PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10049538-B2
Application Number: US-201715477219-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic device including haptic actuator driven based upon audio noise and motion and related methods

Abstract:
An electronic device may include a device housing and a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and that includes a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing. The electronic device may also include a motion sensor carried by the device housing to sense motion of the field member, an audio sensor carried by the device housing to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator, and a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor. The controller may be configured to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator.

Claims:
That which is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device comprising:
 a device housing; 
 a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and comprising a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing; 
 a motion sensor carried by the device housing configured to sense motion of the field member; 
 an audio sensor carried by the device housing configured to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator; and 
 a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor, the controller configured to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the audio sensor is carried within the haptic actuator housing directed toward the field member. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the haptic actuator housing has an opening therein and wherein the audio sensor is carried by an exterior of the haptic actuator housing adjacent the opening. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the motion sensor is carried within the haptic actuator housing. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the audio sensor and the motion sensor are carried in side-by-side relation. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the controller is configured to generate a drive signal for the haptic actuator, and adjust a magnitude of the drive signal based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the controller is configured to generate a polarity inverted drive signal for the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the controller has signal filter parameters associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator; and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the signal filter parameters based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the controller has a signal gain associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator; and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the signal gain based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the audio sensor is configured to sense audio noise in an audible frequency range. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the audio sensor comprises a microelectromechanical (MEMS) audio sensor. 
     
     
       12. An electronic device comprising:
 a device housing; 
 a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and comprising a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing; 
 a motion sensor carried by the device housing configured to sense motion of the field member; 
 an audio sensor carried within the actuator housing directed toward the field member and configured to sense audio noise in an audible frequency range from the haptic actuator; and 
 a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor, the controller configured to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
 
     
     
       13. The electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the motion sensor is carried within the haptic actuator housing. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the audio sensor and the motion sensor are carried in side-by-side relation. 
     
     
       15. The electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the controller is configured to generate a drive signal for the haptic actuator, and adjust a magnitude of the drive signal based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the controller is configured to generate a polarity inverted drive signal for the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the controller has signal filter parameters associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator; and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the signal filter parameters based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device of  claim 12  wherein the controller has a signal gain associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator; and wherein the controller is configured to adjust the signal gain based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       19. A method of operating an electronic device comprising a device housing, a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and comprising a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing, a motion sensor carried by the device housing to sense motion of the field member, and an audio sensor carried by the device housing to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator, the method comprising:
 using a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19  wherein the controller is used to generate a drive signal for the haptic actuator, and adjust a magnitude of the drive signal based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 19  wherein the controller is used to generate a polarity inverted drive signal for the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 19  wherein the controller has signal filter parameters associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator; and wherein the controller is used to adjust the signal filter parameters based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 19  wherein the controller has a signal gain associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator; and wherein the controller is used to adjust the signal gain based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the priority benefit of provisional application Ser. No. 62/381,947 filed on Aug. 31, 2016, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of electronics, and, more particularly, to the field of haptics. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Haptic technology is becoming a more popular way of conveying information to a user. Haptic technology, which may simply be referred to as haptics, is a tactile feedback based technology that stimulates a user&#39;s sense of touch by imparting relative amounts of force to the user. 
     A haptic device or haptic actuator is an example of a device that provides the tactile feedback to the user. In particular, the haptic device or actuator may apply relative amounts of force to a user through actuation of a mass that is part of the haptic device. Through various forms of tactile feedback, for example, generated relatively long and short bursts of force or vibrations, information may be conveyed to the user. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device may include a device housing and a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and that includes a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing. The electronic device may also include a motion sensor carried by the device housing to sense motion of the field member, an audio sensor carried by the device housing to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator, and a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor. The controller may be configured to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     The audio sensor may be carried within the haptic actuator housing directed toward the field member. The haptic actuator housing may have an opening therein, and the audio sensor may be carried by an exterior of the haptic actuator housing adjacent the opening, for example. 
     The motion sensor may be carried within the haptic actuator housing, for example. The audio sensor and the motion sensor may be carried in side-by-side relation, for example. 
