Physical feedback system, control method and electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016011684-A1
Application number	US-201514840040-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 30, 2015
Priority date	Mar 4, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A physical feedback system provided by the present disclosure includes: at least one physical feedback unit below a flexible touch screen; wherein the physical feedback unit includes an armature part and a coil part, at least one of the armature part and the coil part is in an active state, and a relative distance between the armature part and the coil part is initially a predetermined value; when the coil part is energized with a current, the relative distance between the armature part and the coil part is changed due to electromagnetism, and the changed relative distance is greater than or smaller than the predetermined value, so that a protrusion or a depression is formed at a corresponding position of the flexible touch screen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A physical feedback system, comprising:
at least one physical feedback unit below a flexible touch screen; wherein the physical feedback unit comprises an armature part and a coil part, at least one of the armature part and the coil part is in an active state, and a relative distance between the armature part and the coil part is initially a predetermined value; and when the coil part is energized with a current, the relative distance between the armature part and the coil part is changed due to electromagnetism, and the changed relative distance is greater than or less than a predetermined value, so that a protrusion or a depression is formed at a corresponding position of the flexible touch screen.

2 . The physical feedback system according to claim 1 , wherein when the coil part is energized with a positive current, the relative distance between the armature part and the coil part is changed to a first value due to electromagnetism, and the first value is greater than the predetermined value, so that the protrusion is formed at the corresponding position of the flexible touch screen; and
when the coil part is energized with a negative current, the relative distance between the armature part and the coil part is changed to a second value due to electromagnetism, and the second value is less than the predetermined value, so that the depression is formed at the corresponding position of the flexible touch screen.

3 . The physical feedback system according to claim 1 , wherein the number of the physical feedback unit is two or more, the physical feedback units are tessellated below an entire or a partial region of the flexible touch screen, and a projection shape of each physical feedback unit on a plane of the flexible touch screen is a polygon;
wherein the polygon comprises a square and/or a regular hexagon.

4 . The physical feedback system according to claim 3 , wherein the physical feedback units are tessellated on multilayered planes adjacent from top to bottom below the entire or partial region of the flexible touch screen, and the projection shape of the physical feedback unit located in a lower layer on the plane of the flexible touch screen is greater than or equal to the projection shape of the physical feedback unit located in an upper layer on the plane of the flexible touch screen.

5 . The physical feedback system according to claim 3 , wherein one or more of the physical feedback units is any one of the four physical feedback units as follows:
a first type physical feedback unit comprising a housing, a coil part within a lower portion of the housing and in a stationary state, and an armature part within an upper portion of the housing and in an active state, the armature part being an electromagnet or a permanent magnet, and the armature part being connected with the coil part through a spring; a second type physical feedback unit comprising a housing, a tubular coil part in a lower portion of the housing and in a stationary state, and a cylindrical armature part in a cavity of the tubular coil part and in an active state, the cylindrical armature part being an electromagnet or a permanent magnet, and a lower portion of the cylindrical armature part being connected with the housing through a spring; a third type physical feedback unit comprising a housing, an armature part in a lower portion of the housing and in a stationary state, and a coil part in an upper portion of the housing and in an active state, the armature part being a permanent magnet, and the armature part being connected with the coil part through a spring; and a fourth type physical feedback unit comprising a housing, a tubular armature part in a lower portion of the housing and in a stationary state, and a cylindrical coil part in a cavity of the tubular armature part and in an active state, the tubular armature part being a permanent magnet, and a lower portion of the cylindrical coil part being connected with the housing through a spring.

6 . The physical feedback system according to claim 2 , wherein the number of the physical feedback unit is two or more, the physical feedback units are tessellated below an entire or a partial region of the flexible touch screen, and a projection shape of each physical feedback unit on a plane of the flexible touch screen is a polygon;
wherein the polygon comprises a square and/or a regular hexagon.

7 . A method for controlling a physical feedback system in an electronic device comprising a flexible display screen and the physical feedback system according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
detecting whether a display graph on the flexible touch screen is the same as a predetermined graph, the predetermined graph comprising any one or a combination of a button, a frame, a tag, a menu, a hyperlink and an icon; and if it is detected that the display graph is the same as the predetermined graph, energizing a physical feedback unit below the display graph with a current, so that a relative distance between the armature part and the coil part in the physical feedback unit is changed due to electromagnetism.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein before energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph, the method further comprises:
inquiring a current attribute corresponding to the display graph from a pre-stored corresponding correlation between the predetermined graph and the current attribute according to the display graph, the current attribute comprising a current direction and a current value; and wherein energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph comprises: energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph according to the inquired current attribute corresponding to the display graph.

9 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein after energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph, the method further comprises:
detecting whether the current is changed; and if it is detected that the current is changed, changing the display graph on the flexible touch screen according to a value change of the current.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein after energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph, the method further comprises:
detecting whether the current is changed; and if it is detected that the current is changed, changing the display graph on the flexible touch screen according to a value change of the current.

11 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein after energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph, the method further comprises:
detecting whether the current is changed; and if it is detected that the current is changed, adjusting the current according to a value change of the current.

12 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein after energizing the physical feedback unit below the display graph, the method further comprises:
detecting whether the current is changed; and if it is detected that the current is changed, adjusting the current according to a value change of the current.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein before adjusting the current according to the value change of the current, the method further comprises:
inquiring a current attribute corresponding to the value change of the current from a pre-stored corresponding correlation between the value change and the current attribute according to the value change, the current attribute comprising the current direction and the current value; and adjusting the current according to the value change of the current comprises: adjusting the current according to the inquired curren

Assignees

• Xiaomi Inc

Inventors

• Zhang Xu

Classifications

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F3/041 Primary

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title