Haptic input device

• US 7,463,240 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2005
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hayasaka, Satoshi, Matsumoto, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US11/070,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/690, 345/157, 345/158, 345/161, 345/163, 345/167, 345/168, 345/184, 345/173, 345/145, 345/146, 341/20, 341/27, 341/34, 341/35, 700/85, 700/203, 700/217, 700/219
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 Force feedback applied to a joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

On two buttons displayed adjacent to each other on a display means, when a cursor moves from the center position of a first button to the center position of a second button, an attractive force exerted in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the cursor in an attractive area is increased to be larger than a normal attractive force. Therefore the cursor can move to the desired button easily and surely.

Claims

1. A haptic input device comprising:

display means for displaying a cursor and a plurality of buttons;

input means having an operating unit, an operating amount-detecting unit for detecting an operating amount of the operating unit, and an actuator for applying a required feedback force to the operating unit; and

control means for controlling the display of the cursor based on the operating amount signals from the operating amount-detecting unit and for controlling driving of the actuator so as to apply a given attractive force exerted toward one of the buttons to the operating unit based on the positional relationship between the cursor and the buttons,

wherein when the cursor moves from a first attractive area that attracts the cursor to a first button displayed on the display means to a second attractive area that attracts the cursor to a second button displayed on the display means, the control means increase the attractive force exerted toward the second button to be larger than a given attractive force by extending the second attractive area during a set increment time.

2. The haptic input device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means set an increment time of the attractive force exerted toward the second button whenever the cursor moves from the first attractive area to the second attractive area, and the control means restores the attractive force exerted toward the second button to the given attractive force when the increment time elapses.

3. The haptic input device according to claim 1,

wherein among the attractive force exerted toward the second button, the control means increase only the attractive force exerted in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the cursor larger than the given attractive force.

4. A haptic input device comprising:

storage means for storing an indicating position and a plurality of functional areas;

input means having an operating unit, an operating amount-detecting unit for detecting an operating amount of the operating unit, and an actuator for applying a required feedback force to the operating unit; and

control means for calculating the indicating position based on the operational amount and for controlling driving of the actuator to apply a given attractive force exerted toward one of the functional areas to operating unit based on the positional relationship between the indicating position and the one of the functional areas,

wherein when the indicating position moves from a first attractive area that attracts the indicating position to a first functional area to a second attractive area that attracts the indicating position to a second functional area, the control means increase the attractive force exerted toward the second functional area to be larger than the given attractive force by extending the second attractive area during a set increment time.

5. The haptic input device according to claim 4,

wherein the control means set an increment time of the attractive force exerted toward the second functional area whenever the indication position moves from the first attractive area to the second attractive area, and the control means restores the attractive force exerted toward the second functional area to the given attractive force when the increment time elapses.

6. The haptic input device according to claim 5,

wherein among the attractive force exerted toward the second functional area, the control means increase only the attractive force exerted in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the indicating position to be larger than the given attractive force.

7. A haptic input device comprising:

display means for displaying a cursor and a plurality of buttons;

input means having an operating unit, an operating amount-detect unit for detecting an operating amount of the operating unit, and an actuator for applying a required feedback force to the operating unit; and

control means for controlling the display of the cursor based on the operating amount signals from the operating amount-detecting unit and for controlling driving of the actuator so as to apply a given attractive force exerted toward one of the buttons to the operating unit based on the position relationship between the cursor and the buttons,

wherein when the cursor moves from a first attractive area that attracts the cursor to a first button displayed on the display means to a second attractive area that attracts the cursor to a second button displayed on the display means, the control means increase the attractive force exerted towards the second button so that a maximum magnitude of the force exerted towards the second button is greater than a maximum magnitude of a force exerted towards the first button.