Methods and devices for consistency of the haptic response across a touch sensitive device

• US 9,164,584 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Mui, Gary K., Sinha, Siddharth
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nadkarni, Sarvesh J
• Application Number:
  US12/427,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20100265191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,373 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and touch sensitive devices including a haptic actuator drive frequency module stored by the memory and in communication with the controller, the haptic actuator drive frequency module being configured to receive touch input from one of a plurality of regions of the touch sensitive layer and to output one of a plurality of haptic actuator drive frequency signals based upon the region from which the haptic actuator drive frequency module received the touch input to provide for consistency of the haptic response across a touch sensitive device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving touch input to a first region of a surface of a touch sensitive device;

selecting, in response to receiving the touch input to the first region, a first set of drive frequency values;

outputting one or more first drive frequency signals, at frequencies based on the first set of drive frequency values, to respective one or more first haptic actuators included in a plurality of haptic actuators coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device, the one or more first haptic actuators being located in proximity to the first region;

receiving touch input to a second region of the touch sensitive device;

selecting, in response to receiving the touch input to the second region, a second set of drive frequency values; and

outputting one or more second drive frequency signals, at frequencies based on the second set of drive frequency values, to respective one or more second haptic actuators included in the plurality of haptic actuators coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device, the one or more second haptic actuators being located in proximity to the second region,

wherein a first natural frequency response and a first mode shape for the touch sensitive device are associated with the first region, and are results of performing a first modal analysis of the surface of the touch sensitive device,

wherein a second natural frequency response and a second mode shape for the touch sensitive device are associated with the second region, and are results of performing a second modal analysis of the surface of the touch sensitive device,

wherein the first set of drive frequency values are determined based on the results of the first modal analysis, and are computationally derived in order to provide a substantially same haptic response at the first region and at the second region, and

wherein the second set of drive frequency values are determined based on the results of the second modal analysis, and are computationally derived in order to provide a substantially same haptic response at the first region and at the second region.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein outputting the one or more first drive frequency signals includes driving respective one or more haptic actuators included in the plurality of haptic actuators of the touch sensitive device at a respective first drive frequency;

and

wherein outputting the one or more second drive frequency signals includes driving respective one or more haptic actuators included in the plurality of haptic actuators of the touch sensitive device at a respective second drive frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of drive frequency values and the second set of drive frequency values are included in a standardized set of drive frequency values, and wherein the method further comprises:

storing the standardized set of drive frequency values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic actuators are coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device at optimally determined locations that are associated with high motion regions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first region is identified as a high motion region, and based on the first region being identified as a high motion region, the one or more first haptic actuators are coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device at respective optimally determined locations associated with the first region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second region is identified as a high motion region, and based on the second region being identified as a high motion region, the one or more second haptic actuators are coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device at respective optimally determined locations associated with the second region.

storing the standardized set of drive frequency values.

7. A touch sensitive device, comprising:

a controller;

a memory in communication with the controller;

a touch sensitive layer having a plurality of regions including a first region, the touch sensitive layer in communication with the controller, the memory including a set of drive frequency values associated with the first region, the set of drive frequency values being determined based on results of performing a modal analysis of the touch sensitive layer and being computationally derived in order to provide a substantially same haptic response at the first region and at each of the plurality of regions, the modal analysis associating a natural frequency response and a mode shape for the touch sensitive layer with the first region;

a plurality of haptic actuators proximal the touch sensitive layer and in communication with the controller, one or more of the plurality of haptic actuators being located in proximity to the first region; and

a haptic actuator drive frequency module stored by the memory and in communication with the controller, the haptic actuator drive frequency module configured to;

receive touch input from the first region of the touch sensitive layer;

select, in response to receiving the touch input from the first region, the set of drive frequency values; and

output one or more drive frequency signals, at frequencies based on the set of drive frequency values, to respective of the one or more of the plurality of haptic actuators located in proximity to the first region.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein based on the output of the haptic actuator drive frequency module, the controller is configured to deliver a haptic actuator drive frequency signal to a respective one or more of the plurality of haptic actuators located in proximity to the first region.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the touch sensitive layer is resistive or capacitive.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of haptic actuators are piezo electric elements.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the touch sensitive device is a keypad.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the touch sensitive device is a touch screen.

13. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a controller

a memory in communication with the controller;

a touch sensitive layer having a plurality of regions including a first region and a second region,

the touch sensitive layer in communication with the controller,

the memory including a first set of drive frequency values associated with the first region and a second set of drive frequency values associated with the second region,

the first set of drive frequency values being determined based on results of performing a modal analysis of the touch sensitive layer and being computationally derived in order to provide a substantially same haptic response at the first region and at the second region, the modal analysis associating a first natural frequency response and a first mode shape for the touch sensitive layer with the first region, and

the second set of drive frequency values being determined based on results of performing a modal analysis of the touch sensitive layer and being computationally derived in order to provide a substantially same haptic response at the second region and the first region, the modal analysis associating a second natural frequency response and a second mode shape for the touch sensitive layer with the first region;

a plurality of haptic actuators proximal the touch sensitive layer and in communication with the controller, one or more first haptic actuators included in the plurality of haptic actuators being located in proximity to the first region, and one or more second haptic actuators included in the plurality of haptic actuators being located in proximity to the second region; and

a haptic actuator drive frequency module stored by the memory and in communication with the controller, the haptic actuator drive frequency module being configured;

to receive first touch input to the first region of the touch sensitive layer;

to select the first set of drive frequency values;

to output one or more first drive frequency signals at a frequencies based on the first set of drive frequency values, the one or more first drive frequency signals to be delivered via the controller to respective one or more of the first haptic actuators;

to receive second touch input to the second region of the touch sensitive layer;

to select the second set of drive frequency values; and

to output one or more second drive frequency signals at a frequencies based on the second set of drive frequency values, the one or more second drive frequency signals to be delivered via the controller to respective one or more of the second haptic actuators, the one or more first drive frequency signals and the one or more second drive frequency signals providing substantially a same haptic response at the first region and at the second region of the touch sensitive device.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising:

circuitry to drive a respective one or more of the plurality of haptic actuators of the touch sensitive device at a respective first drive frequency based on a respective first drive frequency signal; and

circuitry to drive a respective one or more of the plurality of haptic actuators of the touch sensitive device at a respective second drive frequency based on a respective second drive frequency signal.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the touch sensitive layer is resistive or capacitive.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of haptic actuators are piezo electric elements.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the touch sensitive device is a keypad.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein the touch sensitive device is a touch screen.

19. A method for tuning a touch sensitive device comprising:

performing a first modal analysis of a surface of the touch sensitive device;

determining a first natural frequency response and a first mode shape of a first region of the touch sensitive device based on the first modal analysis;

performing a second modal analysis of the surface of the touch sensitive device;

determining a second natural frequency response and a second mode shape of a second region of the touch sensitive device based on the second modal analysis;

generating a first set of drive frequency values for one or more first actuators included in a plurality of actuators coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device based on the determined first natural frequency response and the first mode shape of the first region;

generating a second set of drive frequency values for one or more second actuators included in the plurality of actuators coupled to the surface of the touch sensitive device based on the determined second natural frequency response and the second mode shape of the second region; and

creating a surface map for the surface of the touch sensitive device,

the surface map associating the first set of drive frequency values for the one or more first actuators with the first region and associating the second set of drive frequency values for the one or more second actuators with the second region,

the generated first set of drive frequency values providing a first haptic response at the first region when touch input is received at the first region, and

the generated second set of drive frequency values providing a second haptic response at the second region when touch input is received at the second region, the first haptic response being substantially the same as the second haptic response.