Dual suspension haptic device

Abstract

A haptic device for actuating a haptic effect on a haptic surface is provided having a first dynamic mass, the first dynamic mass movable in a first direction, a second dynamic mass, the second dynamic mass movable in a second direction, the first direction being equal and opposite to the second direction, one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass being a haptic surface, a static mass, the static mass operably linked to the first dynamic mass by way of a first suspension means, the static mass operably linked to the second dynamic mass by way of a second suspension means, a haptic actuator, the haptic actuator operably linked to each of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass, the haptic actuator operable to produce vibrational movement along an actuation path, such that when the haptic actuator is actuated to produce vibrational movement along the actuation path the first dynamic mass moves in the first direction, the second dynamic mass moves away from the first dynamic mass in the second direction and vibrational movement is transmitted to at least one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass as a haptic effect.

Description

[0001] DUAL SUSPENSION HAPTIC DEVICE

[0002] FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to methods and devices for actuating a haptic response on a haptic device. More specifically, it is contemplated that the present disclosure relates to methods and devices for actuating a haptic response on a haptic surface with a haptic actuator directly mounted to the haptic surface in a manner such that the transfer of vibrational movement produced by the haptic actuator to the surrounding mounting assembly is minimized.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Traditionally mechanical buttons have been used to provide tactile feedback to users in a wide variety of applications. However, a nearly limitless variety of industrial equipment, consumer products and automotive vehicles, to name only a few examples of such applications, have more recently been equipped with “haptic” surfaces enabled with haptic technology, where simulated click events known as “haptic events” are “played” or actuated through haptic actuators that are operably connected to the haptic surface, such as but not limited to a capacitive touchpad. For example, in the automotive industry there has been a general transition away from physical, mechanical buttons on dashboards to touchscreen use for many vehicle functions, which can lead to a loss of tactile feedback to the basic user input. This can result in the reality that users of capacitive touch screens may spend more time looking at the touchscreen to validate their interactions with it. In such automotive applications, it will be further appreciated that research has clearly shown that glancing away from the road for only a few seconds substantially increases both the risk of a crash and or a “near-miss” incident.

[0006] It is contemplated that adding haptics to capacitive touchscreens can reduce this risk, but incorporating integrated haptic devices in a touchscreen increases the costs of this component. Moreover, another unwanted effect of integrating haptic devices into some applications is that vibrations from the haptic device can resonate throughout the entire assembly that the haptic device is mounted to, which can negatively affect the user’s experience.

[0007] Historically available designs have often relied on the environmental enclosure to have a significant mass, and to provide a rigid mounting interface for the haptic device. Frequently, this can result in significant force and vibration transmission to the larger environment of interior panels, seats and even the body panels of the vehicle. Another common practice to reduce unwanted vibrations in haptic device assemblies is to use a light vibrating mass affixed to much heavier components. Yet another approach is to add damping elements to the overall system to reduce unwanted vibration amplitude. However, it will be appreciated that these methods require that the overall assembly is designed for the specific haptic device under consideration, which may not always be feasible or cost-effective for certain industries and applications.

[0008] It is therefore contemplated that the current invention bypasses these requirements by isolating haptic vibrations within a smaller assembly which can in turn allow the smaller assembly to be mounted into a larger system without transferring unwanted, high-amplitude vibrations to any external components. As such, there is a need for haptic devices that are adapted to provide vibrational movement from a haptic actuator to a haptic surface, while reducing the amount of vibrational movement that is transferred to the surrounding mounting environment within which the haptic device is mounted.

[0009] Therefore, it is contemplated that the present disclosure provides a haptic device wherein the vibrational movement created by a haptic actuator and transmitted to a haptic surface is substantially counteracted, at least in part, by a dynamic mass that is mounted in an opposed arrangement to the haptic surface, thereby reducing the transfer of vibrational movement to a static mass that can, in some embodiments, in turn be mounted to the environmental assembly within which the haptic device is mounted.

