Systems and methods for providing haptic feedback to touch-sensitive input devices

• US 8,576,171 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): STERNBANE, LAURENCE J
• Application Number:
  US12/856,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20120038582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 345/174, 345/163
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing haptic feedback to touch-sensitive input devices are disclosed. For example, one disclosed system includes an input device having a housing having an exterior surface; a touch-sensitive surface configured to transmit a contact signal indicating a contact with the touch-sensitive surface; a sensor disposed within the housing, the sensor configured to sense movement of the input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the input device; an actuator disposed within the housing, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based on an actuator signal, the actuator signal based at least in part on the contact signal.

Claims

1. A mouse input device comprising:

a housing having an exterior surface;

a touch-sensitive surface disposed within the exterior surface of the housing, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touch screen and is configured to transmit a contact signal indicating a contact with the touch-sensitive surface;

a sensor disposed within the housing, the sensor configured to sense movement of the mouse input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the mouse input device;

an actuator disposed within the housing, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based on an actuator signal; and

a processor in communication with the touch-sensitive surface, the sensor, the actuator, and a host computer implementing a graphical environment, the processor configured to;

transmit, to the host computer, a signal comprising contact information associated with the contact signal,

receive a haptic signal from the host computer, wherein the haptic signal is based on the contact information, and

determine the actuator signal based at least in part on the haptic signal.

2. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the contact signal from the touch-sensitive surface,

determine the actuator signal based at least in part on the contact signal, and

transmit the actuator signal to the actuator.

3. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the contact comprises a gesture.

4. The mouse input device of claim 3, wherein the gesture comprises a tap and the actuator signal is based upon a location of the tap.

5. The mouse input device of claim 3, wherein the gesture comprises a drag and the actuator signal is based upon a direction of the drag.

6. The mouse input device of claim 3, wherein the gesture comprises a repeated drag and the actuator signal is based on a momentum associated with the repeated drag.

7. The mouse input device of claim 3, wherein the gesture comprises a zoom gesture and the actuator signal is based on the zoom gesture, the actuator signal configured to cause a vibration based on an amount of zoom or a pop if the amount of zoom reaches a maximum or minimum.

8. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a multi-touch touch-sensitive surface.

9. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the touch screen is operative to display a visual confirmation of the contact.

10. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the touch screen is configured to display one or more graphical controls based on a display signal, a configuration of the graphical controls based at least in part on a position of a controlled graphical object in a graphical environment, and the actuator is configured to generate a haptic effect based on a second actuator signal, the second actuator signal based on a change of the configuration of the graphical controls.

11. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a first actuator and a second actuator.

12. The mouse input device of claim 11, wherein the first actuator is configured to output a haptic effect to the touch-sensitive surface and the second actuator is configured to output a haptic effect to the housing.

13. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises an array of capacitive buttons.

14. The mouse input device of claim 1, wherein the contact signal comprises contact pressure data indicating an amount of pressure applied by the contact.

15. The mouse input device of claim 14, wherein the actuator signal is based at least in part on the contact pressure data.

16. A method for capturing input data and providing haptic feedback effects to a user of a mouse input device, the method comprising:

receiving a contact signal indicating a contact with a touch-sensitive surface of the mouse input device, the mouse input device comprising a housing and a sensor, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touch screen and is disposed within an exterior surface of the housing, the sensor disposed within the housing and configured to sense movement of the input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the mouse input device;

transmitting, to a host computer, a signal comprising contact information associated with the contact signal;

receiving a haptic signal from the host computer, wherein the haptic signal is based on the contact information;

determining an actuator signal based at least in part on the haptic signal; and

transmitting the actuator signal to an actuator, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based at least in part on the actuator signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a gesture based on the contact signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the gesture comprises a tap and the actuator signal is based upon a location of the tap.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the gesture comprises a drag and the actuator signal is based upon a direction of the drag.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the gesture comprises a repeated drag and the actuator signal is based on a momentum associated with the repeated drag.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the gesture comprises a zoom gesture and the actuator signal is based on the zoom gesture, the actuator signal configured to cause a vibration based on an amount of zoom or a pop if the amount of zoom reaches a maximum or minimum.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises an array of capacitive buttons.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the contact signal comprises contact pressure data indicating an amount of pressure applied by the contact.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the actuator signal is based at least in part on the contact pressure data.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a multi-touch touch-sensitive surface.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating a display signal, the display signal configured to cause the touch screen to display a visual confirmation of the contact, and

transmitting the display signal to the touch screen.

27. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating a display signal, the display signal configured to cause the touch screen to display one or more graphical controls, a configuration of the graphical controls based at least in part on a position of a controlled graphical object in a graphical environment,

generating a second actuator signal based on a change of the configuration of the graphical controls, the second actuator signal configured to cause a second haptic effect configured to indicate a change in the configuration of the graphical controls,

transmitting the display signal to the touch screen, and

transmitting the second actuator signal to the actuator.