Haptic Feedback in Apple Touchpads

Optimizing haptic feedback in capacitive touch modules like touchpads using multiple motors to reduce power consumption and improve localization. The method involves independently timing the activation of the motors based on the touch location. This allows the closer motor to activate later, avoiding wasted energy from simultaneous activation. By coordinating the motor activations, the resulting haptic feedback constructively interferes at the touch point for a better effect.

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Haptic button assemblies for electronic devices that provide tactile feedback when pressed. The assemblies have a movable input member with a sensor to detect button presses. When a press is detected, an electrical current is passed through a coil to generate a magnetic force that laterally translates the input member to provide a haptic output. This allows customized feedback sensations compared to traditional button mechanisms.

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Compact, electrically efficient linear resonant actuator (LRA) designs suitable for haptic feedback in small electronic devices. The actuators have a movable mass with magnet sections and coils around it. The magnets have poles facing each other along the axis. Flexures suspend the mass and allow linear motion. The compactness comes from features like axisymmetric mass, axial magnet polarization, ferritic spacers, ferritic tube, and scalability by varying dimensions and coil number.

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Ring input devices with modulated friction to improve user experience. The ring has a rotating outer band and inner band. The outer band friction is adjusted dynamically based on the item being manipulated. This can provide tactile feedback like detents, prevent rotation at ends, or increase friction at beginnings. It can also prevent rotation completely. The friction modulation can be electromagnetic.

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A reluctance haptic engine for electronic devices that provides a haptic output when a user interacts with the device. The engine uses a core and an attractor plate separated by a gap. Applying an electrical current to the core creates a magnetic force that pulls the attractor plate and moves the device's input structure, providing a haptic output. The gap maintains tension to resist the force. This opposing force reduces the user's input force, giving a more noticeable haptic feedback. The engine's core and attractor plate are connected to the input structure.

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Controlling the force output of reluctance actuators used in haptic feedback devices without directly measuring the force. The control uses feedback based on electrical parameters like current, voltage, and magnetic flux during actuation. A correlator component determines input parameters for the actuator based on desired force. During actuation, measurements of electrical parameters are used to estimate force and update the correlator. This allows accurate force control without force sensors on the actuator.

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A consistent haptic feedback experience across different types of electronic devices with varying haptic hardware. It provides an abstraction layer called "sharpness" to map haptic events to the specific device's haptic actuators. The layer allows uniform haptic feedback across devices while varying the actual haptic output based on the device's hardware. This involves converting a single sharpness value into a device-specific haptic waveform and intensity. It enables consistent, scalable haptics across devices with varying haptic actuators.

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Electronic device with haptic feedback that provides tactile sensations to simulate virtual object boundaries and improve user interaction. The device has a touch sensor, haptic actuator, and processor. When a touch enters a virtual object's boundary, the processor sends a signal to the actuator to produce a vibration pattern with characteristics mimicking the object's boundary. This provides a tactile cue for the user as they explore the virtual object. The vibration pattern can change as the touch moves into an activatable zone. The actuator vibration frequency, amplitude, and node/anti-node positions are adjusted based on the touch speed and displayed boundary zone.

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Localized haptic feedback modules for electronic devices like laptops and smartphones that provide tactile feedback when touching input areas like touchpads and keyboards. The modules attach directly to the input surface and deform it using piezoelectric actuators. This allows localized vibrations without the whole device vibrating. The modules can have spacers to suspend them inside the input surface and deform it when actuated. They can also have touch sensors to detect input locations. Multiple modules can coordinate haptic feedback.

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Electronic device with improved space efficiency and haptic feedback for touchscreens. The device has a touchpad with actuators and vibration members on opposite surfaces, facing each other. When a touch is sensed, haptic feedback is generated by driving the actuators to vibrate the opposite members. This allows vibration in the touchpad lateral direction without requiring height. The actuators can have independent waveforms for customized feedback.