[0010] BRIEF SUMMARY

[0011] It is contemplated that the present disclosure provides a haptic device wherein the vibrational movement created by a haptic actuator and transmitted to a haptic surface is substantially counteracted, at least in part, by a dynamic mass that is mounted in an opposed arrangement to the haptic surface, thereby reducing the transfer of vibrational movement to a static mass that can, in some embodiments, in turn be mounted to an environmental assembly within which the haptic device is mounted.

[0012] In at least one embodiment, it is contemplated that the present disclosure provides a haptic device for actuating a haptic effect on a haptic surface having a first dynamic mass, the first dynamic mass movable in a first direction, a second dynamic mass, the second dynamic mass movable in a second direction, the first direction being equal and opposite to the second direction, one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass being a haptic surface, a static mass, the static mass operably linked to the first dynamic mass by way of a first suspension means, the static mass operably linked to the second dynamic mass by way of a second suspension means, a haptic actuator, the haptic actuator operably linked to each of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass, the haptic actuator operable to produce vibrational movement along an actuation path, such that when the haptic actuator is actuated to produce vibrational movement along an actuation path the first dynamic mass moves in the first direction, the second dynamic mass moves away from the first dynamic mass in the second direction and vibrational movement is transmitted to at least one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass as a haptic effect.

[0013] DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0014] The present disclosure will be better understood in connection with the following Figures, in which:

[0015] FIGURE 1 is a diagram of at least one embodiment of a dual suspension haptic device in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0016] FIGURE 2 is an upper perspective view of another embodiment of a dual suspension haptic device in accordance with the present disclosure;

[0017] FIGURE 3 is an exploded upper perspective view of the dual suspension haptic device of FIGURE 2;

[0018] FIGURE 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the dual suspension haptic device of FIGURE 2; and

[0019] FIGURE 5 is an additional bottom cross-sectional view of the dual suspension haptic device of FIGURE 2

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS It is contemplated that the present disclosure provides a haptic device wherein the vibrational movement created by a haptic actuator and transmitted to a haptic surface is substantially counteracted, at least in part, by a dynamic mass that is mounted in an opposed arrangement to the haptic surface, thereby reducing the transfer of vibrational movement to a static mass that can in turn be mounted to an environmental assembly within which the haptic device is mounted.

[0021] In the context of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that a suitable “haptic actuator” can be any actuator which is adapted to transmit vibrational movement from the haptic actuator to a suitable haptic surface that is operably connected to the haptic actuator. It is contemplated that a suitable haptic actuator can include, but is not limited to, a piezoelectric actuator, a voice coil actuator, a linear motor actuator, a linear resonant actuator, and a solenoid actuator, among other types of suitable haptic actuators that will be readily appreciated by the skilled person.

[0022] It is contemplated that a suitable haptic actuator will have an actuation path that can be straight or curved, depending on the specific needs of the application. In embodiments where the actuation path is a linear actuation path, it is contemplated that each of the dynamic masses are movable in first and second directions that are collinear with but opposite to one another and which also are colinear with the linear actuation path of the haptic actuator.

[0023] In other embodiments, it is contemplated that the haptic actuator has a curved actuation path, and the first dynamic mass is movable in a first curved direction that and the second dynamic mass is movable in a second curved direction that is equal but opposite to the first curved direction.

[0024] It is contemplated that a suitable haptic actuator can be mounted to each of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass by any suitable means, including but not limited to specially designed haptic actuator brackets, or by cooperating with integral mounting features that are provided on the dynamic masses, the haptic actuator, or both components as the case may be. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the haptic actuator can be adhered or bonded directly to the dynamic masses, as will be readily appreciated by the skilled person.

[0025] In the context of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that a suitable “haptic surface” can be any suitable surface that is adapted for physical engagement with a user, including but not limited to a mechanical component (such as a button, lever, pedal or surface) or a capacitive touchscreen, among other arrangements that will be readily understood by the skilled person.

[0026] In the context of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that a suitable “dynamic mass” can be any component, manufactured by any means and of any suitable material, that has an appropriately-calibrated mass and which is operably connected to the haptic actuator.

[0027] In at least one embodiment, it is contemplated that one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass is a haptic surface, as discussed in further detail herein. In at least one embodiment it is contemplated that the first dynamic mass has a mass that is approximately equal to the mass of the second dynamic mass, however other arrangements are also contemplated depending on the particular needs of the end user application of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the mass of each of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass can be approximately 500-1000g, however any other arrangements are also contemplated depending on the particular needs of the end user application of the present disclosure.

