Two-dimensional Scanning Tactile Display using Ultrasound Radiation Pressure

In this paper, we propose a new tactile display which produces spatio-temporal stress patterns on a 2-D plane. The first prototype of the display consists of an octagonal arrangement of ultrasound linear arrays. Each array has 40 pieces of PZT(lead zirconate titanate) transducer. The 320 channel driving circuit was designed to produce 1000 frames of 2-D stress patterns per second. The 2-D stress patterns can cover 1cm by 1cm area. Simulation studies were carried out to examine the adequacy of the proposed design. It showed that the octagonal arrangement can produce a well-focused force spot to be scanned in the display area. The results were satisfactory compared to other polygonal arrangement. Several initial results on the 2-D prototype are also discussed.