Enhanced Human Interface Using Distributed Pressure and Haptic Displays

为了补充触觉显示器的显示能力，并为设计新型多模态显示器提供基础数据，作者研制了两种由人操作的动态显示设备。其中一个是安装在计算机鼠标上的分布式压力显示器。另一种是由压力显示和关节机械手控制力组成的多模态显示。一系列的心理物理实验使用的显示器推导出设计触觉显示器的基本数据，如两个相邻的刺激针之间的最佳距离和刺激针的最小行程。我们介绍了一个复杂的方法来评估触觉显示器的心理物理学适应技术的基础上，以减少时间消耗判断的显示器的呈现能力。（1）相邻刺激针间距为1.8mm时，显示器显示的阈值与间距为1mm时的阈值一致，因此间距为1.8mm的刺激针足以显示表面纹理。(2)在心理物理学适应方法的基础上，提出了一种新的触觉显示器评价方法，并与恒定刺激法进行了比较。(3)由压力显示器和多关节机械手组成的当前多模态显示器通过上述评估方法进行评估，并且由于从当前显示器和鼠标安装显示器获得的两个阈值之间的一致性而得到确认。

In order to supplement presentation capability of tactile displays and to obtain basic data for designing a new multi-modal display, the authors developed two kinds of dynamic display equipments that were manipulated by human operators. One of them was a distributed pressure display mounted on a computer mouse. The other was a multi-modal display composed of the pressure display and an articulated manipulator controlling force. A series of psychophysical experiments using the displays derived basic data for designing tactile displays such as optimal distance between two adjacent stimulus pins and minimum stroke of the stimulus pin. We introduced a sophisticated method for evaluating the tactile displays based on adaptation technique of psychophysics to reduce time consumption for judging presentation capability of the displays. Obtained results are summarized as follows :(1) Distance between two adjacent stimulus pins of 1.8 mm was sufficient to display surface texture because threshold value obtained by a display of 1.8 mm pitch was coincide with one of 1 mm pitch.(2) A new method for evaluating the tactile displays was introduced on the basis of adaptation method of psychophysics and was confirmed by comparison between the present method and constant stimuli method.(3) The present multi-modal display composed of the pressure display and the articulated manipulator was evaluated by the above-mentioned evaluation method and was confirmed because of coincidence between two thresholds obtained from the present display and the mouse mounted display.