[0028] In the context of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that a suitable “static mass” can be any component, manufactured by any means and of any suitable material, that has any suitable mass as required by the particular end user application of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that a suitable static mass can be further mounted to an environmental assembly. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the mass of the static mass can be approximately 1500g, however other arrangements are also contemplated depending on the particular needs of the end user application of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the static mass is the environmental assembly (or is integrally formed with the environmentally assembly) and in these embodiments it is contemplated that the mass of the static mass / environmental assembly is approximately equal to the combined mass of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass.

[0029] In the context of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that a suitable “environmental assembly” can be any arrangement wherein the present haptic device is mounted to a larger structure, including but not limited to a vehicle dashboard assembly, a support frame assembly and a control surface assembly, among any other arrangement where the present haptic device could be operably mounted to a larger assembly that will depend on the particular end user application of the present invention. In some embodiments and as discussed herein, it is contemplated that the environmental assembly can be the static mass, or in other embodiments the static mass can be integrally formed within the environmental assembly, among other arrangements that will be readily apparent to the skilled person.

[0030] In the context of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that suitable “suspension means” can be any suspension arrangement having the requisite suspension characteristics to suspend each of the dynamic masses relative to the static mass, as discussed in further detail herein.

[0031] In some embodiments, it is contemplated that suitable suspension means can have a spring component and a damping component in order to suitably absorb the vibrational movement that is transferred between the suspended dynamic masses and the static mass. It is contemplated that suitable suspension means “suspend” the dynamic masses such that a user of the present haptic device can perceive a haptic effect that is transmitted to the dynamic mass that is a haptic surface. More specifically, it is contemplated that suitable suspension means are designed to create a resonant system with target frequencies in the vibrotactile human perception range (e.g., 100- 300 Hz).

[0032] As such, it is contemplated that the selection of the suspension mans will be made in consideration of the weight of the moving dynamic masses, the target resonant frequency, the vibration strength generated by the haptic actuator, and the amount of damping desired in the system, as will be readily appreciated by the skilled person.

[0033] It is contemplated that suitable suspension means can include, but is not limited to, elastomeric sheet material suspension means, compliant suspension means and spring component suspension means, among other arrangements that will be readily appreciated by the skilled person.

[0034] In at least one embodiment it is contemplated that suitable suspension means can be a plurality of elastomeric pads positioned between the components under consideration, among other arrangements that will be readily appreciated by the skilled person. Moreover, in some embodiments it is contemplated that the first suspension means has a stiffness value and a damping ratio that is approximately equal to the stiffness value and damping ratio of the second suspension means, among other arrangements that will be readily appreciated by the skilled person.

[0035] Turning to Figure 1, one embodiment of a haptic device in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, haptic device 10 has a first dynamic mass 20, a second dynamic mass 30, a static mass 40 and a haptic actuator 50. First static mass 20 is connected to static mass 40 by way of first suspension means and is operably connected to haptic actuator 50. Analogously, second dynamic mass 30 is connected to static mass 40 by way of second suspension means 32 and is operably connected to haptic actuator 50.

[0036] It is further contemplated that at least one of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 is adapted to function as a haptic surface that a user can physically engage with, as discussed in further detail herein.

[0037] In this embodiment, first suspension means 22 and second suspension means 32 each have a spring component (22a, 32a) and a damping component (22b, 32b) however other arrangements are also contemplated, as discussed herein.

[0038] In this embodiment, it is further contemplated that static mass 40 is further mounted to an environmental assembly 42, however as mentioned previously it is contemplated that in other embodiments the static mass 40 is (or is integrally formed within) the environmental assembly 42.

[0039] It is contemplated that each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 are movable in opposed directions that, in this embodiment, are co-linear to one another, however other orientations are also contemplated. Moreover, it is contemplated that first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 are movable in opposing directions along the same linear axis as the movement that is transmitted by the haptic actuator 50 when the haptic actuator 50 is actuated along its actuation path.

