ADJUSTING THE LEVEL OF ACOUSTIC AND HAPTIC OUTPUT IN HAPTIC DEVICES

• US 20170003744A1
• Filed: 09/13/2016
• Published: 01/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bard, Benjamin A., Wiederhold, Curtis P.
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path

Abstract

A haptic device in an electronic device includes a feedback surface, one or more actuators, and a connection member connected between the feedback surface and each actuator. At least one actuator produces an attracting or repelling force that creates movement in the connection member and the feedback surface. An acoustic and a haptic output of the haptic device can be adjusted at least in part by producing an out of plane movement in the feedback surface, by changing a cross-sectional area of at least a portion of the connection member, by changing dynamically one or more biasing supports disposed below the feedback surface, and/or by changing at least one waveform characteristic of a haptic input signal received by at least one actuator.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a feedback surface;

an actuator;

a connection member operable connected between the feedback surface and the actuator, wherein the actuator produces an attracting or repelling force that moves the connection member and the feedback surface, the movement producing a haptic and acoustic output; and

an output adjustment mechanism for adjusting the haptic and acoustic output of the haptic device.

2. The electronic device as in claim 1, wherein the output adjustment mechanism comprises the actuator being positioned at a location such that the attracting or repelling force produces an out of plane movement in the feedback surface.

3. The electronic device as in claim 2, wherein the actuator is positioned at an angle relative to the feedback surface.

4. The electronic device as in claim 2, wherein the connection member is positioned at an angle relative to the feedback surface.

5. The electronic device as in claim 2, wherein the output adjustment mechanism further comprises a material that is attached to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the connection member to change a cross-sectional area of the connection member.

6. The electronic device as in claim 1, wherein the output adjustment mechanism comprises a connection member having a different cross-sectional area in at least a portion of the connection member.

7. The electronic device as in claim 1, wherein the output adjustment mechanism comprises one or more biasing supports adapted to change dynamically to adjust the haptic and acoustic output of the haptic device.

8. The electronic device as in claim 1, further comprising a processing device operably connected to a memory and the actuator.

9. The electronic device as in claim 8, wherein the memory stores a plurality of haptic input signals with each haptic input signal including at least one waveform characteristic that differs from at least one waveform characteristic of the other haptic input signals.

10. The electronic device as in claim 9, wherein the at least one waveform characteristic comprises at least one of a waveform shape, an amplitude, a frequency, a phase, and a duration of a haptic input signal.

11. The electronic device as in claim 10, wherein the processing device transmits at a particular haptic input signal to the actuator and the haptic and acoustic output is based at least in part on the haptic input signal.

12. A haptic device for an electronic device comprising:

a feedback surface;

an actuator; and

a connection member operably connected to the feedback surface and the actuator, wherein a cross-sectional area of a portion of the connection member differs from another portion of the connection member and the haptic and acoustic output is based at least in part on the different cross-sectional area of the connection member.

13. The haptic device as in claim 12, wherein a material is attached to at least a portion of the exterior surface of the connection member to change the cross-sectional area of the portion of the connection member.

14. The haptic device as in claim 12, wherein the actuator is in communication with a processing device.

15. The haptic device as in claim 14, wherein the actuator receives at least one of a plurality of haptic input signals with each haptic input signal including at least one waveform characteristic that differs from at least one waveform characteristic of the other haptic input signals.

16. The haptic device as in claim 15, wherein the at least one waveform characteristic comprises at least one of a waveform shape, an amplitude, a frequency, a phase, and a duration of a haptic input signal.

17. A haptic device for an electronic device comprising:

a feedback surface;

an actuator;

a connection member operably connected to the feedback surface and to the actuator, wherein the actuator produces an attracting or repelling force that moves the connection member and the feedback surface and the actuator is positioned at a location with respect to the feedback surface such that the force produces a particular out of plane movement in the feedback surface.

18. The haptic device as in claim 17, wherein the actuator is in communication with a processing device.

19. The haptic device as in claim 18, wherein the actuator receives at least one of a plurality of haptic input signals, wherein each haptic input signal includes at least one waveform characteristic that differs from at least one waveform characteristic of the other haptic input signals.

20. A method for adjusting a haptic and acoustic output of a haptic device, comprising:

applying an attracting or repelling force to a feedback surface to produce a particular out of plane movement in the feedback surface.

21. The method as in claim 20, wherein the attracting or repelling force further produces a particular in plane movement in the feedback surface.

22. The method as in claim 21, further comprising receiving by an actuator operably connected to the feedback surface at least one of a plurality of haptic input signals, wherein each haptic input signal includes at least one waveform characteristic that differs from at least one waveform characteristic of the other haptic input signals, and the haptic and acoustic output produced by the haptic device is based at least in part on the at least one waveform characteristic of the received haptic input signal.

23. A method for adjusting a haptic and acoustic output of a haptic device, the haptic device comprising a feedback surface, an actuator, and a connection member operably connected to the feedback surface and the actuator, the connection member including a material attached to at least a portion of an exterior surface of the connection member, the method comprising:

producing by the actuator an attracting or repelling force to move the connection member and the feedback surface, wherein an amount of the attracting or repelling force produced by the actuator is based on the haptic and acoustic output produced at least in part by the material attached to at least the portion of the exterior surface of the connection member.

24. A haptic device comprising:

a feedback surface;

an actuator that produces an attracting or repelling force to move the feedback surface; and

one or more biasing supports disposed below the feedback surface, wherein the one or more biasing supports change dynamically to adjust a haptic and acoustic output of the haptic device.