JP2007065798A - Touch panel device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a touch panel device that is small and lightweight and enables reliable operation.
A touch panel device 1 shown in FIG. 8 has a touch surface and detects a touch position of an object in contact with the touch surface. The touch panel device 1 includes a substrate 2, a diaphragm 8 provided so as to face the substrate 2, and a piezoelectric element 85 provided on the diaphragm 8 and vibrating the diaphragm 8. In addition, it includes a piezoelectric element driving unit that drives the piezoelectric element 85 by applying a voltage, a position specifying unit that specifies a touch position, and a control unit that controls operations of the piezoelectric element driving unit and the position specifying unit. This control means controls to drive the piezoelectric element 85 by the piezoelectric element driving means in synchronization with the contact of the object with the touch surface.
[Selection] Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel device.

For example, it is mounted on a display device such as a liquid crystal display of an electronic device, and by touching the surface of the touch panel with a fingertip or other object according to the display content, the contact position is specified and various operations and input of the electronic device are performed. A touch panel device is known.
Various methods have been proposed for driving the touch panel device, and as one of them, a resistive film type touch panel device has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Such touch panel devices are frequently used in small electronic devices such as electronic game devices, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance), and car navigation devices, and are indispensable as efficient input devices despite space saving. .
These electronic devices are required to be further reduced in size and weight for the future, but there are many problems for realizing them.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-241717

  An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel device that is small and lightweight and enables reliable operation.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
The touch panel device of the present invention is a touch panel device that has a touch surface and detects the touch position of an object that contacts the touch surface,
A substrate,
A diaphragm provided to face the substrate;
A piezoelectric element provided on the diaphragm for vibrating the diaphragm;
Piezoelectric element driving means for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element to drive the piezoelectric element;
Position specifying means for specifying the touch position;
Control means for controlling the operation of the piezoelectric element driving means and the position specifying means,
The control means controls the piezoelectric element to be driven by the piezoelectric element driving means in synchronization with the contact of the object with the touch surface.
As a result, a touch panel device that is small and lightweight and enables reliable operation can be obtained.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the control unit controls driving of the piezoelectric element by the piezoelectric element driving unit so that a vibration pattern of the diaphragm changes according to the touch position.
Thereby, an indirect confirmation of a touch position can be performed through vibration, and reliable operation of a touch panel device by a user can be assisted.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the control unit controls the piezoelectric element driving unit so as to selectively drive at least one of the plurality of piezoelectric elements according to the touch position.
For example, only the piezoelectric element closest to the touch position is vibrated, whereby indirect confirmation of the touch position can be performed with higher positional accuracy.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the diaphragm generate a sound wave by vibrating.
Thereby, the user of the touch panel device can recognize that the detection of the touch position is completed not only by tactile sense but also by hearing.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, the diaphragm is composed of a multi-layer laminate,
The laminate includes a first layer composed mainly of a glass material and a second layer disposed in contact with the first layer and composed mainly of a resin material. Preferably there is.
As a result, standing waves are less likely to be generated in the diaphragm, and the diaphragm can be prevented from vibrating unnecessarily for a long time. In addition, it is possible to improve the sound quality particularly in the speaker function.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the diaphragm is configured such that the first layer is located closer to the substrate than the second layer.
Thereby, for example, when the present invention is applied to a surface acoustic wave type touch panel device, it is possible to reliably prevent the vibration of the diaphragm and the surface acoustic wave propagating through the substrate from interfering with each other. As a result, it is possible to prevent the waveform of the surface acoustic wave propagating through the substrate from being deformed by the vibration of the diaphragm and the detection accuracy of the touch position of the touch panel device from being lowered. On the contrary, it is possible to prevent the vibration of the diaphragm from changing due to the influence of the surface acoustic wave propagating through the substrate and the function of the speaker from deteriorating.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the substrate are provided on the surface of the diaphragm on the substrate side.
Thereby, a convex part can contact the upper surface of a board | substrate preferentially. And the convex part which contacted the upper surface of the board | substrate can attenuate | dampen the surface acoustic wave which propagates a board | substrate reliably.
In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the diaphragm has an average thickness of a frame portion that is thicker than an average thickness of a portion other than the frame portion.
In the diaphragm having such a shape, portions other than the frame portion are likely to vibrate, and the frame portion is less likely to vibrate. Therefore, the vibrating portion can be controlled. Thereby, for example, when the diaphragm has a speaker function for generating sound waves, the sound range of the sound waves can be easily controlled to improve the sound quality in the speaker functions.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that an average thickness of the frame portion of the diaphragm is 1.1 to 5 times an average thickness of a portion other than the frame portion.
Thereby, a diaphragm can be vibrated more efficiently.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that an average thickness of the diaphragm other than the frame portion is 0.1 to 3 mm.
Accordingly, it is possible to reliably generate vibration to the diaphragm while preventing touch damage to the touch surface and vibration of the diaphragm, and to improve sound quality particularly in the speaker function.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the piezoelectric element is located near a boundary between the frame portion of the diaphragm and a portion other than the frame portion.
Thereby, the vibration of the diaphragm can be generated more easily.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, the position specifying means includes a transmission unit that generates surface acoustic waves on the substrate;
A receiving unit for receiving the surface acoustic wave generated from the transmitting unit;
A power supply unit for applying a high-frequency voltage for operating the transmission unit;
A detection unit that detects a temporal change in the intensity of the surface acoustic wave received by the reception unit;
It is preferable that the touch position is specified based on a detection result of the detection unit.
Such a surface acoustic wave type touch panel device is excellent in durability and detection sensitivity.
In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the piezoelectric layer included in the transmitting unit and the receiving unit and the piezoelectric layer included in the piezoelectric element are made of the same type of piezoelectric material.
As a result, the piezoelectric layer included in the transmission unit and the reception unit and the piezoelectric layer included in the piezoelectric element can be formed simultaneously.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, the substrate has a rectangular or square shape, and propagates the first surface acoustic wave and the second surface acoustic wave,
The position specifying means includes a first transmitter that generates the first surface acoustic wave in the substrate;
A second transmitter for generating the second surface acoustic wave having a frequency different from that of the first surface acoustic wave in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first surface acoustic wave;
A first receiver for receiving the first surface acoustic wave;
A second receiver for receiving the second surface acoustic wave;
A second high-frequency voltage having a first frequency capable of generating the first surface acoustic wave is applied to the first transmitter, and a second frequency different from the first frequency capable of generating the second surface acoustic wave. A power supply unit that applies a high-frequency voltage of the frequency to the second transmission unit;
A detecting unit for detecting a temporal change in intensity of the first surface acoustic wave received by the first receiving unit and a temporal change in intensity of the second surface acoustic wave received by the second receiving unit; ,
It is preferable to have a control unit having a function of specifying the touch position based on the detection result of the detection unit.
Accordingly, an X / Y switch can be omitted, and a touch panel device that is small and lightweight and has a simple circuit configuration can be obtained.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit share a bias electrode.
Thereby, the wiring pattern of the power supply wiring can be simplified and the degree of freedom in designing the touch panel device can be increased. As a result, the frame portion of the touch panel device can be reduced, and the effective touch area can be enlarged.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit share a bias electrode.
Thereby, compared with the case where a bias electrode is not shared, the wiring pattern of a receiving wiring can be simplified, and the degree of freedom in designing a touch panel device can be increased. As a result, the frame portion of the touch panel device can be reduced, and the effective touch area can be enlarged.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, the surface acoustic wave element generates an SH wave and a Rayleigh wave according to the crystal orientation of the thick film piezoelectric layer,
It is preferable that either one of the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit generates the SH wave, and the other generates the Rayleigh wave.
Since these oscillation modes are relatively stable modes, they are suitable as surface acoustic waves used in a touch panel device.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the thick-film piezoelectric layer is composed mainly of quartz.
Since quartz has many useful crystal orientations, an element that generates surface acoustic waves in various oscillation modes (oscillation frequencies) can be easily obtained. In addition, there is an advantage that the thermal conductivity is high and the thermal stability at high temperature is excellent. Furthermore, since raw materials are inexpensive, there is also an aspect that large crystals are easily available.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, the power supply unit modulates the frequency of the high-frequency voltage applied to the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit to the first frequency and the second frequency. Accordingly, it is preferable to control the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit so that they can operate exclusively.
Thereby, the switch required conventionally when switching the operating power supplied to the first transmitter and the second transmitter can be omitted, and the manufacturing cost of the touch panel device can be reduced. it can.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, the substrate has a rectangular or square shape, and propagates the first surface acoustic wave and the second surface acoustic wave,
The position specifying means is provided at one end portion of the first side of the four sides of the substrate, and generates the first surface acoustic wave toward the other end portion of the first side. The transmitter of
A first reflection provided along the first side and configured to reflect the first surface acoustic wave generated from the first transmission unit toward a second side opposite to the first side. And
A first receiver provided along the second side for receiving the first surface acoustic wave;
A second transmitter that is provided at one end of a third side adjacent to the first side and generates the second surface acoustic wave toward the other end of the third side;
A second reflection provided along the third side and configured to reflect the second surface acoustic wave generated from the second transmission unit toward a fourth side opposite to the third side. And
A second receiving unit provided along the fourth side for receiving the second surface acoustic wave;
A power supply unit that applies a high-frequency voltage to operate the first transmission unit and the second transmission unit;
A detecting unit for detecting a temporal change in intensity of the first surface acoustic wave received by the first receiving unit and a temporal change in intensity of the second surface acoustic wave received by the second receiving unit; ,
It is preferable to have a control unit having a function of specifying the touch position based on the detection result of the detection unit.
Thereby, a touch panel device with high detection sensitivity for detecting contact of an object is obtained.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the first receiving unit and the second receiving unit is configured by connecting a plurality of surface acoustic wave elements in parallel.
Thereby, for example, a decrease in the reception sensitivity of the first receiving unit or the second receiving unit due to variations in the electrode width, the inter-electrode distance, the electrode electrical resistance, etc. in the pair of electrode fingers is reduced for each constituent unit. It is possible to disperse, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in reception sensitivity of the entire receiving unit.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, at least one of the surface acoustic wave element included in the first transmission unit and the surface acoustic wave element included in the second transmission unit may generate elasticity in one direction to generate the surface acoustic wave. It is preferable that the intensity of the surface wave is larger than the intensity of the surface acoustic wave generated in the direction opposite to the one direction.
Thereby, a stronger surface acoustic wave can be generated without changing the voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer. As a result, it is possible to improve the detection sensitivity of the touch panel device while maintaining power consumption.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, at least one of the surface acoustic wave element included in the first transmission unit and the surface acoustic wave element included in the second transmission unit is a reflective array on the side opposite to the side that generates the surface acoustic wave. Is preferably provided.
Thereby, a stronger surface acoustic wave can be generated.
In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, at least one of the surface acoustic wave element included in the first reception unit and the surface acoustic wave element included in the second reception unit is a reflective array on the side opposite to the side receiving the surface acoustic wave. Is preferably provided.
Thereby, the receiving sensitivity of a 1st receiving part or a 2nd receiving part can be improved.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, the piezoelectric layer is preferably a thin film.
Thereby, it is suitably applied when a piezoelectric material that is difficult to obtain a large single crystal is used as the constituent material of the piezoelectric layer. For this reason, it is possible to adjust the oscillation frequency of the first transmission unit or the second transmission unit over a wider range by using piezoelectric materials having a wide variety of piezoelectric characteristics (for example, propagation speed of surface acoustic waves). it can.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the piezoelectric layer is composed mainly of at least one of zinc oxide, aluminum nitride, and lead zirconate titanate.
Such a material can form a uniform crystal thin film relatively easily. In addition, since these materials have a relatively high propagation speed of surface acoustic waves, a touch panel device with a high response speed can be obtained.

