TACTILE SENSATION PROVIDING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD FOR TACTILE SENSATION PROVIDING APPARATUS

• US 20120194460A1
• Filed: 08/23/2010
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kuwabara, Megumi, Kono, Kenji, Aono, Tomotake, Takeda, Jun
• Granted Patent: US 10,191,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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

Abstract

A tactile sensation providing apparatus capable of providing a constant tactile sensation to a user regardless of a position of a touch input is provided. According to the present invention, the tactile sensation providing apparatus has a touch sensor 11 configured to detect the touch input, a load detection unit 12 configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor 11, a tactile sensation providing unit 13 configured to vibrate the touch face, and a control unit 16 configured to control drive of the tactile sensation providing unit 13 based on a pushed position, when the pressure load detected by the load detection unit 12 satisfies a standard to provide a tactile sensation, such that the tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face by vibration with certain amplitude independent of the pushed position.

Claims

1. A tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor configured to detect a touch input;

a load detection unit configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor;

a tactile sensation providing unit configured to vibrate the touch face; and

a control unit configured to control drive of the tactile sensation providing unit based on a pushed position, when the pressure load detected by the load detection unit satisfies a standard to provide a tactile sensation, such that the tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face by vibration with certain amplitude independent of the pushed position.

2. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls the tactile sensation providing unit based on adjustment information set for each of areas in a size corresponding to a position on the touch face such that the tactile sensation is provided by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

3. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the areas to be set with the adjustment information are divided based on a position of the tactile sensation providing unit.

4. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit adjusts a voltage to be applied to the tactile sensation providing unit based on the pushed position such that the tactile sensation providing unit provides the tactile sensation by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

5. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit adjusts a phase of the vibration of the tactile sensation providing unit based on the pushed position such that the tactile sensation providing unit provides the tactile sensation by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

6. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit controls drive of the tactile sensation providing unit to provide the tactile sensation as a click sensation by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

7. A control method for a tactile sensation providing apparatus including

a touch sensor configured to detect a touch input,

a load detection unit configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor, and

a tactile sensation providing unit configured to vibrate the touch face, comprising the step of:

controlling drive of the tactile sensation providing unit based on a pushed position, when the pressure load detected by the load detection unit satisfies a standard to provide a tactile sensation, such that the tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face by vibration with certain amplitude independent of the pushed position.

8. A tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor configured to detect a touch input;

a piezoelectric element mounted on the touch sensor; and

a control unit configured to detect a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor based on an output signal of the piezoelectric element and, when the pressure load detected satisfies a standard to provide a tactile sensation, to control drive of the piezoelectric element based on a pushed position such that the tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face by vibration with certain amplitude independent of the pushed position.

9. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the control unit controls the piezoelectric element based on adjustment information set for each of areas in a size corresponding to a position on the touch face such that the tactile sensation is provided by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

10. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the areas to be set with the adjustment information are divided based on a position of the piezoelectric element.

11. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the control unit adjusts a voltage to be applied to the piezoelectric element based on the pushed position such that the piezoelectric element provides the tactile sensation by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

12. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the control unit adjusts a phase of the vibration of the piezoelectric element based on the pushed position such that the piezoelectric element provides the tactile sensation by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

13. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the control unit controls drive of the piezoelectric element to provide the tactile sensation as a click sensation by the vibration with the certain amplitude.

14. A control method for a tactile sensation providing apparatus including

a touch sensor configured to detect a touch input, and

a piezoelectric element mounted on the touch sensor, comprising the step of:

detecting a pressure load on a touch face of the touch sensor based on an output signal of the piezoelectric element and, when the pressure load detected satisfies a standard to provide a tactile sensation, controlling drive of the piezoelectric element based on a pushed position such that the tactile sensation is provided to an object pressing the touch face by vibration with certain amplitude independent of the pushed position.