Touch Sensor Vibration Control for Push-Button Click Sensation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Touch sensors in input apparatuses lack a realistic click sensation, leading to potential erroneous inputs and a feeling of strangeness, especially when button switches are graphically depicted, due to the absence of a physical displacement feedback mechanism.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a load detection unit and a tactile sensation providing unit that vibrates the touch sensor at specific frequencies and amplitudes when a pressure load is detected, mimicking the sensation of pushing a push-button switch, to provide a realistic click sensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If touch sensors are used to receive input operations, then the input apparatus can be compact and have no moving parts, but the operator cannot obtain physical displacement feedback when touched
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration by causing the touch sensor itself to vibrate at specific frequencies (e.g., 100-200 Hz) when a touch input is detected. This vibration generates tactile feedback that simulates the click sensation of physical buttons, resolving the contradiction between the compact structure of touch sensors and the need for tactile feedback during operation.
2Loss of information
If visual or auditory feedback is used to confirm input operations, then input confirmation is provided, but visual feedback may be blocked by a finger and auditory feedback is difficult to confirm in noisy environments or silent mode
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual and auditory feedback mechanisms with tactile feedback through vibration. By substituting the feedback modality from senses that can be blocked or interfered with (vision and hearing) to the sense of touch, the system provides reliable input confirmation that is not affected by environmental noise, silent mode settings, or finger obstruction.
3Ease of operation
If the threshold for receiving touch input is set low, then the touch sensor responds easily to light touches, but it may cause erroneous operations in response to unintended actions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by providing tactile vibration confirmation when a valid touch input is detected. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain a low detection threshold for responsiveness while using the vibration feedback to confirm genuine input intentions, thereby preventing erroneous operations from unintended light touches that do not generate the characteristic click sensation.
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 effectively provides a realistic click sensation to the operator, reducing erroneous inputs and enhancing the tactile feedback experience, making it similar to operating a push-button switch.
Implementation Method 1
a tactile sensation providing unit for vibrating the touch face; and a control unit for controlling drive of the tactile sensation providing unit to vibrate the touch face at a frequency such that a click sensation is provided
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
An input apparatus has a touch sensor 11 for receiving an input, a load detection unit 12 for detecting a pressure load on a touch face 11a of the touch sensor 11, a tactile sensation providing unit 13 for vibrating the touch face 11a, and a control unit 15, when the pressure load detected by the load detection unit 12 satisfies a standard for providing a tactile sensation, for controlling drive of the tactile sensation providing unit 13 to vibrate the touch face 11a at a frequency such that a click sensation is provided to an object (means) pressing the touch face 11a. Thereby, a realistic click sensation similar to that obtained when a push-button switch is operated is provided when an operator operates the touch sensor.