Touch Panel Bending Wave Steering for Crosstalk Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch-sensitive devices struggle to provide effective tactile feedback when multiple areas of a touch screen are simultaneously contacted, leading to interference and reduced signal clarity.
Innovation Solution
A touch-sensitive device with a panel capable of supporting bending waves, featuring multiple sensing areas and vibration exciters that apply bending waves to maximize tactile feedback at the touched area while minimizing it at other areas, using signal processing to steer and optimize the vibration amplitude and reduce crosstalk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple vibration exciters are used to provide tactile feedback at multiple sensing areas, then the tactile feedback coverage is improved, but the crosstalk and interference between areas increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making each sensing area have distinct vibration characteristics through signal processing. The system steers bending waves to maximize amplitude at the touched sensing area while minimizing it at other areas, ensuring that each location receives primarily the haptics signal for that specific location. This creates spatially differentiated vibration patterns that provide clear, location-specific feedback without mutual interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the amplitude and phase parameters of bending waves applied by multiple vibration exciters. The signal processing means modifies these parameters in real-time based on which sensing area is touched, thereby maximizing the vibration amplitude at the target area while reducing it at other areas. This parameter control enables simultaneous multi-region haptics with high signal-to-noise ratio.
2Measurement precision
If vibration amplitude is maximized at the touched area, then the tactile feedback clarity is improved, but the vibration at other areas increases causing interference
Solution Approach 1:
The system ensures that each sensing area receives primarily the haptics signal for that location by steering bending waves to create localized vibration patterns. The signal processing means controls the vibration exciters to maximize amplitude at the touched area while minimizing amplitude at other sensing areas, thereby providing clear tactile feedback without unwanted vibrations at other locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of wave interference into a beneficial phenomenon by using constructive and destructive interference of bending waves. The signal processing means exploits wave interference patterns to create areas of strong vibration (constructive interference) at the touched location and areas of weak vibration (destructive interference) at other locations, thereby achieving spatially selective tactile feedback.
3Productivity
If simultaneous haptic feedback is provided at multiple locations, then the user interaction capability is improved, but the signal-to-noise ratio decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The signal processing means dynamically changes the amplitude and phase parameters of bending waves from multiple vibration exciters to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio at each touched sensing area. By adjusting these parameters in real-time, the system ensures that each location receives a strong, clear haptic signal while other areas experience minimal vibration, thereby maintaining high signal-to-noise ratio even during simultaneous multi-region haptics.
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 ensures clear, simultaneous haptic feedback at multiple spatially separate locations, improving the signal-to-noise ratio and reducing unwanted vibrations, thereby enhancing the user experience by providing precise tactile feedback without acoustic interference.
Implementation Method 1
a panel capable of supporting bending waves, a user-accessible touch sensitive screen on or forming part of a face of the panel, the touch sensitive screen having a plurality of different sensing areas, a plurality of vibration exciters coupled to the panel to apply bending waves to the panel to provide tactile feedback at the plurality of sensing areas
Implementation Method 2
signal processing means arranged to apply signals to the vibration exciters so as to steer bending waves applied to the panel by the plurality of vibration exciters whereby the amplitude of the applied bending waves is maximised at the sensing area touched by the user and reduced or minimised at each other sensing area
Data Source
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Figure 2a
AI summary
A touch sensitive device comprising a panel capable of supporting bending waves, a user-accessible touch sensitive screen on or forming part of a face of the panel, the touch sensitive screen having a plurality of different sensing areas, a plurality of vibration exciters coupled to the panel to apply bending waves to the panel to provide tactile feedback at the plurality of sensing areas in response to the user touching a sensing area, and signal processing means arranged to apply signals to the vibration exciters so as to steer bending waves applied to the panel by the plurality of vibration exciters whereby the amplitude of the applied bending waves is maximised at the sensing area touched by the user and reduced or minimised at each other sensing area.