Patent Publication Number: US-10764698-B2

Title: Terminal and method for regulating and controlling vibrator thereof

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of electronics technologies and, in particular, to a terminal and a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Terminals such as a cellphone, a tablet PC and the like are widely applied in people&#39;s daily life, and people have higher and higher requirements on effects generated or experience brought by various functions of the terminal, e.g., a function that a motor of the terminal drives the terminal to vibrate. Generally, one motor is mounted at an end (e.g., the bottom end) of the existing terminal, and a processor controls the motor to achieve vibration. 
     However, the inventor found that there are at least the following problems existed in the prior art: the existing terminal achieves vibration by one single motor, so that vibration at a local region of the terminal, where the single motor is located, is obvious, vibration at other regions of the terminal are relatively weak in sense, and the vibration sense from one end to the other end cannot be effectively transferred, and thus, a user cannot feel tactile experience brought by vibration at the other end of the terminal; moreover, strength of the vibration sense generated by the existing motor is monotonous, and user experience is bad. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Many aspects of the exemplary embodiment can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
         FIG. 1  is a flow schematic diagram of a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal according to a first embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a block schematic diagram of the terminal in the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to the first embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a flow schematic diagram of a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal according to a second embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a block schematic diagram of the terminal in the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to the second embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is another flow schematic diagram of the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to the second embodiment; and 
         FIG. 6  is a flow schematic diagram of a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal according to a third embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will be further illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings and the embodiments. 
     A first embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal, and the terminal, for example, is a cellphone, a tablet PC and the like. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal includes: 
     S 101 : acquiring, in real time, a sound pressure value of sound played by each speaker. 
     In this embodiment, (N is 2 for example), the terminal includes N speakers and N vibrators, and N is a natural number greater than 1; and the speakers and the vibrators are in one-to-one correspondence. In one example, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the terminal includes a processor  1 , two speakers  2  and two vibrators  3 , but the present disclosure does not make any limit to the value of N. 
     In this embodiment, a preset period can be set, the sound pressure value of the sound played by each speaker is acquired according to the preset period, the preset period is 0.2 second for example, but is not limited thereto in practice, and the present disclosure does not make any limit to the specific value of the preset period. 
     S 102 : calculating a regulation and control coefficient of vibration amplitude of the corresponding vibrator according to the sound pressure value of the speaker and a preset sound pressure limit value of the speaker. 
     In this embodiment, the sound pressure limit value can be set according to a limit value of a sound pressure tolerance range of human ears, but is not limited thereto, the embodiment does not make any limit to a setting mode of the sound pressure limit value. For example, the sound pressure limit value also can be set according to a limit value of a music sound pressure. 
     S 103 : calculating a current vibration value of the corresponding vibrator according to the regulation and control coefficient and a standard vibration value of the vibrator. 
     In this embodiment, the standard vibration value of the vibrator is an original vibration value of the vibrator, the standard vibration value can be well set before delivery and can also be manually set by a user and pre-stored in a memory, and the present disclosure does not make any limit to the setting mode of the standard vibration value. 
     In one example, the standard vibration value of each vibrator can be the same, but is not limited thereto in practice, the present disclosure does not make any limit to the standard vibration value of each vibrator, and the standard vibration value of each vibrator can also be different from one another. 
     S 104 : controlling each vibrator to vibrate according to the corresponding current vibration value. 
     According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, compared to the prior art, the terminal includes N speakers and N vibrators, and the speakers and the vibrators are in one-to-one correspondence (N is a natural number greater than 1). That is, in the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal, as provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the sound pressure value of the sound played by each speaker is acquired in real time, the regulation and control coefficient of the vibration amplitude of the corresponding vibrator is calculated according to the sound pressure value of the speaker and the preset sound pressure limit value of the speaker, the current vibration value of the corresponding vibrator is calculated according to the regulation and control coefficient and the standard vibration value of the vibrator, and each vibrator is controlled to vibrate according to the corresponding current vibration value, so that vibration can be respectively achieved in regions at two ends of the terminal and each vibrator can vibrate according to a sound pressure of the corresponding speaker, thereby achieving the 3D vibrating effect and providing the 3D tactile experience for a user, which replaces a fixed and monotonous vibrating effect generated by one single vibrator and limited local region vibration achieved by one single vibrator in the prior art. 
     Implementation details of the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to this embodiment will be specifically illustrated below, and the following contents are merely implementation details provided for facilitating understanding, rather than necessities of the solution. 
     In one example, the preset sound pressure limit value of each speaker is the same; in this embodiment, the sound pressure limit value of each speaker is the same, so that the regulation and control coefficient of each speaker is comparable. It is appreciated that, the above are only exemplary illustration, the present disclosure is not limited thereto in practice, and the preset sound pressure limit value of each speaker also can be different from one another. 
