PROVIDING MULTI-DIMENSIONAL HAPTIC TOUCH SCREEN INTERACTION

• US 20140247240A1
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sinclair, Michael J., Pahud, Michel, Benko, Hrvoje
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,300 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method, system, and one or more computer-readable storage media for providing multi-dimensional haptic touch screen interaction are provided herein. The method includes detecting a force applied to a touch screen by an object and determining a magnitude, direction, and location of the force. The method also includes determining a haptic force feedback to be applied by the touch screen on the object based on the magnitude, direction, and location of the force applied to the touch screen, and displacing the touch screen in a specified direction such that the haptic force feedback is applied by the touch screen on the object.

Claims

1. A method for providing multi-dimensional haptic touch screen interaction, comprising:

detecting a force applied to a touch screen by an object;

determining a magnitude, a direction, and a location of the force applied to the touch screen;

determining a haptic force feedback to be applied by the touch screen on the object based on the magnitude, the direction, and the location of the force applied to the touch screen; and

displacing the touch screen in a specified direction such that the haptic force feedback is applied by the touch screen on the object.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising tightly linking a three-dimensional image being displayed by the touch screen with the displacement of the touch screen in the specified direction.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displacing the touch screen in the specified direction comprises moving the touch screen in a z-direction.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

determining a z-coordinate of a position of the touch screen during displacement of the touch screen in the z-direction; and

rendering a stereographic three-dimensional image on the touch screen based on the location of the force applied to the touch screen and the z-coordinate of the position of the touch screen.

5. The method of claim 3, comprising moving the touch screen in a positive z-direction if the magnitude of the force applied to the touch screen exceeds a specified upper threshold.

6. The method of claim 3, comprising moving the touch screen in a negative z-direction if the magnitude of the force applied to the touch screen is below a specified lower threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displacing the touch screen in the specified direction comprises moving the touch screen in a plane that is tangential to the direction of the force applied to the touch screen.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising displacing the touch screen a specified distance based on the magnitude of the force applied to the touch screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the haptic force feedback comprises imposing a detent or a vibration, or both, at a specified position during displacement of the touch screen, and wherein the detent or the vibration, or both, are imposed until the force applied to the touch screen exceeds a predetermined upper threshold or drops below a predetermined lower threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the haptic force feedback comprises imposing a deadband during displacement of the touch screen, wherein the deadband is determined based on hysteresis.

11. A computing system for providing multi-dimensional haptic touch screen interaction, comprising:

a haptic touch screen device comprising a touch screen and a force sensor, wherein the force sensor is configured to detect a force applied to the touch screen by an object;

a processor that is adapted to execute stored instructions; and

a system memory, wherein the system memory comprises code configured to;

determine a magnitude, a direction, and a location of the force applied to the touch screen; and

determine a haptic force feedback to be applied by the touch screen on the object based on the magnitude, the direction, and the location of the force applied to the touch screen; and

wherein the haptic touch screen device is configured to move the touch screen such that the haptic force feedback is applied by the touch screen on the object.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the haptic touch screen device is configured to move the touch screen in a positive z-direction if the magnitude of the force applied to the touch screen exceeds a specified upper threshold, and wherein the haptic touch screen device is configured to move the touch screen in a negative z-direction if the magnitude of the force applied to the touch screen is below a specified lower threshold.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the haptic touch screen device is configured to tightly link a three-dimensional image being displayed by the touch screen with the movement of the touch screen.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the haptic force feedback comprises a detent or a vibration, or both, imposed at a specified position during movement of the touch screen, and wherein the detent or the vibration, or both, are imposed until the force applied to the touch screen exceeds a predetermined upper threshold or drops below a predetermined lower threshold.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the haptic force feedback comprises a deadband imposed during displacement of the touch screen, and wherein the deadband is determined based on hysteresis.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the touch screen is configured to render a stereographic three-dimensional image based on the location of the force applied to the touch screen and a position of the touch screen in three-dimensional space.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the haptic touch screen device is configured to control the movement of the touch screen in real-time based on variations in the force applied to the touch screen by the object.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the touch screen comprises two-dimensional multi-touch input and stereographic three-dimensional output.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the touch screen comprises a plurality of display tiles, and wherein each display tile is configured to move in any of a plurality of planes such that the haptic force feedback is applied by the touch screen on the object.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions providing a system for providing multi-dimensional haptic touch screen interaction when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer-readable instructions comprising code configured to:

detect a force applied to a touch screen by a finger of a user;

determine a magnitude, a direction, and a location of the force applied to the touch screen;

determine a haptic force feedback to be applied by the touch screen on the finger of the user based on the magnitude, the direction, and the location of the force applied to the touch screen; and

move the touch screen a in a specified direction such that the haptic force feedback is applied by the touch screen on the finger of the user, wherein the movement of the touch screen is controlled in real-time based on variations in the force applied to the touch screen by the finger of the user.