Electronic device and circuit for providing tactile feedback

• US 7,667,371 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tashakkor, Eric V., Wagner, Daniel H., Olley, Michael F., Sadler, Daniel J., Cranfill, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): BUDD, MARK OSBORNE
• Application Number:
  US11/856,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20090072662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 310/316.01, 310/316.03, 310/317, 310/319
• US Class Current: 310/317
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96062 with tactile or haptic feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/802 Drive or control circuitry or methods for piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A circuit (800) for controlling at least one piezoelectric actuator (142) includes a piezoelectric drive circuit (802) that generates unidirectional voltage drive signal, also referred to as V_out, at node (804). The piezoelectric actuator drive circuit (802) includes a boost switcher circuit or charging circuit (806), a buck switcher circuit or pulsed current sink discharge circuit (808) and a control signal generating circuit (810) that receives an input control signal (812) from, for example, a keyboard processor or other suitable processor (604) indicating that the device has requested generation of haptic feedback utilizing the piezoelectric actuator (142). The control signal generating circuit (810) provides at least two pulse-with-modulated control signals, one to control the charging circuit and one to control the discharging circuit to produce the unidirectional voltage drive signal, that in one example is a raised cosine drive signal (904).

Claims

1. A circuit for controlling a piezoelectric actuator comprising:

a piezoelectric actuator drive circuit operative to generate a unidirectional voltage drive signal, comprising a charging circuit operatively responsive to a first pulse-width-modulated control signal and a pulsed current sink discharge circuit operatively responsive to a second pulse-width-modulated control signal and operative to controllably draw packets of charge from a charged piezoelectric actuator.

2. The circuit of claim 1 comprising:

the piezoelectric actuator operatively coupled to the piezoelectric actuator drive circuit; and

a control signal generating circuit operative to produce the first and second pulse-width-modulated control signals having varying duty cycles to produce the unidirectional voltage drive signal to actuate the piezoelectric actuator.

3. The circuit of claim 2 wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit is operatively coupled to return energy from the piezoelectric actuator to a voltage source node.

4. The circuit of claim 2 wherein the unidirectional voltage drive signal is a raised cosine signal.

5. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit comprises a constant current sink discharge circuit.

6. A keypad comprising:

a touchscreen comprising a piezoelectric actuator operative to provide tactile feedback in response to touchscreen contact by a user; and

a circuit operative to control the piezoelectric actuator comprising;

a piezoelectric actuator drive circuit operative to generate a unidirectional voltage drive signal comprising a charging circuit operatively responsive to a first pulse-width-modulated control signal and a pulsed current sink discharge circuit operatively responsive to a second pulse-width-modulated control signal and operative to controllably draw packets of charge from a charged piezoelectric actuator.

7. The keypad of claim 6 wherein the piezoelectric actuator drive circuit comprises a control signal generating circuit operative to produce the first and second pulse-width-modulated control signals having varying duty cycles to produce the unidirectional voltage drive signal in an open-loop manner of operation to actuate the piezoelectric actuator.

8. The keypad of claim 6 wherein the pulsed discharge circuit is operatively coupled to recycle energy from the piezoelectric actuator to a voltage source node.

9. The keypad of claim 6 wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit comprises:

a discharge switching transistor having an input operatively responsive to the second pulse-width-modulated control signal and an output coupled to a resistive element;

an output pass transistor having an input operatively coupled to the output of the discharge switching transistor; and

an inductive element operatively coupled to the voltage source node and to the output pass transistor.

10. The keypad of claim 6 wherein the charging circuit includes a field effect transistor configured to have a body diode thereof and wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit comprises the FET and wherein the piezoelectric actuator drive circuit comprises an inductive element operatively coupled to both the FET and a voltage source node.

11. The keypad of claim 10 wherein the voltage source node is coupled to a power supply voltage that supplies the circuit.

12. A handheld electronic device comprising:

wireless telephone circuitry; and

a keypad operatively coupled to the wireless telephone circuitry comprising;

a touchscreen comprising a piezoelectric actuator operative to provide tactile feedback in response to touchscreen contact by a user; and

a circuit operative to control the piezoelectric actuator comprising;

a piezoelectric actuator drive circuit operative to generate a unidirectional voltage drive signal comprising a charging circuit operatively responsive to a first pulse-width-modulated control signal and a pulsed current sink discharge circuit operatively responsive to a second pulse-width-modulated control signal and operative to controllably draw packets of charge from a charged piezoelectric actuator.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 12 wherein the piezoelectric actuator drive circuit comprises a control signal generating circuit operative to produce the first and second pulse-width-modulated control signals having varying duty cycles to produce the unidirectional voltage drive signal to actuate the piezoelectric actuator.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 13 wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit is operatively coupled to feedback energy from the piezoelectric actuator to a voltage source node.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 14 wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit comprises:

a discharge switching transistor having an input operatively responsive to the second pulse-width-modulated control signal and an output coupled to a resistive element;

an output pass transistor having an input operatively coupled to the output of the discharge switching transistor; and

an inductive element operatively coupled to the voltage source node and to the output pass transistor.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 14 wherein the charging circuit includes a field effect transistor configured to have a body diode thereof and wherein the pulsed current sink discharge circuit comprises the FET and wherein the piezoelectric actuator drive circuit comprises an inductive element operatively coupled to both the FET and a voltage source node.

17. The keypad of claim 16 wherein the voltage source node is coupled to a power supply voltage that supplies the circuit.

18. A method comprising:

controlling actuation of a piezoelectric actuator of a touchscreen by generating a first pulse-width-modulated control signal to control a charging circuit to produce a portion of a unidirectional voltage drive signal and generating a second pulse-width-modulated control signal to control a pulsed current sink discharge circuit to controllably draw packets of charge from a charged piezoelectric actuator to produce another portion of the unidirectional voltage drive signal.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising feeding back energy from a charged piezoelectric actuator to a voltage source node.

20. A circuit for controlling a piezoelectric actuator comprising:

a piezoelectric actuator drive circuit operative to generate a unidirectional voltage drive signal, comprising a charging circuit operatively responsive to a first pulse-width-modulated control signal and a switched inductance discharge circuit operatively responsive to a second pulse-width-modulated control signal and operative to controllably draw packets of charge from a charged piezoelectric actuator.

21. The circuit of claim 20 wherein the switched-inductance discharge circuit comprises:

a discharge control transistor having an input operatively responsive to the second pulse-width-modulated control signal and an output coupled to an output pass transistor;

an output pass transistor having an input operatively coupled to the output of the discharge switching transistor; and

an inductive element operatively coupled to the output pass transistor and to either a voltage supply rail for another circuit, or to ground.

22. The circuit of claim 21 wherein the switched inductance discharge circuit includes a PMOS FET configured to have a body diode thereof coupled as a charging circuit boosting diode and wherein the switched inductance discharge circuit comprises that PMOS FET with a low-side discharge-control transistor, and wherein the piezoelectric actuator drive circuit comprises an inductive element operatively coupled to both the PMOS FET and the circuit'"'"'s voltage source node.