Hereinafter, the touch panel device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<First Embodiment>
First, a first embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view (plan view) showing a first embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view around the X-direction transmission unit of the touch panel device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A′-A ′ in the vicinity of the X-direction transmitter, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the X-direction transmitter, and FIG. 5 is an A ″ -around the X-direction transmitter illustrated in FIG. FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are diagrams showing another configuration example of the X-direction transmitting unit, FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of the touch panel device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the waveform of each surface acoustic wave received by the transmission and reception part from. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the front side of the paper in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 is “up”, the back side of the paper is “down”, the right is “right”, and the left is “ "Left", the lower side is called "front", the upper side is called "back", the upper side in Figs. 3, 5 and 8 is "upper", the lower side is "lower", the right side is "right", and the left side is "right" “Left”, the front side of the paper is called “front”, and the back side of the paper is called “back”.
Here, examples of the driving method of the touch panel device include a surface acoustic wave method, a capacitance method, an optical method, a resistance film method, and a strain method.

The present invention can be applied to any drive type touch panel device, but in this embodiment, a surface acoustic wave type touch panel device will be described as a representative.
A touch panel device 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a substrate 2, a transmission unit 3 provided on the substrate 2, a reception unit 4, a reflector 5, and a transmission unit 3, a reception unit 4, and a reflector with respect to the substrate 2. 5, a diaphragm 8 provided via 5, a piezoelectric element 85 provided on the lower surface of the diaphragm 8, and an external device 10 provided outside the substrate 2.

The substrate 2 is rectangular or square.
The substrate 2 and a diaphragm 8 described later are substantially transparent (colorless and transparent, colored and transparent, and translucent). Thereby, the display content of the display apparatus etc. which were provided on the opposite side to the diaphragm 8 of the board | substrate 2 can be confirmed via the touch panel apparatus 1, for example.
Examples of the display device include a cathode ray tube, a plasma display, a liquid crystal display, and an organic EL display. The display contents include images such as letters, numbers, and figures (including both moving images and still images).
In addition, by combining the touch panel device 1 and the display device as described above, a small electronic device such as an electronic game device, a PDA, or a car navigation device can be configured. The touch panel device 1 functions as an input device and can be used for inputting characters and images in addition to inputting operation signals of electronic devices.

As a constituent material of the substrate 2, resin materials such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene, cycloolefin polymer, polyamide, polyether sulfone, polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate, polyarylate, quartz glass, soda glass, etc. Glass materials and the like.
Although the average thickness of such a board | substrate 2 is not specifically limited, It is preferable that it is about 0.1-30 mm, and it is more preferable that it is about 0.1-10 mm.

  Note that a transparent substrate included in the display device described above may be used as the substrate 2. In this case, since the substrate 2 is shared by the touch panel device 1 and the display device, the total number of parts including the display device in the touch panel device 1 can be reduced to reduce the weight. Further, since the number of substrates through which light including display content is transmitted decreases, the light transmittance in the touch panel device 1 can be increased.

A substrate 2 shown in FIG. 1 has a rectangular shape in plan view, and serves as a medium through which surface acoustic waves propagate.
A transmitter 3 and a receiver 4 are provided in the vicinity of the corner of the substrate 2.
Among these, the transmission unit 3 generates the first surface acoustic wave for detecting the X-direction touch position of the substrate 2 in the Y direction substantially orthogonal to the X direction, and the Y of the substrate 2. And a Y-direction transmitting unit 3Y that generates a second surface acoustic wave for detecting a directional touch position in the X direction.

In the present embodiment, the X-direction transmission unit 3X and the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y are provided near both ends of the left edge portion of the substrate 2, respectively.
The X-direction transmitter 3X shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a surface acoustic wave element, and has an IDT (a pair of comb-shaped electrodes) 33 and a piezoelectric layer 32 that are sequentially stacked on the substrate 2. is doing. That is, the X-direction transmission unit 3 </ b> X has the IDT 33 on the lower surface (one surface) of the piezoelectric layer 32.
Such an X-direction transmission unit 3X applies a high-frequency voltage to the piezoelectric layer 32 by an IDT (Interdigital Transducer) 33, thereby causing displacement on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 32 due to the reverse piezoelectric effect. A first surface acoustic wave is generated from the front side end (one end) of the left side (first side) to the back side end (other end).

The IDT 33 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 includes two pairs of electrode fingers 332 and 333 arranged side by side at substantially equal intervals. By setting the widths and thicknesses of the electrode fingers 332 and 333, the distance d _X between the adjacent electrode fingers 332 and the electrode fingers 333, the composition of the piezoelectric layer 32 described later, the crystal orientation, and the like, transmission in the X direction is performed. The frequency characteristics and the like of the first surface acoustic wave generated from the portion 3X can be adjusted to a desired one.