     The controller may be configured to generate a drive signal for the haptic actuator, and adjust a magnitude of the drive signal based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. The controller may be configured to generate a polarity inverted drive for the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator, for example. 
     The controller may have signal filter parameters associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator, and the controller may be configured to adjust the signal filter parameters based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. The controller may have a signal gain associated therewith for driving the haptic actuator, and the controller may be configured to adjust the signal gain based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator, for example. 
     The audio sensor may be configured to sense audio noise in an audible frequency range. The audio sensor may include a microelectromechanical (MEMS) audio sensor. 
     A method aspect is directed to a method of operating an electronic device that includes a device housing, a haptic actuator carried by the device housing and that includes a haptic actuator housing and a field member movable within the haptic actuator housing, a motion sensor carried by the device housing to sense motion of the field member, and an audio sensor carried by the device housing to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator. The method may include using a controller coupled to the haptic actuator, the motion sensor, and the audio sensor to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electronic device including a haptic actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram of the electronic device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a more detailed schematic diagram of the haptic actuator of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a detailed schematic diagram of a haptic actuator of an electronic device according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic functional diagram of the controller of the electronic device of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed schematic diagram of a portion of an electronic device according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a detailed schematic diagram of a portion of an electronic device according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments. 
     Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an electronic device  20  illustratively includes a device housing  21  and a controller  22  carried by the device housing. The electronic device  20  is illustratively a mobile wireless communications device, for example, a mobile telephone. The electronic device  20  may be another type of electronic device, for example, a wearable wireless communications device, and includes a band or strap for securing it to a user, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, etc. 
     Wireless communications circuitry  25  (e.g. cellular, WLAN Bluetooth, etc.) is also carried within the device housing  21  and coupled to the controller  22 . The wireless communications circuitry  25  cooperates with the controller  22  to perform at least one wireless communications function, for example, for voice and/or data. In some embodiments, the electronic device  20  may not include wireless communications circuitry  25 . 
     A display  23  is also carried by the device housing  21  and is coupled to the controller  22 . The display  23  may be a light emitting diode (LED) display, for example, or may be another type of display, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     A finger-operated user input device  24  illustratively in the form of a pushbutton switch is also carried by the device housing  21  and is coupled to the controller  22 . The pushbutton switch  24  cooperates with the controller  22  to perform a device function in response to operation thereof. For example, a device function may include a powering on or off of the electronic device  20 , initiating communication via the wireless communications circuitry  25 , and/or performing a menu function. In some embodiments, the electronic device  20  may not include a pushbutton switch  24 , as the finger-operated input device may be in another form, such as, for example, input from a touch display. 
     Referring now additionally to  FIG. 3 , the electronic device  20  illustratively includes a haptic actuator  40 . The haptic actuator  40  is coupled to the controller  22  and determines user indications and operates the haptic actuator by way of applying power, current, or a voltage to a coil  44  to move a field member  50  based upon the user indication. More particularly, the haptic actuator  40  cooperates with the controller  22  to provide haptic feedback to the user. The haptic feedback may be in the form of relatively long and short vibrations or “taps”, particularly, for example, when the electronic device  20  is in the form of a wearable device and the user is wearing the electronic device. The vibrations may be indicative of a message received, and the duration of the vibration may be indicative of the type of message received. Of course, the vibrations may be indicative of or convey other types of information. 
     While a controller  22  is described, it should be understood that the controller  22  may include one or more of a processor and other circuitry to perform the functions described herein, and some or all of the circuitry may be carried by an actuator housing and/or by the device housing  21 . 
     Further details of the haptic actuator  40  are now described. The haptic actuator  40  includes an actuator housing  41 . The coil  44  is carried by the actuator housing  41 . Of course, there may be more than one coil carried by the housing  41 . 
     The field member  50  is movable within the housing  41  responsive to the coil  44 . The movement of the field member  50  creates the haptic feedback, or tapping, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. While the movement of the field member  50  may be described as being moveable in one direction, i.e., a linear haptic actuator, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the field member may be movable in other directions, i.e., an angular haptic actuator, or may be a combination of both a linear and an angular haptic actuator. 
