Providing tactile output and interaction

• US 8,593,420 B1
• Filed: 03/04/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buuck, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US13/040,965
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/174, 345/178, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178 1804- 1807, 178 1901- 1904, 340/407.1, 340/407.2
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means

Abstract

Some implementations provide tactile output for enabling a device to interact physically with a user. For instance, the device may include a first portion having a display and a touch surface. The first portion may connect to a second portion by one or more connection elements that permit relative movement between the first portion and the second portion. One or more tactile output components in the second portion may impart relative movement in the first portion in one or more directions. For example, the one or more tactile output components may oscillate the touch surface in one or more directions within a plane of the touch surface to provide the tactile output, while the connection elements restrict movement of the touch surface in a direction normal to the touch surface.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first portion including a display, a touch sensor, and a touch surface;

a second portion connected to the first portion by one or more connection elements that enable relative movement between the first portion and the second portion in at least one direction within an x-y plane corresponding to the touch surface; and

at least one tactile output component for moving the first portion relative to the second portion in the at least one direction within the x-y plane corresponding to the touch surface to provide tactile output, wherein, during the tactile output, movement of the touch surface in a z-axis direction, normal to the x-y plane, is negligible in comparison with movement of the touch surface in at least one of an x-axis direction or a y-axis direction within the x-y plane.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a power source and a processor located in the second portion, the processor operatively coupled to computer-readable media.

3. The device as recited in claim 2, further comprising a tactile output module stored in the computer-readable media and executed on the processor to control the at least one tactile output component for providing the tactile output in the at least one of the x-axis direction or the y-axis direction.

4. The device as recited in claim 3, further comprising a touch-sensor control module stored in the computer-readable media and executed on the processor to:

detect at least one characteristic of a touch input to the touch sensor; and

provide information regarding the at least one characteristic to the tactile output module for determining a type of tactile output to provide in response to the touch input.

5. The device as recited in claim 4, wherein the tactile output module determines the type of tactile output based on at least one of:

tactile output information corresponding to the at least one characteristic maintained in a lookup table;

or

metadata corresponding to a media content item currently being consumed on the device.

6. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the second portion includes a plurality of the tactile output components; and

a first tactile output component oscillates the touch surface in the x-axis direction and a second tactile output component oscillates the touch surface in the y-axis direction.

7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the touch surface includes, or is in contact with, at least one of a surface of the display or a surface of the touch sensor.

8. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the one or more connection elements include one or more springs connecting the first portion to the second portion; and

the one or more springs are able to flex laterally to provide relative movement between the first portion and the second portion.

9. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more connection elements include one or more bearing balls positioned to enable relative lateral movement between the first portion and the second portion while maintaining a constant gap between the first portion and second portion.

10. The device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a seal disposed along a perimeter of a gap between the first portion and the second portion, the seal comprising a brush seal.

11. The device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a seal disposed along a perimeter of a gap between the first portion and the second portion, the seal comprising one or more flexible tapered seals.

12. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the tactile output component comprises:

a linkage extending from the second portion into contact with the first portion; and

a motive element for oscillating the linkage to impart movement into the first portion relative to the second portion.

13. The device as recited in claim 12, wherein the motive element comprises at least one of:

a piezoelectric element;

a solenoid;

an artificial muscle element;

an electric motor,

a fluid motor;

or

a transducer.

14. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first portion is environmentally sealed and the second portion is environmentally sealed, the device further comprising a flexible connection extending between the first portion and the second portion for transmitting at least one of power or data.

15. A device comprising:

a first portion having a touch surface;

a second portion connected to the first portion by one or more connection elements that enable lateral movement of the first portion relative to the second portion; and

at least one tactile output component for providing lateral oscillation of the touch surface in at least one direction within a plane formed by the touch surface, wherein an amount of the lateral movement of the first portion relative to the second portion is greater than an amount of movement of the first portion toward or away from the second portion.

16. The device as recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one tactile output component comprises:

a first tactile output component configured to provide the lateral oscillation in a first direction within the plane formed by the touch surface; and

a second tactile output component configured to provide the lateral oscillation in a second direction within the plane formed by the touch surface.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein the lateral oscillation comprises oscillation of the touch surface in multiple directions within the plane formed by the touch surface.

18. The device as recited in claim 15, wherein the at least one tactile output component is disposed in the second portion and includes a linkage extending into contact with the first portion to impart the lateral oscillation to the touch surface.

19. The device as recited in claim 18, wherein the at least one tactile output component comprises at least one motive element for oscillating the linkage of the tactile output component, wherein at least one of frequency or amplitude of oscillation of the linkage is controlled through the motive element.

20. The device as recited in claim 15, further comprising a touch-sensitive display in the first portion, the touch-sensitive display including the touch surface or contacting the touch surface.

21. The device as recited in claim 15, further comprising a power source and a control unit in the second portion.

22. The device as recited in claim 15, wherein the one or more connection elements permit the lateral movement of the first portion relative to the second portion while restricting movement of the first portion toward or away from second portion.

23. The device as recited in claim 22, wherein the one or more connection elements comprise one or more spring connectors able to flex to permit the lateral movement of the first portion relative to the second portion.

24. The device as recited in claim 22, wherein the one or more connection elements comprise one or more bearing balls for maintaining a gap between the first portion and the second portion during the lateral movement of the first portion relative to the second portion.

25. A method comprising:

under control of an electronic device configured with specific executable instructions and having a first portion with a touch surface,

providing tactile output by oscillating the first portion relative to a second portion of the electronic device, wherein the oscillating is in at least one direction within a plane of the touch surface; and

during the providing the tactile output, restricting movement of the first portion relative to the second portion in a direction normal to the plane of the touch surface, wherein an amount of movement of the first portion relative to the second portion in the direction normal to the plane of the touch surface is less than an amount of movement in the at least one direction within the plane of the touch surface.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein providing the tactile output comprises oscillating the first portion with the touch surface in multiple directions within the plane of the touch surface.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the oscillating the first portion includes moving of the touch surface normal to a direction of pressure applied by a user'"'"'s finger touching the touch surface to receive the tactile output.

28. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising

detecting at least one characteristic of a touch input on the touch surface;

correlating the at least one characteristic with a currently displayed image or content item; and

identifying the tactile output to be provided based, at least in part, on the at least one characteristic and the displayed image or content item.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein:

the content item includes an image rendered on the display; and

the identifying the tactile output to be provided includes identifying a type of tactile output specified by metadata associated with the content item.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the identifying the tactile output includes using the at least one characteristic when referring to a lookup table for identifying, at least in part, the tactile output.

31. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

using a tactile output component on the second portion of the electronic device to impart the tactile output to the touch surface by oscillating the first portion of the electronic device relative to the second portion.

32. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising:

using a first tactile output component to oscillate the first portion relative to the second portion in a first direction within the plane of the touch surface; and

using a second tactile output component to oscillate the first portion relative to the second portion in a second direction within the plane of the touch surface, wherein the second direction is normal to the first direction.