Method and apparatus for matching tactile sensation to the contents of a display

• US 7,420,547 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Alpine Electronics Incorporated (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Katsunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karimi; Pegeman
• Application Number:
  US10/823,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20040257339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/161, 345/173, 345/184, 744/85
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

A data processing system includes an application unit including a force pattern calculating section and a data processing section. The force pattern calculating section analyzes screen definition data for defining display screen data which is generated by the data processing section, determines a force pattern based upon the disposition of display elements, such as buttons and spaces, in a display screen and based upon force patterns corresponding to the types of the display elements recorded in an object attribute table, and stores the force pattern in a force pattern table. The force pattern is applied to a user based upon an input to the display screen. A commander driver determines a force corresponding to an input from a haptic commander, and controls the haptic commander such that the determined force is applied to the user.

Claims

1. A data processing system comprising:

a display device for displaying display screen elements within a variable screen layout;

an input device for applying a variable tactile sensation to a user; and

a processing device for generating display screen data comprising data for each of the display screen elements within the variable screen layout and sending the display screen data to the display device;

wherein the processing device dynamically generates a tactile sensation control pattern that defines a force pattern associated with all of the display screen elements within the variable screen layout as a function off (1) a data structure that defines different tactile sensation force patterns for each display screen element within the variable screen layout based upon respective types of display elements and (2) an arrangement of the display elements within the variable screen layout, at the time that the display screen data is sent to the display device, and stores the dynamically generated tactile sensation control pattern so that subsequently the tactile sensation applied to the user via the input device while the display elements are being displayed on the display screen is calculated by the processing device in accordance with the dynamically generated tactile sensation control pattern.

2. A data processing system according to claim 1, wherein the different tactile sensation patterns indicate the relationship between input data generated by the input device and the tactile sensation for each display element.

3. A data processing system according to claim 2, wherein the display elements that each have a different tactile sensation pattern stored by type in the data structure comprise (1) display objects for accepting an operation selected by the user and (2) a space between the display objects, the space being a portion on the display screen where the display objects are not present.

4. A data processing system according to claim 2, wherein the input device comprises an operation unit rotatable by the user and an actuator for applying a force to the operation unit corresponding to the direction of rotation of the operation unit,

the dynamically generated tactile sensation control pattern indicates a relationship between the rotational angle of the operation unit and the force applied to the operation unit, and

the processing device controls the force applied by the actuator in accordance with the dynamically generated tactile sensation control pattern.

5. A data processing system according to claim 2, wherein the tactile sensation applied to the user is based upon the input data from the input device which indicates the positions of the display elements within a display range.

6. A data processing system according to claim 5, wherein the input device is a pointing device for inputting coordinates on the display screen.

7. A data processing system according to claim 5, wherein the input device is a haptic commander.

8. A method for applying a variable tactile sensation to a user through an input device, the method comprising:

dynamically generating variable screen definition data comprising data for display elements to be displayed within a screen layout on a display device, the screen layout of the display elements being variable;

sending the variable screen definition data to the display device;

dynamically generating a new tactile sensation control pattern when the variable screen definition data is sent to the display device, the new tactile sensation control pattern being calculated as a function of (1) the variable screen definition data that defines all of the individual display elements to be displayed within the screen layout, and (2) an object attribute table that defines different tactile sensation force patterns for each display element in the screen layout based upon respective types of display elements, the new tactile sensation control pattern representing a relationship between input data to be received from the input device and the tactile sensation in accordance with an arrangement of all of the display elements to be displayed within the screen layout on a display screen of the display device;

resetting a tactile sensation control pattern, that controls tactile sensation to be applied, to the new tactile sensation control pattern dynamically generated; and

subsequently controlling the tactile sensation associated with each of the display elements displayed based upon the input data from the input device in accordance with the new tactile sensation control pattern, whereby a variable tactile sensation is applied to the user through the input device.

9. A method for applying a variable tactile sensation to the user through an input device according to claim 8, wherein the different tactile sensation force patterns (1) indicate the relationship between the input data and the tactile sensation for individual display elements and (2) are previously determined according to the types of the display elements.

