Apparatus and method for providing a user interface to an information processing system
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsRonaldus Maria Aarts, Joris Adelbert Maria Nieuwendijk, Okke Ouweltjes, Gerben Kooijman
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Abstract
An apparatus for use as an output device of a user interface to an information processing system includes at least one device for generating a synthetic jet. The device is capable of producing outputs with different modalities. Examples of different modalities that are possible include airflows, vibration and sound.
Claims6
A method of controlling an output device comprising first and second spaced apart transducers coupled to a cavity enclosed within a housing, said output device being adapted to produce a plurality of different perceptible output modalities for conveying information to a user in response to respective drive signals applied to at least one of said transducers, said method comprising:
- applying a first drive signal having a frequency range effective for forcing a synthetic fluid jet through an opening in communication with the cavity to operate said transducers in anti-phase with respect to each other to effect production of an adjustable airflow modality;
- and
- applying a second drive signal to operate said transducers in-phase with respect to each other to produce a vibration modality.
A computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium for causing a computer, executing the computer program, to perform a method of controlling an output device comprising first and second spaced apart transducers both coupled to a cavity enclosed within a housing, said output device being adapted to produce a plurality of different perceptible output modalities for conveying information to a user in response to respective drive signals applied to at least one of said first and second transducers, said method comprising:
- applying a first drive signal having a frequency range effective for forcing a synthetic fluid jet through an opening in communication with the cavity to operate said first and second transducers in anti-phase with respect to each other to effect production of an adjustable airflow modality;
- and
- applying a second drive signal to operate said transducers in-phase with respect to each other to produce a vibration modality.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.