     The field member  50  may include one or more masses  51  and may be shaped for a particular application or operation. The field member  50  may also include one or more permanent magnets  52 , i.e. magnetic bodies, cooperating with the coil  44  to provide movement of the field member  50 . The field member  50  has a shaft receiving passageway  57  therein. In some embodiments, the field member  50  may include the coil  44 , and the permanent magnets may be carried by the actuator housing  41 . 
     The haptic actuator  40  also includes biasing members  54   a ,  54   b  between the actuator housing  41  and the field member  50 . The biasing members  54   a ,  54   b  are illustratively in the form of springs for maintaining the field member suspended in the housing  41 . The springs  54   a ,  54   b  may be mechanical springs, such as, for example, coil springs, leaf springs, and flexures. The springs  54   a ,  54   b  may also or additionally be magnetic springs that, through interaction with the permanent magnets and/or ferritic parts of the actuator housing  41 , if any, store and amplify the energy in the form of elastic/magnetic energy. 
     Additionally, the haptic actuator  40  includes a pair of bearings within the shaft receiving passageway  57 . A shaft  56  extends through the bearings  55   a ,  55   b  and is coupled to the actuator housing  41  to permit reciprocal movement of the field member  50  along the shaft and within the housing responsive to the coil  44 . Other and/or additional components, such as shafts, linear/angular bearings, sliding bearings, flexures, multi-bar linkage mechanisms, and springs, may enable motion of the field member  50  in the desired direction (e.g. X axis in a linear actuator or around a certain axis in an angular actuator) while constraining motion in other degrees of freedom. 
     The haptic actuator  40  also includes mechanical limit stops  45   a ,  45   b  between the housing  41  and the field member  50 . The mechanical limit stops  45   a ,  45   b  limit the movement of the field member to a desired range and/or stop the field member from crashing or banging into the housing  41 . While mechanical stops  45   a ,  45   b  are described, it will be appreciated that the mechanical stops may be part of or a portion of the housing  41 . 
     Typically, circuitry, for example, the controller  22 , generates a sinusoidal drive waveform that drives the field member to move from an initial at-rest position. Driving of the haptic actuator  40  generates sound, for example, acoustic noise. The amount of sound generated by driving the haptic actuator  40  or movement of the field member  50  may be dependent on the orientation of the electronic device  20 , how the user is holding the electronic device, and/or whether the electronic device is in a pocket, bag, etc. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, too much sound generated by the haptic actuator  40  may be undesirable to the user. 
     More particularly, the controller  22  may use factory-calibrated waveforms or drive signals to drive the haptic actuator  40 . Over time, for example, as a result of normal wear and/or accidental events such as dropping, may cause electrical and/or mechanical properties of the haptic actuator  40  (e.g., Q-factor) to change such that the factory-calibrated waveform may be no longer “fit”. Over or under-driving of the haptic actuator  40  may thus occur, which may lead to an increased number of failures. For example, when the Q-factor increases due to internal bearing wear/damage, vibration system damping reduces, and the pre-defined control or drive signal overdrives the haptic actuator  40  resulting in unwanted sounds or noises and/or collision of the field member  50  with the mechanical stops  45   a ,  45   b . It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while a particular configuration of a haptic actuator including certain components is illustrated, other haptic actuator configurations may be used, which may include other and/or additional components in different configurations. 
     The electronic device  20  also includes an audio sensor  26  carried by the device housing  21 , and more particularly, within the haptic actuator housing  41  directed to the field member  50  and adjacent an opening  43  in the haptic actuator housing. The audio sensor  26 , i.e. audio input transducer or microphone, which may be in the form of a microelectromechanical (MEMS) audio sensor, is coupled to the controller  22  and senses audio noise in the audible frequency range, for example. There may be more than one audio sensor  26 . 
