Patent Description:
Conventional electronic devices (e.g. cell phones or tablet computers) usually have vibrators to provide tactile feedbacks to the users. As sensing technology has advanced, to expand the application of vibration tactile feedback becomes a challenge. <CIT> discloses a tactile sensation providing apparatus that includes a touch sensor, a detection unit, a tactile sensation providing unit, a main control unit, and a tactile sensation provision control unit. <CIT> discloses a method for processing touch inputs, wherein the method includes reading data from a multi-touch sensing device such as a multi-touch touch screen where the data pertains to touch input with respect to the multi-touch sensing device, and identifying at least one multi-touch gesture based on the data from the multi-touch sensing device and providing an appropriate multi-haptic response. <CIT> discloses a point-and-send user interface, wherein a user can point a handheld unit at one of a plurality of electronic devices in a physical environment to select the electronic device and send data to it.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a tactile feedback system that includes a fixed part, a movable part, and a driving assembly. The fixed part is affixed to an electronic device. The movable part can move relative to the fixed part. The driving assembly is configured to drive the movable part to move relative to the fixed part, thereby generating a tactile feedback force to a user.

The making and using of the embodiments of the tactile feedback system are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however, that the embodiments provide many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the embodiments, and do not limit the scope of the disclosure.

It should be appreciated that each term, which is defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning conforming to the relative skills and the background or the context of the present disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless defined otherwise.

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, and in which specific embodiments of which the invention may be practiced are shown by way of illustration. In this regard, directional terminology, such as "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "front," "back," etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the figures being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for the purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting.

An embodiment of the present disclosure is described below.

<FIG> is a perspective diagram of an electronic device <NUM>-E in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. <FIG> is a perspective diagram of a tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM> and a sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> disposed in the electronic device <NUM>-E of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM>-E in this embodiment may be a cell phone or a tablet computer that comprises a housing <NUM>-E0 and a screen <NUM>-E1 disposed on the housing <NUM>-E0. Specifically, a sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> is disposed on a lower side of the housing <NUM>-E0. The sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> may constitute at least a part of a touch pad, a button or other user interface of the electronic device <NUM>-E. In some embodiments, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> may comprise an Optical Finger Navigation (OFN) sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, tactile switch, fingerprint sensor, pressure sensor, sound wave sensor, gas sensor, temperature sensor, or gas concentration sensor, not limited to the embodiments of the invention.

As shown in <FIG>, a tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM> is connected to the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> and accommodated in the housing <NUM>-E0 of the electronic device <NUM>-E. The tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM> primarily comprises a fixed part <NUM>-<NUM> (including a frame <NUM>-<NUM> and a flat base <NUM>-<NUM>), a vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> (movable part), a control unit <NUM>-<NUM>, and a circuit assembly <NUM>-<NUM>. The frame <NUM>-<NUM> is affixed in the housing <NUM>-E0, and the base <NUM>-<NUM> is affixed to the bottom of the frame <NUM>-<NUM>. The vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> can move in the frame <NUM>-<NUM> to provide vibration feedback (tactile feedback force) to the users.

It should be noted that the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM>, the circuit assembly <NUM>-<NUM>, and the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> on the circuit assembly <NUM>-<NUM> are all affixed to the base <NUM> and located outside the frame <NUM>-<NUM>. The sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> and the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> can be electrically connected to a CPU of the electronic device <NUM>-E via the circuit assembly <NUM>-<NUM>.

In some embodiments, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> can also be disposed in other positions of the electronic device <NUM>-E. For example, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> can be disposed on the housing <NUM>-E0, on a circuit board (not shown) or on a flat member that is received in the housing <NUM>-E0. Moreover, the frame <NUM>-<NUM> and the circuit assembly <NUM>-<NUM> may also be affixed to the housing <NUM>-E0 or a flat member (e.g. circuit board) that is received in the housing <NUM>-E0, not limited to the embodiments of the invention.

