Dynamic tactile interface

• US 9,430,074 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tactus Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tactus Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Calub, Ben Guron, del Rosario, Carl, Garcia, Mario, Hammersley, Michael, Rak, Roman, Ray, Curtis, Yairi, Micah, Knapp, Nathan, Ray, Robert Adrian, Miller, Brandon Gregory, Gregory, Kyle, Shimshak, Maxwell Harshorn, Ciesla, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Sternbane, Larry
• Application Number:
  US14/552,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/04 Structural and physical details of display devices
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0404 Matrix technologies

Abstract

One variation of a dynamic tactile interface includes a tactile layer defining a peripheral region and a deformable region adjacent the peripheral region; a substrate coupled to the peripheral region, a fluid conduit adjacent the deformable region, a fluid channel fluidly coupled to the fluid conduit, and a via fluidly coupled to the fluid channel and passing through the back surface; a bladder fluidly coupled to the via and the substrate; a structure adjacent a first side of the bladder; and a platen adjacent a second side of the bladder opposite the first side and compressing the bladder against the structure substantially perpendicular the longitudinal axis of the bladder and substantially parallel the substrate to displace fluid from the bladder and into the fluid channel to transition the deformable region from a retracted setting into an expanded setting.

Claims

1. A dynamic tactile interface comprising:

a tactile layer defining a peripheral region and a deformable region adjacent the peripheral region;

a substrate coupled to the peripheral region at an attachment surface of the substrate, the substrate defining a back surface opposite the attachment surface, a fluid conduit adjacent the deformable region, a fluid channel fluidly coupled to the fluid conduit, and a via fluidly coupled to the fluid channel and passing through the back surface;

a bladder fluidly coupled to the via and coupled to the back surface of the substrate, the bladder defining a longitudinal axis;

a volume of fluid arranged within the bladder;

a structure adjacent a first side of the bladder;

a platen adjacent a second side of the bladder opposite the first side and compressing the bladder against the structure in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bladder and the platen being translated substantially parallel to the back surface of the substrate to displace fluid from the bladder, through the via, and into the fluid channel to transition the deformable region from a retracted setting into an expanded setting, the deformable region tactilely distinguishable from the peripheral region in the expanded setting; and

a first block coupled to and extending from the back surface of the substrate and a second block coupled to and extending from the back surface of the substrate, the second block laterally offset from the first block;

wherein the bladder suspends between the first block and the second block, an outer surface of the bladder offset from the back surface, a first end of the bladder coupled to the first block, a second end of the bladder opposite the first end of the bladder coupled to the second block, the longitudinal axis of the bladder substantially parallel the back surface.

2. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the second block defines a port fluidly coupled to the via;

wherein the bladder comprises an elongated tube, the first end closed, the second end fluidly coupled to the port to communicate fluid from the bladder, through the port, and to the via.

3. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the deformable region defines a surface substantially flush with the peripheral region in the retracted setting and defines a tactilely distinguishable formation offset above the peripheral region in the expanded setting.

4. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, further comprising a touch sensor coupled to the back surface of the substrate and configured to detect an input applied to the tactile layer.

5. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the back surface of the substrate;

wherein the deformable region is aligned with an image of a key in a virtual keyboard rendered on the display.

6. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the bladder parallels a plane of the back surface of the substrate.

7. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, further comprising an actuator translating the platen parallel the back surface of the substrate and along the longitudinal axis of the bladder to compress the bladder against the structure in response to manual actuation of the actuator.

8. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 1, wherein the tactile layer defines a second deformable region;

wherein the substrate defines a second fluid conduit adjacent the second deformable region and a second fluid channel fluidly coupled to the second fluid conduit;

further comprising a second bladder opposite the platen from the bladder, the second bladder fluidly coupled to the second fluid channel and the second fluid conduit and configured to transition the second deformable region, the platen configured to compress the bladder and to release the second bladder to transition the deformable region from the retracted setting to the expanded setting and to transition the second deformable region from the expanded setting to the retracted setting substantially simultaneously.

9. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 8, further comprising a display coupled to the back surface of the substrate and selectively rendering an image of a first virtual keyboard and an image of a second virtual keyboard, the deformable region aligned with a key of the first virtual keyboard and the second deformable region aligned with a key of a second virtual keyboard.

10. A dynamic tactile interface comprising:

a tactile layer defining a peripheral region and a deformable region adjacent the peripheral region, the deformable region operable between a retracted setting and an expanded setting, the deformable region defining a formation tactilely distinguishable from the peripheral region in the expanded setting;

a substrate coupled to the peripheral region at an attachment surface of the substrate, the substrate defining a back surface opposite the attachment surface, a fluid conduit adjacent the deformable region, a fluid channel fluidly coupled to the fluid conduit, and a via fluidly coupled to the fluid channel and passing through the back surface;

a sleeve defining a valley of a first cross-section proximal a first end of the sleeve and of a second cross-section proximal a second end of the sleeve, the first cross-section of an area less than an area of the second cross-section, the sleeve operable between a first position and a second position;

a bladder fluidly coupled to the via, adjacent the back surface of the substrate, defining a longitudinal axis, and arranged within the valley;

a volume of fluid arranged within the bladder; and

an actuator coupled to the sleeve and translating the sleeve in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis from the first position to the second position to displace fluid from the bladder, through the via, and into the fluid channel to transition the deformable region from the retracted setting to the expanded setting, the sleeve proximal a first end of the bladder releasing a portion of the bladder in the first position and proximal a second end of the bladder and constricting the portion of the bladder in the second position.

11. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the tactile layer comprises a first material of a first modulus of elasticity;

wherein the substrate comprises a second material of a second modulus of elasticity greater the first modulus of elasticity;

wherein the bladder comprises a membrane of a third modulus of elasticity greater than the first modulus of elasticity and lower than the second modulus of elasticity.

12. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, further comprising a housing supporting the substrate, the tactile layer, the bladder, and the sleeve, the housing engaging a computing device and retaining the substrate and the tactile layer over a display of the computing device.

13. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 12, wherein the actuator defines a lever movably coupled to the housing, the lever defining a manual interface actuating the actuator in response to a manual input to the lever.

14. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the substrate defines a bezel proximal a periphery of the substrate;

wherein the substrate defines a center region between the bezel, arranged over a display, and coincident the deformable region, the bezel supporting the bladder and adjacent the display.

15. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 14, wherein the tactile layer and the substrate comprise a substantially transparent material;

wherein the volume of fluid comprises a substantially transparent fluid, the volume of fluid, the tactile layer, and the substrate communicating an image rendered by the display.

16. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the bladder transitions the deformable region from the retracted setting to the expanded setting, the deformable region offset below and tactilely distinguishable from the peripheral region in the retracted setting and substantially flush with the peripheral region in the expanded setting.

17. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the bladder defines a bladder longitudinal length and the sleeve defines a sleeve longitudinal length longer than the bladder longitudinal length, an entirety of the bladder longitudinal length supported by the valley in the first position and in the second position.

18. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 17, wherein the actuator defines a first stop corresponding to the first position of the sleeve and a second stop corresponding to the second position of the sleeve, the actuator translating between the first stop and the second stop, the first stop and the second stop limiting translation of the sleeve to between the first position and the second position.

19. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the fluid conduit comprises a crescent-shaped cross-section, the deformable region coupled to the substrate along the periphery of the fluid conduit, the deformable region defining a crescent-shape offset above the peripheral region in the expanded setting.

20. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the sleeve defines a dovetail cross section comprising a narrow neck profile and a wide tail profile, the narrow neck profile adjacent the back surface and limiting deformation and deflection of the bladder toward the back surface.

21. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, wherein the bladder comprises an elastomer sheet defining a trough and bonded to the back surface of the substrate over the via.

22. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 21, wherein the trough cooperates with the back surface to define the bladder.

23. The dynamic tactile interface of claim 10, further comprising a reservoir fluidly coupled to the fluid channel, the fluid channel defining a first end and a second end opposite the first end, the bladder fluidly coupled to the first end of the fluid channel, the reservoir fluidly coupled to the second end of the fluid channel.