METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR LOCALIZATION OF HAPTIC FEEDBACK

• US 20110012717A1
• Filed: 07/17/2009
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Amm, David Thomas, Alioshin, Paul, Pance, Aleksandar, Bilbrey, Brett
• Granted Patent: US 8,378,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.2
• 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 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

In an embodiment, a haptic feedback system includes a plurality of actuators to provide tactile feedback associated with an input surface. Each actuator is adapted to be activated independently of the other actuators. The system further includes a controller to activate a first actuator of the plurality of actuators to induce a first vibration at a selected input location of the input surface and to activate one or more additional actuators to induce at least a second vibration to localize the first vibration at the selected input location.

Claims

1. A processing system having a haptic feedback system, comprising:

a plurality of actuators configured to provide tactile feedback associated with an input surface, each actuator adapted to be activated independently of the other actuators; and

a controller configured to activate a first actuator of the plurality of actuators to induce a first vibration at a selected contact location of the input surface and to activate a second actuator to induce a second vibration at a second location.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to drive the first actuator with a first waveform to produce vibrations.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to drive the second actuator with a second waveforms configured to suppress propagating vibrations from the first induced vibration.

4. The processing system of claim 3, wherein the controller is adapted to detect the propagating vibrations at the second location of the input surface and to determine the respective second waveform dynamically in response to the detection.

5. The processing system of claim 3, further comprising a memory containing a plurality of suppression waveforms;

and wherein the controller is adapted to access the memory to retrieve the second waveform from the plurality of suppression waveforms.

6. The processing system of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of waveforms is configured to at least partially cancel propagating vibrations at the input surface proximate to a particular actuator.

7. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of actuators comprises a plurality of electrically actuable circuit elements to produce vibrations in response to signals from the controller.

8. A computing system, comprising:

a touch-sensitive interface configured to receive an input at a selected contact location of a surface;

a plurality of actuators coupled to the contact surface, a first actuator located proximate the selected contact location; and

a controller configured to selectively activate the first actuator with a first signal configured to induce a first vibration at the selected contact location and to selectively activate a second actuator at a second location with a second signal configured to induce a vibration having a frequency and amplitude configured to suppress vibratory crosstalk from the first vibration at the second location.

9. The computing system of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of touch-sensitive sensors associated with the touch-sensitive interface, each sensor configured to detect a contact with the touch-sensitive interface and to produce an input signal related to the detected contact; and

wherein the controller selectively activates the first actuator in response to the detected contact.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of touch-sensitive sensors is configured to detect multiple contacts with the touch-sensitive interface at multiple contact locations, and wherein the controller is adapted to selectively activate the plurality of actuators to provide localized tactile feedback at each of the multiple contact locations.

11. The computing system of claim 9, further comprising a memory containing first data representative of the first signal to generate the first vibration, and contains second data representative of the second signal to generate the second vibration.

12. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the touch-sensitive interface comprises a track pad.

13. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the touch-sensitive interface comprises a keypad or a keyboard.

14. The computing system of claim 8, wherein the touch-sensitive interface comprises a touch screen.

15. A method of providing localized haptic feedback, the method comprising the acts of:

generating a selection signal in response to a user input proximate a first contact location of an input surface;

inducing a first vibration at the first contact location in response to the selection signal; and

inducing a second vibration at one or more other contact locations on the input surface, the second vibration configured to suppress propagating vibrations from the first vibration.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the act of inducing a third vibration at a third contact location on the input surface, the third vibration configured to suppress propagating vibrations from at least the first vibration.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the propagating vibrations comprise a first waveform having a first amplitude and phase, and wherein the second vibration comprises a second waveform having an amplitude and phase configured to suppress the propagating vibrations.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein act of inducing a canceling vibration comprises:

retrieving waveform data from a memory associated with the haptic feedback system; and

generating at least one waveform based on the retrieved waveform data to induce the canceling vibration.

19. A machine-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform operations comprising:

receiving a user input at a first contact location of an input surface, and generating an input signal in response to the user input, the input surface comprising a plurality of contact locations having a respective vibration actuator in operative coupling to the input surface;

inducing a first vibratory response at the first contact location through actuation of a vibration actuator at such location;

inducing a second vibratory response at a second contact location through actuation of a vibration actuator at such location, the second vibratory response configured to provide destructive interference to vibratory crosstalk at the second location, the vibratory crosstalk resulting from vibrations traveling through the input surface to the second contact location as a result of the first induced vibratory response.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the second vibratory response is of generally opposite amplitude and phase to the vibratory crosstalk at the second contact location.

21. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the second vibratory response is induced through reference to data representative of a predetermined waveform.

22. The machine-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first vibratory response and the second vibratory response are each induced in reference to the input signal.