TACTILE SENSATION PROVIDING APPARATUS

• US 20130076686A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Kono, Kenji
• Application Number:
  US13/700,119
• Publication Number:
  US 20130076686A1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

An operator may operate, without a feeling of strangeness, provided with a realistic tactile sensation matching an object on a touch sensor by a tactile sensation providing apparatus 1 including a touch sensor 11, a load detection unit 12 for detecting a pressure load, a tactile sensation providing unit 13, and a control unit for controlling drive of the tactile sensation proving unit 13 such that: a first tactile sensation is provided upon detecting a position of the pressure load satisfying a predetermined standard load shifts into a predetermined area, a second tactile sensation is provided upon detecting the position of the pressure load satisfying the predetermined standard load shifts out of the predetermined area, and a tactile sensation different from the first and the second tactile sensations is provided upon detecting the position of the pressure load shifts out of the predetermined area and into another predetermined area.

Claims

1. A tactile sensation providing apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor;

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 such that, upon detecting that a position of the pressure load satisfying a predetermined standard load shifts into a predetermined area, a first tactile sensation is provided to a pressing object pressing the touch face, wherein

the control unit controls drive of the tactile sensation providing unit such that, upon detecting that the position of the pressure load satisfying the predetermined standard load shifts out of the predetermined area, a second tactile sensation is provided to the pressing object, and controls drive of the tactile sensation providing unit such that, upon detecting that the position of the pressure load shifts out of the predetermined area into another predetermined area, a tactile sensation different from the first tactile sensation and the second tactile sensation is provided.