Haptic feedback touchpad

• US 7,602,384 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B., Riegel, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdulselam; Abbas I
• Application Number:
  US11/414,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20060192771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-183, 345/156, 178/18.01, 178/18.02, 178/18.04, 178/19.01, 178/19.02, 178/19.04, 715/701, 715/702, 463/30, 463 36- 38
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/10 characterized by input arrangements for converting player-generated signals into game device control signals
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 : the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 : the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 : Force feedback applied to a game
• 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 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• 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 3/03543 : Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 : Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 : Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 : Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 : Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 : Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 : Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 : using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/008 : with a haptic or a tactile feedback controlled by electrical means, e.g. a motor or magnetofriction
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/052 : piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A haptic feedback planar touch control used to provide input to a computer. A touch input device includes a planar touch surface that inputs a position signal to a processor of the computer based on a location of user contact on the touch surface. The computer can position a cursor in a displayed graphical environment based at least in part on the position signal, or perform a different function. At least one actuator is also coupled to the touch input device and outputs a force to provide a haptic sensation to the user contacting the touch surface. The touch input device can be a touchpad separate from the computer'"'"'s display screen, or can be a touch screen. Output haptic sensations on the touch input device can include pulses, vibrations, and spatial textures. The touch input device can include multiple different regions to control different computer functions.

Claims

1. A haptic feedback device, comprising:

a touchpad operative to output a first signal indicative of a contacted location on the touchpad, wherein the touchpad includes a first region associated with a cursor positioning, and at least one other region, distinct from the first region, associated with a control functionality different from cursor positioning;

a computer to receive the first signal; and

at least one actuator coupled to the touchpad and configured to impart a force to the touchpad to thereby provide a haptic effect in response to said contact, said force being based on a second signal output by the computer.

2. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the control functionality different from cursor positioning is chosen from the group consisting of:

scroll control, rate control, audio volume control, audio balance control, display brightness control, display contrast control, display size control, display view control, menu control, program control, window display control, window viewing sequence control, word processing control, and video game function control.

3. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the touchpad is configured to provide a command from a tap.

4. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the at least one actuator outputs the force at least in part based on a location of a finger on the touchpad.

5. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the touchpad is provided in a separate housing that is connected to the computer through a cable or a wireless transmission.

6. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the computer is chosen from the group consisting of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, and a handheld device.

7. The haptic feedback device of claim 6,

wherein the handheld device is chosen from the group consisting of a computer game controller, a cell phone, a PDA and a multi-media remote controller.

8. The haptic feedback device of claim 7,

wherein the handheld device includes a microprocessor for controlling haptic effects.

9. The haptic feedback device of claim 7,

wherein the handheld device is graspable in one hand by a user and the touchpad is contactable by a finger of the grasping hand.

10. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first actuator connected to a housing of the haptic feedback device; and

a second actuator coupled to the touchpad.

11. The haptic feedback device of claim 10, wherein:

the first actuator imparts a first tactile sensation to a user; and

the second actuator imparts a second tactile sensation to the user.

12. The haptic feedback device of claim 11, wherein:

the first tactile sensation to be of a first frequency, and

the second tactile sensation to be of a second frequency.

13. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor to sense a position of a user'"'"'s finger on the touchpad.

14. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the touchpad is configured to control a value or an event.

15. The haptic feedback device of claim 14,

wherein the event can be a value of a volume level passing a mid-point or reaching a maximum level to cause the force to be imparted to the touchpad.

16. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the touchpad is configured to respond to a handheld object.

17. The haptic feedback device of claim 16,

wherein the handheld object is a stylus.

18. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the touchpad is capable of being pushed by a user to provide a switch input to the computer.

19. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein each of the first region and the at least one other region has a corresponding actuator coupled thereto.

20. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, further comprising:

surface indicia on the touchpad that separate the first region and the at least one other region.

21. The haptic feedback device of claim 20,

wherein the surface indicia are chosen from the group consisting of lines, borders and textures.

22. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein the touchpad is configured to determine the amount of pressure on the touchpad.

23. The haptic feedback device of claim 22,

wherein the amount of pressure directly controls a rate of adjustment of a feature.

24. The haptic feedback device of claim 1,

wherein areas of the first region and the at least one other region are programmably adjustable in size and shape.

25. A haptic feedback device, comprising

a touchpad operative to output a first signal indicative of a contacted location on the touchpad;

a computer to receive the first signal; and

at least one actuator coupled to the and configured to impart a force to the touchpad to thereby provide a haptic effect in response to said contact, said force being based on a second signal output by the computer, and said haptic effect comprising a spatial texture.