10. A method for applying a variable tactile sensation to the user through an input device according to claim 9, wherein the display elements having different tactile sensation force patterns comprise (1) display objects for accepting an operation selected by the user and (2) a space between the display objects, the space being a portion in the display screen where the display objects are not present.

11. A method for applying a variable tactile sensation to the user through an input device according to claim 9, wherein the input device comprises an operation unit rotatable by the user and an actuator for applying a force to the operation unit corresponding to the direction of rotation of the operation unit, and the new tactile sensation control pattern indicates a relationship between the rotational angle of the operation unit and the force applied by the actuator.

12. A method for applying a variable tactile sensation to the user through an input device according to claim 9, wherein the tactile sensation applied to the user is based upon the input data from the input device which indicates positions of the display elements within a display range.

13. A computer program stored on a storage medium which is read and executed by a computer system comprising a display device and an input device for applying a variable tactile sensation to a user, the computer program directs the computer system to

dynamically generate display screen data comprising data for display elements to be displayed, an arrangement of the display elements within a variable screen layout being variable;

send the dynamically generated display screen data to the display device;

dynamically calculate a relationship between input data to be received from the input device and the tactile sensation, at the time that the dynamically generated display screen data is sent to the display device, in accordance with (1) the dynamically generated display screen data defining the variable arrangement of the display elements within the variable screen layout and (2) object attribute data defining different tactile sensation force patterns for each display element within the variable screen layout based upon respective types of display elements; and

reset a tactile sensation control pattern that controls a tactile sensation to be applied via the input device to the dynamically calculated relationship during runtime, so that the tactile sensation subsequently applied to the user when the display elements are displayed on a display screen is based upon the input data received from the input device in accordance with the dynamically calculated relationship.

14. A computer program according to claim 13, wherein the computer system (1) dynamically connects the different tactile sensation force patterns in accordance with the variable arrangement of the display elements to be displayed on the display screen at the time that the display screen data is sent to the display device, and (2) stores the dynamically connected different tactile sensation force patterns as the tactile sensation control pattern.

15. A computer program according to claim 14, wherein the display elements that have associated different tactile sensation force patterns comprise (1) display objects for accepting an operation selected by the user and (2) a space between the display objects, the space being a portion on the display screen where the display objects are not present.

16. A computer program according to claim 14, wherein the input device comprises an operation unit rotatable by the user and an actuator for applying a force to the operation unit corresponding to the direction of rotation of the operation unit,

the computer system dynamically stores the tactile sensation control pattern as a pattern which indicates a relationship between the rotational angle of the operation unit and the force applied to the operation unit and controls the force applied by the actuator in accordance with the tactile sensation control pattern.

17. A computer program according to claim 14, wherein the tactile sensation applied to the user is based upon the input data from the input device which indicates the positions of the display elements within a display range.

18. A computer program according to claim 17, wherein the input device is a pointing device for inputting coordinates on the display screen.

19. A storage medium which stores a computer program which is read and executed by a computer system comprising a display device and an input device for applying a variable tactile sensation to a user, wherein the computer program directs the computer system to

dynamically generate screen definition data comprising data for display elements, an arrangement of the display elements being variable;

send the dynamically generated screen definition data to the display device;

dynamically calculate a relationship between input data to be received from the input device and the tactile sensation, at the time that the dynamically generated screen definition data is sent to the display device, in accordance with (1) the dynamically generated screen definition data defining the variable arrangement of all of the display elements and (2) object attribute data defining different tactile sensation force patterns for each display element within the dynamically generated screen definition data based upon respective types of display elements;

dynamically reset a tactile sensation control pattern to the dynamically calculated relationship; and

subsequently control the tactile sensation associated with each display element displayed on a display screen based upon the input data received from the input device in accordance with the dynamically reset tactile sensation control pattern.

20. A storage medium according to claim 19, wherein the computer system (1) dynamically connects individual tactile sensation patterns, each individual tactile sensation pattern being associated with a display element, in accordance with the variable arrangement of the display elements to be displayed on the display screen at the time that the display screen data is sent to the display device, and (2) stores the dynamically connected individual tactile sensation patterns as the dynamically reset tactile sensation control pattern, the individual tactile sensation patterns indicate the relationship between the input data and the tactile sensation.