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US 10,372,220 B2Granted
Bilayer haptic feedback actuator
AssigneeImmersion Corporation
InventorVahid Khoshkava
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present application relates generally to haptic feedback actuators and their construction and use in touch based systems. The haptic feedback actuators are suitably bilayer structures including at least two materials having different thermal coefficients, allowing the structure to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to heating and/or cooling of the structure.
Claims20
A system for providing haptic feedback to a user, the system comprising:
- a device having a haptic feedback generator, wherein the haptic feedback generator includes:
- a bilayer material strip comprising at least a first material and a second material that have different coefficients of thermal expansion;
- a first thermal energy source/sink;
- and
- a second thermal energy source/sink,
- wherein in response to a change in temperature, the bilayer material strip is configured to deflect between a first position and a second position to provide haptic feedback to the user,
- wherein the change in temperature is an increase in temperature of the bilayer material strip that occurs due to a transfer of thermal energy from the first thermal energy source/sink to the bilayer material strip, the transfer triggered when the user makes contact with the haptic feedback generator, wherein the increase in temperature causes the bilayer material strip to deflect from the first position to the second position,
- and wherein the thermal energy is transferred from the bilayer material strip to the second thermal energy source/sink in the second position, to allow the bilayer material strip to switch from the second position back to the first position.
5 more elements
A method of generating haptic feedback in a haptic feedback generator system in response to a user's contact with the haptic feedback generator system comprising:
- increasing the temperature of a first thermal energy source/sink in the haptic feedback generator system, triggered by the user's contact with the haptic feedback generator, thereby increasing the temperature of a bilayer material strip in the system;
- deflecting the bilayer material strip between a first position and a second position to generate haptic feedback to the user;
- transferring thermal energy from the bilayer material strip to a second thermal energy source/sink in the second position;
- and
- deflecting the bilayer material strip from the second position back to the first position.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.