     The electronic device  20  also includes a motion sensor  27  that is carried within the haptic actuator housing  41  and adjacent the opening  43  in the haptic actuator housing. The motion sensor  27  may be a Hall Effect sensor or other magnetic sensor, an accelerometer, an optical sensor, or other device capable of sensing motion of the field member  50 . Illustratively, the motion sensor  27  and the audio sensor  26  are in side-by-side relation. In some embodiments, the audio sensor  26  and the motion sensor  27  may be integrated into a single device housing, for example, or single integrated circuit (IC) device. There may be more than one motion sensor  27 . Referring briefly to  FIG. 4 , in another embodiment, the audio sensor  26 ′ may be carried by an exterior of the haptic actuator housing  41 ′ adjacent the opening  43 ′. 
     Referring now additionally to  FIG. 5 , to address increased sound levels that may occur over time, the controller  22  drives the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member  50  and noise from the haptic actuator  40 . Operation of the controller  22  may conceptually be segmented into several modules: feed-forward  61 , feed-back  62 , state-observer  63 , a noise cancellation generator  64 , and an inverse noise cancellation generator  65 . Sensed motion data from the motion sensor  27  and audio noise data from the audio sensor  26  are provided to the inverse noise cancellation generator  64  as an input. Audio noise from the audio sensor  26  is also provided as an input to the noise cancellation generator  64 , a first multiplier  66 , the feed-forward module  61 , a first summing node  68 , a filter module  69 , and a second multiplier  71 . The first summing node  68  sums outputs from the feed-forward and feed-back modules  61 ,  62 . The first multiplier  66  also receives as an input the input signal representative of the drive signal. The filter module  69  receives the output of the first summing node  68 . The output of the filter module  69  is provided as an input to the second multiplier  71 . The output of the second multiplier  71  is provided to a second summing node  72  which receives its input from the noise cancellation generator  64 . The noise cancellation generator  64  receives input from the state observer module  63  and the sensed audio noise data. 
     To drive the haptic actuator  40  based upon the sensed motion of the field member  50  and the noise from the haptic actuator  40 , the controller  22  cooperates with the audio sensor  26  to sense if the haptic actuator  40  is generating noise, for example, above a threshold, or a noise level at which acoustic output of the haptic actuator may be deemed unpleasant to a user. The controller  22  may then use this acoustic feedback (i.e., audio noise from the haptic actuator  40 ) and the sensed motion of the field member  50  to adjust the magnitude of drive signal, adjust feed-forward module parameters, generate a polarity inverted signal to control output and/or the drive signal to cancel the noise generating signal component (i.e., active noise cancellation), adjust signal filter parameters, and/or adjust signal gain, for example. 
     More particularly, with reference to  FIG. 5 , for an active noise cancellation regime, the acoustic signal is input into the noise cancellation generator  64  to generate a polarity inverted signal. This noise cancellation generator  64  may include filters, state-observers, logic state-machines, etc. The noise cancellation generator  64  may be calibrated off-line to store output data, for example, in a lookup table, for cancelling a certain type and amount of acoustic noise. The noise cancellation generator  64  may also use motion data from the motion sensor  27  to optimize its output (e.g. use displacement to account for motor constant non-linearity). 
     The inverse noise cancellation generator  65  may be added to the motion sensing path to remove the noise cancelling part of actuator motion so the system may remain transparent to the controller  22 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in practice, the audio sensor  26  and motion sensor  27  may be integrated in a single device. For example, a Hall Effect sensor and MEMS microphone can either be fabricated together in a hybrid CMOS-MEMS technology or be packaged together in a multi-chip package. Additionally, any mixed signal circuit for processing the output from these sensors can also be integrated in the same manner. 
     In an example, actuation bandwidth of the haptic actuator  40  in the x-direction is kept to below 300 Hz. Acoustic noise may be generated by a z-axis direction rocking mode at 540 Hz, for example. Thus, when the controller  22  drives the haptic actuator  40  at a 270 Hz vibe, the z-axis rocking mode is triggered and an audible noise at 540 Hz is generated. The controller  22 , for example, via the noise cancellation generator module  64 , generates a polarity inverted signal to move the haptic actuator  40  so that this 540 Hz noise is cancelled out or reduced. The controller  22  also attenuates the command magnitude so less noise is generated in the first place. The controller  22 , for example, via the inverse noise cancellation generator module  65 , is aware of the 540 Hz noise cancellation component in the drive signal and thus removes this from the motion estimation by either filtering out motion above 300 Hz or by direct feed-forward cancellation. 
