System and method generating motor driving signal and method controlling vibration

• US 9,135,792 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Yun-Cheol, Kim, Ji-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/891,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20140015652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 340/407.1, 340/462, 340/407.2, 340/815.48, 340/815.64, 340/815.86, 340/815.87, 340/404.2, 340/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0215 for generating pulses, e.g. bursts of oscillations, envelopes
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/045 using vibrating magnet, armature or coil system
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 2201/70 Specific application
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A system and method that generate a vibration motor driving signal includes; a first control unit that receives a first input signal and gain-adjusts the first input signal in response to a reference voltage to generate a first output signal, and a second control unit that receives the first output signal and gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the reference voltage to generate a second output signal, wherein the second output signal is applied to a vibration motor as the vibration control signal.

Claims

1. A system generating a vibration motor driving signal, the system comprising:

a first control unit that receives a first input signal, and gain-adjusts the first input signal in response to a reference voltage to generate a first output signal; and

a second control unit that receives the first output signal, and gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the reference voltage to generate a second output signal, wherein the second output signal is applied to a vibration motor as the vibration control signal,

wherein the first control unit comprises

a first comparator that compares the first output signal and the reference voltage to generate a first comparison signal,

first tuning logic that generates a first gain control signal in response to the first comparison signal, and

a first gain adjustment unit that gain-adjusts the first input signal in response to the first gain control signal.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage divider dividing a supply voltage in response to a user-defined control signal to generate the reference voltage.

3. The system of claim 2, where the voltage divider comprises a variable resistor having a resistance value defined by the user-defined control signal.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the first input signal is incrementally gain-adjusted using a first increment size, and the first output signal is incrementally gain-adjusted using a second increment size smaller than the first increment size.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first comparison signal is a fixed signal when the first output signal is less than the reference voltage, and a pulse signal when the first output signal is not less than the reference voltage.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the second control unit comprises:

a second comparator that compares the second output signal and the reference voltage to generate a second comparison signal;

second tuning logic that generates a second gain control signal in response to the second comparison signal; and

a second gain adjustment unit that gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the second gain control signal.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second comparison signal is a second fixed signal when the second output signal is less than the reference voltage, and a second pulse signal when the second output signal is not less than the reference voltage.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first gain control signal is a coarse gain control signal, and the second gain control signal is a fine gain control signal.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the second tuning logic comprises:

enable logic providing an enable signal;

a pulse detector that receives the second comparison signal and the enable signal, generates a first signal in response to the second fixed signal, and generates a second signal in response to the second pulse signal; and

a controller that generates the second gain control signal in response to one of the first and second signals and the enable signal.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the first gain adjustment unit gain-adjusts the first input signal across a first gain range including only positive gain values.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second gain adjustment unit gain-adjusts the first output signal across a second gain range including negative and positive gain values.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first gain range is at least ten times that of the second gain range.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the first tuning logic comprises:

enable logic providing an enable signal;

a pulse detector that receives the first comparison signal, generates a first signal in response to the fixed signal, and generates a second signal in response to the pulse signal; and

a controller that generates the first gain control signal in response to the first and second signals.

14. A method of generating a vibration motor driving signal, comprising:

gain-adjusting a first input signal in response to a reference voltage to generate a first output signal;

gain-adjusting the first output signal in response to the reference voltage to generate a second output signal; and

applying the second output signal to a vibration motor as the vibration control signal,

wherein said gain-adjusting the first input signal comprises

comparing the first output signal and the reference voltage to generate a first comparison signal,

generating a first gain control signal in response to the first comparison signal, and

gain-adjusting the first input signal in response to the first gain control signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising voltage dividing a supply voltage in response to a user-defined control signal to generate the reference voltage.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first input signal is incrementally gain-adjusted using a first increment size, and the first output signal is incrementally gain-adjusted using a second increment size smaller than the first increment size.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said gain-adjusting the first output signal comprises:

comparing the second output signal and the reference voltage to generate a second comparison signal;

generating a second gain control signal in response to the second comparison signal; and

gain-adjusting the first output signal in response to the second gain control signal.

18. A semiconductor device comprising:

a digital pattern signal generation block that provides a digital pattern signal;

a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that converts the digital pattern signal into a corresponding analog pattern signal; and

a system generating a vibration motor driving signal comprising;

a first control unit that receives the analog pattern signal and gain-adjusts the analog pattern signal in response to a reference voltage to generate a first output signal; and

a second control unit that receives the first output signal and gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the reference voltage to generate a second output signal, wherein the second output signal is applied to a vibration motor as the vibration motor driving signal,

wherein the first control unit comprises

a first comparator that compares the first output signal and the reference voltage to generate a first comparison signal,

first tuning logic that generates a first gain control signal in response to the first comparison signal, and

a first gain adjustment unit that gain-adjusts the analog pattern signal in response to the first gain control signal.

19. The semiconductor device of claim 18, further comprising:

a voltage divider dividing a supply voltage in response to a user-defined control signal to generate the reference voltage.

20. The semiconductor device of claim 19, where the voltage divider comprises a variable resistor having a resistance value defined by the user-defined control signal.

21. The semiconductor device of claim 18, wherein the second control unit comprises:

a second comparator that compares the second output signal and the reference voltage to generate a second comparison signal;

second tuning logic that generates a second gain control signal in response to the second comparison signal; and

a second gain adjustment unit that gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the second gain control signal.

22. An electronic device having a vibration motor, and comprising:

an interface unit that receives a user-defined control signal defining vibration intensity produced by the vibration motor; and

a system generating a vibration motor driving signal, the system comprising;

a first control unit that receives a first input signal and gain-adjusts the first input signal in response to a reference voltage to generate a first output signal; and

a second control unit that receives the first output signal and gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the reference voltage to generate a second output signal, wherein the second output signal is applied to the vibration motor as the vibration motor driving signal,

wherein the first control unit comprises

a first comparator that compares the first output signal and the reference voltage to generate a first comparison signal,

first tuning logic that generates a first gain control signal in response to the first comparison signal, and

a first gain adjustment unit that gain-adjusts the first input signal in response to the first gain control signal.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the second control unit comprises:

a second comparator that compares the second output signal and the reference voltage to generate a second comparison signal;

second tuning logic that generates a second gain control signal in response to the second comparison signal; and

a second gain adjustment unit that gain-adjusts the first output signal in response to the second gain control signal.