JP2004110800A - Electronic equipment with speaker system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic device which can be reduced in size and space when provided with a speaker system and a touch pad.
The present invention is an electronic device including a touchpad. The electronic device includes a housing and an electromechanical sound transducer. The housing supports an outer peripheral portion of the touch pad with a suspension, and forms a space for sound emission between the housing and the touch pad. The electromechanical sound transducer is connected to the housing and emits sound into space. Further, when sound is emitted into the space from the electromechanical acoustic transducer, the touchpad vibrates with the energy of the emitted sound to output sound to the outside.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device such as a personal computer, and more specifically, to an electronic device having a touch pad or a touch panel as an input device.

Conventionally, an electronic device using a touch pad or a touch panel as an input device has been considered (for example, see Patent Document 1). Such a conventional personal computer will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is an external view of a conventional notebook personal computer equipped with a touchpad. 8, the personal computer 1 includes a housing 2, a keyboard 3, a sound hole 4, a touch pad 5, and a liquid crystal screen 6. The personal computer 1 has a speaker system inside.

In the personal computer 1, the user moves the pointer displayed on the liquid crystal screen 6 by tracing the operation surface of the touch pad 5 with a finger, and performs an operation equivalent to a mouse click operation by hitting the surface of the operation surface. Or Further, the speaker system reproduces operation information of the touch pad 5 and audio information such as a music signal and voice output by an electric circuit (not shown) inside the personal computer 1. The reproduced sound is radiated from the sound hole 4 provided in the housing 2 to the outside of the personal computer 1.
JP 2001-511921 A

(4) In a conventional personal computer, sound reproduction and input operation are performed by devices arranged at different positions. That is, the speaker system and the touchpad are separately provided at different positions. This has hindered miniaturization and space saving of personal computers.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device that can be reduced in size and space when a speaker system and a touch pad are provided.

The present invention has the following features to achieve the above object. That is, the present invention is an electronic device including a touchpad. The electronic device includes a case and an electromechanical sound transducer. The case supports the outer periphery of the touch pad with a suspension, and forms a space for sound emission between the case and the touch pad. Note that the case may be configured by a housing of the electronic device, or may be configured separately from the housing. The electromechanical acoustic transducer is connected to the case and emits sound into space. Further, when sound is radiated into the space from the electromechanical sound transducer, the touchpad vibrates with the energy of the radiated sound to output sound to the outside.

Note that the electronic device may further include a signal processing unit. The signal processing unit receives a signal indicating that the touch pad has been operated from the touch pad, and when receiving the signal, applies the signal to the electromechanical sound transducer.

Further, when a signal from the touch pad is received, the signal processing unit may apply a signal having a frequency lower than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical acoustic transducer to the electromechanical acoustic transducer. In addition, the signal processing unit may apply a signal of a frequency at which the touchpad and the suspension resonate to the electromechanical sound transducer.

The case may be formed separately from the housing of the electronic device, and may be attached by being connected to the housing.

Note that the electromechanical acoustic transducer is typically one of an electrodynamic type, an electromagnetic type, an electrostatic type, and a piezoelectric type.

The present invention may also be provided as a touchpad unit attached to an electronic device. The touchpad unit includes a touchpad, a unit case, and an electromechanical sound transducer. The unit case supports the outer periphery of the touch pad with a suspension, and forms a space for sound emission between the unit case and the touch pad. The electromechanical sound transducer is connected to the unit case and emits sound into space. Further, when sound is radiated into the space from the electromechanical sound transducer, the touchpad vibrates with the energy of the radiated sound to output sound to the outside.

According to the present invention, it is possible to arrange the electromechanical sound transducer behind the touch pad. Therefore, it is not necessary to dispose the electromechanical sound transducer at a position different from the touch pad, so that the electronic device can be reduced in size and space. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to cause the touch pad to function as a speaker system for reproducing sound, at the same time as a function as an input device, which is an original function of the touch pad. In this speaker system, since there is almost no possibility that dust or dirt will fall on the diaphragm of the electromechanical sound transducer, there is no problem such as deterioration of sound quality.