     In the above example, some assumptions are made. First, z-mode noise can be cancelled out by x-mode actuation. In other words, there is underlying linearity in x and z coupling. Additionally, z-mode and x-mode, or any higher order mode sound alike at a given distance at a same frequency, and an acoustic wavefront originates from a point source model and is generally not dependent on orientation of mechanical excitation. Moreover, the audio sensor  26  basically acts as a volume displacement sensor sensitive to all orientations of mechanical excitation, while the motion sensor  27  only senses the x-mode. 
     A method aspect is directed to a method of operating an electronic device  20  that includes a device housing  21 , a haptic actuator  40  carried by the device housing and that includes a haptic actuator housing  41  and a field member  50  movable within the haptic actuator housing, a motion sensor  27  carried by the device housing to sense motion of the field member, and an audio sensor  26  carried by the device housing to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator. The method includes using a controller  22  coupled to the haptic actuator  40 , the motion sensor  27 , and the audio sensor  26  to drive the haptic actuator based upon sensed motion of the field member  50  and audio noise from the haptic actuator. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , in another embodiment, the electronic device  20 ″ may include a first audio sensor  26   a ″ carried within the haptic actuator housing  41 ″. The first audio sensor  26   a ″ may be of the type and configuration as described above and senses audio noise from the haptic actuator  40 ″. The electronic device  20 ″ also includes a second audio sensor  26   b ″ that is carried within the device housing  21 ″ and senses audio noise within the device housing. The second audio sensor  26   b ″ may be of the type described above. The second audio senor  26   b ″ may be carried by device motherboard, on a flexible substrate or circuit, or may be a reference audio sensor on module tester, for example. 
     A controller  22 ″ is coupled to the haptic actuator  40 ″, the first audio sensor  26   a ″, and the second audio sensor  26   b ″. The controller  22 ″ drives the haptic actuator based upon the audio noise from the haptic actuator  40 ″ (i.e., sensed from the first audio sensor  26   a ″) and the audio noise from the device housing  21 ″ (i.e., sensed from the second audio sensor  26   b ″). More particularly, the controller  22 ″ removes the audio noise sensed from the device housing  21 ″ from the audio noise sensed from the haptic actuator  40 ″ and drives the haptic actuator  40 ″ based thereon. In other words, the controller  22 ″ subtracts the audio noise sensed from within the device housing  21 ″ from the audio noise sensed from within the haptic actuator housing  41 ″. Elements or components illustrated, but not specifically described in the present embodiment are similar to those described above and need no further discussion. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , in another embodiment, the electronic device  20 ″′ illustratively includes a first environmental sensor  28   a ″′ that is in the form of a temperature sensor carried within the haptic actuator housing  41 ″′ and adjacent the first audio sensor  26   a ″′. There may be more than one first environmental sensor  28   a ″′, and the first environmental sensor may not be adjacent the first audio sensor  26   a ″′. The first environmental sensor  28   a ″′ may be another type of sensor, for example, a humidity sensor. The controller  22 ″′ drives the haptic actuator  40 ″′ also based upon the first environmental sensor  28   a ″′, as will described in further detail below. 
     The electronic device  20 ″′ also illustratively includes a second environmental sensor  28   b ″′ that is also in the form of a temperature sensor carried within the device housing  21 ″′ and adjacent the second audio sensor  26   b ′″. There may be more than one second environmental sensor  28   b ″′, and the second environmental sensor may not be adjacent the second audio sensor  26   b ″′. The second environmental sensor  28   b ″′ may be another type of sensor, for example, a humidity sensor. The controller  22 ″′ drives the haptic actuator  40 ″′ also based upon the second environmental sensor  28   b ″′, as will described in further detail below. 
