Adjusting movement of a display screen to compensate for changes in speed of movement across the display screen

• US 10,528,144 B1
• Filed: 09/05/2019
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pate, Michael Scot
• Primary Examiner(s): Osorio, Ricardo
• Application Number:
  US16/561,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20190391655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 124 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, that move a display screen to produce sound or haptic feedback. A first force that causes a first movement of a first portion of a display screen is applied by a first transducer that is mechanically coupled to the first portion of the display screen. A movement of a second portion of the display screen is detected by a second transducer that is mechanically coupled to the second portion. A relationship between the first movement caused at the first portion of the display screen by the first transducer and the movement detected at the second portion of the display screen by the second transducer is determined. A second force that causes a second movement of the first portion of the display screen is applied by the first transducer, the second force being determined using the determined relationship.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile computing device, an indication to apply a first force to a display screen of the mobile computing device;

determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen;

determining a previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen previously modified force applied to the display screen, the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen being different from the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen; and

determining a compensated force to apply to the display screen based on a difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen, such that applying the compensated force to the display screen while the display screen has the current mechanical characteristic results in the display screen producing a vibratory output that is more similar to (i) a vibratory output that the display screen would have produced had the first force been applied to the display screen while the display screen had the previous mechanical characteristic, than (ii) a vibratory output that the display screen would produce upon application of the first force while the display screen has the current mechanical characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen comprises:

applying, by a first transducer that is mechanically coupled to a first portion of a display screen of the mobile computing device, a second force that causes a first movement of the first portion of the display screen;

detecting, by a second transducer that is mechanically coupled to a second portion of the display screen, movement of the second portion of the display screen, the second portion of the display screen being different than the first portion of the display screen; and

determining the current mechanical characteristic based on the first movement caused at the first portion of the display screen by the first transducer and the movement detected at the second portion of the display screen by the second transducer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first transducer includes a first piezoelectric element that is mechanically coupled to the first portion of the display screen;

and

the second transducer includes a second piezoelectric element that is mechanically coupled to the second portion of the display screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen previously modified force applied to the display screen comprises:

obtaining, from a storage of the mobile computing device, an indication of the previous mechanical characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by a mobile computing device, an indication to apply a first force to a display screen of the mobile computing device comprises:

obtaining a movement signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining a compensated force to apply to the display screen based on a difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen comprises:

determining the compensated force based on the movement signal that was obtained and the difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

applying the compensated force to the display screen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen is in response to receiving, by the mobile computing device, the indication to apply the first force to the display screen of the mobile computing device.

9. A mobile computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a display screen;

a first transducer mechanically coupled to a first portion of the display screen;

a second transducer mechanically coupled to a second portion of the display screen; and

one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more processors perform operations comprising;

receiving an indication to apply a first force to the display screen of the mobile computing device;

determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen;

determining a previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen previously modified force applied to the display screen, the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen being different from the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen; and

determining a compensated force to apply to the display screen based on a difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen, such that applying the compensated force to the display screen while the display screen has the current mechanical characteristic results in the display screen producing a vibratory output that is more similar to (i) a vibratory output that the display screen would have produced had the first force been applied to the display screen while the display screen had the previous mechanical characteristic, than (ii) a vibratory output that the display screen would produce upon application of the first force while the display screen has the current mechanical characteristic.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen comprises:

applying, by the first transducer, a second force that causes a first movement of the first portion of the display screen;

detecting, by the second transducer, movement of the second portion of the display screen, the second portion of the display screen being different than the first portion of the display screen; and

determining the current mechanical characteristic based on the first movement caused at the first portion of the display screen by the first transducer and the movement detected at the second portion of the display screen by the second transducer.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 10, wherein the first transducer includes a first piezoelectric element that is mechanically coupled to the first portion of the display screen;

and

the second transducer includes a second piezoelectric element that is mechanically coupled to the second portion of the display screen.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein determining a previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen previously modified force applied to the display screen comprises:

obtaining, from a storage of the mobile computing device, an indication of the previous mechanical characteristic.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein receiving an indication to apply a first force to the display screen of the mobile computing device comprises:

obtaining a movement signal.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 13, wherein determining a compensated force to apply to the display screen based on a difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen comprises:

determining the compensated force based on the movement signal that was obtained and the difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 9, the operations comprising:

applying the compensated force to the display screen.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 9, wherein determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen is in response to receiving, by the mobile computing device, the indication to apply the first force to the display screen of the mobile computing device.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a mobile computing device, an indication to apply a first force to a display screen of the mobile computing device;

determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen;

determining a previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen previously modified force applied to the display screen, the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen being different from the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen; and

determining a compensated force to apply to the display screen based on a difference between the current mechanical characteristic of the display screen and the previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen, such that applying the compensated force to the display screen while the display screen has the current mechanical characteristic results in the display screen producing a vibratory output that is more similar to (i) a vibratory output that the display screen would have produced had the first force been applied to the display screen while the display screen had the previous mechanical characteristic, than (ii) a vibratory output that the display screen would produce upon application of the first force while the display screen has the current mechanical characteristic.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein determining a current mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen modifies force applied to the display screen comprises:

applying, by a first transducer that is mechanically coupled to a first portion of a display screen of the mobile computing device, a second force that causes a first movement of the first portion of the display screen;

detecting, by a second transducer that is mechanically coupled to a second portion of the display screen, movement of the second portion of the display screen, the second portion of the display screen being different than the first portion of the display screen; and

determining the current mechanical characteristic based on the first movement caused at the first portion of the display screen by the first transducer and the movement detected at the second portion of the display screen by the second transducer.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first transducer includes a first piezoelectric element that is mechanically coupled to the first portion of the display screen;

and

the second transducer includes a second piezoelectric element that is mechanically coupled to the second portion of the display screen.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein determining a previous mechanical characteristic of the display screen based on how the display screen previously modified force applied to the display screen comprises:

obtaining, from a storage of the mobile computing device, an indication of the previous mechanical characteristic.