Piezoelectric Actuator Tactile Feedback for Touch Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices with touch-sensitive displays face challenges in providing effective tactile feedback due to their small size and limited space for user input, which affects user experience and functionality.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating piezoelectric actuators that move the touch-sensitive display relative to the housing to provide tactile feedback, simulating the depression and release of physical keys or switches, thereby enhancing user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the size of portable electronic devices is decreased to improve portability, then device compactness is improved, but the space available for user input and output is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display surface with touch-sensitive capabilities and integrates tactile feedback mechanisms directly into the display structure. This merging of functions allows the display to serve multiple purposes: visual output, input detection, and tactile feedback provision, thereby maximizing the utility of limited space in compact devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch-sensitive display structure is designed to perform multiple functions: displaying visual information, detecting user touches, and providing tactile feedback. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components for each function, thereby saving space while maintaining comprehensive user interaction capabilities in compact portable devices.
2Ease of operation
If traditional vibrator motors are used to provide tactile feedback, then tactile feedback capability is achieved, but device space and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates tactile feedback functionality directly into the touch-sensitive display structure by utilizing the same actuator mechanisms that control display element actuation. This eliminates the need for separate vibrator motors, thereby providing tactile feedback capability while minimizing additional device space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The touch-sensitive display structure serves its own tactile feedback needs by utilizing its inherent actuator mechanisms. The display elements themselves are capable of providing tactile feedback through controlled actuation, eliminating the need for dedicated feedback components and reducing overall device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If more actuator mechanisms are added to improve tactile feedback, then user interaction quality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the actuator mechanisms used for display element actuation with those used for tactile feedback provision. The same actuators that control the movement of display elements are utilized to provide tactile feedback, thereby improving user interaction quality without adding separate actuator systems and maintaining manageable device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuator mechanisms are designed with multi-functionality, serving both to actuate display elements for visual output and to provide tactile feedback for user interaction. This universal design allows high-quality user interaction through enhanced tactile feedback while avoiding the complexity increase that would result from adding dedicated feedback actuators.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables versatile tactile feedback, such as vibrations and clicks, improving user experience by simulating key presses and other tactile sensations, even in devices without traditional vibrator motors, thus enhancing usability and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
at least one piezoelectric actuator arranged to provide tactile feedback to the touch-sensitive display in response to an actuation signal by moving the touch-sensitive display
Data Source
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AI summary
A portable electronic device includes a housing, a touch-sensitive display movable with respect to the housing, and at least one piezoelectric actuator arranged to provide tactile feedback to the touch-sensitive display in response to an actuation signal by moving the touch-sensitive display. The at least one piezoelectric actuator may move the touch-sensitive display, resulting in vibration or a single movement of the touch-sensitive display.