Systems and methods for providing localized pressure sensing and haptic effects for a touch surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019369732-A1
Application number	US-201815997255-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 4, 2018
Priority date	Jun 4, 2018
Publication date	Dec 5, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

One illustrative system disclosed herein includes a computing device with a macro fiber composite (MFC) element coupled to a touch surface of the computing device. The MFC element is attached to the touch surface at a particular location and detects a pressure associated with a contact on the touch surface at the location of the MFC element and transmits a signal indicating the pressure to a processor. The processor determines a haptic effect based on the pressure and transmits a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to the MFC, which outputs the haptic effect to the location of the touch surface based on the haptic signal.

First claim

1 . A system comprising:
a touch surface; a macro fiber composite (MFC) element configured to act as both a sensor and an actuator and coupled to the touch surface at a location on the touch surface; a first electrical circuit communicatively coupled to the MFC element and configured to transmit a first signal to the MFC element to cause the MFC element to act as a sensor configured to detect a localized pressure associated with a contact on the touch surface at the location and transmit a pressure signal indicating the localized pressure; a second electrical circuit communicatively coupled to the MFC element and configured to transmit a second signal to the MFC element to cause the MFC element to act as the actuator configured to receive a haptic signal and output a haptic effect based on the haptic signal; a switching circuit operable for switching between connecting the MFC element with the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit; and a processor communicatively coupled to the MFC element, the processor configured to:
receive, from the MFC element, the pressure signal;
determine an amount of pressure or a change in pressure at the location based at least in part on the pressure signal;
determine the haptic effect associated with the amount of pressure or the change in pressure;
transmit a switching signal to the switching circuit to cause the switching circuit to connect the MFC to the second electrical circuit; and
transmit the haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to the MFC element, wherein the MFC element is configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect to the location on the touch surface based on the haptic signal.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the MFC element comprises a single, continuous MFC element coupled to an entire area of the touch surface.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine a characteristic of the haptic effect based on the amount of pressure or the change in pressure.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the touch surface comprises a feature for identifying the location of the MFC element.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the feature comprises at least one of a marking, lighting, an indentation, or a protrusion that corresponds to the location of the MFC element.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the MFC element is a first MFC element coupled to a first portion of the touch surface at a first location on the touch surface, the first MFC element configured to receive a first haptic signal associated with a first haptic effect and output the first haptic effect to the first location on the touch surface and the system further comprises:
a second MFC element coupled to a second portion of the touch surface at a second location on the touch surface, the second MFC element configured to receive a second haptic signal associated with a second haptic effect and output the second haptic effect to the second location on the touch surface.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the touch surface has a first thickness at the location of the MFC element and a second thickness at a remainder of the touch surface, wherein the first thickness is thinner than the second thickness.

8 . A method comprising:
detecting, by a macro fiber composite (MFC) element, a localized pressure associated with a contact at a location on a touch surface, wherein the MFC element is configured to act as both a sensor and an actuator and coupled to the touch surface at the location; transmitting, by a first electrical circuit communicatively coupled to the MFC element, a first signal to the MFC element to cause the MFC element to act as a sensor configured to detect the localized pressure associated with the contact at the location on the touch surface; transmitting, by the MFC element, a pressure signal indicating the localized pressure; receiving, by a processor, the pressure signal; p 1 determining, by the processor, a haptic effect based on the pressure signal; transmitting, by the processor, a switching signal to a switching circuit to cause a switch to a second electrical circuit, wherein the second electrical circuit is communicatively coupled to the MFC element and configured to transmit a second signal to the MFC element to cause the MFC element to act as the actuator configured to receive a haptic signal and output the haptic effect based on the haptic signal; transmitting, by the processor, the haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to the MFC element; and outputting, by the MFC element, the haptic effect to the location on the touch surface.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the MFC element comprises a single, continuous MFC element coupled to an entire area of the touch surface.

10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising determining a characteristic of the haptic effect based on the pressure signal.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the touch surface comprises a feature for identifying the location of the MFC element.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the feature comprises at least one of a marking, lighting, an indentation, or a protrusion that corresponds to the location of the MFC element.

13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the MFC element is a first MFC element coupled to a first portion of the touch surface at a first location on the touch surface, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the first MFC element, a first haptic signal associated with a first haptic effect; outputting, by the first MFC element, the first haptic effect to the first location on the touch surface;
receiving, by a second MFC element coupled to a second portion of the touch surface at a second location on the touch surface, a second haptic signal associated with a second haptic effect; and
outputting, by the second MFC element, the second haptic effect to the second location on the touch surface.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the touch surface has a first thickness at the location of the MFC element and a second thickness at a remainder of the touch surface, wherein the first thickness is thinner than the second thickness.

15 . A system comprising:
a touch surface; and a macro fiber composite (MFC) element configured to act as both a sensor and an actuator and coupled to the touch surface at a location on the touch surface and beneath the touch surface, wherein the MFC element is configured to detect a localized pressure associated with a contact on the touch surface at the location and transmit a pressure signal indicating the localized pressure when a first electrical circuit transmits a first signal to the MFC element, wherein the MFC element is configured to receive a haptic signal and output a haptic effect to the location on the touch surface in response to receiving the haptic signal when a second electrical circuit transmits a second signal to the MFC element, and wherein a switching circuit is configured to switch between connecting the MFC element with the first electrical circuit and the second electrical circuit.

16 . The system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a processor communicatively coupled to the MFC element, the processor configured to:
receive, from the MFC element, the pressure signal indicating the localized pressure;
determine an amount of pressure or a change in pressure at the location based at least in part on the pressure signal;
determine the haptic effect associated with the amount of pressure or the change in pressure;
transmit a switching signal to the switching circuit to cause the switchi

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Olien Neil T
• Cruz-Hernandez Juan Manuel

Classifications

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F3/0416

  Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers · CPC title

• G06F3/0414

  using force sensing means to determine a position · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title