Multiple actuation handheld device with housing and touch screen actuators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9545568-B2
Application number	US-201514623673-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2015
Priority date	Sep 24, 2008
Publication date	Jan 17, 2017
Grant date	Jan 17, 2017

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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.

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 proces

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Grant Danny A
• Heubel Robert

Classifications

• G06F3/14

  Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} · CPC title

• B06B1/06

  operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction (piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices per se H10N30/00) · CPC title

• A63F13/2145

  the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F3/041

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