  Further, the number of electrode fingers 332 and 333 of the IDT 33 is not particularly limited. However, when a pair of electrode fingers 332 and one electrode finger 333 is formed, about 5 to 50 pairs are preferable, and 20 to 40 are preferable. The degree of pairing is more preferable. In the IDT 33, generally, the amount of energy dissipation changes in accordance with the number of electrode fingers 332 and 333. Specifically, the greater the number of electrode fingers 332 and 333, the smaller the energy dissipation amount. Conversely, the smaller the number of electrode fingers 332 and 333, the greater the energy dissipation amount. For this reason, by making the number of the pair of electrode fingers 332 and 333 within the above range, the energy dissipation amount can be surely reduced, and a surface acoustic wave with sufficient amplitude can be generated, and the detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1 can be lowered. Can be prevented. In addition, the area occupied by the IDT 33 can be optimized, and a sufficient touch effective area can be secured.

In the present embodiment, the electrode finger 332 and the electrode finger 333 are provided at substantially equal intervals, but there may be a portion where the interval changes.
Examples of the constituent material of IDT33 include Al, Cu, W, Mo, Ti, Au, Y, Pb, Sc, Cr, and alloys containing these, and one or more of these are combined. (For example, as a laminate).

The piezoelectric layer 32 has piezoelectric characteristics, and has a function of causing displacement near the surface due to the inverse piezoelectric effect when a high-frequency voltage is applied via the IDT 33. Conversely, when a displacement occurs in the piezoelectric layer 32, a potential difference is generated between the electrode finger 332 and the electrode finger 333 due to the piezoelectric effect.
When the frequency of the high-frequency voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer 32 satisfies the resonance conditions of the X-direction transmission unit 3X determined by various conditions of the IDT 33 and the piezoelectric layer 32, the X-direction transmission unit 3X causes the first elasticity. A standing wave of a surface wave can be generated particularly efficiently.
Examples of the piezoelectric layer 32 include a thin film or a bulk (thick film). Hereinafter, the piezoelectric layer 32 will be sequentially described for each form.

I. When the piezoelectric layer 32 is formed of a thin film This configuration is suitably applied when a piezoelectric material that is difficult to obtain a large single crystal is used as the constituent material of the piezoelectric layer 32. For this reason, the oscillation frequency of the X-direction transmitting unit 3X can be adjusted in a wider range by using piezoelectric materials having various piezoelectric characteristics (for example, propagation speed of surface acoustic waves).

Specific examples of the piezoelectric material include zinc oxide, aluminum nitride, lithium tantalate, lithium niobate, potassium niobate, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), barium titanate, and various other materials. One of these or a combination of two or more thereof can be used, and in particular, a material mainly containing at least one of zinc oxide, aluminum nitride, and lead zirconate titanate is preferable. Such a material can form a uniform crystal thin film relatively easily. Moreover, since these materials have a relatively high propagation speed of surface acoustic waves, the touch panel device 1 having a high response speed can be obtained.
The average thickness of the piezoelectric layer 32 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 1 to 20 μm, and more preferably about 2 to 10 μm. Thereby, a surface acoustic wave having an amplitude necessary and sufficient for detecting the touch position of the touch panel device 1 can be obtained.

II. When Piezoelectric Layer 32 is Configured in Bulk This configuration is preferably applied when a piezoelectric material that can easily obtain a large single crystal is used as the constituent material of the piezoelectric layer 32.
The bulk (single crystal) piezoelectric material can obtain piezoelectric layers 32 having different crystal orientations by setting the cutting angle. Since the piezoelectric characteristics of the piezoelectric layer 32 differ depending on the crystal orientation, even if the piezoelectric material is of the same type, one having different piezoelectric characteristics can be obtained by selecting the crystal orientation. This makes it easier to set the crystal orientation to make the oscillation frequency easier even for surface acoustic wave elements made of the same kind of piezoelectric material and having the same width, spacing, thickness, etc. of electrode fingers. Can be adjusted.

The bulk piezoelectric layer 32 is preferably capable of oscillating surface acoustic waves in a plurality of oscillation modes. Thereby, a surface acoustic wave in an oscillation mode suitable for the operation of the touch panel device can be easily selected.
Examples of surface acoustic wave oscillation modes include Rayleigh waves, SH waves, Lamb waves, creeping waves, and the like. Among these, it is preferable that the piezoelectric layer 32 used in the X direction transmission unit 3X can generate Rayleigh waves and SH waves according to the crystal orientation. Since these oscillation modes are relatively stable modes, they are suitable as surface acoustic waves used in the touch panel device 1.

  Examples of such piezoelectric materials include quartz, sapphire, lithium borate, aluminum phosphate, tellurium oxide, potassium niobate, and various other materials, and one or more of these are combined. In particular, it is preferable to use quartz. Since quartz has many useful crystal orientations, an element that generates surface acoustic waves in various oscillation modes (oscillation frequencies) can be easily obtained. In addition, there is an advantage that the thermal conductivity is high and the thermal stability at high temperature is excellent. Furthermore, since raw materials are inexpensive, there is also an aspect that large crystals are easily available.

In this case, the average thickness of the piezoelectric layer 32 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 10 to 500 μm, more preferably about 20 to 400 μm. Thereby, the amplitude of the surface acoustic wave necessary and sufficient for detecting the touch position of the touch panel device 1 can be obtained.
The Y-direction transmitter 3Y generates a second surface acoustic wave from the left end (one end) of the back side (third side) of the substrate 2 toward the right end (other end). It is.

Such a Y-direction transmission unit 3Y has the same configuration as the X-direction transmission unit 3X as described above. That is, the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y includes an IDT 33 and a piezoelectric layer 32 that are sequentially stacked on the substrate 2.
In the Y-direction transmitter 3Y, as in the X-direction transmitter 3X, the frequency of the high-frequency voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer 32 is determined by various conditions of the piezoelectric layer 32 and the IDT 33. If the resonance condition is satisfied, the standing wave of the second surface acoustic wave can be generated particularly efficiently from the Y-direction transmitter 3Y.

Further, the X direction transmission unit 3X and the Y direction transmission unit 3Y are each connected to an X / Y switch 12 described later via a power supply wiring 6.
The power supply wiring 6 is made of various conductive materials, but is preferably made of the same material as the IDT 33 and formed integrally with the IDT 33. Thereby, in the manufacturing process of the touch panel device 1 to be described later, the power supply wiring 6 and the IDT 33 can be formed at the same time, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

The X-direction transmission unit 3X and the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y include a flat plate-like lower electrode 31, a piezoelectric layer 32 ′, and an IDT (upper electrode having a comb shape or a comb shape) 33 on the substrate 2, respectively. A configuration like the X-direction transmitting unit 3X ′ shown in FIGS.
Such an X-direction transmitter 3X ′ applies a high-frequency voltage between the lower electrode 31 and the IDT 33 ′, thereby causing a displacement due to the inverse piezoelectric effect on the surface of the piezoelectric layer 32 ′, and the first elasticity. It generates surface waves.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the IDT 33 ′ includes a plurality of electrode fingers 331 provided at approximately equal intervals. By setting the width and thickness of the electrode fingers 331, the distance d _X between adjacent electrode fingers 331, the composition of the piezoelectric layer 32 ′, the crystal orientation, and the like, the first generated from the X-direction transmitter 3X ′ The characteristics such as the oscillation frequency of the surface acoustic wave can be adjusted to a desired one.

The lower electrode 31 can be made of the same material as the IDT 33 ′.
By the way, it is preferable that at least one of the X-direction transmission unit 3X and the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y includes the reflection array 35 on the side opposite to the side that generates the surface acoustic wave.
In the IDT 33 of FIG. 6, the surface acoustic wave is generated toward the back side, and therefore the reflective array 35 is provided on the front side of the IDT 33. The IDT 33 normally generates surface acoustic waves on both the back side and the near side in FIG. Then, by providing the reflective array 35 on the front side of the IDT 33 as shown in FIG. 6, the surface acoustic wave propagated from the IDT 33 toward the reflective array 35 is reflected by the reflective array 35 and propagates to the back side. Thereby, a stronger surface acoustic wave can be generated from the X-direction transmitter 3X.

