METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING HAPTIC FEEDBACK TO NON-INPUT LOCATIONS

• US 20100277430A1
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: RAMSTEIN, Christophe, GRANT, Danny, GOSLINE, Andrew, CRUZ-HERNANDEZ, Juan Manuel
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A handheld apparatus includes a top surface that includes a touch screen defining a plurality of keys, and a bottom surface on an opposite side of the first surface. The apparatus further includes a processor and an actuator coupled to the processor and located on the bottom surface. The processor is adapted to detect an object moving across the keys and in response generate an actuation signal to the actuator to generate a haptic feedback on the back surface.

Claims

1. A handheld apparatus comprising:

a first surface that comprises a touch screen defining a plurality of keys;

a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface;

a processor;

a first actuator coupled to the processor and located on the second surface;

wherein the processor is adapted to detect an object moving across the keys and in response generate an actuation signal to the first actuator to generate a haptic feedback on the second surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is adapted to be held by a left hand and a right hand of a user, further comprising:

a second actuator coupled to the processor and located on the second surface;

wherein the object is a left thumb of the user or a right thumb of the user, and the first actuator is adapted to contact a left finger on the left hand if the object is the left thumb, or a right finger on the right hand if the object is the right thumb.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first actuator comprises a paddle that rotates in response to the actuation signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the paddle rotates in a first direction when the object moves left to right across the keys, and rotates in a second direction when the object moves right to left across the keys.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the actuator rotates in a first direction from a rest position and then returns to the rest position by rotating in a direction reverse from the first direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises piezoelectric material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect an object selecting one of the keys and in response generate a second actuation signal to the first actuator to generate a second haptic feedback on the second surface.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the object may hover over the keys when it is detected.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect which hand of a user is holding the apparatus.

8. A method of generating a haptic feedback on a handheld device that includes a first surface adapted to be contacted by a user'"'"'s thumb and a second surface on an opposite side of the first surface and adapted to be contacted by the user'"'"'s other fingers, the method comprising:

detecting the thumb moving across keys on the first surface, the keys defined by a touchscreen on the first surface;

in response to the detecting, generating an actuating signal to a first actuator located on the second surface; and

generating a haptic feedback from the first actuator.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining if the thumb is a left thumb or a right thumb;

wherein the first actuator is adapted to be contacted by a left hand if the thumb is the left thumb, or adapted to be contacted by a right hand if the thumb is the right thumb.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first actuator comprises a paddle that rotates in response to the actuation signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the paddle rotates in a first direction when the thumb moves left to right across the keys, and rotates in a second direction when the thumb moves right to left across the keys.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first actuator rotates in a first direction from a rest position and then returns to the rest position by rotating in a direction reverse from the first direction.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first actuator comprises piezoelectric material.

22. The method of claim 8, wherein the thumb may hover over the keys when it is detected as moving.

23. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting which hand of the user is holding the apparatus.

14. A handheld device adapted to be held by a user, the device comprising:

a front side adapted to be contacted by a user'"'"'s thumbs and comprising a touchscreen defining a keyboard;

a back side adapted to be contacted by a user'"'"'s fingers;

a first actuator located on the backside and adapted to be contacted by a user'"'"'s left hand, and a second actuator located on the backside and adapted to be contacted by a user'"'"'s right hand; and

a processor that detects whether a left thumb or a right thumb is contacting the keyboard, and sending an actuating signal to the first actuator if the left thumb is contacting the keyboard, or sending the actuating signal to the second actuator if the right thumb is contacting the keyboard.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the first actuator contacts the left hand through a first housing, and the second actuator contacts the right hand through a second housing.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the first actuator comprises a paddle that rotates in response to the actuation signal.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the paddle rotates in a first direction when the left thumb or right thumb moves left to right across the keys, and rotates in a second direction when the left thumb or right thumb moves right to left across the keys.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the actuator rotates in a first direction from a rest position and then returns to the rest position by rotating in a direction reverse from the first direction.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the first actuator comprises piezoelectric material.

24. The device of claim 14, wherein the left thumb or right thumb may hover over the keyboard when it is detected as contacting the keyboard.

25. The device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further adapted to detect which hand of the user is holding the device.