In addition, since the electronic device further includes the signal processing unit, the operation of the touch pad can be notified to the user at least by vibration. This would be useful, for example, for people with hearing impairments.

Further, the signal processing unit applies a signal having a frequency lower than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer, so that the user can be notified only by the vibration of the touch pad. This is useful, for example, when the electronic device is used in a situation where the sound emitted from the electronic device becomes noise for a third party around the user (specifically, in a train or the like).

Furthermore, the signal processing unit applies a signal having a frequency at which the touchpad and the suspension resonate, whereby the vibration of the touchpad can be further increased. This allows the user to more reliably perceive the vibration of the touchpad.

装置 Further, by forming the case separately from the housing of the electronic device, devices such as the touch pad and the electromechanical sound transducer can be formed as one module component. Therefore, the manufacture of the electronic device becomes easy.

(Embodiment 1)
First, an electronic device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. 1 to 4 show the configuration of the electronic device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is an external view of a personal computer which is an electronic device according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a personal computer 7 includes a housing 8, a keyboard 9, a touch pad 10, an outer frame 11, a liquid crystal screen 100, and buttons 101. The personal computer 7 includes an electromechanical sound transducer therein (see FIG. 2 described later). Although the electronic device is a notebook personal computer in the first embodiment, any electronic device including a touch pad, such as a desktop personal computer or a PDA, may be used. Further, in FIG. 1, the touch pad 10 is arranged near the keyboard 9, but the arrangement position of the touch pad may be any position. Although the button 101 shown in FIG. 1 is separate from the touchpad 10, the touchpad 10 may have a form including the button 101. In the following, configurations of a general personal computer such as a CPU and a hard disk of the personal computer 7 are not shown.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a portion of the personal computer 7 shown in FIG. 1 to which the touch pad 10 is attached. As shown in FIG. 2, the personal computer 7 includes an electromechanical acoustic transducer 13, an elastic suspension 14, and a flexible cord 16 for inputting and outputting electric signals, in addition to the components shown in FIG. ing. The personal computer 7 includes a signal processing unit and a signal amplifying unit in addition to the components shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (see FIG. 4 described later).

筐 体 As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 8 has a concave section in cross section. The suspension 14 is bonded to the bottom surface of the concave portion of the housing 8 and to the outer peripheral portion of the touch pad 10. That is, the outer periphery of the touch pad 10 is supported by the housing 8 by the suspension 14. Thus, a space 15 is provided between the housing 8 and the touch pad 10. The suspension 14 is an elastic body such as foamed rubber. Therefore, the touch pad 10 is supported so as to be able to vibrate by an external force. The outer frame 11 is attached to an opening in the concave portion of the housing 8.

