Touch sensitive device
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorNeil John Harris
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of generating a keyboard switch haptic sensation in a coupled system comprising a touch-sensitive surface and a force exciter or actuator coupled to the touch-sensitive surface, the method comprising generating a carrier wave signal at frequencies within the frequency bandwidth of the coupled system, modulating the carrier wave signal with a modulation envelope so that the modulated carrier wave signal has a closely spaced pair of peaks, and driving the exciter or actuator with the modulated carrier wave signal to excite the touch-sensitive surface to provide a closely spaced pair of impulses whereby the keyboard switch haptic sensation is simulated to a user touching the touch-sensitive surface.
Claims17
A touch sensitive device comprising:
- a touch sensitive surface,
- one or more sensors arranged and configured to detect a user's touch on the touch sensitive surface;
- a plurality of force exciters or actuators coupled to the touch sensitive surface, each force exciter or actuator being coupled to the touch sensitive surface at a corresponding location different from the other force exciters or actuators;
- a signal generator coupled to the plurality of exciters or actuators;
- and
- a processor in communication with the one or more sensors and the signal generator, the processor configured to drive each of the plurality of exciters or actuators so that the combined effect of the plurality of exciters or actuators on the touch sensitive surface is to provide, in response to a user touching the touch sensitive surface:
- a haptic sensation at a region touched by the user;
- and
- an audio signal steered to be localized to the region touched by the user and synchronous in time with the haptic sensation.
A method of providing feedback to a user of a device having a touch sensitive surface and a plurality of exciters or actuators each coupled to the touch sensitive surface at a corresponding location different from the other force exciter or actuator, the method comprising:
- in response to the user touching a region of the touch sensitive surface:
- providing a haptic sensation at the region touched by the user, and
- driving the plurality of exciters or actuators so that the combined effect of the plurality of exciters or actuators on the touch sensitive surface is an audio signal localized to the region touched by the user and synchronous in time with the haptic sensation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.