At this time, it is preferable to set the position of the reflective array 35 so that the surface acoustic wave generated from the IDT 33 toward the back side and the reflected wave reflected by the reflective array 35 are in phase with each other. As a result, the surface acoustic wave and the reflected wave are combined, and a surface acoustic wave having higher strength can be generated. As a result, the detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1 can be improved.
The reflection array 35 is configured by arranging a plurality of electrode fingers 334 at a predetermined interval. These electrode fingers 334 are provided at intervals satisfying a condition that causes Bragg reflection in the surface acoustic wave, for example.

In addition, at least one of the X-direction transmission unit 3X and the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y has a surface acoustic wave intensity that is generated in a direction opposite to the one direction. It is preferable to be configured to be greater than the strength.
The IDT 33 ″ shown in FIG. 7 is configured such that the number of electrode fingers 333 is larger than the number of electrode fingers 332. In the IDT 33 ″ having such a configuration, the IDT 33 ″ is arranged in a predetermined direction, here in the back of FIG. The intensity of the surface acoustic wave generated toward the front is stronger than the intensity of the surface acoustic wave generated toward the near side. Thereby, a stronger surface acoustic wave can be generated without changing the voltage applied to the piezoelectric layer 32. As a result, the detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1 can be improved.

The receiving unit 4 includes an X-direction receiving unit 4X that receives the first surface acoustic wave generated from the X-direction transmitting unit 3X, and a Y-direction receiving unit that receives the second surface acoustic wave generated from the Y-direction transmitting unit 3Y. 4Y.
In the present embodiment, the X-direction receiving unit 4X and the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y are provided near both ends of the front side edge of the substrate 2, respectively.

The X direction receiving unit 4X and the Y direction receiving unit 4Y have the same configuration as the X direction transmitting unit 3X and the Y direction transmitting unit 3Y, respectively. That is, the X-direction receiving unit 4X and the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y each have an IDT 33 and a piezoelectric layer 32 that are sequentially stacked on the substrate 2.
The X-direction receiving unit 4X generates an electrical signal in the IDT 33 in accordance with the piezoelectric effect generated by the displacement of the piezoelectric layer 32 by the first surface acoustic wave that has propagated through the substrate 2.

Similarly to the X-direction receiving unit 4X, the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y generates an electrical signal according to the piezoelectric effect generated by the displacement of the piezoelectric layer 32 by the second surface acoustic wave.
The frequency characteristics of the X direction receiver 4X and the frequency characteristics of the Y direction receiver 4Y are respectively the width and thickness of the pair of electrode fingers 332 and 333 included in the IDT 33, the adjacent electrode fingers 332 and the electrode fingers 333. By adjusting the distance between the piezoelectric layer 32, the composition of the piezoelectric layer 32, the crystal orientation, and the like, it is possible to adjust the characteristics such as the frequency that can be mainly received by the X direction receiving unit 4X and the Y direction receiving unit 4Y to a desired one. it can.

The X direction receiving unit 4X and the Y direction receiving unit 4Y are each connected to an X / Y switch 15 to be described later via a receiving wiring 7.
The reception wiring 7 is made of the same material as that of the power supply wiring 6 described above, but is preferably formed integrally with the IDT 33 in particular. Thereby, in the manufacturing method of the touch panel device 1 described later, the receiving wiring 7 and the IDT 33 can be formed at the same time, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

In addition, although this embodiment demonstrated the case where all of X direction transmission part 3X, Y direction transmission part 3Y, X direction reception part 4X, and Y direction reception part 4Y were comprised with the surface acoustic wave element, these are Other means for generating surface acoustic waves may be used.
As other means for generating the surface acoustic wave, for example, various vibrators that can give a vibration that generates a transverse wave and / or a longitudinal wave to the substrate 2 can be cited.

A reflector 5 is provided at each edge of the substrate 2.
The reflector 5 has a function of changing the propagation direction of the surface acoustic wave generated from the X direction transmission unit 3X and the Y direction transmission unit 3Y.
The reflector 5 shown in FIG. 1 has two sides (two sides on the left and right sides of the substrate 2) substantially parallel to the direction (Y direction) in the substrate 2 where the X-direction transmitter 3 </ b> X generates the first surface acoustic wave. A pair of first reflectors 5X ₁ , 5X ₂ provided near the edge of the first side and the second side, and two sides other than the two sides (upper and lower sides of the substrate 2, that is, two sides) A pair of second reflectors 5Y ₁ and 5Y ₂ provided in the vicinity of the edge of the third side and the fourth side).

Each of these reflectors 5 is configured by arranging a large number of reflecting elements having reflecting surfaces inclined by approximately 45 ° with respect to each edge of the substrate 2 at predetermined intervals (intervals that satisfy the conditions of Bragg reflection). The reflection element group is constituted.
Each of the reflectors 5 has a function of changing the propagation directions of the first surface acoustic wave and the second surface acoustic wave by approximately 90 °. Specifically, the pair of first reflectors 5X ₁ and 5X ₂ is configured to change the propagation direction of the first surface acoustic wave by approximately 90 °, and finally change by approximately 180 °. The pair of second reflectors 5Y ₁ and 5Y ₂ is configured to change the propagation direction of the second surface acoustic wave by approximately 90 °, and finally change by approximately 180 °.

In addition, of the pair of first reflectors 5X ₁ and 5X ₂ and the pair of second reflectors 5Y ₁ and 5Y ₂ , the first reflector 5X ₁ and the second reflector 5Y responsible for the first reflection. ₁ is configured to reflect a part of the surface acoustic wave that has reached the reflecting surface of each reflecting element and to transmit the remaining part. Thereby, the surface acoustic wave is branched by each reflection element, and propagates so as to scan the X direction and the Y direction of the substrate 2 uniformly.

On the other hand, the first reflector 5X ₂ and the second reflector 5Y ₂ responsible for the second reflection reflect the surface acoustic wave that has reached the reflecting surface of each reflecting element, and are opposite to the reflecting surface. The surface acoustic wave that has reached the surface is transmitted. As a result, the surface acoustic waves are aggregated by the respective reflecting elements, and the propagation direction thereof is changed so as to go to the X direction receiving unit 4X and the Y direction receiving unit 4Y.

Further, in such a reflector 5, the path length of the surface acoustic wave reflected for each reflecting element is different, so that the surface acoustic wave reflected by each reflecting element has a time difference corresponding to the path length difference. Thus, each of the receiving units 4X and 4Y is reached. Due to this time difference, position information for specifying the touch position can be obtained in the detection unit described later. In addition, the area | region where the surface acoustic wave of the board | substrate 2 propagates becomes an area | region which can detect a touch position, ie, a touch effective area | region.
The constituent material of the reflector 5 is not particularly limited, but is made of the same material as the power supply wiring 6 and the reception wiring 7 described above.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first reflector 5X ₁ and power supply wire 6 as shown in FIG. 1, and the second reflector 5Y ₁ and the receiving lines 7 are formed integrally with each . Thus, the reflector 5Y ₁ of the first reflector 5X ₁ and a second, it is possible to form by approaching the edge of the substrate 2, it is possible to enlarge the touch effective area. In other words, the width of the frame portion of the touch panel device 1 can be reduced and the degree of design freedom can be increased.

Further, in the manufacturing process of the touch panel device 1 to be described later, the power supply wiring 6 and the reception wiring 7, the first reflector 5X ₁ and the second reflector 5Y ₁ can be formed at the same time, and the manufacturing process is simplified. Can be achieved.
In addition, these reflectors and wiring may be separated, or may be formed integrally with only one of them.

A diaphragm 8 is provided above the substrate 2, the transmission unit 3, the reception unit 4, and the reflector 5.
The diaphragm 8 is normally provided in a state where a predetermined gap is held by a spacer (not shown) or the like so as not to contact the substrate 2.
In the present embodiment, when the touch panel device 1 is operated (touched), the upper surface of the diaphragm 8 functions as a touch surface. Thereby, the diaphragm 8 bends downward and the diaphragm 8 comes into contact with the substrate 2, whereby the surface acoustic wave that passes through the touch position can be attenuated. As a result, the touch position can be specified by a detection unit described later.