(4) The housing 8 has a hollow inside, and inside the housing 8, an electronic circuit such as the electromechanical sound transducer 13 and the signal processing unit and the signal amplification unit are installed. The housing 8 is provided with a sound hole 12 and a code hole 17. The sound hole 12 is provided in a portion facing the space 15. The electromechanical sound transducer 13 is installed inside the housing 8 so as to cover the sound hole 12. Thereby, the sound hole 12 has a role as an acoustic coupling unit for transmitting the sound radiated from the electromechanical sound transducer 13 to the space 15. It is desirable that the space 15 be configured to maintain high airtightness (ideally, a closed space) so that sound emitted from the electromechanical sound transducer 13 does not leak. The space 15 acts as acoustic compliance, and attenuates high-frequency sounds emitted from the electromechanical acoustic transducer 13. Therefore, in order to reproduce a broadband sound, the volume of the space 15 may be made as small as possible (for example, the width between the bottom surface of the concave portion of the housing 8 and the touch pad 10 is made as small as possible). The flexible cord 16 has one end connected to the touch pad 10 and the other end connected to the signal processing unit (not shown) through the code hole 17.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electrodynamic electromechanical sound transducer shown as an example of the electromechanical sound transducer 13 shown in FIG. 3, the electromechanical sound transducer 13 includes a pot-shaped yoke 20, a magnet 21, a plate 22, a voice coil 24, a diaphragm 25, and a frame 26. The frame 26 is attached to the housing 8 on the outer periphery of the sound hole 12 so as to cover the sound hole 12. The lower surface of the yoke 20 is fixed to the center of the frame 26. The magnet 21 is provided at the center of the yoke 20. The plate 22 is disposed on the upper surface of the magnet 21. The yoke 20 and the plate 22 are arranged such that a magnetic gap 23 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the yoke 20 and the outer peripheral surface of the plate 22. The outer peripheral portion of the diaphragm 25 is fixed to the frame 26. The voice coil 24 is fixed to the diaphragm 25 so as to be inserted into the magnetic gap 23.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration for performing signal processing in the personal computer 7 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the personal computer 7 includes a signal processing unit 30 and a signal amplifying unit 31 in addition to the components such as the touch pad 10 and the electromechanical sound transducer 13 described above. The signal processing unit 30 is connected to the touch pad 10 by the flexible cord 16 shown in FIG. Further, the signal processing unit 30 is connected to the signal amplifying unit 31. The signal amplifying unit 31 is connected to the electromechanical sound transducer 13. The signal processing unit 30 applies an audio signal such as a voice signal or a music signal generated by a CPU or the like (not shown) of the personal computer 7 to the electromechanical acoustic converter 13 via the signal amplifying unit 31. In addition, the signal processing unit 30 applies a predetermined signal to the electromechanical sound transducer 13 via the signal amplifying unit 31 according to the signal from the touch pad 10. The signal amplifying unit 31 amplifies the signal input from the signal processing unit 30 and outputs the amplified signal to the electromechanical sound transducer 13.

With the configuration described above, the personal computer 7 allows the touch pad 10 to function as a vibration panel of the speaker system, that is, to generate sound from the touch pad 10. Hereinafter, an operation of generating a sound from the touch pad 10 will be described.

When reproducing the sound, an electric signal is applied from the signal processing unit 30 to the voice coil 24 of the electromechanical sound transducer 13 via the signal amplifying unit 31. As a result, a driving force is generated in the voice coil 24, and the diaphragm 25 coupled to the voice coil 24 vibrates to emit sound. The sound radiated from the diaphragm 25 is transmitted to the space 15 via the sound hole 12. Since the outer periphery of the touch pad 10 is supported by the suspension 14, the touch pad 10 vibrates due to the sound pressure of the sound transmitted to the space 15. As described above, the electromechanical sound transducer 13 acoustically drives the touch pad 10. Thereby, it is possible to generate a sound from the touch pad 10.

With the above configuration, the personal computer 7 according to the first embodiment can cause the touch pad 10 to function as a speaker system. Further, the personal computer 7 has a function of notifying a user of an operation state of the touch pad 10. Hereinafter, the function will be described.

The touchpad 10 outputs a signal indicating the content of the operation to the signal processing unit 30 in accordance with the operation of the user. That is, when the user's finger touches the touch pad 10, the touch pad 10 outputs the signal to the signal processing unit 30. The signal processing unit 30 outputs an operation confirmation signal to the signal amplifying unit 31 according to a signal from the touch pad 10. The operation confirmation signal is a signal indicating that a user operation has been performed on the touch pad 10. The operation confirmation signal is a signal for causing the electromechanical sound transducer 13 to generate a sound having a predetermined frequency. The operation confirmation signal is output to the electromechanical sound transducer 13 after being amplified by the signal amplifier 31.

(4) The electromechanical sound transducer 13 to which the operation confirmation signal is input performs the same operation as the case where the above-described audio signal is input. That is, the vibration of the diaphragm 25 causes the touch pad 10 to be acoustically driven. Therefore, the user can know that the operation of the touchpad 10 has been reliably executed by the sound radiated from the touchpad 10. Further, since the user's finger touches the touch pad 10, the vibration of the touch pad 10 is transmitted to the user's finger. Therefore, the user can also know that the operation of the touch pad 10 has been reliably executed by the vibration of the touch pad 10. As described above, the personal computer 7 can notify the user that the touch pad 10 is being operated. Although the user is in contact with the touch pad 10 as a diaphragm, the user only touches the touch pad 10 lightly, so that the sound radiated from the touch pad 10 is not significantly affected. it is conceivable that.

As described above, the personal computer 7 can notify the user of the operation status of the touch pad 10 by sound and vibration. Further, by changing the predetermined frequency of the operation confirmation signal, the personal computer 7 can select whether the notification is made by sound and vibration or only by vibration. Hereinafter, the details will be described.

First, consider the case where the predetermined frequency is a frequency at which the electromechanical sound transducer 13 can reproduce sound at a sufficient sound pressure level, that is, a frequency equal to or higher than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer 13. . Here, a sufficient sound pressure level means a sound pressure level large enough to be perceived by a human. In this case, since sound is generated from the electromechanical sound transducer 13 at a sufficient sound pressure level, sound can also be generated from the touch pad 10 at a sufficient sound pressure level. Therefore, the user can perceive the sound from the touchpad 10 and the vibration of the touchpad 10. As described above, when the predetermined frequency is equal to or higher than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical acoustic transducer 13, the user can confirm that the touch pad 10 is being operated by sound and vibration.

Next, let us consider a case where the predetermined frequency is sufficiently low and lower than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer 13. In other words, here, the predetermined frequency is “sufficiently low” in such a manner that almost no sound is generated from the touchpad 10 due to the performance of the electromechanical sound transducer 13 (a sound that cannot be perceived by humans is generated). Frequency). When the predetermined frequency, that is, the frequency of the sound to be reproduced is lowered, the conversion efficiency from vibration to sound is significantly reduced. Therefore, when a signal having a sufficiently low frequency is applied to the electromechanical sound transducer 13, the diaphragm 25 vibrates, but the sound pressure level becomes extremely small. As a result, the vibration of the diaphragm 25 is transmitted to the touch pad 10 via the space 15, but the sound pressure level of the touch pad 10 becomes very small, and almost no sound can be heard from the touch pad 10. Therefore, the user cannot perceive the sound from the touchpad 10, but can perceive the vibration of the touchpad 10. As described above, when the predetermined frequency is lower than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer 13, the user can confirm that the touch pad 10 is operated only by vibration.

As described above, by changing the frequency of the signal applied to the electromechanical sound transducer 13, it is possible to select whether the user perceives only the vibration of the touch pad 10 or the vibration and sound. it can. Therefore, in the first embodiment, it is assumed that two modes are set in the signal processing unit 30 in advance, a mode for notifying operation confirmation of the touch pad 10 by vibration and sound, and a mode for notifying only by vibration. . The mode can be switched by the user. That is, the signal processing unit 30 outputs a signal having a frequency equal to or higher than the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer 13 as the operation confirmation signal in the case of the mode of notifying by vibration and sound. On the other hand, in the mode of notifying only by vibration, a signal having a frequency lower than the lowest resonance frequency is output as an operation confirmation signal. In addition, the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer generally used in a portable terminal or the like is about 600 to 700 (Hz). Therefore, when the lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical sound transducer 13 is set to 700 (Hz), the setting of the signal processing unit 30 is performed by operating a signal having a frequency of 700 (Hz) or more in the mode of notifying by vibration and sound. It is preferable that a signal whose frequency is lower than 700 (Hz) be output as an operation confirmation signal in a mode in which the signal is output as a confirmation signal and notified only by vibration.

In addition, as a specific use method of the above mode, for example, in a situation where it is preferable not to make a sound such as when using the personal computer 7 in a train, the above mode is set to a mode of notifying only by vibration. It is conceivable to do so. Note that the mode switching method may be any method, such as the mode being automatically switched according to a predetermined condition, in addition to being selected by the user.

