Patent ID: 7436396

Claim:
A haptic panel apparatus, comprising: a panel having a surface that is physically operated by an operator upon conducting an input operation; a base member that is arranged at a rear face side of the panel, the base member including a bottom frame portion surrounding a periphery of the panel and a plurality of pairs of rib portions integrally protruding from a plurality of sections of the bottom frame portion; and a drive mechanism that operates when the input operation is conducted on the panel, and is configured to drive the panel to move in a perpendicular direction with respect to the surface of the panel; wherein the drive mechanism includes the pairs of rib portions as yoke portions, a plurality of permanent magnets that are arranged between the rib portions of the pairs of rib portions, and a pair of concentric coil portions surrounding the periphery of the panel and being arranged between the rib portions of the pairs of rib portions, the permanent magnets and the yoke portions being configured to produce magnetic fields around said pair of concentric coil portions; and a drive current is supplied to the coil in response to the input operation being conducted on the panel.