PHYSICALLY RECONFIGURABLE INPUT AND OUTPUT SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20110234502A1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation Of North America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: DIVINE, Lucas, YUN, Tiffany, SANTOS, Daniel, WOOD, Alex, KRYZE, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,232,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• 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: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays

Abstract

Systems and methods for altering the shape of a reconfigurable surface area are presented. The present systems and methods facilitate efficient and effective interaction with a device or system. In one embodiment, a surface reconfiguration system includes a flexible surface; an elevation unit that creates alterations in the contours of the surface; and an elevation control component that controls adjustments to the elevation unit. Thus, the surface of the device is reconfigurable based on system, application, mode, and/or user needs. Accordingly, the surface can be used to provide input and output functionality. The surface can include touch detection functionality for added input functionality.

Claims

1. A surface reconfiguration system comprising:

a flexible surface attached to the electronic device with a selectively variable shape; and

an actuation sensing component for sensing actuation activity associated with the shape in the surface;

wherein the flexible surface and actuation sensing component interact to provide both input and output to a user of the system.

2. The surface system of claim 1 wherein the flexible surface and actuation sensing component form a tactile input component.

3. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 2 wherein the tactile input component senses touch.

4. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 2 wherein the tactile input component is a physically clickable input key.

5. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 1 further comprising:

a piezoelectric motor ring including small piezoelectric elements for generating a standing wave when a voltage is applied to consecutive piezoelectric elements around the ring; and

gears for transferring the rotational force of the standing wave to the actuation sensing component to move the actuation sensing component up and down.

6. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 1 wherein the flexible surface includes a light emitting diode array.

7. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 1 wherein the flexible surface includes a liquid crystal display screen.

8. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 1 wherein a portion of the surface associated with the selectively variable shape is raised and lowered.

9. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 8 further comprising:

processing circuitry;

wherein the processing circuitry acquires actuation data from the actuation sensing component, processes the actuation data, and directs the raising and lowering of the selectively variable shape in the flexible surface.

10. A surface reconfiguration apparatus comprising:

elevation units that adjust a physical shape of an input and output surface area; and

an elevation control component that physically adjusts individual elevation units.

11. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 10 wherein elevation units are physically clickable;

and

wherein one or more elevation units adjust the physical shape of the surface area to form a physically clickable input key.

12. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 11 wherein the entire input key is depressed even if only a portion of the elevation units forming the input key are actuated.

13. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 11 wherein the surface area includes a sensing mechanism for sensing touch input;

and

wherein the apparatus can receive touch input on any portion of the input key covered by the surface area.

14. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 11 wherein the surface area includes a graphical output display selectively identifying the type of input provided to the apparatus upon actuation of each input key.

15. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 10 wherein the surface area includes a sensing mechanism for sensing hover input.

16. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a sensing mechanism for sensing touch.

17. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 10 wherein the elevation control component includes:

a piezoelectric motor ring including small piezoelectric elements for generating a standing wave when a voltage is applied to consecutive piezoelectric elements around the ring; and

gears for transferring the rotational force of the standing wave to the elevation units to move the elevation units up and down.

18. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 17 wherein the elevation units can remain stationary at one of three or more heights.

19. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 18 wherein the apparatus requires no extra power to maintain the stationary height of elevation units.

20. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 10 wherein the elevation units, surface area, and elevation control component are incorporated in independent mechanism layers that are interchangeable with other respective elevation unit mechanism layers, surface area layers and elevation control component mechanism layers.

21. The surface reconfiguration apparatus of claim 10 wherein the surface area includes a graphical output display.

22. A surface reconfiguration method comprising:

performing an elevation determination process; and

performing an elevation unit adjustment process;

wherein the elevation unit adjustment process changes the physical shape of an input and output surface area.

23. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 22 wherein the adjusting the elevation unit includes creating a standing wave that applies force on the elevation unit to position the elevation unit at a designated elevation.

24. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 23 further comprising manipulating piezoelectric elements to create the standing wave.

25. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 22 wherein the adjusting the elevation units includes manipulating piezoelectric elements to create a standing wave that applies force on the elevation unit to position the elevation unit at a designated elevation without consuming extra power to return the elevation unit to the designated elevation.

26. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 22 further comprising receiving input.

27. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 26 wherein receiving input includes receiving touch sensed input.

28. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 26 wherein receiving input includes receiving physical click input from the physical actuation of one or more adjacent elevation units.

29. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 22 further comprising stimulating output.

30. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 29 wherein stimulating output includes forming human-readable characters.

31. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 29 wherein stimulating output includes forming non-clickable contours to indicate boundaries in a surface.

32. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 22 wherein the elevation determination process comprises:

performing a query on characteristics associated with elevation unit element adjustments; and

establishing elevation unit adjustments automatically based upon results of the query.

33. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 32 wherein the query can include requesting configuration information from an application.

34. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 32 wherein the query includes:

determining an activity history; and

extrapolating a desirable configuration.

35. The surface reconfiguration method of claim 32 wherein:

the characteristics include finger size and position; and

the establishing elevation unit adjustments automatically include adjusting the elevation units to form a key in an area in relation to the finger size and position.

36. A surface reconfiguration system comprising:

a input and output surface area including a flexible surface material that senses touch input and a graphical output display screen;

physically clickable elevation units that adjust a physical shape of the input and output surface area; and

an elevation control component that physically adjusts individual elevation units;

wherein the surface area shape can be reconfigured by the physical adjustments to elevation units;

wherein the touch input sensing can be activated and deactivated for different sections of the surface area;

wherein the graphical output display screen displays the type of input the actuation of an elevation unit will provide.

37. The surface reconfiguration system of claim 36 wherein the elevation control component includes:

a piezoelectric motor ring including small piezoelectric elements for generating a standing wave when a voltage is applied to consecutive piezoelectric elements around the ring; and

gears for transferring the rotational force of the standing wave to the elevation units to move the elevation units up and down;

wherein the system requires no extra power to maintain the stationary height of elevation units.