Furthermore, it is desirable that the predetermined frequency in the mode of notifying only by vibration be set to be the resonance frequency of the suspension 14 and the touch pad 10. Specifically, assuming that the predetermined frequency is f, the spring constant of the suspension 14 is s, and the mass of the touch pad is M,

の関係を満たすように設定することが望ましい。これによって、タッチパッド１０の振動を大きくすることができ、ユーザに対して振動をより確実に通知することができる。

It is desirable to set so as to satisfy the following relationship. Thus, the vibration of the touch pad 10 can be increased, and the vibration can be more reliably notified to the user.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to arrange the electromechanical sound transducer behind the touch pad. Therefore, it is not necessary to dispose the electromechanical sound transducer at a position different from the touch pad, so that the electronic device can be reduced in size and space.

According to the first embodiment, the touchpad can function not only as an input device, which is an original function of the touchpad, but also as a speaker system for reproducing sound. Conventionally, the electromechanical sound transducer is provided inside the housing, and emits sound from a plurality of sound holes provided in the housing of the device (see FIG. 8). The sound hole is often provided at a position facing upward when a personal computer is installed. For this reason, there is a possibility that dust or dust may fall from the sound hole to the diaphragm of the electromechanical sound transducer, thereby causing a problem that sound quality is degraded or abnormal sound is generated. On the other hand, according to the first embodiment, since the touch pad is located on the surface, it is unlikely that dust or dirt will fall on the diaphragm of the electromechanical sound transducer. Does not occur.

According to the first embodiment, further, by applying an electric signal to the electromechanical sound transducer according to the operation of the touchpad, the operation of the touchpad can be notified to the user by vibration. That is, the user can directly confirm the input operation using the mouse pad touch pad by the tactile sense of the finger as the vibration of the mouse pad touch pad. Therefore, Embodiment 1 is expected to be particularly useful for people with hearing impairment. Furthermore, since it is possible to select whether the notification to the user is made by sound and vibration or only by vibration, the problem of noise to a third party around the user can be solved.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, an electronic device according to a second embodiment will be described. 5 to 7 show the configuration of the electronic device according to the second embodiment. Note that the electronic device according to the second embodiment is also a notebook personal computer as in the first embodiment, and its appearance is not shown, but is substantially the same as that of FIG.

に お い て The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that members such as a touch pad and an electromechanical sound transducer are configured as a unit independent of a personal computer housing. In the first embodiment, the configuration is such that the electromechanical sound transducer 13 is installed inside the housing 8 and the touch pad 10 is installed outside the housing 8. Therefore, at the time of manufacturing, the electromechanical sound transducer 13 and the touch pad 10 have to be separately installed inside and outside the housing 8, and the manufacturing is complicated. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the manufacture of the electronic device is facilitated by integrating the touch pad, the electromechanical sound transducer, and the like into one unit. Hereinafter, a unit including a touchpad, an electromechanical sound transducer, and the like is referred to as a touchpad unit.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where the touch pad unit of the electronic device according to Embodiment 2 is mounted. FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a touchpad unit attached to the electronic device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the touch pad unit 40 is attached to a housing 49 of a personal computer. 5 and 6, the touch pad unit 40 includes a unit case 41, an electromechanical sound transducer 43, a suspension 44, a touch pad body (hereinafter, simply referred to as “touch pad”) 45, and an electric signal. And a flexible code 47 for input and output.

The unit case 41 has a box shape with an open top. The housing 49 is provided with a hole having substantially the same size as the opening of the unit case 41, and the unit case 41 is connected to the housing 49 such that the opening is located at the hole. The suspension 44 is adhered to the bottom surface of the unit case 41 and to the outer periphery of the touch pad 45. That is, the outer periphery of the touch pad 45 is supported by the unit case 41 via the suspension 44. Thus, a space 46 is provided between the unit case 41 and the touch pad 45. The suspension 44 is an elastic body similar to that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the touch pad 45 is supported so as to be able to vibrate by an external force.