[0040] It will be appreciated that in the context of the present invention, “movable” indicates that the component can move in a generally constrained manner such that when the vibrational movement is transferred to the component under consideration, the component is “movable” such that it can vibrate in a constrained fashion in response to any transferred vibrational movement that the component experiences, as discussed in further detail herein.

[0041] In this way, when haptic actuator 50 is actuated along its actuation path, vibrational movement is transferred to each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30. It will be appreciated that when this vibrational movement is transferred from haptic actuator 50 to these dynamic masses, first dynamic mass 20 will initially move in an equal but opposed colinear direction to the direction of second dynamic mass 30.

[0042] Moreover, it is contemplated that vibrational movement will also be translated from each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 to static mass 40 through the respective first suspension means 22 and second suspension means 32.

[0043] Given the nature of these suspensions means (which each have fundamental stiffness values and damping ratios, as discussed herein), it is further contemplated that this vibrational movement will be substantially counteracted, at least in part, by the suspension means, thereby reducing the overall amount of vibrational movement that is translated directly from the first dynamic mass 20 and the second dynamic mass 30 to static mass 40 and environmental assembly 42 in response to the vibrational movement initially created by the haptic actuator 50 and directly transferred to the first dynamic mass 20 and the second dynamic mass 30.

[0044] Moreover, it is contemplated that the vibrational movement that is created by haptic actuator 50 can be translated directly to at least one of the first dynamic mass 20 and the second dynamic mass 30 as a haptic effect, given that it is contemplated that at least one of these dynamic masses is adapted to function as a haptic surface, as discussed in further detail herein. As such, it is contemplated that the force transmitted to the static mass 40 (and by extension, the environmental assembly 42 that the static mass is mounted to or integrally formed within) is proportional to the sum of the inertial load from the first dynamic mass 20 and the second dynamic mass 30. It is therefore further contemplated that actuation of the haptic actuator 50 imparts equal but opposed forces to each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30, resulting in equal but opposed inertia to be imparted on each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30.

[0045] In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the inertial load applied to the static mass 40 (and by extension, the environmental assembly 42 that the static mass is mounted to or integrally formed within) from first dynamic mass 20 is substantially equal and opposed to the inertial load applied from applied to the static mass 40 (and by extension, the environmental assembly 42 that the static mass is mounted to or integrally formed within) from second dynamic mass 30.

[0046] Turning to Figures 2 to 5, another embodiment of a haptic device in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, haptic device 10 has a first dynamic mass 20, a second dynamic mass 30, a static mass 40 and a haptic actuator 50.

[0047] In this embodiment, first static mass 20 is connected to static mass 40 by way of first suspension means and is operably connected to haptic actuator 50. Analogously, second dynamic mass 30 is connected to static mass 40 by way of second suspension means 32 and is operably connected to haptic actuator 50. With reference to Figure 3, an exploded view of the haptic device of Figure 2 is illustrated. It will be appreciated that, in this embodiment, first dynamic mass 20 is adapted to function as a haptic surface that a user can physically engage with, as discussed in further detail herein.

[0048] In this embodiment, first suspension means 22 and second suspension means 32 are provided between each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30, respectively, and static mass 40, which can be further mounted to an environmental assembly (not shown).

[0049] In this embodiment, it will be appreciated that each of first suspension means 22 and second suspension means 32 comprised of a plurality of elastomeric pads that are oriented about the perimeter of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30, respectively.

[0050] As such, suitable cutouts 31 are provided in second dynamic mass 30 to provide a suitable position to orient and mount first suspension means 22 in a manner that permits each of the first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 to move in the same direction without physically interfering with one another during such movement, as will be readily appreciated by the skilled person.

[0051] It is contemplated that each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 are movable in a direction that, in this embodiment, is co-linear to one another. Moreover, it is contemplated that first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 are movable in an aligned linear direction as the movement that is transmitted by the haptic actuator 50 when the haptic actuator 50 is actuated along its actuation path.

