Finger-worn type data input device

The present invention relates to a finger-mounted data input device that is operated by moving a finger while pressing a part of the device against an arbitrary target surface existing in the outside world such as a display device or a handle after being worn on a finger like a ring. .. In addition, in this finger-mounted data input device, by providing a mechanism for feeding back a tactile stimulus or a force stimulus to the finger, the user is made to perceive a virtual button, and the user can operate his / her own operation without looking at his / her hand. It relates to a finger-worn data input device that can be grasped.

Regarding the tactile feedback mechanism that plays a major role in improving the operability of the finger-mounted data input device in the present technology, various methods shown in Patent Documents 1-16 below have been proposed.

Among these, the finger-mounted or glove-type (hand-worn) input device has the methods shown in Patent Documents 6 and 7 below, and the pin is projected from the glove covering the hand or the sack into which the finger is inserted. Tactile feedback is achieved by stimulating the fingers. Compared with these conventional methods, in the finger-worn data input device of the present invention, a portion (external contact portion) that contacts the surface of an object in the outside world is provided in a part of the input device, and this portion is pressed against the surface of the object in the outside world. It is unique in that it operates while being fixed, and it works in the relative positional relationship between the external contact part and the finger, which changes when the external contact part is fixed to the external surface and the finger is moved, or between the external contact part and the finger. Determine the data to be input and the form of tactile stimulus to be generated based on the direction of force.<patcit num="1"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-161152</text></patcit><patcit num="2"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-55252</text></patcit><patcit num="3"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-102997</text></patcit><patcit num="4"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-356862</text></patcit><patcit num="5"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-29623</text></patcit><patcit num="6"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-259333</text></patcit><patcit num="7"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-47792</text></patcit><patcit num="8"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-143301</text></patcit><patcit num="9"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-224161</text></patcit><patcit num="10"><text>Jikkenhei 5-55222 Gazette</text></patcit><patcit num="11"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-278694</text></patcit><patcit num="12"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-90922</text></patcit><patcit num="13"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-353091</text></patcit><patcit num="14"><text>Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-166871</text></patcit><patcit num="15"><text>Japanese Patent Application 2003-33020</text></patcit><patcit num="16"><text>Japanese Patent Application 2003-277427</text></patcit>

<p>If the input panel is fixedly installed at a specific position of the device, the user cannot operate the device in a free posture because the finger operating the input panel is restricted to the position of the input panel. And if a specific posture is required when operating the input panel, the efficiency and safety of other work performed in parallel may be impaired. For example, if you reach out to the touch panel installed on the console of a car and try to select a navigation menu, the work of holding the steering wheel and driving the car will be hindered and the risk of an accident will increase. In addition, there are individual differences in the size of the hand, the length of the fingers, etc. for each user, and the finger position that makes it easy to operate the device differs for each user, but if the position of the input panel is fixed, that position is incorrect. Appropriate users will have to operate the device in an unreasonable posture or in a finger position that is difficult to operate. In order to solve these problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a finger-worn data input device that generates a virtual operation button at an arbitrary position on which a finger is placed. By using this finger-mounted data input device, the restrictions on the finger position when operating the device are removed, and the device is operated in the optimum posture for the work being executed in parallel or in the optimum finger position for each person's hand size. It can be so. For example, if you can generate a virtual button at any position on the steering wheel while driving a car, you can operate the audio equipment and navigation equipment by pressing the generated button at the finger position while holding the steering wheel naturally. Become. Alternatively, holding some device while holding it with a finger When operating the device with a finger, if a virtual button appears there no matter where the finger is held, each person can hold the device at a convenient finger position. You will be able to press the button with your finger while holding it. In this finger-mounted data input device, by introducing a tactile feedback mechanism (tactile stimulus means) that applies different stimuli to the tactile sensation and force sensation of the finger according to the operation situation, the tactile sensation can be achieved without the user looking at the hand. Allows the device to be operated through the feel. Furthermore, by devising the form of this tactile feedback, the user is given a virtual button.</p>