ユ ニ ッ ト The unit case 41 is provided with a sound hole 42 on the bottom surface and a code hole 48 on the side surface. The sound hole 42 is provided at a portion facing the space 46. The electromechanical sound transducer 43 is installed outside the unit case 41 (on the side opposite to the side where the touch pad 45 and the suspension 44 are installed) so as to cover the sound hole 42. With the above configuration, in the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the sound radiated from the electromechanical sound transducer 43 is transmitted from the sound hole 42 to the touch pad 45 via the space 46. It is to be noted that it is the same as the first embodiment that the space 46 is desirably configured to maintain high airtightness, and that the reproduction of the high-frequency range is improved by reducing the volume of the space 46. One end of the flexible cord 47 is connected to the touch pad 45, and the other end is connected to a signal processing unit (similar to the signal processing unit 30 of the first embodiment) through the code hole 48.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a piezoelectric electromechanical sound transducer shown as an example of the electromechanical sound transducer 43 shown in FIG. 7, the electromechanical sound transducer 43 includes piezoelectric elements 50 and 51, an intermediate electrode 52, lead wires 53, 54 and 55, input terminals 56 and 57, and a frame 58. The frame 58 is connected to the unit case 41, and the outer periphery of the intermediate electrode 52 is fixed by the frame 58. The piezoelectric element 50 is attached to one surface of the intermediate electrode 52, and the piezoelectric element 51 is attached to the other surface. The piezoelectric elements 50 and 51 are made of a conductive material such as phosphor bronze. The lead wire 53 is a lead wire for inputting an electric signal to the intermediate electrode 52, and connects the input terminal 57 to the intermediate electrode 52. The lead wire 54 is a lead wire for inputting an electric signal to the piezoelectric element 51, and connects the input terminal 56 to the piezoelectric element 51. The lead wire 55 is a lead wire for inputting an electric signal to the piezoelectric element 50, and connects the input terminal 56 to the piezoelectric element 50.

The operation of the personal computer configured as described above is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, the operation of acoustically driving the touch pad 45 by the sound radiated from the electromechanical acoustic transducer 43 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Although not shown, the personal computer according to the second embodiment also includes a signal processing unit and a signal amplifying unit as in the first embodiment. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user of the operation confirmation of the touch pad 45 by vibration and sound, or only by vibration. This operation is the same as in the first embodiment.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the touch pad 45, the suspension 44, the electromechanical sound transducer 43, and the like are integrated by the unit case 41 to form the touch pad unit 40. According to this configuration, when the electronic device is manufactured, the touch pad 45, the suspension 44, and the electromechanical sound transducer 43 are incorporated into the unit case 41 to be modularized, and then the modularized touch pad unit 40 is connected to the electronic device. Can be incorporated into With such a manufacturing method, the manufacture of the electronic device is easier than in the first embodiment.

As described above, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained in the second embodiment. Further, by modularizing the touch pad and the electromechanical sound transducer, it is possible to easily manufacture the electronic device.

In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the electronic device may be any device. Further, the position where the touch pad unit 40 is arranged on the electronic device may be any position.

In the first embodiment, the transducer system of the electromechanical acoustic transducer 13 is an electrodynamic transducer. In the second embodiment, the transducer type of the electromechanical acoustic transducer 43 is a piezoelectric type. Here, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the transducer system of the electromechanical acoustic transducer may be any type such as a piezoelectric type, an electromagnetic type, and an electrostatic type as long as it has a function of emitting sound from a diaphragm. Even in the case of the method, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

Further, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the position of the sound hole that is the mounting position of the electromechanical acoustic transducer is a position facing the space formed between the touch pad and the housing (or the unit case). , Any position. If the sound hole is connected to the space, the sound radiated from the electromechanical sound transducer is transmitted to the touch pad, so that no significant difference occurs at any position of the sound hole.

In addition, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the shape of the touchpad was rectangular. Here, according to the present invention, the touch pad is acoustically driven by the sound pressure radiated from the electromechanical acoustic transducer, so that the touch pad can be driven in any shape. . Therefore, in other embodiments, the shape of the touchpad is not limited to a rectangle, and the same sound reproduction as in the above embodiment can be performed even if the touchpad has an arbitrary shape such as a circle, an ellipse, or a polygon.

