Support-Surface Apparatus to Impart Tactile Feedback

• US 20110234494A1
• Filed: 06/06/2011
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Peterson, Cody, Krumpelman, Douglas M., Huska, Andrew P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,624,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/161
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0395 Mouse pads

Abstract

Described herein are techniques related to a support surface (e.g., a mousepad) for imparting a tactile feedback (e.g., haptics) to a human-machine interactive (HMI) device (e.g., a mouse) supported thereon. This Abstract is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A tactile-feedback imparting mousepad comprising:

a support surface presented to support a mouse for mousing thereon by a user;

a tactile-feedback actuation mechanism operably associated with the support surface, the actuation mechanism including;

a pair of planes, which have conductive properties, held in a spaced-apart position relative to each other and with a defined gap therebetween, wherein at least one of the pair of planes is operatively associated with the support surface, the actuation mechanism being configured to permit at least one of the planes to move relative to the other effective to provide tactile feedback to the user via the support surface and through the mouse while the user is engaged with the mouse;

a return mechanism operably associated with at least one of the pair of planes, the return mechanism being configured to return the pair of planes, after a movement of the planes relative to each other, back to the spaced-apart position relative to each other and restore the defined gap therebetween.

2. A mousepad as recited in claim 1, further comprising drive logic operably connected to the actuation mechanism and configured to drive the planes with an electrical signal to cause a permitted movement of at least one of the planes relative to the other of the planes effective to provide tactile feedback to the to the user via the support surface and through the mouse while the user is engaged with the mouse.

3. A mousepad system comprising:

a mousepad as recited in claim 2;

a mouse having a plane with conductive properties,

wherein the drive logic is further configured to compress the support surface between the mouse and actuation mechanism by attracting the mouse'"'"'s plane towards one or more of the pair of planes of the actuation mechanism while the mouse is supported by the support surface, the attraction being driven by the electrical signal of the drive logic.

4. A mousepad as recited in claim 1, wherein the user receives an effective tactile feedback via the support surface and through the mouse while the user is engaged with the mouse by the movement of at least one of the planes relative to the other of the plane.

5. A mousepad as recited in claim 1, further comprising communications logic configured to receive an audio signal from a host computing system.

6. A tactile-feedback apparatus comprising:

a chassis;

a mousepad as recited in claim 1 supported by the chassis.

7. A tactile-feedback apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the return mechanism is integral with the chassis.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a support surface presented to support a device configured to provide human-machine interaction (HMI);

a tactile-feedback actuation mechanism operably associated with the support surface, the actuation mechanism configured to provide tactile feedback to a user via the support surface while the user is engaged with the HMI device.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

communications logic configured to receive an audio signal from a host computing system;

drive logic operably connected to the communications logic and the actuation mechanism, the drive logic being configured to drive tactile feedback imparted by the actuation mechanism based upon at least part on the audio signal received from the host computing device.

10. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

communications logic configured to receive an audio signal from a host computing system;

filter logic operably connected to the communications logic and configured to filter the audio signal to produce a filtered signal comprising one or more bands selected from the received audio signal;

drive logic operably connected to the filter logic and the actuation mechanism, the drive logic being configured to drive tactile feedback imparted by the actuation mechanism based upon at least part on the filtered signal.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising a backlighting system configured to transmit light through and/or around the support surface.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the tactile-feedback actuation mechanism includes:

a pair of planes with conductive properties, the pair of planes being held in a spaced-apart position relative to each other and with a defined gap therebetween;

a return mechanism operably associated with at least one of the pair of planes,

the actuation mechanism being configured to move, when activated, at least one of the planes relative to the other of the plane effective to provide tactile feedback to the user using the HMI device on the support surface and the return mechanism being configured to return the pair of planes, after the movement, back to the spaced-apart position relative to each other and restore the defined gap therebetween.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, further comprising drive logic operably connected to the actuation mechanism and configured to drive the planes with an electrical signal to cause a permitted movement of at least one of the planes relative to the other of the plane effective to provide tactile feedback to the to the user via the support surface and through the HMI device while the user is engaged with the HMI device.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the user receives an effective tactile feedback via the support surface and through the HMI device while the user is engaged with the HMI device by the movement of at least one of the planes relative to the other of the plane.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, further comprising a dielectric material interposed between the planes.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein the actuator mechanism is further configured to permit movement of the user-engagement surface—

via the actuator mechanism'"'"'s operable association with the surface—

in directions out from a plane of the surface

17. A mousepad system comprising:

an apparatus as recited in claim 8;

an HMI device configured to be supported by the support surface,

the actuation mechanism being configured to provide tactile feedback by increasing the HMI device'"'"'s resistance to planar movement over the support surface by attracting the HMI device through the support surface via electrostatic forces.

18. A mousepad system comprising:

an apparatus as recited in claim 8;

an HMI device configured to be supported by the support surface, the HMI device having a plane with conductive properties,

the actuation mechanism including a plane with conductive properties, the HMI-device plane and the actuation plane being separated by the support surface therebetween;

the actuation mechanism being configured to attract, when activated, via electrostatic forces the two planes together effective to provide tactile feedback to the user by increasing the HMI device'"'"'s resistance to planar movement over the support surface.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the HMI device is selected from a group consisting of a keyboard, key pad, pointing device, mouse, trackball, touchpad, joystick, pointing stick, game controller, gamepad, paddle, pen, stylus, touchscreen, tablet computer, mobile phone, smartphone, laptop computer, netbook computer, foot mouse, steering wheel, jog dial, yoke, directional pad, and dance pad.

20. A method comprising:

receiving an audio signal from a host computing system;

filtering the received signal to produce a filtered signal containing one or more limited bands of the received audio signal;

sending the filtered signal to a tactile-feedback actuator of a tactile-feedback imparting support-surface apparatus so as to drive the actuator to impart a tactile feedback to a human-machine interaction (HMI) device supported on the support surface;

in response to the filtered signal, imparting tactile feedback to the user through the HMI device and via the support surface.