The control unit <NUM>-<NUM> may comprise a controller IC, and it can transmit a control signal through the circuit assembly <NUM>-<NUM> to a driving assembly (not shown) in the frame <NUM>-<NUM>, thereby driving the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> (movable part) to vibrate relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>.

In this embodiment, the driving assembly may comprise a coil disposed on the frame <NUM>-<NUM> and a magnet disposed on the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM>. When an electrical current (control signal) is applied to the coil, the magnet and the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> can be driven to move relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>. For example, the fixed part <NUM>-<NUM>, the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> (movable part), and the driving assembly constitute at least a part of a linear resonant actuator (LRA) in the electronic device <NUM>-E.

<FIG> is a function block diagram of the tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM>, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> and the CPU <NUM>-C in the electronic device <NUM>-E. As shown in <FIG>, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> can detect the posture, velocity, acceleration of the electronic device <NUM>-E or the user's input (e.g. touch or click) and then output a first sensing signal <NUM>-S1 to the CPU <NUM>-C in the electronic device <NUM>-E accordingly. Subsequently, the CPU <NUM>-C transmits a command signal <NUM>-C1 to the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> according to the first sensing signal <NUM>-S1, whereby the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> can be adjusted to a specific control mode. In this embodiment, when different postures of the electronic device <NUM>-E are detected, the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> can be driven to vibrate at different amplitudes correspondingly. That is, the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> can output control signals of different modes according to the command signal <NUM>-C1, thereby providing various kinds of tactile feedbacks to the users.

Additionally, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> can further transmit a second sensing signal <NUM>-S2 to the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> by detecting the posture, velocity, or acceleration of the electronic device <NUM>-E, and the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2 does not pass through the CPU <NUM>-C. In this embodiment, the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2 may be greater than, less than or equal to the first sensing signal <NUM>-S1.

It should be noted that the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> can output the control signal to the driving assembly (e.g. the coil disposed on the frame <NUM>-<NUM>) according to both of the command signal <NUM>-C1 and the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2. Thus, the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> can be driven to move relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM> and provide appropriate vibration feedback to the users.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a first curve <NUM>-R1 that represents the relationship between the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> measured by an external equipment and the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2 generated by the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM>, wherein the first curve <NUM>-R1 deviates from a first target curve <NUM>-R1'.

In this embodiment, an external equipment (not shown) can be used to measure a motion (e.g. displacement, velocity, or acceleration) of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>. Hence, a first curve <NUM>-R1 (<FIG>) can be obtained that represents the relationship between the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> measured by the external equipment and the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2 that is generated by the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> detecting the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM>.

Before the calibration process of the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> is performed, the first curve <NUM>-R1 may deviate from a first target curve <NUM>-R1' as shown in <FIG>. To address the deficiency, the external equipment can modify a setting parameter of the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> according to the first curve <NUM>-R1, so as to achieve high motion control accuracy and efficiency of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>.

After the calibration process of the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> (second sensing signal <NUM>-S2), the tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM> can perform accurate closed-loop motion or amplitude control of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> according to the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2, thus providing appropriate and precise vibration feedback to the users. It should be noted that the calibration process does not involve the CPU <NUM>-C of the electronic device <NUM>-E.

<FIG> is a perspective diagram of a tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM> and a sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> disposed in the electronic device <NUM>-E, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. <FIG> is a function block diagram of the tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM>, the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> and the CPU <NUM>-C in the electronic device <NUM>-E, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a second curve <NUM>-R2 that represents the relationship between the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> measured by an external equipment and the third sensing signal <NUM>-S3 generated by the sensor element <NUM>-<NUM>, wherein the second curve <NUM>-R2 deviates from a second target curve <NUM>-R2'.

<FIG> is different from <FIG> in that a sensor element <NUM>-<NUM> (<FIG>) is provided in the frame <NUM>-<NUM> to detect the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>, and the sensor element <NUM>-<NUM> can transmit a third sensing signal <NUM>-S3 to the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> accordingly (<FIG>).

