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AssigneeStrategic Polymer Sciences, Inc.
InventorsBrian C. Zellers, Li Jiang, Christophe Ramstein, Stephen Davis, M. Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos
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Electromechanical polymer (EMP) actuators are used to create haptic effects on a user interface deface, such as a keyboard. The keys of the keyboard may be embossed in a top layer to provide better key definition and to house the EMP actuator. Specifically, an EMP actuator is housed inside an embossed graphic layer that covers a key of the keyboard. Such a keyboard has a significant user interface value. For example, the embossed key provides the tactile effect of the presence of a key with edges, while allowing for the localized control of haptic vibrations. For such applications, an EMP transducer provides high strains, vibrations or both under control of an electric field. Furthermore, the EMP transducer can generate strong vibrations. When the frequency of the vibrations falls within the acoustic range, the EMP transducer can generate audible sound, thereby functioning as an audio speaker.
A user interface device capable of providing a localized haptic response in communication with a controller, comprising:
A method in a user interface device capable of providing a localized haptic response and which is in communication with a controller, the method comprising:
A portable computing device comprising:
A keyboard, comprising a substrate having a first surface and a second surface on opposite sides of the substrate wherein, embedded at each of said first and second surfaces:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.