Electro-vibrotactile display

• US 9,448,713 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Grant, Danny A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US13/092,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20120268412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 340/4.1, 340/4.12, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 345168-169, 345173-178, 341 20- 27, 341/34, 116/205
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A system for generating a haptic effect with an electrostatic device, alone or in combination with actuators or other devices configured to generate a haptic effect. The system may generate the haptic effect to simulate a coefficient of friction or texture on the surface of a user interface, such as a display screen or touchpad. The simulated coefficient of friction may be adjusted to convey other properties on the user interface surface. The system may also include sensors that measure the simulated coefficient of friction and the impedance at the surface.

Claims

1. An interface device for providing an overall haptic effect, the interface device comprising:

a surface configured to detect a contact by a user or object interacting with the interface device and transmit a signal associated with the contact;

a sensor configured to detect an impedance of a body part contacting the surface and transmit a sensor signal associated with the impedance of the body part;

an electrostatic device coupled to the surface and configured to create a first haptic effect at the surface using a first type of stimulus by generating an electrostatic force between an electrode layer of the electrostatic device and the user or object;

an actuator separate from the electrostatic device and configured to create a second haptic effect at the surface using a second type of stimulus that is different from the first type of stimulus; and

a processor in communication with the surface, the sensor, the electrostatic device, and the actuator, the processor configured to;

receive the sensor signal from the sensor;

determine a characteristic of the first haptic effect or the second haptic effect based at least in part on the sensor signal;

transmit a first haptic signal to the electrostatic device configured to cause the electrostatic device to create the first haptic effect; and

transmit a second haptic signal to the actuator configured to cause the actuator to create the second haptic effect simultaneously to the first haptic effect,

wherein the overall haptic effect comprises the first haptic effect generated using the first type of stimulus and the second haptic effect generated using the second type of stimulus in order to provide feedback to the user or object interacting with the interface device.

2. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the overall haptic effect comprises at least one of a change in a simulated coefficient of friction, a vibration, a change in a surface relief at the surface, or a texture.

3. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic effect comprises a simulated coefficient of friction or a texture.

4. The interface device of claim 3, wherein the texture is at least one of roughness, bumpiness, stickiness, fineness, coarseness, or smoothness.

5. The interface device of claim 3, wherein the actuator is configured to change the overall haptic effect by generating the second haptic effect as a vibration or a change in a surface relief of the surface.

6. The interface device of claim 5, wherein the sensor is a first sensor, and further comprising a second sensor configured to detect the contact at the surface and transmit the signal.

7. The interface device of claim 6, wherein the contact comprises changes in pressure over time and over locations on the surface.

8. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic effect comprises a simulated coefficient of friction configured to simulate height or depth at the surface.

9. The interface device of claim 8, wherein the actuator is configured to change the simulated height or depth at the surface by generating the second haptic effect, the second haptic effect configured to change a surface relief of the surface.

10. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the second haptic effect is a vibration that corresponds to an edge crossing.

11. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the first haptic effect to change based on a location of the contact at the surface.

12. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the first haptic effect to change based on time.

13. The interface device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the first haptic effect to change based on a change of the location of the contact at the surface.

14. The interface device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to recognize a gesture input based on the change of the location of the contact at the surface.

15. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the first haptic effect to change based on a humidity, a temperature, or an amount of ambient light.

16. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to create the first haptic effect based on a velocity of the interface device or an acceleration of the interface device.

17. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the impedance of the body part based on the sensor signal; and

cause the first haptic effect to change based on the impedance of the body part at the surface.

18. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to measure the impedance of the body part by applying a pulse to the surface and determining a voltage associated with the pulse.

19. The interface device of claim 1, wherein at least part of the surface is a nondisplay surface, and wherein the electrostatic device is configured to output the first haptic effect at the nondisplay surface and the actuator is configured to output the second haptic effect at the nondisplay surface.

20. The interface device of claim 19, wherein the nondisplay surface is part of a switch, knob, trackpad, remote control, or dashboard.

