Permanent magnet for retarding haptic applications using pulsed friction braking

• US 20050237314A1
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Ryynanen, Matti Kullervo
• Granted Patent: US 7,417,620 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

This invention describes a method for providing a haptic feedback to a user of a wireless portable device (e.g., a gaming device or a mobile terminal or phone) utilizing a hybrid magnet controlling a friction brake based haptic actuator. This novel hybrid magnet actuator uses a displacement of a permanent magnet assembly relative to a magnet yoke to actively control the friction between the magnetic yoke and an anchor plate made from a magnetic material. Said permanent magnet assembly displacement is achieved by means of a coil incorporated within said magnet yoke by applying an electric current of a predetermined direction and/or a predetermined pulse width or repetition rate to the coil.

Claims

1. A hybrid magnet actuator, responsive to an electric current, for retarding feedback haptic applications using active friction braking, comprising:

a magnet yoke;

a coil optionally attached to said magnet yoke, for providing a magnetic field inside of said magnet yoke in response to said electric current or in response to terminating said electric current;

a permanent magnet assembly, responsive to the magnetic field generated by said coil, for providing a further magnetic field outside of said magnet yoke optionally in response to said electric current; and

an anchor plate, responsive to said further magnetic field, wherein the anchor plate, when said further magnetic field is not provided, is not in a physical contact with said magnet yoke and moves freely relative to said magnet yoke, but said anchor plate, when said further magnetic field is provided, is placed in a physical contact with said magnet yoke in response to said further magnetic field and said active friction braking restricting said movement of the anchor plate relative to said magnet yoke is provided by a friction between said anchor plate and said magnet yoke thus facilitating said retarding feedback haptic applications using said active friction braking.

2. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein said electric current is a pulsed electric current.

3. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein said permanent magnet assembly moves relative to said magnet yoke in response to said electric current or in response to terminating said electric current.

4. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 3, wherein said permanent magnet assembly moves relative to said magnet yoke linearly or rotationally.

5. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein said permanent magnet assembly moves relative to said magnet yoke between two stable positions, wherein in a first position of said two stable positions the permanent magnet assembly does not provide the further magnetic field and in a second position of said two stable positions the permanent magnet assembly does provide the further magnetic field.

6. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 5, wherein said permanent magnet assembly moves to the first position of said two stable positions when said electric current has a predetermined direction and said permanent magnet assembly moves to the second position of said two stable positions when said electric current has a direction opposite to said predetermined direction.

7. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 5, wherein said permanent magnet assembly moves to the first position of said two stable positions when said electric current has a predetermined pulse width and said permanent magnet assembly moves to the second position of said two stable positions when said electric current has a further predetermined pulse width which is different from the predetermined pulse width.

8. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein said permanent magnet assembly stays in one stable position relative to said magnet yoke when said electric current is not applied, and returns to said one stable position when said electric current is applied in response to terminating said electric current.

9. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 8, wherein said permanent magnet assembly stays in one stable position relative to said magnet yoke and provides a predetermined amount of said active friction braking, such that when said current is applied in a predetermined direction, said active friction braking is increased, and when said electric current is applied in a direction opposite to said predetermined direction, said active friction braking is decreased.

10. The permanent magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein said anchor plate moves freely relative to said magnet yoke in a rotational fashion, or said anchor plate moves freely relative to said magnet yoke in a linear fashion.

11. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein the anchor plate is made from a magnetic material or from a ferromagnetic material.

12. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 1, wherein said actuator is a part of a wireless portable device.

13. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 12, wherein said actuator provides a retarding haptic signal indicative of said active friction braking.

14. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 13, wherein said wireless portable device, in response to said retarding haptic signal, provides a haptic feedback signal or a further haptic feedback signal or both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal to a user and is responsive to a manipulation signal from said user and optionally to a further manipulation user from said user.

15. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 14, wherein said user is further responsive to a video signal from the wireless portable device or an audio signal or to both the video signal and the audio signal.

16. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 15, wherein the haptic feedback signal or the further haptic feedback signal or both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal provide a braking sensation.

17. The hybrid magnet actuator of claim 12, wherein said wireless portable device is a communication device, a mobile phone, a multimedia terminal, a camera, a PDA-device or a gaming device.