     Step partitioning in various methods above are merely intended for a clear description, and in the implementation process, the steps can be merged into one step or some steps can be divided into a plurality of sub-steps, as long as the same logic relationship is included, all of which shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Insignificant modifications or insignificant designs in an algorithm or process flow without changing the core design of the algorithm and the process flow of the present disclosure shall all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. 
     A second embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal. The second embodiment is an improvement on the basis of the first embodiment, and the main improvement is that: in the second embodiment of the present disclosure, an acquiring mode of the sound pressure value is provided. 
     The method for regulating and controlling the vibrator according to this embodiment is as shown in  FIG. 3 , the steps S 202  to S 205  in this embodiment are the same as the steps S 101  to S 104  in the first embodiment and are not repeated herein, the step S 201  of this embodiment includes: 
     S 201 : acquiring, by each sensor in real time, the sound pressure value of the sound played by the corresponding speaker. 
     In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 4  (N is 2 for example), the terminal further includes N sensors, and the speakers and the sensors are in one-to-one correspondence. 
     In this embodiment, the sensor can be a sound pressure sensor or a sound sensor, the present disclosure does not make any limit to the type of the sensor, and any type of sensor which can acquire the sound pressure value of the sound played by the speaker can be applied to this embodiment. 
     Preferably, in one embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the steps S 302  to S 305  in this embodiment are the same as the steps S 201  to S 204  in the second embodiment and are not repeated herein, and the following steps are included in this embodiment: 
     S 301 : detecting whether an enabling command for the vibrator is received; and if yes, executing the step S 302 , otherwise continuing repeating step S 301 . 
     In this embodiment, a user can select whether to open a vibrating function of the terminal as required; and when the user selects to open the vibrating function of the terminal, the terminal can receive the enabling command for the vibrator. 
     In one example, a user is transversely holding a cellphone to play a game of Playerunknown&#39;s Battlegrounds (the vibrators are respectively mounted at the top end and at the bottom end of the cellphone) and the vibrating function is enabled to trigger the enabling command for the vibrator, after the enabling command is detected, with shot sound on the left side in the game, the vibrator located on the left side (i.e., at the top end) vibrates along with a sound pressure of the shot sound, and with shot sound on the right side, the vibrator located on the right side vibrates along with a sound pressure of the shot sound, so as to give a good orientation prompt to the user. It is appreciated that, the above are just exemplary illustrations herein, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto in practice. 
     In this preferred embodiment, detection of an enabling command for the vibrator is prior to acquiring the sound pressure value, so that energy consumption can be saved. 
     In practice, the embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5  can also be an improved solution on the basis of the first embodiment. 
     This embodiment, compared to the first embodiment, provides an acquiring mode of the sound pressure value, i.e., the mode of acquiring, by each sensor in real time, the sound pressure value of the sound played by the corresponding speaker. 
     A third embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a method for regulating and controlling a vibrator for a terminal. The third embodiment is an improvement on the basis of the second embodiment, and the main improvement is that: in the third embodiment of the present disclosure, a specific calculating mode of the regulation and control coefficient and the current vibration value is provided. 
     The method for regulating and controlling the vibrator according to the this embodiment is as shown in  FIG. 6 , the steps S 401 , S 402  and S 405  in this embodiment are the same as the steps S 301 , S 302  and S 305  in the second embodiment and are not repeated herein, and the step S 403  and the step S 404  in this embodiment are as follows: 
     S 403 : calculating a ratio of the sound pressure value to the sound pressure limit value, and using the ratio as the regulation and control coefficient. 
     In one example, the sound pressure value is A 1 , the sound pressure limit value is A 0 , the ratio of the sound pressure value to the sound pressure value is A 1 /A 0 =1. It is appreciated that, the above are just exemplary illustrations herein and the present disclosure is not limited thereto in practice. 
     S 404 : calculating a product of the regulation and control coefficient and the standard vibration value, and using the product as the current vibration value. 
     In one example, the regulation and control coefficient is I, the pre-stored standard vibration value is V 0 , then the current vibration value is V 1 =I*V 0 . It is appreciated that, the above are just exemplary illustrations and the present disclosure is not limited thereto in practice. 
     In practice, this embodiment also can be an improvement on the basis of the first embodiment. 
     The embodiment of the present disclosure, compared to the second embodiment, provides a specific calculating mode of the regulation and control coefficient and the current vibration value, i.e., a mode of using the ratio of the sound pressure value to the sound pressure limit value as the regulation and control coefficient and using the product of the regulation and control coefficient and the standard vibration value as the current vibration value. 
