Innovative knob with variable haptic feedback

• US 9,612,660 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2014
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Drescher, Susan Adelle, Desai, Tejas Bhupendra
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H
• Application Number:
  US14/584,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts

Abstract

A touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement. The arrangement includes an interactive surface having a controllable electrostatic pressure region across a portion of the interactive surface. The arrangement further includes a controller having an algorithm programmed thereon for controlling the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to the portion of the interactive surface where the electrostatic pressure region is located. A knob is rotatably mounted to the interactive surface and receives rotational resistance from the electrostatic pressure region of the interactive surface.

Claims

1. A touch screen with a haptic feedback knob arrangement comprising:

an interactive surface with a glass or polymer surface having a capacitive film attached to the glass or polymer surface, said capacitive film provides a controllable electrostatic pressure region across a portion of the interactive surface;

a controller with an algorithm programmed thereon for controlling the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to said portion of said interactive surface; and

a knob rotatably mounted to the interactive surface and having an interface in contact with the capacitive film, wherein the rotational resistance is proportional to the amount of electrostatic pressure provided by the capacitive film and transmitted to the interface to control the rotational resistance of the knob.

2. The touch screen with haptic feedback of claim 1 wherein the interface is a collar extending from a back surface of the knob and extending to and contacting the capacitive film.

3. The touch screen with haptic feedback arrangement of claim 2 wherein said rotational resistance creates one or more virtual detents as said knob rotates.

4. The touch screen with haptic feedback of claim 1 wherein the amount of electrostatic pressure transmitted to the interface is varied to create rotational resistance of the knob that is a build-up of force until the knob rotates to a predetermined position causing the force build up to drop very low and move very high when a second predetermined position is reached.

5. The touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement of claim 1 wherein a portion of the interactive surface is a touch screen viewing surface that displays icons to a person and said icons can be selected when the person touches one or more of the icons on the touch screen viewing surface.

6. The touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement of claim 5, wherein the selection of one of the icons displays selectable parameters that are changed by rotating the knob.

7. The touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement of claim 1 wherein said knob is axially movable in a direction perpendicular to the rotation of the knob and a portion of the interactive surface displays icons to a person and one or more of said icons are selected by rotating the knob to highlight one of the icons and then moving the knob axially to select a highlighted icon, which then causes additional information to be displayed on the interactive surface.

8. A touch screen with a haptic feedback knob arrangement comprising:

an interactive surface with a glass or polymer surface having a capacitive film attached to the glass or polymer surface, said capacitive film provides a controllable electrostatic pressure region across a portion of the interactive surface;

a controller with an algorithm programmed thereon for controlling the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to said portion of said interactive surface;

a knob rotatably mounted to the interactive surface and having an interface including a collar extending from a back surface of the knob and extending to and contacting the capacitive film, wherein the rotational resistance is proportional to the amount of electrostatic pressure provided by the capacitive film and transmitted to the interface to control the rotational resistance of the knob; and

a stem of the knob extending through the collar and the stem extends through the interactive surface and is connected to a point behind the interactive, wherein said stem is rotatably connected to the point being the interactive surface and is also configured to move axially along the stem at the point.

9. The touch screen with haptic feedback of claim 8 wherein the amount of electrostatic pressure transmitted to the interface is varied to create rotational resistance of the knob that is a build-up of force until the knob rotates to a predetermined position causing the force build up to drop very low and move very high when a second predetermined position is reached.

10. The touch screen with haptic feedback arrangement of claim 9 wherein said rotational resistance creates one or more virtual detents as said knob rotates.

11. The touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement of claim 8 wherein a portion of the interactive surface is a touch screen viewing surface that displays icons to a person and said icons can be selected when the person touches one or more of the icons on the touch screen viewing surface.

12. The touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement of claim 11, wherein the selection of one of the icons displays selectable parameters that are changed by rotating the knob.

13. The touch screen with haptic feedback knob arrangement of claim 8 wherein said knob is axially movable in a direction perpendicular to the rotation of the knob and a portion of the interactive surface displays icons to a person and one or more of said icons are selected by rotating the knob to highlight one of the icons and then moving the knob axially to select a highlighted icon, which then causes additional information to be displayed on the interactive surface.

14. A touch screen with a haptic feedback knob arrangement comprising:

an interactive surface having a controllable electrostatic pressure region across a portion of the interactive surface;

a controller with an algorithm programmed thereon for controlling the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to said portion of said interactive surface; and

a knob rotatably mounted to the interactive surface, wherein the knob receives a rotational resistance from the electrostatic pressure region of the interactive surface, wherein;

(i) the knob has an interface in contact with the interactive surface, wherein the rotational resistance is proportional to the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to said interactive surface and transmitted to the interface to control the rotational resistance; and

(ii) the amount of electrostatic pressure transmitted to the interface is varied to create rotational resistance of the knob that is a build-up of force until the knob rotates to a predetermined position causing the force build up to drop very low and the pressure begins to build up again to a high point when a second predetermined position is reached.

15. A touch screen with a haptic feedback knob arrangement comprising:

an interactive surface having a controllable electrostatic pressure region across a portion of the interactive surface;

a controller with an algorithm programmed thereon for controlling the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to said portion of said interactive surface; and

a knob rotatably mounted to the interactive surface, wherein the knob receives a rotational resistance from the electrostatic pressure region of the interactive surface,

wherein the interactive surface includes a glass or polymer surface with a capacitive film attached to the interactive surface at least in the region of where an interface of the knob contacts the interactive surface, and the interface of the knob will be in contact with the capacitive film.

16. A touch screen with a haptic feedback knob arrangement comprising:

an interactive surface having a controllable electrostatic pressure region across a portion of the interactive surface;

a controller with an algorithm programmed thereon for controlling the amount of electrostatic pressure applied to said portion of said interactive surface; and

a knob rotatably mounted to the interactive surface, wherein the knob receives a rotational resistance from the electrostatic pressure region of the interactive surface,

wherein said knob is axially movable in a direction perpendicular to the rotation of the knob and a portion of the interactive surface displays icons to a person and one or more of said icons are selected by rotating the knob to highlight one of the icons and then moving the knob axially to select a highlighted icon, which then causes additional information to be displayed on the interactive surface.