Methods of Operating Electronic Devices Including Touch Sensitive Interfaces Using Force/Deflection Sensing and Related Devices and Computer Program Products

• US 20100277431A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Klinghult, Gunnar
• Granted Patent: US 8,253,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

An electronic device may include a touch sensitive user interface and a contact detector configured to detect a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface. A force detector may be configured to detect a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation. A controller may be coupled to the touch sensitive user interface. The controller may be configured to provide a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold. The controller may be further configured to provide a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is greater that the threshold with the first and second responses being different. Related methods are also discussed.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch sensitive user interface;

a contact detector configured to detect a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface;

a force/deflection detector configured to detect a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation; and

a controller coupled to the touch sensitive user interface wherein the controller is configured to provide a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold, and to provide a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is greater that the threshold, wherein the first and second responses are different.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the force/deflection detector is configured to detect the force/deflection by detecting a deflection of the touch sensitive user interface.

3. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the force/deflection detector includes an electromagnetic radiation source configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface and an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to detect portions of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the touch sensitive user interface.

4. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to modulate the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation detector is configured to selectively detect the modulated electromagnetic radiation.

5. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to transmit non-visible electromagnetic radiation.

6. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation through the liquid crystal material.

7. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface outside the active pixel region.

8. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source comprises a light emitting device on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal material, wherein the electromagnetic radiation detector comprises a photosensor on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal material.

9. An electronic device according to claim 8 wherein at least one of the light emitting device and/or the photosensor is on an active display area of the transparent substrate.

10. An electronic device according to claim I wherein the contact detector is configured to detect the location of contact using one of infrared (IR) contact sensing, acoustic wave contact sensing, capacitive contact sensing, and/or resistive contact sensing.

11. A method of operating an electronic device including a touch sensitive user interface, the method comprising:

detecting a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface;

detecting a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation;

when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold, providing a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface; and

when the detected force/deflection on/of is greater that the threshold, providing a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein the first and second responses are different.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein detecting the force/deflection comprises detecting a deflection of the touch sensitive user interface.

13. A method according to claim 11 wherein detecting the force/deflection comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface and detecting portions of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the touch sensitive user interface.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the electromagnetic radiation comprises modulated electromagnetic radiation, and wherein detecting comprises selectively detecting the modulated electromagnetic radiation.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein the electromagnetic radiation comprises non-visible electromagnetic radiation.

16. A method according to claim 13 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate, and wherein transmitting the electromagnetic radiation comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation through the liquid crystal material.

17. A method according to claim 13 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, and wherein transmitting the electromagnetic radiation comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface outside the active pixel region.

18. A method according to claim 13 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein transmitting the electromagnetic radiation comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation from a light emitting device on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal material, and wherein detecting portions of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the touch sensitive user interface comprises detecting portions of the electromagnetic radiation using a photosensor on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal display.

19. A method according to claim 18 wherein at least one of the light emitting device and/or the photosensor is on an active display area of the transparent substrate.

20. A computer program product configured to operate within an electronic device including a touch sensitive user interface, the computer program product comprising a computer useable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer-readable program code comprising:

computer-readable program code that is configured to detect a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface;

computer-readable program code that is configured to detect a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation;

computer-readable program code that is configured to provide a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold; and

computer-readable program code that is configured to provide a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein the first and second responses are different when the detected force/deflection on/of is greater that the threshold.