LOCALIZED HAPTIC FEEDBACK

• US 20130127755A1
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sentons, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sentons, Inc.
• Inventors: Sheng, Samuel W., Shih, Shih-Ming, Hsieh, Yenyu, Lynn, Lapoe E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,449,476 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A haptic feedback system is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of remote transmitters that are remote from a location of interest on a surface of the system. The system includes a signal generator that generates a signal for each of the remote transmitters. The remote transmitters propagate the signals through a medium of the surface and the signals interfere at the location of interest such that a localized disturbance is generated at the location of interest.

Claims

1. A haptic feedback system including:

a plurality of remote transmitters that are remote from a location of interest on a surface of the system; and

a signal generator that generates a signal for each of the remote transmitters, wherein the remote transmitters propagate the signals through a medium of the surface and the signals interfere at the location of interest such that a localized disturbance is generated at the location of interest.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal generator controls the location of interest at least in part by controlling signal phases of the signals.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal generator controls the intensity of the localized disturbance at least in part by controlling amplitudes of the signals.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the localized disturbance is associated with a haptic feedback.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the localized disturbance indicates a location of a button displayed on the surface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the surface is a touchscreen display surface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote transmitters are transducers.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the location of interest corresponds to a location identifier received from an application.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals include bending waves.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the localized disturbance is isolated to the location of interest.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a storage that provides signal parameter data used by the signal generator to generate the signals.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the storage includes predetermined data indexed by locations on the surface where localized disturbances are capable of being generated.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the contents of the storage has been calibrated to account for a variation of the system.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal generator generates the signal for each of the remote transmitters at least in part by using a beamforming formula.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the signals interfere at a second location of interest such that a second localized disturbance is generated at the second location of interest.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the generation of the localized disturbance is selectively enabled and disabled based on a power state of the system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the generation of the localized disturbance is selectively enabled and disabled based on a detection of a touch input.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a communication interface configured to send an input detection signal to be used to propagate a freely propagating signal through the medium of the surface and receive the freely propagating signal that has been affected by an indication on the surface; and

a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to process the received freely propagating signal to determine a user indication associated with the indication on the surface.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the remote transmitters are configured to send the input detection signal.

20. A method of providing a localized disturbance, comprising:

receive an identifier associated with a location on a surface where the localized disturbance is desired;

using the identifier to obtain one or more signal configurations to be used to provide the localized disturbance; and

generating a signal for each of a plurality of remote transmitters, wherein the remote transmitters propagate the signals through a medium of the surface and the signals interfere at the location of interest such that a localized disturbance is generated at the location of interest.