TACTILE SENSATION PROVIDING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING TACTILE SENSATION

• US 20120299859A1
• Filed: 01/21/2011
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 10,627,903 B2
• 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 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 3/04142 the force sensing means being located peripherally, e.g. disposed at the corners or at the side of a touch sensing plate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04186 Touch location disambiguation
• 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

Abstract

A tactile sensation providing apparatus and a method for the same are provided, by utilizing an existing application configuring a user interface, for providing a tactile sensation in response to an input so as to improve an operation feeling.

The tactile sensation providing apparatus 1 includes a touch sensor 40, a tactile sensation providing unit 50 which vibrates a touch face, a display unit 30, a memory unit 70 which stores a definition file of a user interface including information about a tactile sensation to be provided corresponding to an object included in the user interface, and a control unit 10 which sets the user interface defined in the definition file by analyzing the definition file and, when an input to the object for executing a predetermined operation detected, controls the tactile sensation providing unit 50 to provide the tactile sensation corresponding to the object to a pressing object.

Claims

1. A tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor;

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

a display unit;

a memory unit configured to store a definition file of a user interface displayed on the display unit including information about a tactile sensation to be provided by the tactile sensation providing unit correspondingly to user interface objects included in the user interface; and

a control unit configured to set the user interface defined in the definition file by analyzing the definition file and, when an input to the user interface object for executing a predetermined operation is detected, to control the tactile sensation providing unit such that the tactile sensation corresponding to the user interface object is provided to a pressing object pressing the touch face.

2. The tactile sensation providing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a press detection unit configured to detect a pressure load on the touch face of the touch sensor, wherein

the control unit, when the load detection unit detects the pressure load satisfying a standard load for providing the tactile sensation while the input to the user interface object for executing the predetermined operation being detected, controls the tactile sensation providing unit such that the tactile sensation is provided to the pressing object.

3. A tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising:

application software configured, when activated, to supply identification information of a user interface definition file defining a tactile sensation; and

a control unit configured to retrieve the user interface definition file from a memory unit based on the identification information supplied from the application software and to set the tactile sensation for the user interface according to the user interface definition file.

4. A tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising:

application software configured, when activated, to supply a user interface definition file defining a tactile sensation; and

a control unit configured to store the user interface definition file supplied from the application software in a memory unit and to set the tactile sensation for the user interface according to the user interface definition file retrieved from the memory unit.

5. A method for providing a tactile sensation comprising steps of:

receiving identification information of a user interface definition file defining the tactile sensation from activated application software;

retrieving the user interface definition file from a memory unit based on the identification information; and

setting the tactile sensation for a user interface according to the user interface definition file.

6. A method for providing a tactile sensation comprising steps of:

receiving a user interface definition file defining a tactile sensation from activated application software;

storing the user interface definition file in a memory unit; and

setting the tactile sensation for a user interface according to the user interface definition file retrieved from the memory unit.