     In some embodiments, there may be multiple second environmental sensors defining what may be what be considered virtual sensors. For example, an array of second temperature sensors may be spaced apart within the device housing  21 ″′ to obtain temperatures at different areas of the device housing. The controller  22 ″′ may build a temperature profile so that a temperature at any given location within the device housing  21 ″′ may be determined or estimated. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the electronic device  20 ″′ uses both an internal microphone  26   a ′″ (internal to the haptic actuator  40 ′″) and also an external microphone  26   b ″′ (external to the haptic actuator) to separate the acoustic noise from internal physical impact from the external background acoustic noise. The temperature sensors  28   a ″′,  28   b ″′ being relatively close to each of the first and second audio sensors  28   a ″′,  28   b ″′ may stabilize a respective thermal coefficient of each of the first and second audio sensors. Thus, the controller  22 ″′ may use relatively accurate acoustic data to self regulate e.g. adjust drive level, frequency, and waveform vocabulary to reduce user detectable noise being emitted from the haptic actuator  40 ″″ against the background. 
     In operation, background noise sensed from the second audio sensor  26   b ″′ carried within the device housing  21 ′″ but outside the haptic actuator housing  41 ″′, is passed through a filter that may mimic the acoustic transfer function of the device housing. The filtered signal is subtracted from the sensed audio noise from the first audio sensor  26   a ″′ (i.e., the microphone internal to the haptic actuator housing  41 ′″). The acoustic transfer function of the device housing  21 ″′ may be derived empirically either through modeling or offline calibration, for example. The sensed audio noise signal is fed into the controller  22 ″′ to modify its drive signal. The temperature sensors  28   a ″′,  28   b ′″, which are relatively close to or adjacent to the first and second audio sensors  26   a ″′,  26   b ″′ may be used to improve temperature stability of the sensitivity of the first and second audio sensors. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, temperature of the haptic actuator  40 ″′ may deviate significantly from the rest of the electronic device  20 ″′ within a relatively short amount of time. For example, with 2.65 W input, a haptic actuator temperature may rise more than 70° C. with a peak rate of 2.6° C./sec. Accordingly, temperature compensation or other environmental compensation may be desirable. 
     It should be understood that while specific embodiments have been described herein, the components from each of the different embodiments may be used together. For example, a motion sensor may be used with the environmental sensors and the controller may drive the haptic actuator based also upon the motion sensor. Moreover, while a particular arrangement of a haptic actuator is described and illustrated, it will be appreciated that the claimed embodiments are also applicable to other types of haptic actuators, for example, that may not include a shaft, have a reversed coil/permanent magnet arrangement, etc. Elements not specifically described in the present embodiment are similar to those described above and need no further discussion. 
     A method aspect is directed to a method of operating an electronic device  20 ″ that includes a device housing  21 ″, a haptic actuator  40 ″ carried by the device housing and that includes a haptic actuator housing  41 ″ and a field member  50 ″ movable within the haptic actuator housing. The method includes using a first audio sensor  26   a ″ carried within the haptic actuator housing  41 ″ to sense audio noise from the haptic actuator and using a second audio sensor  26   b ″ carried within the device housing  21 ″ to sense audio noise within the device housing. The method also includes using a controller  22 ″ coupled to the haptic actuator  40 ″, the first audio sensor  26   a ″, and the second audio sensor  26   b ″ to drive the haptic actuator based upon the audio noise from the haptic actuator and the audio noise from the device housing  21 ″. 
     Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications and embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20170403
Publication Date: 20180814
Grant Date: 20180814
Priority Date: 20160831
Inventors: CHEN, DENIS G.
YONEOKA, SHINGO
TARELLI, Riccardo
VASUDEVAN, HARI
GERIA, DOMENICO
SHIN, MI HYE
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F3/0416", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2201/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B6/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K11/17881", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K2210/3044", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K11/178", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K2210/3028", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B6/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R19/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K2210/3044", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R19/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K11/178", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K2210/3028", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2201/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G08B6/00", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G10K11/17881", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1684", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1694", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1626", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 61243130