Multiple actuation handheld device with housing and touch screen actuators

• US 9,545,568 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2015
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Grant, Danny A., Heubel, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, KEITH L
• Application Number:
  US14/623,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20150224394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 700 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers

Abstract

A device includes a housing, a processor that is coupled to the housing, the processor is configured to process a software program stored in a memory. A touch screen is coupled to the housing and configured to display graphical objects, wherein a sensor signal associated with a user'"'"'s interaction with the touch screen is provided to the processor. A first actuator is coupled to the touch screen and positioned within the housing. The first actuator is configured to output a first haptic effect to the touch screen upon receiving a first activating signal from the processor. A second actuator is coupled to the housing and configured to output a second haptic effect to the housing upon receiving a second activating signal from the processor. The first activating signal is associated with a foreground event and the second activating signal is associated with a background event occurring in the software program.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a housing;

a touch screen coupled to the housing and configured to display a graphical object;

a sensor configured to detect a contact with the touch screen and transmit an associated sensor signal;

a first actuator coupled to the touch screen and positioned within the housing, the first actuator configured to output a first haptic effect to the touch screen based on receiving a first activating signal;

a second actuator coupled to the housing, the second actuator configured to output a second haptic effect to the housing based on receiving a second activating signal; and

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

receive the sensor signal from the sensor;

determine whether an object is contacting the touch screen based on the sensor signal;

transmit the first activating signal configured to cause the first actuator to output the first haptic effect to the touch screen, and not transmit the second activating signal configured to cause the second actuator to output the second haptic effect to the housing, responsive to determining that the object is contacting the touch screen; and

transmit the second activating signal configured to cause the second actuator to output the second haptic effect to the housing, and not transmit the first activating signal configured to cause the first actuator to output the first haptic effect to the touch screen, responsive to determining that the object is not contacting the touch screen.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic effect is localized to the touch screen.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine an interaction with the graphical object based on the sensor signal; and

determine the first haptic effect based on the interaction with the graphical object and determine the second haptic effect based on a characteristic of the graphical object.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a pressure sensor configured to detect an amount of pressure applied to the touch screen and transmit a pressure sensor signal associated with the amount of pressure to the processor, wherein determining that the object is not contacting the touch screen comprises determining the amount of pressure is below a threshold.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the second haptic effect based on the pressure sensor signal.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the touch screen is one of a plurality of touch screens coupled to the device, wherein the first actuator is one actuator of a plurality of actuators coupled to the plurality of touch screens.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a subset of touch screens in the plurality of touch screens that are displaying a particular graphical object, the subset of touch screens including fewer touch screens than all of the touch screens in the plurality of touch screens; and

determine a subset of actuators in the plurality of actuators to use to output haptic effects to the subset of touch screens, the subset of actuators including fewer actuators than all of the actuators in the plurality of actuators.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein a single actuator comprises the first actuator and the second actuator, and wherein the single actuator is configured to selectively output the first haptic effect to the touch screen and not the housing, or the second haptic effect to the housing and not the touch-screen.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the second haptic effect is configured to mimic an audio note being output.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic effect or the second haptic effect is discordant with an audio note being output.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the first haptic effect or the second haptic effect is configured to distract a user from an event occurring in a video game.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor configured to detect a contact with a touch screen;

determining whether an object is contacting the touch screen based on the sensor signal;

transmitting a first activating signal configured to cause a first actuator coupled to the touch screen to output a first haptic effect to the touch screen, and not transmitting a second activating signal configured to cause a second actuator coupled to a housing to output a second haptic effect to the housing, responsive to determining that the object is contacting the touch screen; and

transmitting the second activating signal, and not transmitting the first activating signal, responsive to determining that the object is not contacting the touch screen.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first haptic effect is localized to the touch screen.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining an interaction with a graphical object displayed on the touch screen based on the sensor signal; and

determining the first haptic effect based on the interaction with the graphical object and determining the second haptic effect based on a characteristic of the graphical object.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the object is not contacting the touch screen comprises:

receiving a pressure sensor signal from a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor signal indicative of an amount of pressure applied to the touch screen; and

determining that the amount of pressure is below a threshold based on the pressure sensor signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining the second haptic effect based on the pressure sensor signal.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining which of a plurality of touch screens is displaying a particular graphical object; and

determining a particular actuator from a plurality of actuators coupled to respective ones of the plurality of touch screens to use to output a haptic effect based on which of the plurality of touch screens is displaying the particular graphical object.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code executable by a processor for causing the processor to:

receive a sensor signal from a sensor configured to detect a contact with a touch screen;

determine whether an object is contacting the touch screen based on the sensor signal;

transmit a first activating signal configured to cause a first actuator coupled to the touch screen to output a first haptic effect to the touch screen, and not transmit a second activating signal configured to cause a second actuator coupled to a housing to output a second haptic effect to the housing, responsive to determining that the object is contacting the touch screen; and

transmit the second activating signal, and not transmit the first activating signal, responsive to determining that the object is not contacting the touch screen.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first haptic effect is localized to the touch screen.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising program code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

determine an interaction with a graphical object displayed on the touch screen based on the sensor signal; and

determine the first haptic effect based on the interaction with the graphical object and determine the second haptic effect based on a characteristic of the graphical object.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising program code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

receive a pressure sensor signal from a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor signal indicative of an amount of pressure applied to the touch screen; and

determine that the amount of pressure is below a threshold based on the pressure sensor signal.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising program code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

determine the second haptic effect based on the pressure sensor signal.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising program code executable by the processor for causing the processor to:

determine that a first touch screen of a plurality of touch screens disposed on a single device is displaying a particular graphical object, the first touch screen being an individual touch screen in the plurality of touch screens; and

determine that a particular actuator coupled to the first touch screen is to be used to output a haptic effect, the particular actuator being an individual actuator of a plurality of actuators, wherein each actuator of the plurality of actuators is coupled to a respective touch screen of the plurality of touch screens.