APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING VIBRATIONS IN WIRELESS TERMINAL

• US 20110157049A1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Published: 06/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Ho-Jin, Park, Jin-Hyoung, Lee, Eun-Hwa, Lee, Jeong-Seok, Bae, Yu-Dong
• Application Number:
  US12/976,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157049A1
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus and method for generating vibrations in a wireless terminal, in which vibrations of strengths corresponding to respective regions are generated by using a plurality of piezos. The apparatus includes a plurality of piezos, a touch screen portion including a plurality of regions, and a controller for, upon detection of a touch on a predetermined region among the plurality of regions of the touch screen portion, generating vibrations of strengths according to power frequencies and power polarities of the plurality of piezos with respect to the touched region.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating vibrations in a wireless terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a touch screen portion having a plurality of regions each having a plurality of piezos therein; and

a controller for, upon detection of a touch on a predetermined region among the plurality of regions of the touch screen portion, generating by the plurality of piezos of the predetermined touched region vibrations of strengths the vary according to power frequencies and power polarities.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, upon detection of the touch on the predetermined region among the plurality of regions, the controller extracts a power frequency and a power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos corresponding to the touched region, changes frequency and polarity of power supplied to each of the plurality of piezos into the extracted power frequency and power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos, and generates vibrations by a superposition increase or a destructive interference between vibration waveforms generated according to the changed power frequency and power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the touch screen portion to visually indicate generation of the vibrations and detection of the touch upon generation of the touch on the predetermined region.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory for storing power frequency and power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos with respect to each of the plurality of regions; and

a power unit for supplying power to each of the plurality of piezos.

5. A method for generating vibrations in a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

upon detection of a touch on a predetermined region among a plurality of regions provided on a touch screen portion, extracting a power frequency and a power polarity for each of a plurality of piezos of the touched region; and

generating vibrations of strengths according to the extracted power frequency and power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the vibrations comprises:

changing frequency and polarity of power supplied to each of the plurality of piezos into the extracted power frequency and power polarity for each of the plurality of piezos; and

upon generation of vibration waveforms according to the changed power frequency and power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos, generating the vibrations with respect to detection of the touch on the predetermined region through superposition increase or destructive interference between the generated vibration waveforms.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising visually indicating generation of the vibrations and detection of the touch upon generation of the touch on the predetermined region.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the power frequency and power polarity of each of the plurality of piezos with respect to each of the plurality of regions are previously stored in a memory of the wireless terminal.