Systems and Methods for Friction Displays and Additional Haptic Effects

• US 20100231550A1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Grant, Danny A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,696,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing composite haptic effects are disclosed. One disclosed method includes detecting a touch occurring in a touch area when an object contacts a touch surface and selecting a composite haptic effect to generate in response to the touch, the composite haptic effect including at least one surface-based haptic effect and at least one other effect. Based on the selected composite haptic effect, a first haptic signal can be sent to cause an actuator to vary a coefficient of friction of the touch surface and a second actuator can be caused to provide a second haptic output in addition to the variation in the coefficient of friction. The second haptic signal can be sent to a second actuator or the same actuator(s) used to vary the coefficient of friction can generate the second haptic output.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a touch in a touch area when an object contacts a touch surface;

a first actuator in communication with the processor and coupled to the touch surface, the first actuator configured to provide a haptic output varying a coefficient of friction of the touch surface in response to a haptic signal;

a second actuator in communication with the processor and coupled to at least one of the touch surface and a housing comprising the touch surface, the second actuator configured to provide a second haptic output, different from the output varying the coefficient of friction, in response to the haptic signal; and

a processor in communication with the first actuator, second actuator, and sensor, the processor configured to;

select a composite haptic effect to generate, and

transmit a haptic signal to at least one of the first and second actuator to generate the selected composite haptic effect.

2. The system set forth in claim 1,

wherein the first actuator comprises at least one of a piezoelectric actuator, a shape memory alloy, an electroactive polymer, a composite piezoelectric actuator, an electromagnetic actuator, an eccentric rotational mass actuator, a linear resonant actuator, or a voice coil actuator;

and

wherein the second actuator comprises at least one of a piezoelectric actuator, a shape memory alloy, an electroactive polymer, a composite piezoelectric actuator, an electromagnetic actuator, an eccentric rotational mass actuator, a linear resonant actuator, or a voice coil actuator.

3. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a position of the touch and wherein selecting the composite haptic effect comprises determining a haptic output or combination of outputs that will simulate the presence of a feature in the touch surface and at or near the determined position.

4. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit a haptic signal to both the first and second actuators to generate the selected composite haptic effect.

5. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to send a first haptic signal to the first actuator to vary the coefficient of friction to simulate a background texture while sending a second haptic signal to the second actuator to simulate the presence of a feature overlaying the background texture.

6. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein selecting the composite haptic effect comprises:

determining a position of the touch in a display area;

accessing a mapping file that maps each of a plurality of positions to a respective haptic effect; and

identifying a composite haptic effect mapped to a selected position, the position selected based on the determined position of the touch.

7. The system set forth in claim 6, wherein the position in the mapping file comprises a plurality of values, including a first value used to generate a first haptic signal to send to the first actuator and a second value used to generate a signal for providing the second haptic output.

8. The system set forth in claim 6, wherein the selected position is determined based on the position of the touch and a velocity of the touch.

9. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a pressure of the touch based on data from the sensor, wherein the composite haptic effect is selected based at least in part on the pressure of the touch.

10. The system set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display, the display comprising a plurality of pixels and defining a display area, the display configured to output an image based at least in part on a display signal,

wherein the touch surface corresponds to the display or a material above the display, and

wherein the processor is configured to output the display signal.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

detecting, using at least one sensor, a touch occurring in a touch area when an object contacts a touch surface;

selecting a composite haptic effect to generate in response to the touch, the composite haptic effect including at least one surface-based haptic effect;

based on the selected composite haptic effect, sending a first haptic signal to a first actuator to cause the first actuator to vary a coefficient of friction of the touch surface; and

based on the selected composite haptic effect, sending a second haptic signal to cause an actuator to provide a second haptic different from the variation in the coefficient of friction.

12. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the second haptic signal is sent to a second actuator.

13. The method set forth in claim 12,

wherein the first actuator comprises at least one of a piezoelectric actuator, a shape memory alloy, an electroactive polymer, a composite piezoelectric actuator, an electromagnetic actuator, an eccentric rotational mass actuator, a linear resonant actuator, or a voice coil actuator;

and

wherein the second actuator comprises at least one of a piezoelectric actuator, a shape memory alloy, an electroactive polymer, a composite piezoelectric actuator, an electromagnetic actuator, an eccentric rotational mass actuator, a linear resonant actuator, or a voice coil actuator.

14. The method set forth in claim 11, further comprising:

determining a position of the touch,

wherein selecting the composite haptic effect comprises determining a haptic effect that will simulate the presence of a feature in the touch surface and at or near the determined position.

15. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the composite haptic effect comprises:

varying the coefficient of friction to simulate one of a background texture and a simulated feature; and

using the second haptic output to simulate the other of the background texture and the simulated feature.

16. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein the first haptic signal is configured to cause the first actuator to vary the coefficient of friction to simulate a feature and the second haptic signal is configured to cause the second actuator to provide tactile feedback in response to interacting with the simulated feature.

17. The method set forth in claim 16, wherein the simulated feature comprises a simulated key and the second haptic signal is configured to provide tactile feedback in response to data indicating the simulated key has been pressed.

18. The method set forth in claim 11, wherein selecting the composite haptic effects comprises:

determining a position of the touch;

accessing a mapping file that maps each of a plurality of positions to a respective plurality of haptic effects; and

identifying a plurality of haptic effects mapped to a selected position, the position selected based on the determined position of the touch.

19. The method set forth in claim 11, further comprising:

outputting a graphical user interface using a display,

wherein the touch surface corresponds to at least one of;

the display;

a material above the display;

or

a peripheral device comprising an area mapped to at least a portion of the graphical user interface.

20. A tangible computer storage medium embodying program code executable by a computing system, the program code comprising:

program code for causing the computing system to track a location of a touch on a touch surface;

program code for causing the computing system to select a composite haptic effect to generate based on the interaction;

program code for causing the computing system to transmit a haptic signal to at least one actuator to generate the selected composite haptic effect by varying a coefficient of friction of the touch surface; and

program code for causing the computing system to transmit a haptic signal to at least one actuator to generate the selected composite haptic effect by generating a second haptic output.