In the first and second embodiments, the touch pad is acoustically driven by the electromechanical acoustic transducer. Here, in another embodiment, the touch panel may be driven acoustically. Specifically, a transparent touch panel is arranged instead of the touch pad 10 shown in FIG. Further, a display device such as an LCD is arranged on the concave bottom surface of the housing 8. The display device is provided at a position that does not block sound holes provided in the housing. Further, when the electromechanical sound transducer cannot be directly connected to the sound hole due to the thickness of the display device, the electromechanical sound transducer and the sound hole are connected by a sound tube. Thereby, the sound radiated from the electromechanical sound transducer can be reliably transmitted to the space (in this case, formed between the touch panel and the display device). Even with the electronic device configured as described above, the touch panel can be acoustically driven, and the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Further, with the provision of the signal processing unit 30 and the signal amplification unit 31 described in Embodiment 1, it is possible to notify a user whether or not an operation on the touch panel is being performed. Furthermore, similarly to Embodiments 1 and 2, if the frequency of the signal applied to the electromechanical sound transducer is adjusted when the touch panel is operated, the user can be notified only by vibration and sound or vibration. it can.

As described above, when the electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the speaker system and the touch pad, it can be used for the purpose of miniaturization, space saving, and the like.

FIG. 1 is an external view of a personal computer which is an electronic apparatus according to Embodiment 1. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of the personal computer 7 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an electrodynamic electromechanical sound transducer shown as an example of the electromechanical sound transducer 13 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration for performing signal processing in the personal computer 7 shown in FIG. Sectional view of a portion where a touchpad unit of an electronic device according to a second embodiment is attached. Exploded perspective view of a touchpad unit attached to an electronic device according to Embodiment 2. Sectional drawing of the piezoelectric electromechanical sound transducer shown as an example of the electromechanical sound transducer 43 shown in FIG. External view of a conventional notebook personal computer equipped with a touchpad

Explanation of reference numerals

7 Personal computer 8 Case 10, 45 Touch pad 12, 42 Sound hole 13, 43 Electromechanical sound transducer 14, 44 Suspension 15, 46 Space 30 Signal processing unit 40 Touch pad unit 41 Unit case

Claims (7)

An electronic device having a touchpad,
A case for supporting the outer periphery of the touch pad by a suspension and forming a space for sound emission between the touch pad and the case;
An electromechanical sound transducer connected to the case and emitting sound into the space,
The electronic device, wherein when the touch pad emits sound into the space from the electromechanical acoustic transducer, the touch pad vibrates with energy of the emitted sound to output sound to the outside. The signal processing unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a signal processing unit that receives a signal indicating that the touch pad has been operated from the touch pad, and, when receiving the signal, applies a signal to the electromechanical sound transducer. Electronic devices. The signal processing unit, when receiving a signal from the touch pad, applies a signal having a frequency lower than a lowest resonance frequency of the electromechanical acoustic transducer to the electromechanical acoustic transducer, according to claim 2, wherein Electronic device as described. 4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein when the signal processing unit receives a signal from the touchpad, the signal processing unit applies a signal having a frequency at which the touchpad and the suspension resonate to the electromechanical acoustic transducer. 5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the case is formed separately from a case of the electronic device, and is attached by being connected to the case. 2. The sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein the electromechanical sound transducer is one of an electrodynamic type, an electromagnetic type, an electrostatic type, and a piezoelectric type. 3. A touchpad unit attached to an electronic device,
A touchpad,
A unit case that supports an outer peripheral portion of the touch pad by a suspension and forms a space for sound emission between the touch pad and the touch pad;
An electromechanical acoustic transducer connected to the unit case and emitting sound into the space,
The touch pad unit, wherein when the touch pad emits sound into the space from the electromechanical acoustic transducer, the touch pad vibrates with energy of the emitted sound to output sound to the outside.

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