Elastomeric Wave Tactile Interface

• US 20100225596A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vibrant Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Technology Patents & Licensing Incorporated
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,253,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate

Abstract

A tactile interface includes a plurality of individually controllable drivers positioned about a perimeter of a tensioned elastomeric material. Each driver includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric material. A top surface of the first electrode is coupled to the tensioned elastomeric material. The piezoelectric material is disposed between a top surface of the second electrode and a bottom surface of the first electrode. Driver circuitry can apply control information to each of the plurality of individually controllable drivers to produce a wave pattern in the tensioned elastomeric material. Some example methods of providing a tactile image on a tactile interface include producing a time-varying potential difference across the top electrode and the bottom electrode of the drivers so that a standing wave pattern can be created in the elastomeric material. The tactile image can be formed by modulating a subset of the plurality of drivers.

Claims

1. A tactile interface to present three dimensional tactile features on a deformable material comprising:

a tensioned elastomeric material;

a plurality of individually controllable drivers positioned around the perimeter of the tensioned elastomeric material, each driver comprising;

a first electrode, a top surface of the first electrode being coupled to the tensioned elastomeric material;

a second electrode; and

a piezoelectric material, the piezoelectric material being disposed between a top surface of the second electrode and a bottom surface of the first electrode; and

driver circuitry coupled to first and second electrodes of the plurality of individually controllable drivers, configured to receive control information for a selected one of the plurality of individually controllable drivers, and configured to produce a wave pattern in the tensioned elastomeric material in a region of the tactile interface associated with the selected one of the plurality of individually controllable driver.

2. The tactile interface of claim 1, further comprising a transform engine configured to determine the control information for the plurality of individually controllable drivers.

3. The tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the driver circuitry comprises a tactile interface controller, a row driver, and a column driver.

4. The tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the driver circuitry is configured to produce a wave pattern by applying a time-varying potential difference across the first and second electrodes of the subset of the plurality of individually controllable drivers.

5. The tactile interface of claim 4, wherein the geometric centers of the first electrode, the second electrode, and piezoelectric material of each of the plurality of individually controllable drivers are aligned along an axis.

6. The tactile interface of claim 5, wherein the driver circuitry is arranged to produce a time-varying potential difference across the first and second electrodes so that a corresponding time-varying deformation and relaxation of the piezoelectric material occurs in a generally perpendicular direction with respect to the surface of the elastomeric material.

7. The tactile interface of claim 4, wherein the geometric centers of the first electrode, the second electrode and the piezoelectric material centers are offset with respect to an axis orthogonal to the top surface of the first electrode through the center of the supporting base so that a cantilevered deflection of the piezoelectric material is produced responsive to expansive and compressive stresses on opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric material when a time-varying potential difference is applied across the first and second electrodes.

8. The tactile interface of claim 7, wherein the driver circuitry is arranged to electrically modulate a subset of the plurality of individually controllable drivers at frequencies different from the steady state oscillation frequency and the harmonics of the steady state oscillation frequency, wherein a tactile image is formed in the elastomeric material providing a localized tactile sensation.

9. The tactile interface of claim 8, wherein the tactile image is a dynamic image corresponding to travelling waves in the elastomeric material and conveying a sense of motion across the surface of the elastomeric material.

10. The tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the driver circuitry is further configured to electrically modulate a subset of the plurality of individually controllable drivers using a steady state oscillation frequency or a harmonic of the steady state oscillation frequency so that a standing wave pattern is formed in the elastomeric material, the standing wave pattern conveying a tactile sensation.

11. The tactile interface of claim 1, further comprising a sensing module configured to monitor power consumption of the drivers, wherein a change in the power consumption for each of the drivers is determined by a change in electrical current to each of the drivers.

12. The tactile interface of claim 11, wherein location of an external contact with the tactile interface is determined based on an analysis of the change in power consumption for each of the driver pixels.

13. The tactile interface of claim 11, wherein pressure of an external contact with the tactile interface is determine based on an analysis of the change in power consumption for each of the driver pixels.

14. A method of providing a tactile image on a tactile interface, wherein the tactile interface comprises a plurality of individually controllable piezoelectrically activated drivers positioned about a perimeter of an elastomeric material, each of the individually controllable piezoelectrically activated drivers comprising a top electrode, a bottom electrode, and a piezoelectric material, the method comprising:

applying a time-varying potential difference across the top electrode and the bottom electrode of the plurality of individually controllable piezoelectrically activated drivers forming a standing wave pattern in at least a region of the elastomeric material responsive to the time varying potential difference, wherein the standing wave pattern is produced in response to driving the drivers using at least one of a steady state oscillation frequency and harmonics of the steady state oscillation frequency; and

modulating a subset of the plurality of drivers at an oscillation frequency different from the steady state oscillation frequency and the harmonics of the steady state oscillation frequency to form the tactile image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the top electrode, the bottom electrode, and piezoelectric material centers are aligned along an axis orthogonal to a top surface of the top electrode, and wherein a periodic deformation of the piezoelectric material produced using the time varying potential difference across the top and bottom electrodes includes a corresponding time-varying expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric material in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the elastomeric material.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the top electrode, the bottom electrode and the piezoelectric material centers are offset with respect to an axis through the center of a supporting base orthogonal to a top surface of the top electrode, and wherein a periodic deformation of the piezoelectric material produced using the time varying potential difference between the top and bottom electrodes includes a cantilevered deflection of the piezoelectric material responsive to expansive and compressive stresses on opposite surfaces of the piezoelectric material.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile image corresponds to a visual image formed on a visual display in alignment with the tactile interface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the tactile image changes in response to motion depicted in the visual image.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the elastomeric material is in a highly tensioned state.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein an increase of the time variation of the potential difference associated with driving the piezoelectric material produces a finer resolution tactile image.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

monitoring power consumption for each of the drivers from an amount of electric current flowing to each of the drivers; and

determining a location of one or more contact points on a top surface of the elastomeric material from an analysis of a change in the power consumption of each of the drivers.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining a contact pressure at the location of the one or more contact points from the analysis of the change in the power consumption of each of the drivers.

23. An apparatus for interfacing with a tactile interface, wherein the tactile interface comprises a plurality of individually controllable drivers positioned around the perimeter of a tensioned elastomeric material, each driver including a first electrode, where a top surface of the first electrode is coupled to the tensioned elastomeric material, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric material, the piezoelectric material being disposed between a top surface of the second electrode and a bottom surface of the first electrode, the apparatus comprising:

a transform engine configured to determine control information requirements for each of the plurality of individually controllable drivers; and

a tactile interface controller coupled to the transform engine and configured to provide control information based at least in part on the control information requirements from the transform engine, wherein the tactile interface controller is also arranged to selectively couple the control information to a subset of the plurality of individually controllable drivers such that a tactile image in the tensioned elastomeric material is produced in a region of the tactile interface associated with the subset of the plurality of individually controllable drivers.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the transform engine is configured to access a tactile image library that includes stored control information corresponding to the tactile image.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a sensing module coupled to the tactile interface controller and configured to monitor power consumption of the individually controllable drivers, wherein a change in the power consumption for each of the individually controllable drivers is determined by a change in electrical current to each of the respective drivers.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the tactile image is a Braille symbol.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the tactile image is used to represent an actuator in a keypad.