18. A wireless portable device for providing a haptic feedback signal or a further haptic feedback signal or both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal to a user, comprising:

a manipulation input block, responsive to a manipulation signal and to a retarding haptic signal, for providing a haptic feedback signal to the user and for providing a sensor signal;

a sensor block, responsive to the sensor signal, for providing a processing input signal;

a processing block, responsive to said processing input signal, for providing a pulse triggering signal;

a pulse forming and triggering block, responsive to said pulse triggering signal, for providing a pulse activating signal; and

a hybrid magnet actuator, responsive to said pulse activating signal, for providing said active friction braking and for providing a retarding haptic signal used for further generating and providing the haptic feedback signal or the further haptic feedback signal or both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal to the user by the wireless portable device.

19. The wireless portable device of claim 18, wherein the hybrid magnet actuator comprises:

a magnet yoke;

a coil optionally attached to said magnet yoke, for providing a magnetic field inside of said magnet yoke in response to said pulse activating signal or in response to terminating said pulse activating signal;

a permanent magnet assembly, responsive to the magnetic field generated by said coil, for providing a further magnetic field outside of said magnet yoke optionally in response to said pulse activating signal; and

an anchor plate, responsive to said further magnetic field, wherein the anchor plate, when said further magnetic field is not provided, is not in a physical contact with said magnet yoke and moves freely relative to said magnet yoke, but said anchor plate, when said further magnetic field is provided, is placed in a physical contact with said magnet yoke in response to said further magnetic field and said active friction braking restricting said movement of the anchor plate relative to said magnet yoke is provided by a friction between said anchor plate and said magnet yoke thus facilitating said retarding feedback haptic applications using said active friction braking.

20. The wireless portable device of claim 18, further comprising:

a clock means, for providing a clock signal to the processing block.

21. The wireless portable device of claim 20, further comprising:

an additional input block, responsive to a further manipulation signal, for providing a further processing input signal.

22. The wireless portable device of claim 21, wherein the processing block is responsive to the further processing input signal and to the clock signal and providing an audio input signal or a video input signal or both the audio input signal and the video input signal.

23. The wireless portable device of claim 22, further comprising:

an audio block, responsive to said audio input signal, for providing an audio signal to the user; and

a display block, responsive to said video input signal, for providing a video signal to the user.

24. The wireless portable device of claim 18, further comprising:

a haptic feedback means, responsive to the retarding haptic signal, for providing the further haptic feedback signal to the user.

25. The wireless portable device of claim 18, further comprising:

a device power supply, for providing an electric power to the pulsed forming and triggering block.

26. The wireless portable device of claim 18, wherein said wireless portable device is a communication device, a mobile phone, a multimedia terminal, a camera, a PDA-device or a gaming device.

27. A method for providing a haptic feedback signal or a further haptic feedback signal or both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal to a user by a wireless portable device using active friction braking of a hybrid magnet actuator, said actuator being a part of said wireless portable device, comprising the steps of:

applying a manipulation signal to a manipulation input block of said wireless portable device and optionally a further manipulation signal to an additional input block of said wireless portable device;

providing a processing input signal to a processing block, in response to said manipulation signal and optionally providing a further processing input signal in response to said further manipulation signal;

providing a pulse triggering signal to a pulse forming and triggering block by a processing block in response to said processing input signal and optionally in response to said further processing input signal;

providing a pulse activating signal to said permanent magnet actuator in response to said pulse triggering signal; and

providing by said permanent magnet actuator said active friction braking used for further generating and providing the haptic feedback signal or the further haptic feedback signal or both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal to the user by the wireless portable device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the processing input signal is generated by a sensor block responding to a sensor signal which is generated in response to said manipulation signal by the manipulation input block, and wherein the further processing input signal is generated by an additional input block.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein after the step of providing the processing input signal, the method further comprises the step of:

determining by the processing block for every clock pulse provided to the processing block by the clock means whether a retarding condition is met based on a predetermined criterion.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of providing a pulse triggering signal to a pulse forming and triggering block is performed if said retarding condition is met based on the predetermined criterion.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein after the step of providing said pulsed friction braking by said hybrid magnet actuator, the method further comprises the steps of:

providing a retarding haptic signal to the manipulation input block or to a haptic feedback block or to both the manipulation input block and the haptic feedback block; and

providing the haptic feedback signal to the user by the manipulation input block or the further haptic feedback signal to the user by the haptic feedback block or providing to the user both the haptic feedback signal and the further haptic feedback signal.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein said wireless portable device is a mobile device or a mobile phone.