     A fourth embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a terminal. With reference to  FIG. 2 , the terminal includes: a processor, a memory, N speakers and N vibrators; N is a natural number greater than 1; the speakers and the vibrators are in one-to-one correspondence. The processor is connected to the memory, each speaker and each vibrator. The memory stores an instruction which can be executed by the processor, and when the instruction is executed by the processor, the processor can execute the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to any one of the first embodiment and the third embodiment. 
     According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, compared to the prior art, the terminal includes N speakers and N vibrators, and the speakers and the vibrators are in one-to-one correspondence (N is a natural number greater than 1). That is, in the terminal as provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor can acquire the sound pressure value of the sound played by each speaker in real time, calculate the regulation and control coefficient of the vibration amplitude of the corresponding vibrator according to the sound pressure value of the speaker and the preset sound pressure limit value of the speaker, calculate the current vibration value of the corresponding vibrator according to the regulation and control coefficient and the standard vibration value of the vibrator, and control each vibrator to vibrate according to the corresponding current vibration value, so that vibration can be respectively achieved in regions at two ends of the terminal and each vibrator can vibrate according to a sound pressure of the corresponding speaker, thereby achieving the 3D vibrating effect and providing the 3D tactile experience for the user, which replaces a fixed and monotonous vibrating effect generated by one single vibrator and limited local region vibration achieved by one single vibrator in the prior art. 
     Implementation details of the terminal according to this embodiment will be specifically illustrated below, and the following contents are merely implementation details provided for facilitating understanding, rather than necessities of the solution. 
     In this embodiment, with reference to  FIG. 4 , the terminal further includes N sensors connected to the processor; the sensors and the speakers are in one-to-one correspondence. Each sensor is configured to acquire the sound pressure value of the sound played by the corresponding speaker, and the processor can execute the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to the second embodiment. 
     In this embodiment, the sensor can be a sound pressure sensor or a sound sensor, the present disclosure does not make any limit to the type of the sensor, and any type of sensor which can acquire the sound pressure value of the sound played by the speaker can be applied to this embodiment. 
     In one example, there are two vibrators, one vibrator is mounted at the top of the terminal, and the other vibrator is mounted at the bottom of the terminal. It is appreciated that, the above are only exemplary illustrations herein, and the present disclosure does not make any limit to the number and mounting positions of the vibrators. 
     Preferably, in this embodiment, each vibrator is respectively arranged at a different position of the terminal, e.g., at opposite positions, but the present disclosure does not make any limit to the distribution positions of the vibrators. 
     The memory is connected with the processor in a bus mode, there may be random numbers of buses and bridges which are interconnected, and the buses connect various circuits of one or more processors and memories together. The buses also can connect various other circuits such as a peripheral device, a voltage stabilizer, a power management circuit and the like together, which are all well-known in the art and thus will not be further described herein. A bus interface provides an interface between the bus and a transceiver. The transceiver can be a component, and can also be formed by a plurality of components such as a plurality of receivers and transmitters, and provides elements for communicating with various other apparatuses by a transmission medium. Data processed by the processor is transmitted on a wireless medium by an antenna, and further, the antenna also receives the data and transmits the data to the processor. 
     The processor takes charge of managing bus and carrying out general processing and can also provide various functions including timing, a peripheral interface, voltage regulation, power supply management and other control functions. The memory can be used for storing data used when the processor executes operations. 
     A fifth embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a computer readable storage medium which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal according to any one of the first embodiment to the third embodiment is achieved. 
     According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, compared to the prior art, the terminal includes N speakers and N vibrators, and the speakers and the vibrators are in one-to-one correspondence (N is a natural number greater than 1). That is, in the method for regulating and controlling the vibrator for the terminal, as provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the sound pressure value of the sound played by each speaker is acquired in real time, the regulation and control coefficient of the vibration amplitude of the corresponding vibrator is calculated according to the sound pressure value of the speaker and the preset sound pressure limit value of the speaker, the current vibration value of the corresponding vibrator is calculated according to the regulation and control coefficient and the standard vibration value of the vibrator, and each vibrator is controlled to vibrate according to the corresponding current vibration value, so that vibration can be respectively achieved in regions at two ends of the terminal and each vibrator can vibrate according to a sound pressure of the corresponding speaker, thereby achieving the 3D vibrating effect and providing the 3D tactile experience for a user, which replaces a fixed and monotonous vibrating effect generated by one single vibrator and limited local region vibration achieved by one single vibrator in the prior art. 
     Those skilled in the art can understand that implementation of all or part of the steps in the method according to the above-mentioned embodiments can be completed by instructing related hardware through the program, and the program is stored in one storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for enabling one device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip and the like) or the processor to execute all or part of the steps in the method according to each of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-mentioned storage medium includes various media which can store programming codes, such as a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk and the like. 
     Those skilled in the art should understand that the foregoing embodiments are specific embodiments for implementing the present disclosure, and in the practical application, various changes can be made thereto in form and in detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present disclosure.