<p>The above problem is solved by using a finger-worn data input device that is used by being worn on a finger like a ring. The finger-worn data input device has a part where the finger is attached (finger attachment part) and a part which comes into contact with the surface of an arbitrary object in the outside world (outside contact part), and after the finger is inserted into the finger attachment part and attached. The external contact portion is pressed against the surface of the external object to be fixed, and the finger inserted into the finger mounting portion is operated while the external contact portion is fixed to the surface of the external object. The part to be attached to the finger (finger attachment part) of the finger-mounted data input device is movable with respect to the external contact part, and the finger attached to the finger attachment part is moved while the external contact part is fixed to the surface of the external object. Sometimes it is desirable that the finger mounting portion moves in conjunction with the movement of the finger, but in order to simplify the structure of the device, the finger mounting portion does not have to be movable with respect to the external contact portion. In that case, the pressure applied from the finger to the finger mounting part is detected when trying to move the finger, and the finger moves in the direction of the detected pressure even if the finger is not actually moving (trying to move). I will treat it assuming that it was done.</p><p>The finger-mounted data input device is always attached to the finger and moves with the finger, and functions as a remote controller of the device main body installed separately. The finger-worn data input device and the device body should transmit signals and power to each other by wire or wirelessly. When the finger inserted into the finger-mounted part of the finger-mounted data input device is moved while the external contact part of the finger-mounted data input device is fixed to the surface of an arbitrary object in the outside world, the relative position of the finger-mounted part with respect to the external contact part changes. Therefore, the data to be input is determined according to this relative position. Alternatively, if the finger mounting portion is not movable with respect to the external contact portion due to simplification of the device, the direction of the pressure applied from the finger to the finger mounting portion instead of the relative position of the finger mounting portion with respect to the external contact portion. Is detected, and the data to be input is determined based on this direction.</p><p>When the finger-worn data input device is used in this way, the device can be operated at any position on the surface of any object to which the external contact portion is fixed. Therefore, the finger position for operating the device is not restricted, and the device can be operated at the optimum position according to the size of the user's hand and the length of the finger. Further, when operating other devices at the same time, the finger can be placed at a position suitable for parallel operation with the device. For example, when remotely operating an in-vehicle device while driving a car, the external contact portion of the finger-mounted data input device attached to the finger holding the steering wheel is pressed against an arbitrary surface position of the steering wheel to be fixed and operated. For example, it is not necessary to take your finger off the steering wheel, so it does not interfere with driving. With a normal remote controller, the remote controller must be held by hand, but since the finger-mounted data input device is attached to the finger, it is not necessary to hold it, and various devices can be operated while holding the handle with both hands. ..</p><p>As described above, the finger-mounted data input device determines the data to be input based on the relative position of the finger with respect to the external contact portion and the direction of the pressure applied from the finger to the finger-mounted portion, but is suitable for the finger inserted in the finger-mounted portion. By adding a haptic feedback, it becomes possible to clearly distinguish the relative position of the finger and the direction of the pressure applied from the finger to the finger mounting portion, and the operability is improved. At this time, if the tactile feedback method is devised, the virtual button can be perceived tactilely, and the operation becomes intuitive and easy to understand. If the tactile stimulus applied to the finger changes according to the relative position of the finger and the external contact part or the direction of the pressure applied from the finger to the finger mounting part, the relative position and the direction of pressure can be reliably distinguished by the difference in the tactile stimulus. Therefore, erroneous input is reduced, and it is possible to specify a signal to be input by distinguishing a minute finger position, so that input efficiency is also improved.</p><p>As a method of applying a tactile stimulus to the finger, there are a method of pushing the skin of the finger by moving a protrusion, a method of applying a repulsive force to the movement of moving the finger, and a method of vibrating the finger mounting portion. An electrically driven actuator may be used to move the protrusion, but in order to reduce power consumption and cost, it is desirable to mechanically convert the movement of the finger to move the protrusion.</p>

<p>In the finger-mounted data input device of the present invention, since a virtual button can be generated at an arbitrary point on which the finger is placed, various devices can be operated and data can be input without restricting the finger position. .. Since the finger-mounted data input device is used by attaching it to a finger, it is not necessary to hold it by hand unlike a normal remote controller, and both hands can be operated while using it for other work. Wearing a normal button or joystick on a finger is not practical because of poor operability, but in the present invention, the operability is improved by introducing a mechanism that applies a tactile stimulus to the finger to be worn, and further, a form of tactile stimulus is provided. If you devise, you can make the user perceive a virtual button, so the operation becomes intuitive and easy to understand. As described above, in the finger-mounted data input device of the present invention, the position of the finger for operating the input device can be freely set, and the finger position can be tactilely grasped without visually confirming the position where the finger is placed. It has the effect of creating a virtual button that allows you to enter data.</p>