In addition, two piezoelectric elements 85 are provided on the lower surface of the diaphragm 8 as shown in FIG. A voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element 85 from a drive power supply 17 described later via a wiring. These wirings and the driving power source 17 constitute a piezoelectric element driving means.
The piezoelectric element 85 includes a piezoelectric layer 86 and an electrode 87 that applies a voltage to the piezoelectric layer 86.

  The piezoelectric element 85 is displaced due to the inverse piezoelectric effect when a voltage is applied (energized) to the piezoelectric layer 86 via the electrode 87. The diaphragm 8 can be vibrated by this displacement. Thereby, for example, when the upper surface of the diaphragm 8 is a touch surface and the touch surface is pressed with a fingertip, the vibration of the diaphragm 8 is conducted to the fingertip in contact with the touch surface, and the fingertip Tactile information can be given.

  Further, it is preferable that a sound wave is generated from the diaphragm 8 when the diaphragm 8 vibrates in this way. This sound wave is generated when the surrounding air vibrates due to the vibration of the diaphragm 8. Therefore, the frequency and volume of the sound wave can be adjusted by setting the frequency and amplitude of the vibration applied by the piezoelectric element 85 to the diaphragm 8. That is, the touch panel device 1 having such a diaphragm 8 and the piezoelectric element 85 has a speaker function.

  For example, in the above-described electronic device to which the touch panel device 1 is conventionally attached, this speaker function can replace the speaker included in the electronic device. By substituting the speaker of the electronic device, the space and weight conventionally occupied by the speaker in the electronic device can be reduced, and the electronic device can be reduced in size and weight.

The piezoelectric layer 86 included in the piezoelectric element 85 is preferably made of the same piezoelectric material as that of the piezoelectric layer 32 described above. Similarly, the IDT 33 and the electrode 87 are preferably made of the same kind of electrode material. Thereby, the piezoelectric body layer 86 and the piezoelectric body layer 32, and the IDT 33 and the electrode 87 can be simultaneously formed, and the manufacturing process of the touch panel device 1 can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
The number of piezoelectric elements 85 may be one or three or more, and is not particularly limited.
The diaphragm 8 is preferably composed of an elastic member. Specific examples of the elastic member include a resin material and a glass material similar to the constituent material of the substrate 2, or a material combining these materials.

  Such a diaphragm 8 is composed of a laminated body of a plurality of layers, and this laminated body is in contact with the first layer 81 made mainly of a glass material and the first layer 81 and mainly made of a resin material. It is preferable to have a second layer 82 configured as a material. A glass material with high hardness has high transmission of vibrations and surface acoustic waves, whereas a highly flexible resin material has low transmission of vibrations and surface acoustic waves. For this reason, by laminating these two kinds of materials, it is difficult for a standing wave to be generated in the diaphragm 8, and the diaphragm 8 can be prevented from vibrating unnecessarily for a long time. In addition, it is possible to improve the sound quality particularly in the speaker function.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to provide the first layer 81 and the second layer 82 so that the first layer 81 is located on the substrate 2 side. Thereby, it is possible to reliably prevent the vibration of the diaphragm 8 and the surface acoustic wave propagating through the substrate 2 from interfering with each other. As a result, it is possible to prevent the waveform of the surface acoustic wave propagating through the substrate 2 from being deformed by the vibration of the diaphragm 8 and the touch position detection accuracy of the touch panel device 1 from being lowered. On the contrary, it is possible to prevent the vibration of the diaphragm 8 from changing due to the influence of the surface acoustic wave propagating through the substrate 2 and degrading the function of the speaker.

Such a diaphragm 8 may be a flat plate having a constant thickness, but it is preferable that the average thickness of the frame portion is larger than the average thickness of portions other than the frame portion. In the diaphragm 8 having such a shape, portions other than the frame portion are likely to vibrate, and the frame portion is difficult to vibrate, so that the vibrating portion can be controlled. Thereby, for example, when the diaphragm 8 has a speaker function for generating a sound wave, the sound range of the sound wave can be easily controlled to improve the sound quality in the speaker function.
Specifically, the difference in thickness is preferably such that the average thickness of the frame portion of the diaphragm 8 is about 1.1 to 5 times the average thickness of the portion other than the frame portion, and 1.5 to More preferably, it is about 3 times. Thereby, the diaphragm 8 can be vibrated more efficiently.

In particular, the average thickness of portions other than the frame portion of the diaphragm 8 is preferably about 0.1 to 3 mm, and more preferably about 0.3 to 2 mm. Accordingly, it is possible to surely generate vibration to the diaphragm 8 while preventing touch damage to the touch surface and vibration of the diaphragm 8, and to improve sound quality particularly in the speaker function.
In addition, when the thickness of the frame part of the diaphragm 8 is thicker than the thickness of the part other than the frame part as described above, the piezoelectric element 85 is arranged near the boundary between the frame part and the part other than the frame part. It is preferable to provide in. Thereby, the vibration of the diaphragm 8 can be generated more easily.

As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of protrusions (convex portions) 9 protruding toward the substrate 2 are provided on the lower surface of the diaphragm 8.
The protrusion 9 is displaced downward when the upper surface of the diaphragm 8 is pressed by a fingertip or the like (operating the touch panel device 1) and the diaphragm 8 is bent downward. Thereby, the protrusion 9 can contact the upper surface of the substrate 2 preferentially. The protrusions 9 that are in contact with the upper surface of the substrate 2 can surely attenuate the surface acoustic waves that propagate through the substrate 2.

Further, in this case, by setting the area where the protrusion 9 contacts the substrate 2 to be small, the protrusion 9 preferentially contacts the substrate 2 even when the contact surface of the object contacting the upper surface of the diaphragm 8 is relatively large. In order to make contact, the touch position can be specified more accurately.
Further, by resonating sound waves generated from the diaphragm 8 in a space defined by the diaphragm 8, the substrate 2, and a spacer (not shown), the sound quality in the speaker function can be further improved. At this time, the degree of resonance can be adjusted by changing the distance between the diaphragm 8 and the substrate 2 by changing the thickness of the spacer.

  The external device 10 includes a high-frequency power source (power supply unit) 11 that supplies operating power to the transmission unit 3 via the power supply wiring 6, and an X / Y switch provided between the high-frequency power source 11 and the transmission unit 3. 12, a detection unit 13 that receives an electrical signal generated by the reception unit 4 via the reception wiring 7, and an amplification unit 14 that is provided between the reception unit 4 and the detection unit 13 and amplifies the electrical signal. Control which calculates the position information which the fingertip or the object etc. contact based on the result of the electric signal which X / Y switch 15 provided between amplification part 14 and receiving part 4 and detection part 13 received And a driving power source 17 for supplying operating power to the piezoelectric element 85.

The high-frequency power source 11, the X / Y switch 12, the detection unit 13, the amplification unit 14, the X / Y switch 15, the control unit 16, the transmission unit 3, the reception unit 4, the reflector 5, the power supply wiring 6, and the reception The wiring 7 constitutes position specifying means for specifying the touch position of the touch panel device 1.
Further, the controller (control means) 16 controls the operation of the position specifying means and the operation of the piezoelectric element driving means.

The high-frequency power source 11 can generate a high-frequency voltage having a frequency corresponding to the frequency characteristic of each surface acoustic wave element in the X-direction transmitter 3X and the Y-direction transmitter 3Y.
The X / Y switch 12 has a function of switching the operating power supplied from the high-frequency power supply 11 between the X-direction transmitter 3X and the Y-direction transmitter 3Y. As a result, the X-direction transmission unit 3X and the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y are controlled to generate the first surface acoustic wave and the second surface acoustic wave exclusively from each other.

The X / Y switch 15 includes an electric signal generated when the X-direction receiving unit 4X receives the first surface acoustic wave, and an electric signal generated when the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y receives the second surface acoustic wave. And has a function of transmitting to the amplifying unit 14.
The amplifying unit 14 amplifies the electrical signal generated when the receiving unit 4 receives the surface acoustic wave, and the detecting unit 13 relatively increases the rate of change in the strength of the electrical signal due to the contact of the fingertip or the object. , To make it easier to catch intensity changes.

