Piezoelectric user interface

• US 9,865,142 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Tuovinen, Juhani
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US14/597,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20150130625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0215 for generating pulses, e.g. bursts of oscillations, envelopes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/00 Devices in which sound is produced by vibrating a diaphragm or analogous element, e.g. fog horns, vehicle hooters or buzzers loudspeakers or like acoustic electromechanical transducers H04R
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/12 electrically operated
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/121 Flextensional transducers
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/122 using piezoelectric driving means G10K9/121 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 9/125 with a plurality of active elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/84 characterised by ergonomic functions, e.g. for miniature keyboards; characterised by operational sensory functions, e.g. sound feedback legends H01H13/83
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2215/052 piezoelectric
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/96 Touch switches specially adapted for electronic time-pieces with no moving parts G04G21/08
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96062 with tactile or haptic feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/02 providing ringing current or supervisory tones, e.g. dialling tone or busy tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

An apparatus includes a touchscreen keypad and one or more devices that generate a tactile response to a user of the apparatus when a key in the keypad is pressed. In order accomplish a simple construction requiring a minimum of space, the one or more devices that generate that tactile response may include at least one piezoelectric element configured to generate vibration which is forwarded to the user in response to a key of the touchscreen keypad being pressed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

one or more piezoelectric elements; and

a controller coupled to the one or more piezoelectric elements, wherein each of the one or more piezoelectric elements is separately controlled by the controller, the controller configured to cause the apparatus to;

detect the occurrence of a defined type of event associated with an operation of the apparatus, wherein the defined type of event comprises an incoming call;

select at least one waveform from a set of waveforms based on the detected type of event, wherein the set of waveforms provides different alerting sound signals each representing the occurrence of the defined type of event; and

provide the selected at least one waveform to the one or more piezoelectric elements to emit a particular alerting sound signal and provide a vibration in response to the incoming call, wherein the particular alerting sound signal comprises a multichannel stereo signal based on the one or more piezoelectric elements separately controlled by the controller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more piezoelectric elements are arranged to contact a lower side of a surface and the particular alerting sound signal is generated by vibration of the surface when the one or more piezoelectric elements are driven.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the set of waveforms are frequency modulated to provide the different alerting sound signals.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more piezoelectric elements are further configured to generate the vibration and wherein the controller is configured to cause the apparatus to generate a vibrating alert signal in addition to the particular alerting sound signal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the particular alerting sound signal is modified by synchronizing vibrations of a plurality of the piezoelectric elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a plurality of separately controlled piezoelectric elements and the plurality of separately controlled piezoelectric elements are used to generate the multichannel stereo sound signal.

7. A method comprising:

detecting, via a controller, the occurrence of a defined type of event associated with an operation of an apparatus, wherein the defined type of event comprises an incoming call;

selecting, via the controller, at least one waveform from a set of waveforms based on the detected type of event, wherein the set of waveforms provides different alerting sound signals each representing the occurrence of the defined type of event; and

providing the selected at least one waveform to one or more piezoelectric elements to emit a particular alerting sound signal and provide a vibration in response to the incoming call, wherein each of the one or more piezoelectric elements is separately controlled by the controller, wherein the particular alerting sound signal comprises a multichannel stereo signal based on the one or more piezoelectric elements separately controlled by the controller.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the particular alerting sound signal is produced via vibrations caused by the one or more piezoelectric elements in contact with a lower side of a surface of the apparatus.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the set of waveforms are frequency modulated to provide the different alerting sound signals.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating a vibrating alert signal to provide a tactile alert in addition to the particular alerting sound signal.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising modifying the particular alerting sound signal by synchronizing vibrations of a plurality of the piezoelectric elements.

12. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating the multichannel stereo sound signal via a plurality of separately controlled piezoelectric elements of the apparatus.