Haptic feedback for touchpads and other touch controls

• US 7,768,504 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• 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:
  US11/805,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20070229483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345173-183, 178/18.01, 178/19.01, 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 method for providing a user of a touch pad with interactive feedback, the method comprising:

detecting a user interaction with a first portion of the touch pad;

detecting a user interaction with a second portion of the touch pad; and

actuating the touch pad to thereby generate a haptic force in response to a change in interaction from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the first and second portions lie in parallel planes and the haptic force is in a direction that is substantially normal to the parallel planes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in interaction comprises movement of an interaction object from the first portion to the second portion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the interaction object is a finger of the user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the interaction object is a stylus.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are visually demarcated.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are haptically demarcated.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are audibly demarcated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch pad is provided with a graphical representation of a button substantially corresponding to the first portion of the touch pad.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch pad is a touch screen.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the touch screen is configured to display a graphical representation of a button substantially corresponding to the first portion of the touch pad.

11. A method for providing a user of a touch pad with interactive feedback, the method comprising:

assigning a first function to a first portion of the touch pad such that interaction with the first portion initiates the first function;

assigning a second function to a second portion of the touch pad such that interaction with the second portion initiates the second function; and

actuating the touch pad to thereby generate a haptic force in response to a change in interaction from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the first and second portions lie in parallel planes and the haptic force is in a direction that is substantially parallel to the parallel planes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch pad is coupled to a computer and at least one of the first or second functions is a computer function.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the change in interaction comprises movement of an interaction object from the first portion to the second portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the interaction object is a finger of the user.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the interaction object is a stylus.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the first and second portions are visually demarcated.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second portions are haptically demarcated.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second portions are audibly demarcated.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch pad is provided with a graphical representation of a button substantially corresponding to the first portion of the touch pad.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch pad is a touch screen.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the touch screen is configured to display a graphical representation of a button substantially corresponding to the first portion of the touch pad.

22. A method for providing interactive feedback to a user of a touch pad coupled to a display on which first and second graphical objects and a cursor are displayed, the cursor being movable in the display in accordance with interactions by the user with the touch pad, the method comprising:

actuating the touch pad to thereby generate a haptic force in response to motion of the cursor from the first to the second graphical object, wherein the touch pad has a substantially planar surface configured to receive user interaction, and wherein the haptic force is in a direction that is substantially parallel to said planar surface.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the touch pad is a touch screen.

24. A touch pad comprising:

a first portion configured to initiate a first function in response to a user interaction with the first portion;

a second portion configured to initiate a second function in response to a user interaction with the second portion; and

an actuator configured to impart a haptic force to the touch pad in response to a change in interaction from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the touch pad has a substantially planar surface, wherein the haptic force is in a direction substantially parallel to the substantially planar surface.

25. The touch pad of claim 24, wherein the first and second portions are disposed within the substantially planar surface.

26. The touch pad of claim 24, wherein the haptic force is in a direction substantially orthogonal to the substantially planar surface.

27. The touch pad of claim 24, wherein the touch pad is a touch screen.

28. The touch pad of claim 27, wherein the touch screen is configured to display a graphical representation of a button substantially corresponding to the first portion of the touch pad.

29. A handheld device comprising:

a display; and

a touch pad including;

a first portion configured to initiate a first function of the handheld device in response to a user interaction with the first portion;

a second portion configured to initiate a second function of the handheld device in response to a user interaction with the second portion;

and

an actuator configured to impart a haptic force to the touch pad in response to a change in interaction from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the touch pad has a substantially planar surface, and wherein the haptic force is in a direction substantially parallel to the substantially planar surface.

30. The handheld device of claim 29, wherein the first and second portions are disposed within the substantially planar surface.

31. The handheld device of claim 29, wherein the haptic force is in a direction substantially orthogonal to the substantially planar surface.

32. The handheld device of claim 29, wherein the touch pad is a touch screen.

33. The handheld device of claim 32, wherein the touch screen is configured to display a graphical representation of a button substantially corresponding to the first portion of the touch pad.