion in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the end side.

According to the tactile presentation device having such a configuration, it is possible to efficiently form a magnetic path penetrating the magnetic viscous fluid by increasing the magnetic flux density in the cross-sectional area reduction portion. That is, even if the accommodating body accommodating the ferrofluid is a tactile presenting device installed by being sandwiched between both ends of a yoke separated to some extent, the desired tactile sensation is efficiently performed while suppressing power consumption. Is more likely to be presented.

In the tactile presentation device having the above configuration, the cross-sectional area reduction portion may be one in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases up to the end portion of the yoke.

In the tactile presentation device having the above configuration, only a part of the housing may be interposed between both ends of the yoke.

According to the tactile presentation device having such a configuration, the desired tactile sensation can be presented over the entire housing by interposing only a part of the housing between both ends of the yoke.

Further, the tactile presentation device according to another aspect of the present invention is wound around the yoke, a yoke having both ends facing each other, and an accommodating body that houses a ferrofluid and is deformed by being pressed. The accommodating body is installed so as to be sandwiched between both ends of the yoke, and only a part of the accommodating body is interposed between both ends of the yoke. It is characterized by being.

According to the tactile presentation device having such a configuration, the desired tactile sensation can be presented over the entire housing by interposing only a part of the housing between both ends of the yoke.

According to the tactile presentation device according to the present invention, even if the housing is sandwiched between both ends of the yoke separated to some extent, the desired tactile sensation is efficiently presented while suppressing power consumption. The possibility of being able to do it increases.

It is a top view which shows the tactile presentation device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a front view which shows the tactile presentation device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a right side view which shows the tactile presentation device which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. It is a perspective view of a yoke.

Hereinafter, the tactile presentation device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the tactile presentation device 1 includes an accommodating body 2, a ferrofluid 3, a yoke 4, a coil 5, a power feeding device 6, and the like. In FIGS. 2 to 5, the power feeding device is not shown.

The accommodating body 2 accommodates the ferrofluid 3 inside, and is sandwiched between both end portions 4a and 4b of the yoke 4, which will be described later. The housing 2 is deformed by being pressed by the user's hand, finger, or the like. In the present embodiment, the housing body 2 is constructed by using a thin rubber material, and the shape of the housing body 2 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped in a state where it is not pressed.

Both ends 4a and 4b of the yoke 4 face each other, and a part (central portion) of the housing 2 is interposed between the both ends 4a and 4b. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, both end portions 4a and 4b of the yoke form flat surfaces parallel to each other. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the yoke 4 has a substantially U-shaped or substantially C-shaped vertical cross-sectional shape. The ratio of a part of the accommodating portion 2 to the entire accommodating portion 2 is not limited to a specific numerical value, but can be, for example, 50% or less, 30% or less, or 10% or less.

A coil 5 is wound around the middle portion of the yoke 4 via a bobbin 7. A cross-sectional area reduction portion 4c (a portion painted in gray in FIGS. 1 and 6) is formed between a portion of the yoke 4 around which the coil 5 is wound and both end portions 4a and 4b of the yoke 4. In this cross-sectional area reduction portion 4c, the cross-sectional area gradually decreases from the coil side toward the end portions 4a and 4b. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the cross-sectional area reduction portion 4c is formed from the middle portion of the yoke 4 to the end portions 4a and 4b. In the cross-sectional area reduction portion 4c illustrated in the drawing, only the width direction dimension gradually decreases toward the yoke end portions 4a and 4b in a tapered shape, and the thickness direction dimension becomes constant.

The power feeding device 6 has a function of controlling the current value supplied to the coil 5. In the present embodiment, the power feeding device 6 can supply either a constant current value or a fluctuating current value to the coil 5. As an example of the fluctuating current value, the one in which the time change of the current value becomes a rectangular wave can be mentioned as an example.

The magnetic viscous fluid 3 is a liquid in which magnetic particles are dispersed in a dispersion medium, and in particular, a liquid in which the magnetic particles are composed of nano-sized metal particles (metal nanoparticles) can be used. The magnetic particles are made of a magnetizable metal material, and the metal material is not particularly limited, but a soft magnetic material is preferable. Examples of the soft magnetic material include alloys such as iron, cobalt, nickel and permalloy. The dispersion medium is not particularly limited, but hydrophobic silicone oil can be mentioned as an example. The blending amount of the magnetic particles in the magnetically viscous fluid may be, for example, 3 to 40 vol%. It is also possible to add various additives to the ferrofluid in order to obtain various desired properties.

In the tactile presentation device 1 having the above configuration, when the power feeding device 6 supplies a current to the coil 5, a magnetic path is formed along the direction indicated by the arrow P, as shown in FIG. As a result, a magnetic field is applied to the ferrofluid 3 in the housing 2 interposed between the both ends 4a and 4b of the yoke 4. At this time, since the magnetic flux density is increased in the cross-sectional area reduction portion 4c of the yoke 4, a magnetic path penetrating the magnetic viscous fluid 3 is efficiently formed. That is, it is possible to form a magnetic path penetrating the magnetic viscous fluid 3 without increasing the magnetomotive force, and it is possible to suppress power consumption.

Further, in the present embodiment, only the central portion of the accommodating body 2 is interposed between both end portions 4a and 4b of the yoke 4, but the change in tactile sensation when a magnetic field is applied to the ferrofluid 3 is the accommodating body 2. Occurs throughout. That is, when a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic viscous fluid in the central portion of the housing 2, the magnetic field propagates to the entire magnetic viscous fluid 3 due to the action of the magnetic particles in the magnetic viscous fluid 3, and the entire magnetic viscous fluid 3 Clusters are formed over. As a result, a tactile sensation corresponding to the strength of the magnetic field is developed throughout the housing 2.

<Other embodiments>
In the above-described embodiment, the central portion of the accommodating body 2 is interposed between both end portions 4a and 4b of the yoke 4, but the central portion of the accommodating body 2 is interposed between both end portions 4a and 4b of the yoke 4. It is also possible to intervene a portion shifted to one side from the above.

The present invention can be applied to, for example, a tactile presentation device that presents the tactile sensation obtained when pressing the surface of an object.

1 Tactile presentation device 2 Container 3 Ferrofluid 4 Yoke 4a, 4b End 4c Cross-sectional area reduction 5 Coil

Claims (3)

An accommodating body that accommodates ferrofluid inside and deforms when pressed,
A yoke with opposite ends and
The coil wound around the yoke and
It is a tactile presentation device equipped with
The accommodating body is sandwiched between both ends of the yoke and installed.
The yoke has a cross-sectional area reduction portion in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases from the coil side to the end portion side between the portion around which the coil is wound and the end portion.
A tactile presentation device characterized by this. In the tactile presentation device according to claim 1,
The tactile presentation device is characterized in that the cross-sectional area is gradually reduced up to the end of the yoke. In the tactile presentation device according to claim 1 or 2.
The tactile presentation device is characterized in that only a part of the housing is interposed between both ends of the yoke.

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