Electronic apparatus with haptic feedback and method for providing haptic feedback

• US 8,866,600 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Li, Chun-Hung, Huang, Hsiang-Tai, Yang, Kae-Cherng
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adams, Carl
• Application Number:
  US13/340,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20120188180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 3404071-4072
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An electronic apparatus with haptic feedback and a method for providing haptic feedback are provided. The method includes the following steps. An actuation unit is provided to generate haptic feedback. In response to at least a haptic command, a control value is dynamically generated to control the actuation unit to generate haptic feedback, wherein dynamic range compression is applied to dynamically generate the control value so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within a vibration range.

Claims

1. A method for providing haptic feedback, comprising:

providing an actuation unit to generate haptic feedback; and

dynamically generating a control value to control the actuation unit to generate haptic feedback in response to at least a haptic command, wherein dynamic range compression is applied to dynamically generate the control value so as to control magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within a vibration range, wherein the step of dynamically generating a control value includes determining that an initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is substantially greater than a threshold value, and performing dynamic range compression to adjust the initial corresponding value to generate the control value, so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range;

wherein in the step of performing dynamic range compression includes adjusting the initial corresponding value according to the at least a haptic command, the initial corresponding value, and a gain to generate the control value so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range;

wherein the gain gradually diminishes within a period of time until the adjusted initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is less than the threshold value;

wherein performing dynamic range compression further includes releasing the gain to make the gain gradually increase within a period of time when the adjusted initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is less than the threshold value.

2. The method for providing haptic feedback according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing soft clipping on the initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command when the initial corresponding value exceeds the threshold value so as to generate the control value accordingly.

3. The method for providing haptic feedback according to claim 2, wherein the step of performing dynamic range compression uses soft clipping method with hard knee or soft knee so as to generate the control value accordingly.

4. The method for providing haptic feedback according to claim 1, wherein the step of dynamically generating a control value to control the actuation unit to generate haptic feedback comprises:

in response to the at least a haptic command, generating an initial corresponding value and temporarily storing the initial corresponding value;

dynamically checking with time whether a current initial corresponding value and the temporarily stored initial corresponding value are greater than the threshold value; and

if the current initial corresponding value exceeds the threshold value, performing dynamic range compression on the current initial corresponding value and the temporarily stored initial corresponding value to generate the control value so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range.

5. The method for providing haptic feedback according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least a haptic command corresponds to an object displayed on a user interface of an electronic apparatus.

6. The method for providing haptic feedback according to claim 1, wherein one of the at least a haptic command corresponds to at least a touch input received by a user interface of an electronic apparatus.

7. The method for providing haptic feedback according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

providing two envelope curves that correspond to two initial corresponding values of two haptic commands of concurrent events;

combining the two envelope curves to obtain an resulting envelope curve that corresponds to the initial corresponding values of the two combined haptic commands; and

applying the dynamic range compression to the resulting envelope curve to thereby dynamically generate the control value.

8. An electronic apparatus with haptic feedback, comprising:

an actuation unit, which generates haptic feedback; and

a control unit coupled to the actuation unit to dynamically generate a control value in response to at least a haptic command to control the actuation unit to generate haptic feedback, wherein the control unit applies dynamic range compression to dynamically generate the control value so as to control magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within a vibration range, wherein the control unit is configured to perform dynamic range compression to adjust an initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command to generate the control value, so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range upon determining that the initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is greater than a threshold value, to adjust the initial corresponding value according to the at least a haptic command, the initial corresponding value, and a gain to generate the control value, so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range, to make the gain gradually diminish within a period of time until the adjusted initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is less than the threshold value, and to release the gain to make the gain gradually increase within another period of time when the adjusted initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is less than the threshold value.

9. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 8, wherein the control unit performs soft clipping on the initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command when the initial corresponding value exceeds the threshold value so as to generate the control value accordingly.

10. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 9, wherein when the control unit performs dynamic range compression, using soft clipping with hard knee or soft knee so as to generate the control value accordingly.

11. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 8, wherein when the control unit performs dynamic range compression, the control unit further:

generates the initial corresponding value in response to the at least a haptic command and temporarily stores the initial corresponding value;

dynamically checks with time whether a current initial corresponding value and the temporarily stored initial corresponding value are greater than the threshold value; and

performs dynamic range compression on the current initial corresponding value and the temporarily stored initial corresponding value to generate the control value so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range if the current initial corresponding value exceeds the threshold value.

12. The electronic apparatus with haptic feedback according to claim 8, further comprising:

an amplifier coupled between the control unit and the actuation unit.

13. The electronic apparatus with haptic feedback according to claim 8, wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises:

a display device, which displays at least an object corresponding to the at least a haptic command.

14. The electronic apparatus with haptic feedback according to claim 8, wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises:

a touch display device, wherein at least a touch input received by the touch display device corresponds to one of the at least a haptic command.

15. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 8, wherein:

the control unit is configured to combine two envelope curves that correspond to two initial corresponding values of two haptic commands of concurrent events, to thereby obtain an resulting envelope curve that corresponds to the initial corresponding values of the two combined haptic commands, and to apply the dynamic range compression to the resulting envelope curve to thereby dynamically generate the control value.

16. An electronic apparatus with haptic feedback, comprising:

an actuation unit, which generates haptic feedback;

a control unit; and

a dynamic range compression unit, coupled to the control unit and the actuation unit, to dynamically generate a control signal in response to at least a haptic command to control the actuation unit to generate haptic feedback, wherein the dynamic range compression unit applies dynamic range compression to dynamically generate the control signal so as to control magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within a vibration range, wherein the dynamic range compression unit is configured to perform dynamic range compression to adjust an initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command to generate a control value indicated by the control signal, so as to control magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range upon determining that the initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is greater than a threshold value, to adjust the initial corresponding value according to the at least a haptic command, the initial corresponding value, and a gain to generate the control value, so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range, to make the gain diminish within a period of time until the adjusted initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is less than the threshold value, and to release the gain to make the gain gradually increase within another period of time when the adjusted initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command is less than the threshold value.

17. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 16, wherein the dynamic range compression unit performs soft clipping on the initial corresponding value of the at least a haptic command when the initial corresponding value exceeds the threshold value so as to generate the control value accordingly.

18. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 17, wherein the dynamic range compression unit performs dynamic range compression, using soft clipping with hard knee or soft knee so as to generate the control value accordingly.

19. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 16, wherein when the dynamic range compression unit applies dynamic range compression, the dynamic range compression unit further:

generates the initial corresponding value in response to the at least a haptic command and temporarily stores the initial corresponding value;

dynamically checks with time whether a current initial corresponding value and the temporarily stored initial corresponding value are greater than the threshold value; and

performs dynamic range compression on the current initial corresponding value and the temporarily stored initial corresponding value to generate the control value so as to control the magnitude of haptic feedback to be substantially within the vibration range if the current initial corresponding value exceeds the threshold value.

20. The electronic apparatus with haptic feedback according to claim 16, wherein the dynamic range compression unit comprises a microcontroller.

21. The electronic apparatus with haptic feedback according to claim 20, wherein the dynamic range compression unit further comprises an amplifier.

22. The electronic apparatus with haptic feedback according to claim 16, further comprising:

an amplifier coupled between the dynamic range compression unit and the actuation unit.

23. The electronic apparatus for providing haptic feedback according to claim 16, wherein:

the control unit is configured to combine two envelope curves that correspond to two initial corresponding values of two haptic commands of concurrent events, to thereby obtain an resulting envelope curve that corresponds to the initial corresponding values of the two combined haptic commands, and to apply the dynamic range compression to the resulting envelope curve to thereby dynamically generate the control value.