The detection unit 13 has a function of detecting a change over time in the intensity of the electrical signal amplified by the amplification unit 14.
The control unit 16 is configured to control each operation of the high-frequency power source 11, the X / Y switchers 12 and 15, and the detection unit 13. Thereby, each operation | movement of supply of the operating power of the high frequency power supply 11, switching of the X / Y switchers 12 and 15, and reception of the electric signal of the detection part 13 can be controlled to a desired timing.
As an example of this timing, there is a timing at which the detection unit 13 sets the time for detecting the first surface acoustic wave and the time for detecting the second surface acoustic wave to be divided in time.

  Specifically, first, the X / Y switch 12 is set, and a high-frequency voltage that satisfies the condition for the X-direction transmission unit 3X to generate the first surface acoustic wave from the high-frequency power source 11 is applied to the X-direction transmission unit 3X. Apply to. As a result, a first surface acoustic wave is generated from the X-direction transmitter 3X, and the first surface acoustic wave is received by the X-direction receiver 4X. The electric signal obtained by this reception is detected by the detection unit 13 via the reception wiring 7 by setting the X / Y switch 15.

  Next, the X / Y switch 12 is switched, and a high frequency voltage that satisfies the condition for the Y direction transmission unit 3Y to generate the second surface acoustic wave from the high frequency power supply 11 is applied to the Y direction transmission unit 3Y. Thereby, the 2nd surface acoustic wave is generated from Y direction transmitting part 3Y, and this 2nd surface acoustic wave is received by Y direction receiving part 4Y. The electrical signal obtained by this reception is detected by the detection unit 13 via the reception wiring 7 by switching the X / Y switch 15.

Next, the X / Y switch 12 is switched again, and a high frequency voltage that satisfies the condition for the X direction transmission unit 3X to generate the second surface acoustic wave from the high frequency power supply 11 is applied to the X direction transmission unit 3X. . By repeatedly performing such an operation, it is possible to reliably obtain the position information of the touch position while preventing a mixture of the electrical signal from the X-direction receiving unit 4X and the electrical signal from the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y. Then, this position information is transmitted to various electronic devices.
In addition to this, the control unit 16 further includes a calculation unit (not shown) for converting into position information of the touch position based on the change over time of the strength of the electrical signal received by the detection unit 13.

Next, an example of a usage method (action) of the touch panel device 1 as described above will be described.
[1] First, the X / Y switch 12 is set so that the high-frequency power supply 11 and the X-direction transmission unit 3X are energized. Then, a high-frequency voltage that satisfies the condition for causing the X-direction transmission unit 3 </ b> X to generate the first surface acoustic wave is applied to the IDT 33 via the power supply wiring 6. Thereby, the piezoelectric layer 32, the strain in the vicinity of the surface due to the reverse piezoelectric effect occurs, mainly to generate a first surface acoustic wave having a wavelength corresponding to the interval d _X.
Here, as an example of the first surface acoustic wave, a case will be described in which a burst wave (surface acoustic wave) 51 having a waveform as shown in FIG. 9A is generated from the X-direction transmitter 3X.

[2] The burst wave 51 generated in the X-direction transmission unit 3X travels toward the back side in FIG. 1, and a part thereof is reflected by the reflecting element group of the _first reflector 5X1 and the remaining part is transmitted. . As a result, the burst wave 51 is branched and propagated as the surface acoustic wave 52 in the X direction (right direction) of the substrate 2. Subsequently, the _second reflection is performed by the first reflector 5X2. Thereby, the reflected surface acoustic wave 53 travels toward the near side in FIG. 1 and reaches the X-direction receiving unit 4X. At this time, when a fingertip or an object touches (touches) the upper surface of the diaphragm 8, for example, a received wave 55 including attenuation 54 as shown in FIG. 9A is obtained.
The received wave 55 including the attenuation 54 that has reached the X-direction receiving unit 4 </ b> X causes distortion corresponding to the intensity (amplitude) of the received wave 55 near the surface of the piezoelectric layer 32. This distortion causes a potential difference between the electrode finger 332 and the electrode finger 333 due to the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric layer 32. That is, the received wave 55 is converted into an electric signal corresponding to the intensity in the X-direction receiving unit 4X.

[3] Next, the X / Y switch 15 is set so that the X-direction receiver 4X and the detector 13 are energized. As a result, the electrical signal obtained by the X-direction receiving unit 4X is transmitted to the detecting unit 13 via the receiving wiring 7 and the amplifying unit 14. The detection unit 13 detects a temporal change in the intensity of the first surface acoustic wave received by the X direction reception unit 4X. And based on the detection result of this detection part 13, a touch position is specified by the calculating part with which control part 16 is provided. Specifically, for example, the time T _X from the reception start time of the reception wave 55 shown in FIG. 9A to the reception time of the attenuation 54 is converted into a distance in the X direction, and the X coordinate of the touch position is calculated.

[4] Next, a high-frequency voltage having a second frequency that satisfies the condition for the Y-direction transmitter 3Y to generate the second surface acoustic wave is applied between the electrode finger 332 and the electrode finger 333 via the power supply wiring 6. Apply to. As a result, a burst wave 61 having a waveform as shown in FIG. 9B is generated from the Y-direction transmitter 3Y.
[5] Hereinafter, similarly to the X direction, a received wave 65 including an attenuation 64 as shown in FIG. 9B is obtained. Then, the detection unit 13 detects the time-dependent change in the intensity of the second surface acoustic wave Y direction receiver 4Y has received, it is possible to calculate the Y coordinate of the touch position from the time T _Y.
As described above, the position information of the touch position is obtained, and various electronic devices can be operated using the position information.

  [6] Next, the drive power supply 17 operates the piezoelectric element 85 in synchronization with the detection unit 13 detecting that the fingertip is in contact with the touch surface as in the steps [1] to [5]. Control is performed by the control unit 16. As a result, the piezoelectric element 85 is driven to vibrate the diaphragm 8. At this time, when the fingertip touches the upper surface (touch surface) of the diaphragm 8, the vibration of the diaphragm 8 is conducted to the fingertip. Then, when the user of the touch panel device 1 feels this vibration, the user can surely recognize that the touch panel device 1 has detected the touch position.

The diaphragm 8 may vibrate with various vibration patterns according to the touch position detected by the detection unit 13. Thereby, an indirect confirmation of a touch position can be performed through this vibration, and a reliable operation of the touch panel device 1 by a user can be assisted.
For example, when the fingertip touches the area A shown in FIG. 1, the vibration pattern intermittently vibrates at a frequency of 3 Hz, and when the fingertip touches the area C, the vibration pattern intermittently has a frequency of 1 Hz. Something that vibrates.

Further, when a plurality of piezoelectric elements 85 are provided, at least one of the plurality of piezoelectric elements 85 may be selectively driven according to the touch position detected by the detection unit 13. Good. For example, by vibrating only the piezoelectric element 85 closest to the touch position, indirect confirmation of the touch position can be performed with higher positional accuracy.
Furthermore, a sound wave may be generated from the diaphragm 8 along with this vibration. Thereby, the user of the touch panel device 1 can recognize that the detection of the touch position is completed not only by tactile sense but also by hearing.
In this case, by providing a plurality of piezoelectric elements 85 having different frequencies of sound waves to be generated, sound in different sound ranges may be generated according to the touch position detected by the detection unit 13.

The diaphragm 8 may vibrate at an arbitrary timing regardless of the timing at which the position specifying unit specifies the touch position. That is, when the touch panel device 1 is not operated, sound such as music may be generated from the diaphragm 8.
As described above, the position information of the touch position is obtained, and various electronic devices can be operated using the position information.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 10 is a schematic view (plan view) showing a second embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the front side of the page in FIG. 10 is “up”, the back side of the page is “down”, the right side is “right”, the left side is “left”, the lower side is “front”, and the upper side is Say "Oku".

Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention will be described with reference to this figure, but the description will focus on differences from the first embodiment, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.
The touch panel device 1 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the configurations of the transmission unit 3, the reception unit 4, the power supply wiring 6, the reception wiring 7, and the external device 10 are different.
The transmission unit 3 illustrated in FIG. 10 includes an X-direction transmission unit 3X and a Y-direction transmission unit 3Y.

