Methods of operating electronic devices including touch sensitive interfaces using force/deflection sensing and related devices and computer program products

• US 8,253,712 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Klinghult, Gunnar
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAM, NELSON C
• Application Number:
  US12/434,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20100277431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

An electronic device may include a touch sensitive user interface and a contact detector configured to detect a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface. A force detector may be configured to detect a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation. A controller may be coupled to the touch sensitive user interface. The controller may be configured to provide a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold. The controller may be further configured to provide a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is greater that the threshold with the first and second responses being different. Related methods are also discussed.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch sensitive user interface;

a contact detector configured to detect a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface;

a force/deflection detector configured to detect a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation; and

a controller coupled to the touch sensitive user interface wherein the controller is configured to provide a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold, and to provide a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface when the detected force/deflection is greater that the threshold, wherein the first and second responses are different,

wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal material,

wherein the liquid crystal display is configured to generate a display output using visible light,

wherein the force/deflection detector is configured to detect the force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using non-visible electromagnetic radiation,

wherein the force/deflection detector includes a selectively reflective layer on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface,

wherein the selectively reflective layer is reflective with respect to the non-visible electromagnetic radiation and transmissive with respect to the visible light of the liquid crystal display,

an electromagnetic radiation source configured to transmit the non-visible electromagnetic radiation onto the selectively reflective layer; and

an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to detect portions of the non-visible electromagnetic radiation reflected from the selectively reflective layer.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the force/deflection detector is configured to detect the force/deflection by detecting a deflection of the touch sensitive user interface.

3. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the force/deflection detector includes an electromagnetic radiation source configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface and an electromagnetic radiation detector configured to detect portions of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the touch sensitive user interface.

4. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the contact detector is configured to detect the location of contact using one of infrared (IR) contact sensing, acoustic wave contact sensing, capacitive contact sensing, and/or resistive contact sensing.

5. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to only transmit radiation while the contact detector detects contact.

6. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a touch sensitive display, wherein the controller is configured to provide the first response by selecting a virtual button on the touch sensitive display, and wherein the controller is configured to provide the second response by executing a function associated with the virtual button.

7. An electronic device according to claim 1

wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a touch sensitive display,

wherein the controller is configured to provide the first response by executing a function associated with a virtual button on the touch sensitive display at a first rate, and

wherein the controller is configured to provide the second response by executing the function associated with the virtual button at a second rate different than the first rate.

8. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to modulate the electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation detector is configured to selectively detect the modulated electromagnetic radiation.

9. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to transmit non-visible electromagnetic radiation.

10. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation through the liquid crystal material.

11. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, and wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is configured to transmit the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface outside the active pixel region.

12. An electronic device according to claim 3 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source comprises a light emitting device on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal material, wherein the electromagnetic radiation detector comprises a photosensor on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal material.

13. An electronic device according to claim 12 wherein at least one of the light emitting device and/or the photosensor is on an active display area of the transparent substrate.

14. A method of operating an electronic device including a touch sensitive user interface, the method comprising:

detecting a location of contact on a surface of the touch sensitive user interface;

detecting a force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using electromagnetic radiation;

when the detected force/deflection is less than a threshold, providing a first response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface;

when the detected force/deflection on/of is greater that the threshold, providing a second response to the contact on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein the first and second responses are different;

generating a display output to a liquid crystal display, including a liquid crystal material, using visible light;

wherein detecting the force/deflection further comprises,

detecting the force/deflection on/of the surface of the touch sensitive user interface using non-visible electromagnetic radiation,

reflecting non-visible electromagnetic radiation using a selectively reflective layer on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface,

transmitting visible light to the liquid crystal display through the selectively reflective layer on the surface of the touch sensitive user interface,

transmitting the non-visible electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic radiation source onto the selectively reflective layer, and

detecting portions of the non-visible electromagnetic radiation reflected from the selectively reflective layer, using an electromagnetic radiation detector.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein detecting the force/deflection comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface and detecting portions of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the touch sensitive user interface.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the electromagnetic radiation comprises modulated electromagnetic radiation, and wherein detecting comprises selectively detecting the modulated electromagnetic radiation.

17. A method according to claim 15 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, and wherein transmitting the electromagnetic radiation comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation onto a portion of the touch sensitive user interface outside the active pixel region.

18. A method according to claim 15 wherein the touch sensitive user interface comprises a liquid crystal display including a transparent substrate and a liquid crystal material adjacent the transparent substrate in an active pixel region of the touch sensitive user interface, wherein transmitting the electromagnetic radiation comprises transmitting the electromagnetic radiation from a light emitting device on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal material, and wherein detecting portions of the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the touch sensitive user interface comprises detecting portions of the electromagnetic radiation using a photosensor on a surface of the transparent substrate adjacent the liquid crystal display.