In some embodiments, the sensor element <NUM>-<NUM> may also be directly disposed on the frame <NUM>-<NUM> or the base <NUM>-<NUM>, not limited to the embodiments of the invention. Here, the sensor element <NUM>-<NUM> may comprise a Hall sensor.

As shown in <FIG>, the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> can output a control signal to the driving assembly according to the command signal <NUM>-C1, the second sensing signal <NUM>-S2, and the third sensing signal <NUM>-S3 thereby driving the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> (movable part) to vibrate relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM> and providing precise vibration feedback to the users.

In this embodiment, an external equipment (not shown) can be used to measure a motion (e.g. displacement, velocity, or acceleration) of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>. Hence, a second curve <NUM>-R2 (<FIG>) can be obtained that represents the relationship between the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> measured by the external equipment and the third sensing signal <NUM>-S3 that is generated by the sensor element <NUM>-<NUM> detecting the motion of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM>.

Before the calibration process of the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> is performed, the second curve <NUM>-R2 may deviate from a second target curve <NUM>-R2' as shown in <FIG>. To address the deficiency, the external equipment can modify a setting parameter of the control unit <NUM>-<NUM> according to the first curve <NUM>-R1 and the second curve <NUM>-R2, so as to achieve high motion control accuracy and efficiency of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> relative to the frame <NUM>-<NUM>.

After the calibration process of the sensing module <NUM>-<NUM> (second and third sensing signals <NUM>-S2 and <NUM>-S3), the tactile feedback system <NUM>-<NUM> can perform accurate closed-loop motion or amplitude control of the vibrator <NUM>-<NUM> according to the second and third sensing signals <NUM>-S2 and <NUM>-S3, thus providing comfortable and precise vibration feedback to the users. It should be noted that the calibration process does not involve the CPU <NUM>-C of the electronic device <NUM>-E.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>-E), comprising:
a tactile feedback system (<NUM>-<NUM>) comprising:
a fixed part (<NUM>-<NUM>), affixed to the electronic device (<NUM>-E);
a movable part (<NUM>-<NUM>), movably connected to the fixed part (<NUM>-<NUM>); and
a driving assembly, driving the movable part (<NUM>-<NUM>) to move relative to the fixed part (<NUM>-<NUM>) and generating a tactile feedback force to a user;
wherein the electronic device (<NUM>-E) further comprises a CPU (<NUM>-C) and a sensing module (<NUM>-<NUM>), and the sensing module (<NUM>-<NUM>) is disposed outside the tactile feedback system and transmits a first sensing signal (<NUM>-S1) to the CPU (<NUM>-C), wherein the tactile feedback system further comprises:
a control unit (<NUM>-<NUM>), configured to transmit a control signal to the driving assembly for driving the movable part (<NUM>-<NUM>) to move relative to the fixed part (<NUM>-<NUM>);
wherein the CPU (<NUM>-C) is configured to transmit a command signal (<NUM>-C1) to the control unit (<NUM>-<NUM>) so that the control unit (<NUM>-<NUM>) is adjusted to a specific control mode;
wherein the sensing module (<NUM>-<NUM>) is further configured to transmit a second sensing signal (<NUM>-S2) to the control unit (<NUM>-<NUM>) without passing through the CPU (<NUM>-C);
characterized in that the tactile feedback system (<NUM>-<NUM>) further comprises a sensor element (<NUM>-<NUM>), disposed in or on the fixed part (<NUM>-<NUM>) for detecting a motion of the movable part (<NUM>-<NUM>),
wherein the sensor element is configured to transmit a third sensing signal (<NUM>-S3) to the control unit (<NUM>-<NUM>),
and the control unit (<NUM>-<NUM>) is configured to transmit the control signal to the driving assembly according to the second and third sensing signals,
wherein the tactile feedback system is configured to perform a closed-loop motion control to the movable part (<NUM>-<NUM>) according to the second and third sensing signals (<NUM>-S2 and <NUM>-S3),
and wherein the sensing module (<NUM>-<NUM>) is further configured to transmit the second sensing signal by detecting a posture, velocity, or acceleration of the electronic device (<NUM>-E).