  The frequency of the first surface acoustic wave generated by the X-direction transmitter 3X is different from the frequency of the second surface acoustic wave generated by the Y-direction transmitter 3Y. In this case, the frequency characteristic that can be mainly received by the X-direction receiving unit 4X is matched with the frequency of the first surface acoustic wave, and the frequency characteristic that can be mainly received by the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y is made to be the second surface acoustic wave. Therefore, the first surface acoustic wave generated from the X-direction transmitter 3X is reliably received only by the X-direction receiver 4X, and the second surface wave generated from the Y-direction transmitter 3Y is obtained. The surface acoustic wave is reliably received only by the Y direction receiver 4Y. As a result, it is possible to reliably prevent the reception of the surface acoustic wave from the direction that should not be received, that is, noise, and to increase the detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1.

Therefore, the electrical signal generated from the reception unit 4 can be selectively detected by the detection unit 13 without switching between the X direction component and the Y direction component. Thereby, the X / Y switch 15 of the first embodiment can be omitted, and the number of parts and the manufacturing cost of the touch panel device 1 can be reduced.
Further, the frequency of the high-frequency voltage that satisfies the condition that the X-direction transmitter 3X resonates and generates the first surface acoustic wave is set as the first frequency, and the Y-direction transmitter 3Y resonates to generate the second surface acoustic wave. Assuming that the frequency of the high-frequency voltage that satisfies the condition for generating the second frequency is the second frequency, the X-direction transmission unit 3X and the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y have a high frequency of either the first frequency or the second frequency. It is preferable to apply a voltage. Thereby, these can be selectively operated, without switching a high frequency voltage between X direction transmission part 3X and Y direction transmission part 3Y.

  In other words, by setting the frequency of the high-frequency voltage to either the first frequency or the second frequency, the X-direction transmitter 3X and the Y-direction transmitter 3Y generate surface acoustic waves exclusively from each other. Can be controlled. Thereby, the X / Y switch 12 of the first embodiment can be omitted, and the number of parts and the manufacturing cost of the touch panel device 1 can be reduced.

  Further, in this case, as shown in FIG. 10, the X-direction transmitter 3X and the Y-direction transmitter 3Y can be electrically connected and the bias electrode can be shared. Thereby, compared with the case where a bias electrode is not shared, the wiring pattern of the power supply wiring 6 can be simplified, and the degree of freedom in designing the touch panel device 1 can be increased. As a result, the frame portion of the touch panel device 1 can be reduced, and the effective touch area can be increased. In addition, since the vibration area of the diaphragm 8 can be expanded along with the reduction of the frame portion, the vibration amplitude of the diaphragm 8 can be increased.

In addition, the number of terminals used to apply operating power to the transmitter 3, that is, the number of components can be reduced, and the circuit configuration from the high frequency power supply 11 to the transmitter 3 can be simplified.
In the touch panel device 1 of the second embodiment as described above, the same operations and effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

<Third Embodiment>
Next, a third embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram (plan view) showing a third embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the X-direction receiving unit. In the following, for convenience of explanation, the front side of the paper in FIGS. 11 and 12 is “up”, the back side of the paper is “down”, the right side is “right”, the left side is “left”, and the lower side is “front”. The upper side is called “back”.

Hereinafter, the third embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention will be described with reference to this figure, but the description will focus on differences from the first and second embodiments, and the description of the same matters will be omitted. To do.
The touch panel device 1 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a part of the reflector 5 is omitted and the configurations of the receiving unit 4 and the receiving wiring 7 are different.

The receiving unit 4 illustrated in FIG. 11 includes an X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ and a Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ′.
The X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ is provided along the right side of the substrate 2 as shown in FIG. The first reflector 5X ₂ is omitted that was provided along the right side of the substrate 2 in the first embodiment.
The X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ includes a surface acoustic wave element, and includes an IDT 43 and a piezoelectric layer (not shown) that are sequentially stacked on the substrate 2.

  The IDT 43 shown in FIG. 11 includes two pairs of comb-like electrode fingers 432 and 433 that are arranged at almost equal intervals. The pair of electrode fingers 432 and 433 are disposed along substantially the entire length of the right side of the substrate 2. By setting the widths and thicknesses of the electrode fingers 432 and 433, the distance between the adjacent electrode fingers 432 and the electrode fingers 433, the composition of the piezoelectric layer, the crystal orientation, and the like, the X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ is mainly used. It is possible to adjust the characteristics such as the receivable frequency to a desired one.

  Further, the number of electrode fingers 432 and 433 is not particularly limited. However, when one electrode finger 332 and one electrode finger 333 are paired, about 5 to 50 pairs are preferable, and about 20 to 40 pairs are more preferable. By making the number of the pair of electrode fingers 432 and 433 within the above range, the amount of energy dissipation can be surely reduced, and a surface acoustic wave with sufficient amplitude can be generated to prevent a decrease in detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1. be able to. In addition, the area occupied by the IDT 43 can be optimized, and a sufficient touch effective area can be secured. Further, since a sufficient area can be secured as the vibration area of the diaphragm 8 with the securing of the touch effective area having a sufficient area, the vibration having a sufficient amplitude that can be surely recognized by the user of the touch panel device 1. And can generate sound waves.

In the present embodiment, the electrode fingers 432 and the electrode fingers 433 are provided at substantially equal intervals, but the touch panel device of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. That is, it may be provided such that the interval changes partially. Further, the numbers of the electrode fingers 432 and the electrode fingers 433 may be different from each other, and the numbers are not particularly limited.
Such an IDT 43 is made of the same material as the IDT 33 of the first embodiment.

The piezoelectric layer is also made of the same material as the piezoelectric layer 32 of the first embodiment.
The Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ′ is provided along the front side of the substrate 2 as shown in FIG. Further, the reflector 5Y ₂ which was provided along the front side of the substrate 2 is omitted in the first embodiment.
The Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ′ has the same configuration as the X-direction receiving unit 4X ′. That is, the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ′ includes an IDT 43 and a piezoelectric layer (not shown) that are sequentially stacked on the substrate 2, and the IDT 43 includes two pairs of comb-like electrode fingers 432 and 433. ing. By setting the width and thickness of the pair of electrode fingers 432 and 433, the distance between the adjacent electrode fingers 432 and the electrode fingers 433, the composition of the piezoelectric layer, the crystal orientation, and the like, the Y-direction receiver 4Y ′ However, it is possible to adjust characteristics such as receivable frequency to a desired one.
As shown in FIG. 12, at least one of the X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ and the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ′ preferably includes a reflective array 45 on the side opposite to the side that receives the surface acoustic wave.

  The X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ in FIG. 12 includes a reflective array 45 on the right side of the IDT 43 in order to receive a surface acoustic wave that has propagated from the left side of the IDT 43. Thereby, when the surface acoustic wave propagating from the left side of the IDT 43 unintentionally passes through the IDT 43, the surface acoustic wave can be reflected by the reflection array 45 and returned to the IDT 43. The reception sensitivity can be improved.

Further, the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ′ can improve the reception sensitivity of the IDT 43, similarly to the X-direction receiving unit 4X ′.
The reflection array 45 is configured by arranging a plurality of electrode fingers 434 at a predetermined interval. For example, the electrode fingers 434 are provided at intervals satisfying a condition that causes Bragg reflection in the surface acoustic wave.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the reflective array 45 is configured to have partially different reflectivities in the longitudinal direction. Normally, the surface acoustic wave that reaches the back side of the reflective array 45 is more attenuated because the propagation path length is longer than the surface acoustic wave that reaches the near side. Therefore, in such a case, the reflection array 45 is configured such that the portion of the reflection array 45 located on the back side has a higher reflectance, thereby averaging the variation in the intensity of the surface acoustic wave due to the difference in the path length to obtain the IDT 43. A substantially uniform reception sensitivity can be obtained over the entire length of the.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the X-direction receiving unit and the Y-direction receiving unit.
The X-direction receiving unit 4X ″ shown in FIG. 13 includes a surface acoustic wave element having an IDT 43 ″ and a piezoelectric layer (not shown) stacked in order on the substrate 2 as a structural unit. 11 is the same as the X-direction receiving unit 4X ′ shown in FIG.
The IDT 43 ″ includes two pairs of electrode fingers 432 and 433 provided at equal intervals.