[0052] In this embodiment, a haptic actuator bracket is provided for operable connecting the haptic actuator 50 to the first dynamic mass 20 by way of a first haptic actuator bracket 52a and from haptic actuator 50 to the second dynamic mass 30 by way of a second haptic actuator bracket 52b. In this way, when haptic actuator 50 is actuated along its actuation path, vibrational movement is transferred to each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30. It will be appreciated that when this vibrational movement is transferred from haptic actuator 50 to these dynamic masses, first dynamic mass 20 will initially move in an equal but opposed linear direction to the direction of second dynamic mass 30.

[0053] Moreover, it is contemplated that vibrational movement will be translated from each of first dynamic mass 20 and second dynamic mass 30 to static mass 40 through the respective first suspension means 22 and second suspension means 32.

[0054] Given the nature of these suspensions means, it is further contemplated that this vibrational movement will be substantially counteracted, at least in part, by the provided suspension means, thereby reducing the overall amount of vibrational movement that is translated directly from the haptic actuator 50 to static mass 40 and environmental assembly.

[0055] Moreover, it is contemplated that the linear vibrational movement that is created by haptic actuator 50 can be translated directly to at least one of the first dynamic mass 20 and the second dynamic mass 30 as a haptic effect, given that it is contemplated that at least one of these dynamic masses is adapted to function as a haptic surface, as discussed in further detail herein.

[0056] In this way, it is contemplated that a haptic effect can be translated from a haptic actuator to a haptic surface in a manner that minimizes the amount of vibrational movement that is transferred from the haptic actuator to the environmental mounting arrangement that is employed by the particular end user application under consideration. To this point, testing performed to date on various embodiments of the present haptic device disclosed herein, wherein accelerometers were placed at various locations on the components of the haptic device, has demonstrated a significant reduction in the acceleration observed (indicating lower force transmission) by the static mass (and, by extension, the environmental assembly the static mass is mounted to or integrally formed within) in comparison to the accelerations observed (due to applied actuator forces) of the dynamic masses that are directly linked to the haptic actuator.

[0057] As such, it is contemplated that the present disclosure provides a haptic device wherein the vibrational movement experienced by the static mass (and the environmental assembly) in response to an actuating haptic effect produced by a haptic actuator on a haptic surface is greatly reduced in comparison to known solutions for actuating a haptic effect produced by a haptic actuator on a haptic surface.

[0058] The embodiments described herein are intended to be illustrative of the present compositions and methods and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and changes consistent with the description as a whole and which are readily apparent to the person of skill in the art are intended to be included. The appended claims should not be limited by the specific embodiments set forth in the examples but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A haptic device for actuating a haptic effect on a haptic surface comprising:A first dynamic mass, the first dynamic mass movable in a first direction;A second dynamic mass, the second dynamic mass movable in a second direction, the first direction being equal and opposite to the second direction, one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass being a haptic surface;A static mass, the static mass operably linked to the first dynamic mass by way of a first suspension means, the static mass operably linked to the second dynamic mass by way of a second suspension means;A haptic actuator, the haptic actuator operably linked to each of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass, the haptic actuator operable to produce vibrational movement along an actuation path; wherein when the haptic actuator is actuated to produce vibrational movement in along the actuation path the first dynamic mass moves in the first direction, the second dynamic mass moves away from the first dynamic mass in the second direction and vibrational movement is transmitted to at least one of the first dynamic mass and the second dynamic mass as a haptic effect.

2. The haptic device of claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are oriented perpendicularly to the haptic surface.

3. The haptic device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the second dynamic mass has a mass that is approximately equal to a mass of the first dynamic mass.

4. The haptic device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the first suspension means and the second suspension means further comprises damping means.

5. The haptic device of any one of claims of 1 to 4, wherein the static mass is mounted to an environmental assembly.

6. The haptic device of any one of claims of 1 to 5, wherein the haptic actuator is selected from the group of: a piezoelectric actuator, a voice coil actuator, a linear motor actuator, a linear resonant actuator, and a solenoid actuator.

7. The haptic device of any one of claims of 1 to 6, wherein at least one of the first suspension means and the second suspension means are selected form the group of: elastomeric sheet material suspension means, compliant suspension means and spring component suspension means.

8. The haptic device of any one of claims of 1 to 7 wherein the actuation path is selected from the group of: a straight actuation path and a curved actuation path.

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