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Haptic actuator design with a field member having a unique magnet configuration to improve haptic feedback quality. The field member has a frame with multiple side-by-side permanent magnets having alternating polarizations. Each magnet segment has at least one non-vertical transition zone between adjacent segments. This magnet arrangement allows more complex force profiles and better haptic feedback compared to traditional magnets with only vertical polarization transitions.

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Electrostatic haptic feedback on touchscreens that provides variable friction feedback without requiring moving parts like motors. The feedback is achieved by coating the touchscreen surface with a hybrid conductive layer containing conductive particles in an organic matrix. When an electric field is applied to the layer, the particles interact to create variable friction, simulating tactile sensations. The touchscreen itself can drive the field to provide haptics without additional components.

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Integrating force sensing and haptic feedback into a device enclosure without needing openings. The enclosure has flexible regions on the inside surface that can deform when a force is applied. Haptic actuators like piezoelectric elements are attached to the rigid support structures adjacent to the flexible regions. When the actuator is activated, it bends the support structure, transmitting the force through the enclosure wall to provide haptic feedback. Applying a force to the enclosure surface deforms the flexible region, which is detected by the actuator for force sensing.

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Haptic system with improved accuracy and reduced latency for haptic feedback. It uses an impedance estimator to quickly and accurately estimate the resistance and inductance of the driving coil in a reluctance haptic actuator. The estimator adds an amplitude-modulated calibration signal to the haptic drive signal during pre-warming. The calibration signal has high amplitude during pre-warming to lift SNR, then low amplitude during playback to avoid power penalty. The estimator down-converts the voltage and current during pre-warming, fits to a model, and provides the coil parameters to the driver for optimized playback.

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Modular system for providing localized haptic feedback on electronic devices using inertial actuators. The system involves separating the input device from the device housing using a dampener and attaching an inertial actuator directly to the input device. This allows shaking the input device for localized haptic feedback while minimizing housing vibrations. The dampener isolates the input device from the housing to prevent global shaking.

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User input system with haptic feedback for touchscreens that delineates the location of virtual buttons by haptic feedback. The system has force-measuring and touch-sensing ICs (FMTSICs) under the touchscreen covering layer. When a finger lightly touches an area corresponding to a virtual button, the system determines supplemental haptic feedback commands for that area. When a finger presses the area, it determines primary touch inputs and haptic feedback commands. The haptic transducer vibrates based on the supplemental or primary haptic feedback. This provides tactile feedback that delineates the virtual button location. The supplemental feedback is triggered when the FMTSICs are lightly touched and indicates lower force. The primary feedback is triggered when pressed and indicates higher force.

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Multi-modal touchpad that enhances user interaction with touchscreens and touchpads by adding force, proximity, and motion sensing capabilities. The touchpad has a physical sensing surface with force, proximity, and motion sensors, a haptic feedback device, and a controller. The controller receives data from the sensors, provides haptic feedback, and interfaces with the device OS. It allows touch actions like force-sensing touches, proximity interactions, and motion gestures.

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A haptic actuator design with improved force output and reduced size compared to conventional haptic actuators. The actuator has a housing, a stator in the housing, and a field member with a magnet inside. The magnet has side-by-side magnetic segments with alternating polarizations and non-vertical transition zones between segments. This allows the magnet to move more freely within the housing when the stator is activated, increasing force output. Flexures connect the magnet frame to the housing to permit reciprocal movement.

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Electronic devices with actuators that provide tactile feedback without bulky or uncomfortable components. The actuators use fabric materials with integrated magnets that vibrate in response to electrical signals. This allows haptic feedback like vibrations to be provided in a more sleek and comfortable way compared to traditional actuators with moving parts. The fabric actuators can be integrated into touchscreens, keyboards, or other input devices to provide tactile feedback when pressed.

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An electronic device with a transparent cover assembly that provides electrostatic haptic feedback on the input surface. The cover assembly has a hybrid conductive coating containing both conductive and non-conductive particles in an organic matrix. An electrostatic charge can be applied to the coating to create friction feedback on the input surface.

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