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of the finger-worn data input device of the present invention. Put your finger on the finger mounting part 1 in Fig. 1 and carry it like a ring. There are four holes 2 in the part of the finger attachment part in contact with the pad of the finger, and a protrusion 3 for tactile stimulation comes out from the hole 2 to stimulate the skin on the ventral side of the finger. When operating the finger-mounted data input device, the external contact portion 8 is pressed against the surface of an arbitrary object existing in the outside world, and the finger-mounted portion is attached while the external contact portion 8 is fixed to the surface of the object in the external world. Move the finger to move the finger mounting part 1 with respect to the external contact part 8. Then, the relative positional relationship between the finger mounting portion 1 and the external contact portion 8 is detected by a contact type switch, an optical switch, various encoders, etc., and the data to be input is determined based on the detection result. (b) shows a cross-sectional view when the finger-mounted data input device of (a) is cut in the left-right direction. 7 is a switch that detects the vertical movement of the finger. After pushing down the finger mounting part with a finger to turn on and off the switch 7, the finger mounting part is returned upward by the spring 6. A battery 9 that serves as a power source for a finger-worn data input device is contained in the external contact portion 8 whose bottom surface is pressed against the surface of an object in the external world and is fixed. The finger mounting portion slides smoothly on the small ball 4, but is pulled from all sides by the spring 5 in order to return the position to the standard position. Such a mechanism constitutes a movable mechanism that enables the finger mounting portion to move relative to the external contact portion. The protrusion (tactile stimulation protrusion) 3 that stimulates the skin on the ventral side of the finger is centered on the axis indicated by the black circle in the figure when the relative positional relationship between the finger mounting part and the external contact part changes. It rotates and pushes the skin of the finger inserted in the finger mounting part to stimulate the tactile sensation. (c) shows a cross-sectional view when the finger-mounted data input device of (a) is cut in the front-rear direction. The finger mounting part rides on the small ball 4 and slides smoothly in the front-back direction. Even when the finger mounting portion moves in the anteroposterior direction, the tactile stimulating protrusion 3 rotates around the rotation axis indicated by the black circle according to the moving position to stimulate the skin of the finger. The electronic circuit 10 for wireless transmission shows the ON-OFF status of the switch 7 and the finger mounting part. The position relative to the external contact part of the device or the result of processing this information is transmitted wirelessly. It is advisable to restrict the wireless connection to a short distance and automatically switch the function according to the attributes of the nearest device. The relative position of the finger mounting portion with respect to the external contact portion may be detected by the contact status of the switch, or transmitted light or reflection when light is illuminated on the striped pattern provided on the lower surface of the moving finger mounting portion. It may be detected optically based on a time change of light intensity or the like. If there is a circuit 11 that receives power wirelessly by electromagnetic induction, it is possible to receive power wirelessly without using the battery 9.

In FIG. 2, in the embodiment of the finger-mounted data input device shown in FIG. 1, the fingertips are placed at each position (a) left, (b) center, (c) right, (d) front, (e) center, ( f) Shows how the tactile stimulus protrusions are pushed up to irritate the skin of the fingers when moving backward. In (a), when the finger is moved to the left, the finger attachment portion moves to the left with respect to the external contact portion, and as a result, the lower portion of the tactile stimulation protrusion 12 hits the ball 13 and is pushed up to attach the finger. It irritates the skin of the finger inserted in the part. In (b), when the finger is in the central position, none of the tactile stimulating protrusions are lowered and the finger is not stimulated. In (c), when the finger moves to the right, the lower part of the tactile stimulation protrusion 14 hits the ball 15 and is pushed up to stimulate the skin of the finger inserted into the finger mounting portion. In (d), when the finger moves forward, the lower part of the tactile stimulation protrusion 16 hits the ball 17 and is pushed up to stimulate the skin of the finger inserted into the finger mounting portion. In (e), since the finger is in the central position, all the tactile stimulation protrusions are lowered. In (f), when the finger moves backward, the tactile stimulating protrusion 18 is pushed up by the ball 19 to stimulate the finger. In this way, the tactile stimulating protrusion that moves up and down according to the movement of the finger and stimulates the skin of the finger is felt as a virtual button. In this example, it seems that there are four buttons on the front, back, left and right. For example, if you move your finger forward to press the front button, the front tactile stimulus protrusion 17 rises and touches your finger, which becomes the front button. Produces a touch-like feel. Similarly, when the finger is moved backward and left and right, the tactile stimulating protrusions in each direction rise and touch the finger, creating the feeling that the button is in that direction. Since the tactile stimulus protrusions other than the direction in which the finger is moved are retracted, it gives the feeling of touching the button in the direction in which the finger is moved alone, and even when operating in a narrow range, the other buttons are pressed together. Is eliminated, and only the button in the desired direction can be selectively pressed. On the other hand, when arranging four actual buttons in a narrow range in the real world, it is difficult to press only one button individually, and it is often the case that multiple buttons are accidentally pressed at the same time. .. In the finger-mounted data input device of the present invention, a plurality of virtual buttons that can be clearly distinguished in this way are generated within a narrow finger movement range, and each button is made to feel as if they are separated. It has the effect of reducing input errors. In addition, since the amount of movement of the finger moving between the virtual buttons is small, there is also an effect of improving the input speed.

