TACTILE SENSATION PROVIDING DEVICE

• US 20130314357A1
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Sudou, Tomohiro, Tsuruta, Hiroshi, Chiba, Atsuo, Nomachi, Nayu, Abe, Motoaki, Honma, Hisae
• Granted Patent: US 9,285,881 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The tactile sensation providing device according to the present invention includes a touch sensor (120) that detects contact, a tactile sensation providing unit (130) that provides a tactile sensation to a contacting object in contact with the touch sensor (120), and a control unit (110) that controls the tactile sensation providing unit (130), when the touch sensor (120) detects a slide operation by the contacting object, to provide the tactile sensation continuously while varying the tactile sensation provided to the contacting object during the slide operation in accordance with a position of the contacting object during the slide operation, whereby can provide the user'"'"'s finger, when detecting a slide operation by a user, with a tactile sensation that varies during the slide operation in accordance with the position of the user'"'"'s finger during the slide operation.

Claims

1. A tactile sensation providing device comprising:

a touch sensor configured to detect contact;

a tactile sensation providing unit configured to provide a tactile sensation to a contacting object in contact with the touch sensor; and

a control unit configured to control the tactile sensation providing unit, when the touch sensor detects a slide operation by the contacting object, to provide the tactile sensation continuously while varying the tactile sensation provided to the contacting object during the slide operation in accordance with a position of the contacting object during the slide operation.

2. The tactile sensation providing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit overlaid on the touch sensor and configured to display a map; and

a memory unit configured to store map data including characteristic information for each location on the map, wherein

the control unit controls the tactile sensation providing unit, when the touch sensor detects a slide operation by the contacting object, to vary the tactile sensation provided to the contacting object during the slide operation in accordance with the characteristic information for the location on the map corresponding to the position of the contacting object during the slide operation.

3. The tactile sensation providing device according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic information is elevation information.

4. The tactile sensation providing device according to claim 3, wherein

the control unit searches for a route from a point of departure to a destination and controls the display unit to display the route on the map being displayed, and

when the touch sensor detects an operation to search again by the contacting object in a predetermined region including a position on the route, the control unit searches again for another route including a region with a smaller elevation difference than an elevation difference in the predetermined region.