  As described above, the X-direction receiving unit 4X ″ is configured by connecting a plurality of surface acoustic wave elements in parallel, so that the electrode width, the distance between the electrodes, and the electric resistance of the electrodes in the pair of electrode fingers 432 and 433 are obtained. The decrease in the reception sensitivity of the X-direction receiving unit 4X ″ due to such variations can be distributed to each structural unit, and the decrease in the reception sensitivity of the entire X-direction receiving unit 4X ″ can be suppressed.

In other words, when obtaining a predetermined reception sensitivity, it is possible to expand the allowable range of variations such as the electrode width, the distance between the electrodes, and the electric resistance of the electrodes in the IDT 43 ″. As a result, the X-direction receiving unit 4X ″ Can be manufactured more easily and reliably.
The IDT 43 ″ shown in FIG. 13 is configured by connecting three surface acoustic wave elements. The number of surface acoustic wave elements to be connected depends on the touch position detection accuracy (resolution) required by the touch panel device 1. ) And the like, and is not particularly limited.

Further, the number of electrode fingers 432 and 433 included in the comb electrode of the structural unit is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 5 to 50 pairs, and more preferably about 20 to 40 pairs. Thereby, sufficient detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1 can be ensured while preventing the area occupied by the IDT 43 ″ from becoming unnecessarily large.
On the other hand, the Y-direction receiving unit 4Y ″ shown in FIG. 13 is configured in the same manner as the X-direction receiving unit 4X ″ except that the number of structural units is four.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating still another configuration example of the X-direction receiving unit and the Y-direction receiving unit.
The receiving unit 4 shown in FIG. 14 is similar to that shown in FIG. 11 except that the IDTs 43 of the X direction receiving unit 4X ′ and the Y direction receiving unit 4Y ′ are electrically connected and share a bias electrode. This is the same as the XX direction receiver 4X ′ shown. Thereby, compared with the case where a bias electrode is not shared, the wiring pattern of the receiving wiring 7 can be simplified, and the degree of freedom in designing the touch panel device 1 can be increased. As a result, the frame portion of the touch panel device 1 can be reduced, and the effective touch area can be increased. In addition, since the vibration area of the diaphragm 8 can be expanded along with the reduction of the frame portion, the vibration amplitude of the diaphragm 8 can be increased.

In addition, the number of terminals used for output of electrical signals from the receiving unit 4, that is, the number of parts can be reduced, and the circuit configuration from the receiving unit 4 to the amplifying unit 14 can be simplified.
The substrate 2, the first reflector 5X ₁ along the left side, the second reflector 5Y ₁ along the back side, respectively.

The first reflector 5X ₁ changes the propagation direction of the first surface acoustic wave once until the first surface acoustic wave generated from the X direction transmission unit 3X reaches the X direction reception unit 4X. Only configured to change.
Similarly, the second reflector 5Y _1, second surface acoustic wave generated from the Y-direction transmission unit 3Y is, before reaching the Y direction receiver 4Y, the propagation direction of the second surface acoustic wave It is configured to change only once.

  In this way, after the surface acoustic wave is generated, it is configured to be received through only one reflection at a right angle, so that the elastic surface associated with the reflection is compared with the case where the conventional two reflections are performed. Wave attenuation can be reduced. As a result, the surface acoustic wave is received in a relatively high intensity state, so that it is possible to more easily detect the intensity change of the surface acoustic wave due to the contact of an object or the like with the touch surface. it can. As a result, the detection sensitivity of the touch panel device 1 can be improved.

In the touch panel device 1 of the third embodiment as described above, the same operations and effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.
The touch panel device 1 having position specifying means using such surface acoustic waves is called a surface acoustic wave type touch panel device. The surface acoustic wave type touch panel device is excellent in durability and detection sensitivity, and by applying the present invention, the piezoelectric element 85 and a part of the position specifying means can be simultaneously formed as described above, and the cost is low. It is easy to plan.

The touch panel device of the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration of each part constituting the touch panel device is an arbitrary configuration having the same function. Can be substituted. Moreover, other arbitrary components may be added.
In addition, the touch panel device of the present invention may be a combination of any two or more configurations (features) of the above embodiments.

It is the schematic (plan view) which shows 1st Embodiment of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of an X direction transmission unit of the touch panel device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A′-A ′ in the vicinity of the X-direction transmission unit illustrated in FIG. 2. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a X direction transmission part. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A ″ -A ″ in the vicinity of the X-direction transmission unit illustrated in FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a X direction transmission part. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a X direction transmission part. It is the sectional view on the AA line of the touch panel apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the waveform of each surface acoustic wave transmitted by the transmission part and received by the receiving part. It is the schematic (plan view) which shows 2nd Embodiment of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is the schematic (plan view) which shows 3rd Embodiment of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a X direction receiving part. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a X direction receiving part and a Y direction receiving part. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a X direction receiving part and a Y direction receiving part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Touch panel apparatus 2 ... Board | substrate 3 ... Transmission part 3X, 3X '... X direction transmission part 3Y ... Y direction transmission part 4 ... Reception part 4X, 4X' ... X direction reception part 4Y, 4Y ' 4Y ”…… Y direction receiving section 5 …… Reflector 5X ₁ , 5X ₂ ...... First reflector 5Y ₁ , 5Y ₂ ...... Second reflector 6 …… Power supply wiring 7 …… Reception wiring 8 ... diaphragm 81 ... first layer 82 ... second layer 85 ... piezoelectric element 86 ... piezoelectric layer 87 ... electrode 9 ... projection 10 ... external device 11 ... high frequency power source 12, 15 …… X / Y switch 13 …… Detection unit 14 …… Amplification unit 16 …… Control unit 17 …… Drive power supply 31 …… Lower electrodes 32, 32 ′, 32 ″ …… Piezoelectric layers 33, 33 ′, 33 ", 43, 43" ... IDT 331-334, 432-434 ... Electrode finger 35, 45 ... Reflection array 5 1, 61 ... Burst wave 52, 53 ... Surface acoustic wave 54, 64 ... Attenuation 55, 65 ... Received wave

Claims (13)

A touch panel device that has a touch surface and detects a touch position of an object that contacts the touch surface,
A substrate,
A diaphragm provided to face the substrate;
A piezoelectric element provided on the diaphragm for vibrating the diaphragm;
Piezoelectric element driving means for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element to drive the piezoelectric element;
Position specifying means for specifying the touch position;
Control means for controlling the operation of the piezoelectric element driving means and the position specifying means,
The control means controls the piezoelectric element to be driven by the piezoelectric element driving means in synchronization with an object coming into contact with the touch surface.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls driving of the piezoelectric element by the piezoelectric element driving unit such that a vibration pattern of the diaphragm changes according to the touch position.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the piezoelectric element driving unit so as to selectively drive at least one of the plurality of piezoelectric elements according to the touch position.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the diaphragm generates a sound wave by vibrating. The diaphragm is composed of a laminate of a plurality of layers,
The laminate includes a first layer composed mainly of a glass material and a second layer disposed in contact with the first layer and composed mainly of a resin material. The touch panel device according to claim 1.   The touch panel device according to claim 5, wherein the diaphragm is configured such that the first layer is positioned closer to the substrate than the second layer.   7. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the substrate are provided on a surface of the diaphragm on the substrate side.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein an average thickness of the frame portion of the diaphragm is thicker than an average thickness of portions other than the frame portion.   The touch panel device according to claim 8, wherein an average thickness of the frame portion of the diaphragm is 1.1 to 5 times an average thickness of a portion other than the frame portion.   The touch panel device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein an average thickness of a portion other than the frame portion of the diaphragm is 0.1 to 3 mm.   The touch panel device according to claim 8, wherein the piezoelectric element is located near a boundary between the frame portion of the diaphragm and a portion other than the frame portion. The position specifying means includes a transmitter that generates surface acoustic waves on the substrate;
A receiving unit for receiving the surface acoustic wave generated from the transmitting unit;
A power supply unit for applying a high-frequency voltage for operating the transmission unit;
A detection unit that detects a temporal change in the intensity of the surface acoustic wave received by the reception unit;
The touch panel device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the touch panel device is configured to specify the touch position based on a detection result of the detection unit. The touch panel device according to claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric layer included in the transmitting unit and the receiving unit and the piezoelectric layer included in the piezoelectric element are made of the same type of piezoelectric material.

Images