METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A TOUCH SURFACE CONTROL DEVICE AND ELECTRIC TOUCH SURFACE CONTROL DEVICE INCLUDING MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTING SAID METHOD

• US 20110025648A1
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DAV Société par actions simplifiée
• Original Assignee: DAV Société par actions simplifiée
• Inventors: Barathon, Philippe, Dunoyer, Aymeric, Laurent, Patrice, Cottarel, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling a touch surface control device, including at least one step comprising the generation of sensory feedback corresponding to the detection of a pressure applied by a user on the touch surface, said sensory feedback comprising haptic feedback and acoustic feedback. The invention is characterised in that the generation of the acoustic feedback is initiated after the generation of the haptic feedback once a characteristic value of the haptic feedback has exceeded a pre-defined threshold. The invention also relates to an electric control device having a touch surface, characterised in that it includes means for implementing said method (1).

Claims

1. A method for controlling a control device with a touch-sensitive surface comprising at least one step in which a sensory feedback is generated which corresponds to a detection of a user pressing on the touch-sensitive surface and which comprises a haptic feedback and an acoustic feedback, characterized in that the generation of the acoustic feedback is begun after that of the haptic feedback, from the moment when a value characteristic of the haptic feedback has exceeded a predefined threshold.

2. The control method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is generated for a duration D, characterized in that the generation of the acoustic feedback is begun from a duration substantially between 0.4*D and 0.7*D, preferably 0.5*D.

3. The control method as claimed in either one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the maximum amplitude of the haptic feedback coincides with the maximum amplitude of the acoustic feedback.

4. The method for controlling a control device with a touch-sensitive surface as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises a detection step (3) in which:

the value of at least one parameter characteristic of a pressure is checked,

it is compared with at least one predefined reference value,

if the value of said parameter is equal to or greater than said reference value, the control device is placed in an active pressure state (5) and a first sensory feedback is generated.

5. The control method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the control device is placed in an active pressure state, characterized in that, in the detection step (3):

the value of at least one parameter characteristic of the detected pressure is checked,

it is compared with at least one predefined reference value,

the control device is placed in an inactive pressure state (7) and a second sensory feedback is generated when the value of said parameter is below said reference value.

6. The control method as claimed in either one of claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said characteristic parameter is the force of the detected pressure.

7. The control method as claimed in either one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that said characteristic parameter is the duration of the detected pressure.

8. The control method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the first and the second sensory feedbacks are identical.

9. The control method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that, in the first sensory feedback, the time lag between the acoustic feedback and the haptic feedback is greater than in the second sensory feedback.

10. An electric control device with a touch-sensitive surface, characterized in that it comprises means for applying said method (1) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The control device as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a sensor having a touch-sensitive surface sensitive to a variation of tactile pressure, such as a sensor of the FSR type.

12. The control device as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that it comprises a switch with a touch-sensitive surface of the button type.