Electro-mechanical transducer suitable for tactile display and article conveyance

• US 6,445,284 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Hayward, Vincent
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US09/568,025
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 340/825.19, 340/965, 341/20, 341/21, 341/27, 434/112, 434/113
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine

Abstract

A tactile transducer is able to provide a tactile display or serve as a tactile input sensor. Paired contactors having contactor tips separated by a gap are connected to transducer means (an actuator or sensor). Variations in the gap distance can create a tactile experience through skin stretch, or provide tactile input in sensor mode. The contactors are resiliently supported to bear against a sensing finger with relatively constant pressure.

Claims

1. A tactile transducer comprising:

at least one pair of adjacent contactors, each contactor having a contacting tip separated by a gap from the adjacent contacting tip;

transducer means to effect or sense relative displacement of said contactors and associated variation of the lateral gap distance between said contacting tips; and

spring means for supporting said transducer and causing the normal pressure applied between a contacting body and the contacting tips to be at least partially decoupled from tactile sensations provided by said displacement of said contactors on said contacting body.

2. A transducer as in claim 1 wherein said spring means is carried by a supporting plate through which the contacting pins extend, said supporting plate being resiliently supported to permit movement of the plate in space without substantial differential movement occurring between the plate and the contacting tips.

3. A transducer as in claim 2 further comprising position sensing means for sensing the position of the plate in respect to said position sensing means.

4. A transducer as in claim 1 wherein said spring means includes a flexural member.

5. A transducer as in claim 1 wherein the gap is occupied by flexible elastic material coupling said pair of adjacent contactors.

6. A transducer as in claim 1 wherein said transducer means operate on the basis of a piezo-electric effect.

7. A method of creating a tactile display across a plurality of contactors, each contactor having respective contactor tips separated by gaps that are actuable by an actuation mechanism, comprising:

enabling the reception of a sensate object against said contactor tips; and

causing the contactors to be laterally displaced in relation to one another using the actuation mechanism to create tactile sensations on said sensate object, said tactile sensations being caused by varying gap distance, the gap distances, or the gap areas between the contactor tips.

8. A method as in claim 7 wherein the contactor tips are actuable by said actuation mechanism including an actuator that is shared between at least two contactors.

9. A method as in claim 7 wherein said gaps are varied in size as a result of amplified transverse movements of the contactor tips in response to longitudinal movement of the actuation mechanism, said longitudinal movement being approximately perpendicular to said lateral displacement.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein said actuation mechanism includes a plurality of actuators.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein when one of said actuators is moved longitudinally, a plurality of said contactors is laterally displaced.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said contactors are coupled to said actuators by a flexible bonding layer.

13. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said lateral displacement of said contactors is caused by expanding or contracting a piezo-electric actuator of said actuator mechanism in a direction laterally, approximately parallel to said lateral displacement of said contactors.

14. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said sensate object is a finger of a user.

15. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein said contactors are included in an array of contactors, and wherein said actuation mechanism is also used as a sensing mechanism to determine a location of user contact on said array of contactors.

16. A tactile interface device comprising:

at least one pair of adjacent contactors, each contactor having a contacting tip separated by a gap from the adjacent contacting tip; and

at least one actuator coupled to said at least one pair of adjacent contactors, said at least one actuator operative to cause relative lateral displacement of said contactors and associated variation of the lateral gap distance between said contacting tips, said lateral displacement able to cause a tactile sensation to a user contacting said contacting tips.

17. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 further comprising a spring member for supporting said at least one actuator and causing the normal pressure applied between said user and the contacting tips to be at least partially decoupled from said tactile sensation provided to said user by said displacement of said contactors.

18. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 wherein said spring member is carried by a supporting plate through which the contacting pins extend, said supporting plate being resiliently supported to permit movement of the plate in space without substantial differential movement occurring between the plate and the contacting tips.

19. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 further comprising a position sensor operative to sense the position of the plate in respect to the position sensor.

20. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 wherein the gap is occupied by flexible elastic material coupling said pair of adjacent contactors together.

21. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 wherein said at least one actuator is a piezo-electric actuator.

22. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 wherein said contactors are coupled to said at least one actuator by a flexible bonding layer, and wherein when said at least one actuator is moved longitudinally, approximately perpendicular to said lateral displacement, said pair of contactors is laterally displaced.

23. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 22 wherein said flexible bonding layer includes holes to assist said bonding layer to be deformed locally to said at least one actuator.

24. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 wherein one of said at least one actuator is shared between at least two contactors.

25. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 further comprising an enclosure housing said tactile interface device, said enclosure including holes through which said contactors extend to allow said user to contact said contactors.

26. A tactile interface device as recited in claim 16 wherein all of said contactors are molded as a single unitary piece of material.

27. A transducer device comprising:

an array of adjacent contactors, each contactor having a contacting tip separated by a gap from adjacent contacting tips; and

a plurality of transducers coupled to said array of adjacent contactors, said transducers operative to sense relative lateral displacement of associated contactors and variation of the lateral gap distance between said contacting tips of said associated contactors, said lateral displacement causing a sensing of a location of contact of a user on said contacting tips.

28. A transducer device as recited in claim 27 wherein an intensity of said user contact is determined based on said sensed lateral displacement of said contactors.