Systems and Methods for Providing Features in a Friction Display

• US 20100231367A1
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Grant, Danny A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,746,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A touch-enabled device can simulate one or more features in a touch area. Features may include, but are not limited to, changes in texture and/or simulation of boundaries, obstacles, or other discontinuities in the touch surface that can be perceived through use of an object in contact with the surface. Systems include a sensor configured to detect a touch in a touch area when an object contacts a touch surface, an actuator, and one or more processors. The processor can determine a position of the touch using the sensor and select a haptic effect to generate based at least in part on the position, the haptic effect selected to simulate the presence of a feature at or near the determined position. The processor can transmit a haptic signal to generate the identified haptic effect using the actuator. Some features are simulated by varying the coefficient of friction of the touch surface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to detect a touch in a touch area when an object contacts a touch surface;

an actuator in communication with the processor and coupled to the touch surface, the actuator configured to receive a haptic signal and output a haptic effect; and

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

determine a position of the touch based on data from the sensor,

select a haptic effect to generate based at least in part on the position, the haptic effect selected to simulate the presence of a feature in the touch surface at or near the determined position, and

transmit a haptic signal to generate the identified haptic effect using the actuator.

2. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein selecting the haptic effect comprises determining a variation in the coefficient of friction that will simulate the presence of the feature at or near the determined position.

3. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the feature comprises a texture at or near the determined position.

4. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the feature comprises a boundary between a first region and a second region in a graphical user interface displayed in the display area.

5. The system set forth in claim 4, wherein the boundary comprises a boundary between two simulated keys of a keyboard.

6. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises:

determining a position of the touch;

accessing a mapping file that maps each of a plurality of positions to a respective haptic effect; and

identifying a haptic effect mapped to a selected position, the selected position selected based on the determined position of the touch.

7. The system set forth in claim 6, wherein the selected position corresponds to the position of the touch.

8. The system set forth in claim 6, wherein the selected position is determined based on the position of the touch and a velocity of the touch.

9. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to displace the touch surface vertically, laterally, or vertically and laterally at an ultrasonic frequency.

10. The system set forth in claim 9, wherein the actuator comprises at least one of:

a piezoelectric actuator;

an electromagnetic actuator;

an electroactive polymer;

a shape memory alloy;

or

a composite.

11. The system set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a pressure of the touch based on data from the sensor, wherein the haptic effect is selected based at least in part on the pressure of the touch.

12. A method, comprising:

detecting a touch in a touch area in response to contact between an object and a touch surface;

determining a position of the touch;

selecting a haptic effect to generate based at least in part on the position, the haptic effect selected to simulate the presence of a feature in the touch surface at or near the determined position; and

generating the haptic effect by providing a haptic signal to at least one actuator coupled to the touch surface.

13. The method set forth in claim 12, wherein selecting a haptic effect comprises determining a variation in the coefficient of friction that will simulate the presence of the feature at or near the determined position.

14. The method set forth in claim 12, wherein the feature comprises a texture at or near the determined position.

15. The method set forth in claim 12, wherein the feature comprises a boundary between a first region displayed in a display area and a second region in the display area, the display area mapped to the touch area.

16. The method set forth in claim 15, wherein the boundary comprises a boundary between two keys of a keyboard depicted in the display area.

17. The method set forth in claim 12, wherein selecting a haptic effect comprises:

determining a position of the touch;

accessing a mapping file that maps each of a plurality of positions to a respective haptic effect; and

identifying a haptic effect mapped to a selected position, the selected position selected based on the determined pixel position of the touch.

18. The method set forth in claim 17, wherein the selected position corresponds to the position of the touch or is determined based on the pixel position of the touch and a velocity of the touch.

19. The method set forth in claim 12, wherein the actuator is configured to displace the touch surface vertically, laterally, or vertically and laterally at an ultrasonic frequency.

20. The method set forth in claim 19, wherein the actuator comprises at least one of:

a piezoelectric actuator;

an electromagnetic actuator;

an electroactive polymer;

a shape memory alloy;

or

a composite.

21. A tangible computer-readable medium embodying program code executable by a computing system, the program code comprising:

program code for causing the computing system to track a location of a touch on a touch surface;

program code for causing the computing system to identify, based on the location of the touch, a simulated feature of the touch surface to generate;

program code for causing the computing system to select a haptic effect to generate the simulated feature; and

program code for causing the computing system to transmit a haptic signal to at least one actuator to generate the simulated feature by varying a coefficient of friction of the touch surface.