Display device with localized haptic effect

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10303253-B2
Application number	US-201715621202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2017
Priority date	Jun 13, 2017
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

A haptic-enabled display device is presented. The haptic-enabled device has a display layer, a first electrode layer, an actuation layer, and an electrode patch. The first electrode layer is disposed on the display layer. The actuation layer is formed of a single piece of actuatable material. A first side of the actuation layer is disposed on the first electrode layer. The single piece of actuatable material of the actuation layer and the conductive material of the first electrode layer may have substantially the same area. The electrode patch may form a second electrode layer, and may be disposed on a second and opposite side of the actuation layer. The electrode patch is electrically connected to a region of the actuatable material, and has an area that is smaller than that of the single piece of actuatable material and smaller than that of the conductive material of the first electrode layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A haptic-enabled display device comprising:
a display layer;
a first electrode layer formed of conductive material disposed on the display layer;
an actuation layer formed of a single piece of actuatable material, wherein a first side of the actuation layer is disposed on and electrically connected to the first electrode layer, wherein the single piece of actuatable material of the actuation layer and the conductive material of the first electrode layer have substantially the same area;
an electrode patch forming a second electrode layer and disposed on a second and opposite side of the actuation layer, wherein the electrode patch is electrically connected to a region of the actuatable material, and has an area that is smaller than that of the single piece of actuatable material and smaller than that of the conductive material of the first electrode layer; and
a control unit configured to provide a haptic driving signal to the electrode patch to actuate the region of the actuatable material at which the electrode patch is disposed,
wherein the actuatable material is configured to deform at the region at which the electrode patch is disposed upon the haptic driving signal creating a difference in electrical potential between the first and second sides of the actuation layer at the region.

2. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 1 , wherein the electrode patch is a first electrode patch, and the region at which the electrode patch is disposed is a first region,
wherein the second electrode layer includes a plurality of electrode patches disposed on a plurality of respective regions of the actuatable material and electrically isolated from each other,
wherein the plurality of electrode patches include the first electrode patch, and the plurality of respective regions include the first region, and

wherein the control unit is configured to select a subset of one or more electrode patches from the plurality of electrode patches to receive the haptic driving signal to actuate a subset of one or more respective regions of the plurality of regions of the actuatable material, wherein the selected subset of one or more electrode patches includes the first electrode patch and the subset of one or more respective regions includes the first region.

3. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 2 , wherein when the haptic driving signal is applied to the selected subset of one or more electrode patches to actuate the subset of one or more respective regions of the actuatable material, other regions of the actuatable material outside the subset of one or more respective regions are not actuated.

4. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to cause remaining electrode patches of the plurality of electrode patches, other than the selected subset of one or more electrode patches, to be electrically grounded to prevent respective regions corresponding to the remaining electrode patches from actuating.

5. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 2 , wherein the actuatable material of the actuation layer covers all or substantially all of a front side of the display layer.

6. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 5 , wherein the actuatable material of the actuation layer is an electroactive polymer that includes at least vinylidene fluoride (VDF), trifluoroethylene (TrFE), and chlorofluoroethylene (CFE), and has a thickness that is in a range of 5 μm to 30 μm, wherein the actuatable material is configured to deform inwardly at the subset of one or more respective regions, in a range of 1 μm to 5 μm, to form one or more respective recesses upon the difference in electrical potential being applied.

7. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 6 , wherein the first electrode layer is formed of a single piece of conductive material that has substantially the same area as the actuatable material of the actuation layer, and has a transparency level of at least 80%.

8. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of electrode patches is arranged as one of a line and a two-dimensional array of electrode patches.

9. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 2 , wherein at least one electrode patch of the plurality of electrode patches has a rectangular shape, and wherein a length or a width of the at least one electrode patch is in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm.

10. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to select the subset of one or more electrode patches by selecting one or more locations on a surface of the haptic-enabled device at which to output a haptic effect, and to select one or more respective electrode patches closest to the one or more locations.

11. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more locations selected by the control unit include a location on the surface of the haptic-enabled display device at which a touch input is received.

12. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more locations selected by the control unit may include locations surrounding a location at which a touch input is received.

13. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a signal generator configured to generate the haptic driving signal; and
a multiplexer configured to multiplex the haptic driving signal to the selected subset of one or more electrode patches based on a control signal from the control unit.

14. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a deformable capacitive touch-sensing layer disposed on the second electrode layer.

15. A haptic-enabled display device comprising:
a display layer having a front side configured to display an image, and a back side opposite the front side;
a first electrode layer formed of conductive material disposed on the back side of the display layer;
an actuator patch forming an actuation layer and disposed on a region of the first electrode layer and electrically connected thereto, wherein the actuator patch has an area smaller than that of the conductive material of the first electrode layer;
an electrode patch forming a second electrode layer and disposed on the actuator patch, and having an area smaller than that of the conductive material of the first electrode layer; and
a control unit configured to provide a haptic driving signal to the electrode patch to actuate the actuator patch,
wherein the actuator patch has an actuatable material configured to deform upon any haptic driving signal creating a difference in electrical potential between opposite sides of the actuator patch.

16. The haptic-enabled display device of claim 15 , wherein the actuator patch is a first actuator patch, the region at which the actuator patch is disposed is a first region, and the electrode patch is a first electrode patch,
wherein the actuation layer has a plurality of actuator patches disposed on respective regions of the first electrode layer and electrically connected thereto, wherein the plurality of actuator patches include the first actuator patch, and the respective regions include the first region,
wherein the second electrode layer has a plurality of electrode patches disposed on the plurality of actuator patches, respectively, and electrically connected thereto, wherein the plurality of electrode patches are electrically isolated from each other, and include the first electrode patch, and
wherein each electrode patch of the plurality of electrode patches has substantially the same area as a respective actuator patch.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Khoshkava Vahid
• Olien Neil T
• Cruz-Hernandez Juan Manuel

Classifications

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G02F1/13338

  Input devices, e.g. touch panels · CPC title