21. The interface device of claim 19, further comprising a slide bar on the nondisplay surface.

22. The interface device of claim 19, further comprising a second surface configured as a display surface, wherein the interface device is configured to output the first haptic effect at the nondisplay surface based on visual or audio content configured to be output at the second surface.

23. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising a thermal device configured to provide a third haptic effect at the surface using a third type of stimulus different from the first stimulus and the second stimulus, wherein the overall haptic effect comprises the first haptic effect, the second haptic effect, and the third haptic effect.

24. The interface device of claim 1, further comprising a display screen, wherein the surface is at least partially defined by the display screen.

25. The interface device of claim 1, wherein the electrostatic device comprises the electrode layer, and the electrode layer is positioned parallel to the surface.

26. The interface device of claim 25, wherein the electrostatic device comprises an insulator layer coupled between the electrode layer and the surface.

27. A method of providing an overall haptic effect, the method comprising:

receiving a signal from a surface of an interface device, the surface configured to detect a contact by a user or object interacting with the interface device and transmit the signal;

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor configured to detect an impedance of a body part contacting the surface and transmit the sensor signal;

determining a characteristic of a first haptic effect or a second haptic effect based at least in part on the sensor signal;

transmitting a first haptic signal to an electrostatic device, the first haptic signal configured to cause the electrostatic device to create the first haptic effect at the surface using a first type of stimulus by generating an electrostatic force between an electrode layer of the electrostatic device and the user or object; and

transmitting a second haptic signal to an actuator separate from the electrostatic device, the second haptic signal configured to cause the actuator to create the second haptic effect at the surface simultaneously to the first haptic effect and using a second type of stimulus that is different from the first type of stimulus;

wherein the overall haptic effect comprises the first haptic effect generated using the first type of stimulus and the second haptic effect generated using the second type of stimulus in order to provide feedback to the user or object interacting with the interface device.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the overall haptic effect comprises at least one of a change in a simulated coefficient of friction, a vibration, a change in a surface relief at the surface, or a texture.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the first haptic effect simulates a coefficient of friction or texture at the surface.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the texture is at least one of roughness, bumpiness, stickiness, fineness, coarseness, or smoothness.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the second haptic effect is a vibration or a change of a surface relief of the surface.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising changing the simulated coefficient of friction by changing the first haptic effect with the electrostatic device or the second haptic effect with the actuator.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the sensor detects the impedance by applying a pulse to the surface and determining a voltage associated with the pulse.

34. The method of claim 27, further comprising causing the first haptic effect or the second haptic effect to change based on the impedance of the body part at the surface.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein the first haptic effect is based on a humidity, a temperature, or an amount of ambient light.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the changing the first haptic effect with the electrostatic device is based on a location of the contact detected at the surface or a change in the location of the contact at the surface.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising simulating a height or depth with the electrostatic device based on a location of the contact detected at the surface.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the simulating the height or depth is based on a topographical profile.

39. The method of claim 37, further comprising changing the simulated height or depth using the actuator by generating the second haptic effect, the second haptic effect configured to change the surface relief of the surface.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the second haptic effect is a vibration that corresponds to an edge crossing.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the second haptic effect is configured to simulate, at least in part, the edge crossing, and further comprising changing the simulated edge crossing over a period of time.

42. The method of claim 32, wherein the changing the first haptic effect with the electrostatic device is based on visual content displayed at the surface.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein the changing the first haptic effect with the electrostatic device is based on pressure on the surface or changes in the pressure on the surface over time and over locations on the surface.

44. The method of claim 27, further comprising generating, with a thermal device, a third haptic effect at the surface using a third type of stimulus different from the first stimulus and the second stimulus, the overall haptic effect comprising the first haptic effect, the second haptic effect, and the third haptic effect.

45. The method of claim 27, wherein the surface is a nondisplay surface.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the surface is a first surface, and the first haptic effect is based on visual or audio content displayed at a second surface.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the first haptic effect is based on the visual content displayed at a location on the second surface corresponding to a location of the contact at the surface.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the nondisplay surface is part of a switch, knob, trackpad, remote control, or dashboard.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the first haptic effect is output on a slide bar on the nondisplay surface.