Systems and methods for multi-pressure interaction on touch-sensitive surfaces

• US 9,582,178 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, Danny A., Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Modarres, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): Tzeng, Fred
• Application Number:
  US13/290,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20130113715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,940 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/177, 345/156, 345/161, 345/163
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: G10H 1/38 Chord
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/096 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/241 on touchscreens, i.e. keys, frets, strings, tablature or staff displayed on a touchscreen display for note input purposes

Abstract

Systems and methods for multi-pressure interaction on touch-sensitive surfaces are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment of a method comprises receiving a first sensor signal from a touch-sensitive input device in response to a first contact of a first object on the touch-sensitive input device, the first sensor signal comprising a first location and a first pressure of the first contact, receiving a second sensor signal from the touch-sensitive input device in response to a second contact of a second object on the touch-sensitive input device substantially simultaneously with the first contact, the second sensor signal comprising a second location of the second contact and a second pressure of the second contact, generating a signal based at least in part on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal, the signal configured to cause a haptic effect, and outputting the signal.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first sensor signal from a touch-sensitive input device in response to a first contact on the touch-sensitive input device, the first sensor signal comprising a first location of the first contact and a first pressure of the first contact;

receiving a second sensor signal from the touch-sensitive input device in response to a second contact on the touch-sensitive input device substantially simultaneously with the first contact, the second sensor signal comprising a second location of the second contact and a second pressure of the second contact;

updating a display corresponding to the touch-sensitive input device based at least in part on the first pressure being different than the second pressure;

generating a signal configured to cause a haptic effect indicating the updating of the display; and

outputting the signal by wirelessly sending the signal to an arm strap comprising a haptic output device configured to output the haptic effect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic output device is an actuator and the signal comprises an actuator signal configured to cause the actuator to output the haptic effect.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the actuator is configured to output the haptic effect to the touch-sensitive input device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the actuator comprises a piezo-electric actuator, a rotary motor, or a linear resonant actuator.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the actuator comprises a plurality of actuators.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is based at least in part on a first pressure threshold corresponding to the first pressure of the first contact.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the signal is based at least in part on a second pressure threshold corresponding to the second pressure of the second contact.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is based at least in part on a difference between the first pressure of the first contact and the second pressure of the second contact.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic effect comprises at least one of a vibration, a friction, a texture, or a deformation.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a portable electronic device comprises a touch-sensitive display comprising the touch-sensitive input device and the display, and wherein a graphical object is displayed on the display prior to receiving the first sensor signal and prior to receiving the second sensor signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein updating the display comprises enlarging at least part of the graphical object in response to a determination that the first pressure of the first contact is greater than a first threshold pressure and continuing to enlarge the at least part of the graphical object until the second pressure of the second contact is below a second threshold pressure.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein updating the display comprises changing colors of at least part of the graphical object in response to a determination that the first pressure of the first contact is greater than a first threshold pressure and continuing to change colors of the at least part of the graphical object until the second pressure of the second contact is below a second threshold pressure.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein continuing to change colors comprising changing colors at predetermined time intervals.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein continuing to change colors comprises changing colors as a pressure of at least one of the first pressure or the second pressure increases.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the haptic effect is output responsive to at least one of the first location of the first contact or the second location of the second contact corresponding to a same location as the graphical object displayed on the display.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the haptic effect is output responsive to both the first location of the first contact and the second location of the second contact corresponding to a same location as the graphical object displayed on the display.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein updating the display comprises deforming at least part of the graphical object based on the first location of the first contact, the first pressure of the first contact, the second location of the second contact, and the second pressure of the second contact.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein updating the display comprises tilting at least part of the graphical object towards the location of the first contact or the location of the second contact based on the higher pressure between the first pressure and the second pressure.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is based at least in part on an interaction between:

the first location of the first contact and the second location of the second contact; and

the first pressure of the first contact and the second pressure of the second contact.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a gesture associated with the first contact and the second contact, wherein the signal is based at least in part on the gesture.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising outputting a sound associated with the gesture.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive input device comprises the display.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is based at least in part on the first location of the first contact corresponding to a first portion of the first object and the second location of the second location corresponding to a second portion of the first object.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating the display and the generating and outputting the haptic signal are performed responsive to determining that the second sensor signal is received within a predetermined time after receiving the first sensor signal.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is output based at least in part on a contact duration difference between a first contact duration of the first contact and a second contact duration of the second contact.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the first pressure is determined from a first set of at least three possible pressures and the second pressure is determined from a second set of at least three possible pressures.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the first contact corresponds to a first selection of a first color and the second contact corresponds to a second selection of a second color different than the first color, and wherein updating the display comprises displaying a mixing of the first color and the second color based at least in part on the pressure of the first contact and the pressure of the second contact.

28. The method of claim 1,

wherein the touch-sensitive input device comprises a first touch-sensitive input device in a first electronic device and a second touch-sensitive input device in a second electronic device separate from the first electronic device,

wherein the first sensor signal is received on the first touch-sensitive input device in the first electronic device and the second sensor signal is received on the second touch-sensitive input device in the second electronic device, and

wherein the haptic effect is output on the first electronic device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the haptic effect is further output on the second electronic device.

30. The method of claim 1,

wherein updating the display comprises scrolling content on the display responsive to the first location of the first contact being above the second location of the second contact,

wherein the content is scrolled upwards responsive to the first pressure being greater than the second pressure and the content is scrolled downwards responsive to the second pressure being greater than the first pressure, and

wherein the haptic effect is output to indicate whether the content is being scrolled upwards or downwards.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein a rate of scrolling of the content is based on the pressure difference between the first pressure and the second pressure, and wherein the haptic effect is repeated while the content is scrolling.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein a magnitude of the haptic effect corresponds to the rate of scrolling.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic effect is output in a direction from a lower pressure of the first pressure or the second pressure towards a higher pressure of the first pressure or the second pressure to indicate updating of the display.

34. A system, comprising:

a touch-sensitive input device;

a memory;

a display corresponding to the touch-sensitive input device; and

a processor in communication with the touch-sensitive input device, the memory, and the display, the processor configured to;

receive a first sensor signal from the touch-sensitive input device in response to a first contact on the touch-sensitive input device, the first sensor signal comprising a first location of the first contact and a first pressure of the first contact;

receive a second sensor signal from the touch-sensitive input device in response to a second contact on the touch-sensitive input device substantially simultaneously with the first contact, the second sensor signal comprising a second location of the second contact and a second pressure of the second contact;

update the display based at least in part on the first pressure being different than the second pressure;

generate a signal configured to cause a haptic effect indicating the updating of the display; and

output the signal by wirelessly sending the signal to an arm strap comprising a haptic output device configured to output the haptic effect.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more software applications configured to be executed by a processor, the one or more software applications configured to:

receive a first sensor signal from a touch-sensitive input device in response to a first contact on the touch-sensitive input device, the first sensor signal comprising a first location of the first contact and a first pressure of the first contact;

receive a second sensor signal from the touch-sensitive input device in response to a second contact on the touch-sensitive input device substantially simultaneously with the first contact, the second sensor signal comprising a second location of the second contact and a second pressure of the second contact;

update a display based at least in part on the first pressure being different than the second pressure;

generate a signal configured to cause a haptic effect indicating the updating of the display; and

output the signal by wirelessly sending the signal to an arm strap comprising a haptic output device configured to output the haptic effect.