Haptic sensing device, electronic device, earphone, and watch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12212915-B2
Application number	US-202218083316-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2022
Priority date	Jun 19, 2020
Publication date	Jan 28, 2025
Grant date	Jan 28, 2025

Abstract

A haptic sensing device, including a light source, an optical waveguide, a photoelectric sensor, and a housing. The optical waveguide includes a waveguide layer and a cladding, the cladding encloses the waveguide layer, and a refractive index of the waveguide layer is greater than a refractive index of the cladding. The waveguide layer includes a plurality of paths, the light source is disposed at an input end of each path, and the photoelectric sensor is disposed at an output end of each path. The light source, the optical waveguide, and the photoelectric sensor are accommodated in the housing. A plurality of contacts are distributed on the housing. When a contact is pressed, the contact is in contact with one path, and the path is deformed. When any two contacts are pressed, the two contacts are in contact with different paths.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A haptic sensing device, comprising a light source, an optical waveguide, a plurality of photoelectric sensors, and a housing, wherein
the optical waveguide comprises a waveguide layer and a cladding, the cladding encloses the waveguide layer, and a refractive index of the waveguide layer is greater than a refractive index of the cladding: the waveguide layer comprises a plurality of paths, the light source is disposed at an input end of the plurality of paths, at least one of the plurality of photoelectric sensors is disposed at an output end of each path, and an optical signal emitted by the light source is transmitted to each photoelectric sensor using the plurality of paths;
the light source, the optical waveguide, and the photoelectric sensor are accommodated in the housing;
a plurality of contacts are distributed on the housing, and each contact comprises at least two positions;
for each contact;
when the contact is in a first position, the contact is not in contact with any path;
when the contact is in a second position, the contact is in contact with one of the plurality of paths, and any two contacts are in contact with different paths when the two contacts both are in the second position;
when there is no contact force on the contact, the contact is in the first position; and
when there is contact force on the contact, the contact is in the second position, wherein the optical signal received by the photoelectric sensor is based on the contact being in the first or second position.

2. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein at least two of the plurality of paths have a same input end, and the light source is disposed at the input end for the at least two paths.

3. The haptic sensing device according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of paths are in a single-input multiple-output (SIMO) structure, and the light source is disposed at an input end for the plurality of paths.

4. The haptic sensing device according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of paths are in a tree-like structure, the input end for the plurality of paths is a root node of the tree-like structure, and the output end of each path is a leaf node of the tree-like structure; a first path comprises a trunk part and a branch part, and the first path is any of the plurality of paths; the trunk part is a part that is of the first path and that overlaps a path other than the first path in the plurality of paths, and the branch part is a part that is of the first path and that does not overlap a path other than the first path in the plurality of paths; and when the contact is in the second form, the contact is in contact with a branch part of one path.

5. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the housing ranges from 1.35 to 1.38.

6. The haptic sensing device according to claim 5 , wherein a material of the housing is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

7. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein when the housing is the cladding and when the contact is in the second position the contact is directly in contact with one path.

8. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein when the housing and the cladding are different structures and when the contact is in the second position the contact is indirectly in contact with one path by using the cladding.

9. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein a contour of the contact is fixed.

10. The haptic sensing device according to claim 9 , wherein the contact is hollow or non-hollow with an opaque flexible material within the contact.

11. The haptic sensing device according to claim 9 , wherein a shape of the contact comprises one or more of a cantilever shape, a spiral shape, or a cross shape.

12. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the contact is not greater than 0.5 mm.

13. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein an angle of incidence of the optical signal is 0°.

14. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 wherein when the contact is in the first position, a deviation between macro-bending losses of any two paths falls within a preset range.

15. The haptic sensing device according to claim 1 , wherein curvature of the paths is positively related to a diameter of the paths.

16. An electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises an enclosure and a haptic sensing device, the haptic sensing device is the haptic sensing device described in claim 1 , and the enclosure comprises the housing.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein the electronic device further comprises a memory and a processor, the memory is coupled to the processor, the memory pre-stores a correspondence between a pressure degree and an instruction, and the processor determines the instruction based on the correspondence and the pressure degree that is of the contact force and that is determined by the photoelectric sensor.

18. A detection method, wherein the detection method is applied to a haptic sensing device, comprising a light source, an optical waveguide, a plurality of photoelectric sensors, and a housing, wherein
the optical waveguide comprises a waveguide layer and a cladding, the cladding encloses the waveguide layer, and a refractive index of the waveguide layer is greater than a refractive index of the cladding; the waveguide layer comprises a plurality of paths, the light source is disposed at an input end of the plurality of paths, at least one of the plurality of photoelectric sensors is disposed at an output end of each path, and an optical signal emitted by the light source is transmitted to each photoelectric sensor using the plurality of paths;
the light source, the optical waveguide, and the photoelectric sensor are accommodated in the housing;
a plurality of contacts are distributed on the housing, and each contact comprises at least two positions;
for each contact:
when the contact is in a first position, the contact is not in contact with any path;
when the contact is in a second position, the contact is in contact with one of the plurality of paths, and any two contacts are in contact with different paths when the two contacts both are in the second position;
when there is no contact force on the contact, the contact is in the first position; and
when there is contact force on the contact, the contact is in the second position, wherein the optical signal received by the photoelectric sensor is based on the contact being in the first or second position;

the detection method comprises:
obtaining, by using at least one of the plurality of photoelectric sensors disposed at an output end of each path, an optical signal transmitted on the path, wherein intensity of the optical signal obtained by the photoelectric sensor is related to a pressure degree of contact force; and
determining, when a first photoelectric sensor disposed at an output end of a first path detects that intensity of an optical signal transmitted on the first path changes, that a contact corresponding to the first path is in a second form, wherein the at least one of the plurality of photoelectric sensors comprises the first photoelectric sensor, the at least one path comprises the first path.

19. The detection method according to claim 18 , wherein the method further comprises:
determining the pressure degree of the contact force based on a pre-stipulated correspondence between intensity of an optical signal and contact force.

20. The d

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Stephen Lingfeng
• Liu Hongbin
• Hu Jian
• De Chiara Federica
• Ni Gang

Classifications

• G06F3/0414

  using force sensing means to determine a position · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G01L1/24 Primary

  by measuring variations of optical properties of material when it is stressed, e.g. by photoelastic stress analysis {using infrared, visible light, ultraviolet} · CPC title

• G01L11/02

  by optical means · CPC title

• G01L9/0032

  using photoelectric means · CPC title