TOUCH PANEL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel and an electronic device including the same. SOLUTION: The touch panel includes: a first substrate; a second substrate; an array of driving electrode pairs; and electro-rheological fluid. The second substrate is spaced apart from the first substrate by a predetermined gap, includes a user touch surface, the driving electrode pairs are arranged on the first substrate and the second substrate, and induce an electrical field locally between the first substrate and the second substrate when a driving voltage is applied thereto. Then the electro-rheological fluid is filled in the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, the viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid changes depending on the electrical field induced locally by the driving electrode pairs. In such a touch panel, at least one of operating force and return force is changed by adjusting width and the position of an area for an application of the driving voltage, size of displacement of an upper substrate at a point of release of the driving voltage, and/or width or the position of an area for release of the applied driving voltage. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT