Advancing Haptics Technologies
Haptics technologies is based on creation feedback to the sense of touch for users of electronic systems. Most people have experienced various types of haptic feedback for decades without even realizing it was an area of research, understanding, and development. These feedback techniques include vibration, force, resistance, clicks and other actuator based responses. This form of touch interface has been a mainstay of over 100M mobile phones and arcade gaming systems (joystick control) for a long time.
The solution space for haptics consists of a system made up of a logic block that receives the touch control input, a tactical response engine which determines what response is appropriate and what the control signals to the response actuators are needed to feedback to the control surface being used, and the actuator technology itself that drive the control surface. The actuators and IP are available in 3 bins those targeted at under 10″ displays, 10″-22″ displays and larger than 22″ displays.
Immersion Corporation of San Jose has been in the haptics marketplace since the early 1990’s. Recently, they announced new IP kits and actuator technologies for the haptics market. With these new kits and products, additional applications – such as the joystick in the Lexus RS series autos and the BMW M-Drive control, interfaces for slates and tablets, cameras and medical devices.
Examples of Haptic applications
The IP portfolio is a combination of code descriptions for the logic control, software for the function control, and mechanical actuators for the actual feedback application to the touch device (screen or switch). The IP works on PC based systems with windows and other embedded OS’s as well as Android platforms. There are full documented reference designs, including design guides and support available for new application development. At this time, the IP is usually integrated into custom ICs as part of the full system design. If there is industry requests and sufficient market drive, these IP blocks may be available for SOC implementation as part of FPGA systems.
In order to address the new areas of multi-touch, and standard capacitive, projected capacitive, resistive, optic and RF (SAW, etc) touch interfaces, Immersion has a number of actuator solutions. These solutions include smart motor based, small vibrator type motors, and piezo based systems. The haptics systems work with touch control interfaces from Cypress, Atmel and Renasas and others. The handsets and cameras that feature large format touchscreens for typically small footprint devices, where the haptics feedback has to isolate the feedback to just the display area and not affect motion of the underlying appliance, will use the new piezo systems. Their force system is well known for its use as the “rumble” feedback in home gaming console handsets. These force feedback designs also have been updated to work with “virtual” or “on-screen” sliders/visual controls that may appear soon in graphics based remote controls. There is also a “rotary switch” function to allow for electronic knobs and switches to deliver the traditional rotary switch feel such as output limits, constant force and detents.
In order to address the needs of the enhanced feature set of portable and mobile devices, the IP kits support full low power management with multiple power down modes and dynamic software control. This software control allows for both user level and device design level control of the extent and availability of the haptics response system based on the mode of operation of the devices.
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