In FIG. 3, the movable mechanism for the finger mounting portion 1 to move relative to the external contact portion 8 is omitted, and instead, the direction of the force applied from the finger to the finger mounting portion 1 is detected by the piezoelectric element 21. An example is shown. When a force is applied from the finger to the finger mounting portion 1, the force bends the support column 20 of the finger mounting portion 1 and applies pressure to the piezoelectric element 21. Since the piezoelectric element converts this pressure into a voltage, the direction of the pressure applied from the finger can be detected by comparing the voltages of the piezoelectric elements arranged on the four sides of the column.

FIG. 4 shows a mechanism for applying a repulsive force or a resistance force to the movement of the finger according to the movement position of the finger. The user can feel this repulsive force or resistance force applied to the fingertip through the tactile sense or the force sense, and can use it as a clue for grasping the position of the finger. The ball 23 moves together with the finger mounting portion 1. The surface in contact with the ball is provided with irregularities, and although the ball is drawn into the concave portion 23, a force is required to get over the convex portion 24, so this is the repulsive force or resistance force applied to the finger when moving the finger mounting portion 1. Become. The figures (a), (b), and (c) show the position of the ball 23 on the uneven surface when the finger comes to the left, center, and right standard positions. The ball is in the recess in the left, center, and right standard positions and is pulled into it for stability, but when the finger mount moves between the left, center, and right standard positions, it moves from one recess to another. It is necessary to cross the convex part on the way of movement, and at that time, a repulsive force is applied to the finger.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which a tactile stimulating means for stimulating the tactile sensation of a finger is introduced using a vibrating body 25 installed on a finger mounting portion. As the vibrating body 25, a vibrating motor or the like can be used. The positions of the finger mounting parts when the fingers are moved to the left, center, and right are shown in the figures (a), (b), and (c). By changing the vibration method of the vibrating body 25 at each of these positions, the finger position can be grasped by distinguishing the difference in the vibration method by the tactile sensation of the finger inserted into the finger mounting portion. For example, the vibrating body 25 does not vibrate when the finger mounting portion is in the central position, but the vibrating body 25 vibrates when it moves to the left and right, so that the central position and the left and right positions can be distinguished.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which a finger is inserted into the finger mounting portion 1 to wear the finger-mounted data input device. When using a finger-mounted data input device, the external contact portion 8 must be directly below the fingertip as shown in (a). However, when the fingertip is to be used for another purpose without using the finger-worn data input device, the external contact portion 8 attached to the fingertip becomes an obstacle. In such a case, it is convenient that the external contact portion 8 moves to the base side of the finger as shown in (b) by sliding or rotating 26 portions with respect to the band portion 1 of the finger mounting portion. Further, when the external contact portion is moved to the root side in this way, it is preferable to turn off the power of the finger-mounted data input device in order to avoid malfunction.

<figref num="1">A perspective view (a) of an embodiment of a finger-mounted data input device provided with protrusions (protrusions for tactile stimulation) that stimulate the skin of the finger, a cross-sectional view (b) in the left-right direction, and a cross-sectional view (c) in the front-rear direction. Is.</figref><figref num="2">In the embodiment of the finger-mounted data input device of FIG. 1, when the fingertip is moved, the finger-mounted portion moves with respect to the external contact portion, and the respective positions (a) left, (b) center, (c) right, ( It is a figure which shows how the tactile stimulus protrusion is pushed up so as to stimulate a finger in d) anterior, (e) center, and (f) posterior.</figref><figref num="3">It is a figure which shows the mounting example of the finger-mounted data input device provided with the pressurizing direction detecting means which detects the direction of the force applied from a finger to a finger-mounted part.</figref><figref num="4">In the embodiment of the finger-mounted data input device provided with the tactile stimulating means for applying a different repulsive force to the finger depending on the movement position of the finger, the finger-mounted portion moves (a) left, (b) center, and (c) right. It is a cross-sectional view at the time of doing.</figref><figref num="5">In the embodiment of the finger-mounted data input device provided with the tactile stimulating means that applies different vibrations to the finger according to the movement position of the finger, the finger-mounted portion moves (a) left, (b) center, and (c) right. It is a cross-sectional view at the time of.</figref><figref num="6">When using the finger-mounted data input device, the external contact area is directly below the fingertip as shown in Fig. (A), but when the finger-mounted data input device is not used, the fingertip can be used for another task. The external contact part slides or rotates so that it can move to the base side of the finger that does not interfere with the work as shown in Fig. (B).</figref>