Electronic device having a vibrating section for multiple touches

• US 9,110,508 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Koga, Akira, Yoshitsugu, Keiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Long D
• Application Number:
  US13/745,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20130187881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device presents, to the user, a realistic control feel in response to a complicated operation such as an operation using multiple fingers. An electronic device 10 includes a touch panel 11 to be touched by the user, a vibrating section 13 for vibrating the touch panel 11, and a vibration control section 33 for controlling the vibration of the vibrating section 13. The vibration control section 33 changes the vibration of the vibrating section 13 when, after the user touches the touch panel 11 with multiple fingers, the user lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the touch panel 11 with at least one other of the multiple fingers remaining on the touch panel 11.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a panel to be touched by a user;

a vibrating section for vibrating the panel; and

a vibration control section for controlling the vibration of the vibrating section,

wherein the vibration control section changes the vibration of the vibrating section when, after the user touches the panel with multiple fingers, the user changes an interval between fingers and lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel with at least one other of the multiple fingers remaining on the panel;

wherein the vibration control section changes the vibration based on an amount of change in the interval between fingers; and

wherein a strength of the vibration generated in the vibrating section by the vibration control section when the user lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel is greater when the amount of change in the interval between fingers is larger than when the amount of change in the interval between fingers is smaller.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the vibration control section vibrates the vibrating section when, after the user touches the panel with the multiple fingers, the user lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel with at least one other of the multiple fingers remaining on the panel.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the vibration control section changes a position on the panel at which a vibration is generated based on a direction in which the interval between fingers has been changed.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the vibration control section moves a position on the panel at which the vibration is generated along a direction from a position on the panel at which a finger has been lifted off toward a contact position of a finger that is remaining on the panel.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a display section for displaying information,

wherein in response to an operation in which the user lifts at least one finger off the panel, the display section changes content displayed thereon and the vibration control section changes the vibration of the vibrating section.

6. An electronic device comprising:

a panel to be touched by a user;

a vibrating section for vibrating the panel; and

a vibration control section for controlling the vibration of the vibrating section,

wherein the vibration control section changes the vibration of the vibrating section when, after the user touches the panel with multiple fingers, the user changes an interval between fingers and lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel with at least one other of the multiple fingers remaining on the panel;

wherein the vibration control section changes the vibration based on an amount of change in the interval between fingers per unit time; and

wherein a strength of the vibration generated in the vibrating section by the vibration control section when the user lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel is greater when the amount of change in the interval between fingers per unit time is larger than when the amount of change in the interval between fingers per unit time is smaller.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for instructing an electronic device to perform vibration operations, the computer program instructing a computer of the electronic device to perform the steps of:

detecting a touch operation by a user on a panel; and

changing a vibration on the panel when, after the user touches the panel with the multiple fingers, the user changes an interval between fingers and lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel with at least one other of the multiple fingers remaining on the panel;

wherein the vibration is changed based on an amount of change in the interval between fingers; and

wherein a strength of the vibration when the user lifts at least one of the multiple fingers off the panel is greater when the amount of change in the interval between fingers is larger than when the amount of changes in the interval between fingers is smaller.