U.S. patent application number 15/064853 was filed with the patent office on 2016-06-30 for force sensing mouse.
The applicant listed for this patent is APPLE INC.. Invention is credited to Keith J. Hendren, James E. Wright.
Application Number | 20160188010 15/064853 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50102224 |
Filed Date | 2016-06-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160188010 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wright; James E. ; et
al. |
June 30, 2016 |
FORCE SENSING MOUSE
Abstract
A force sensing input device (such as a force sensing mouse)
includes at least one force sensor and at least one top portion
movably connected to at least one bottom portion. When a force is
applied to the top portion, the top portion exerts pressure on the
force sensor. The force sensor obtains force data based upon the
pressure. The amount of force applied to the top portion, within a
range of force amounts, is determined from at least the force data.
In this way, a broader range of inputs may be receivable from the
force sensing input device as compared to input devices that merely
detect whether or not a button or similar element has been
pushed.
Inventors: |
Wright; James E.;
(Cupertino, CA) ; Hendren; Keith J.; (San
Francisco, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
APPLE INC. |
Cupertino |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50102224 |
Appl. No.: |
15/064853 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13766736 |
Feb 13, 2013 |
9304587 |
|
|
15064853 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
345/163 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0338 20130101;
G06F 3/03543 20130101; G06F 3/03547 20130101; G06F 2203/04105
20130101; G06F 3/016 20130101; G06F 3/0414 20130101; G06F 3/044
20130101; G06F 2203/015 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0354 20060101
G06F003/0354; G06F 3/041 20060101 G06F003/041; G06F 3/044 20060101
G06F003/044 |
Claims
1.-20. (canceled)
21. A force sensing input device, comprising: a first housing
portion; a second housing portion; a multi-directional ball joint
moveably connecting the first and second housing portion; a first
set of conductive elements coupled to the first housing portion,
each of the first set of conductive elements oriented in different
directions; and a second set of conductive elements coupled to the
second housing portion each of the first set of conductive elements
oriented in the different directions; wherein: a force applied to
the first housing portion changes proximities between the first set
of conductive elements and the second set of conductive elements
proportional to an amount of the force; the amount of the force is
within a range of force amounts; and the amount of force is
estimated based on changes in capacitances between the first set of
conductive elements and the second set of conductive elements
resulting from the changes in the proximities.
22. The force sensing input device of claim 21, further comprising
a sensor that detects a location on the first housing portion where
the force is applied.
23. The force sensing input device of claim 21, wherein the first
housing portion comprises a touch sensitive surface.
24. The force sensing input device of claim 21, wherein a direction
that the force is applied is determined using at least the changes
in capacitances.
25. The force sensing input device of claim 21, wherein the first
set of conductive elements and the second set of conductive
elements are positioned radially about the ball joint.
26. The force sensing input device of claim 21, wherein the force
sensing input device is a computer mouse.
27. The force sensing input device of claim 21, wherein
multi-directional ball joint is spring-loaded.
28. A force sensing input device operable to provide input to a
computing device, comprising: a first housing portion; a second
housing portion movably connected to the first housing portion; a
first conductive plate coupled to the first housing portion; and a
second conductive plate coupled to the second housing portion;
wherein: a force applied to the first housing portion changes a
capacitance between the first conductive plate and the second
conductive plate proportional to an amount of the force; and the
amount of the force is estimated based on the change in the
capacitance, the amount of the force being within a range of force
amounts.
29. The force sensing input device of claim 28, further comprising
at least one feedback device.
30. The force sensing input device of claim 29, wherein the
feedback device provides feedback with an intensity that is
dependent on the amount of the force.
31. The force sensing input device of claim 29, wherein the
feedback device provides: a first feedback if the amount of the
force is a first force amount; and a second feedback of a different
intensity from the first feedback if the amount of the force is a
second force amount.
32. The force sensing input device of claim 29, wherein the
feedback device provides: a first feedback upon occurrence of a
first event on an electronic device in response to the amount of
the force; and a second feedback of a different intensity from the
first feedback upon occurrence of a second event on the electronic
device in response to the amount of the force.
33. The force sensing input device of claim 28, wherein the
capacitance between the first conductive plate and the second
conductive plate increases as a separation distance between the
first conductive plate and the second conductive plate
decreases.
34. A force sensing mouse, comprising: a first conductive housing
portion; a second conductive housing portion; and a pivot movably
connecting the first conductive housing portion and the second
conductive housing portion; wherein: a force applied to the first
conductive housing portion changes a capacitance between the first
conductive housing portion and the second conductive housing
portion proportional to an amount of the force; and the amount of
the force is determined based on the change in the capacitance, the
amount of the force being within a range of force amounts.
35. The force sensing mouse of claim 34, wherein the determined
amount of the force is scaled based upon a detected location of
where the force is applied.
36. The force sensing mouse of claim 34, wherein the pivot is
spring-loaded.
37. The force sensing mouse of claim 34, wherein the pivot is
spring-loaded against movement of the first conductive housing
portion and the second conductive housing portion.
38. The force sensing mouse of claim 37, wherein required force to
move the first conductive housing portion and the second conductive
housing portion increases during the movement.
39. The force sensing mouse of claim 34, wherein first conductive
housing portion approaches the second conductive housing portion
when the force is applied.
40. The force sensing mouse of claim 34, wherein a look-up table is
used to correlate the change in the capacitance to the amount of
force.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to input devices, and more
specifically to an input device that obtains force data related to
a force applied to the input device wherein an amount of the force
may be determined from the force data.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electronic devices, such as computing devices, are often
utilized with one or more input mechanisms. For example, a mouse is
typically an input device that can generally be manipulated by a
user to provide directional input to an associated electronic
device. In some cases, such a mouse may include one or more
selection elements to which a user can apply force in order to
indicate a selection. However, such selection elements are
generally binary-they are activated, or they are not. That is, the
selection elements typically only detect whether or not a force
exceeding a particular threshold has been applied and cannot
determine the actual amount of force that has been applied within a
range of force amounts.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present disclosure discloses systems and methods for
providing force sensing input devices. A force sensing input device
(such as a force sensing mouse) may include at least one force
sensor and at least one top portion movably connected (such as
pivotally and/or otherwise rotatably connected via one or more
pivot, one or more ball joint elements, and/or other such pivotal
connection elements) to at least one bottom portion. When a force
is applied to the top portion, the top portion may exert pressure
on the force sensor. The force sensor may obtain force data based
upon the pressure. The amount of force applied to the top portion,
within a range of force amounts, may be determined from at least
the force data (such as by the force sensing input device or by an
electronic device to which the force sensing input device transmits
the force data).
[0004] In this way, a broader range of inputs may be receivable
from the force sensing input device as compared to input devices
that merely detect whether or not a button or similar element has
been pushed.
[0005] In some implementations, the force data and/or the
determined amount of force may be scaled based on a detected
location where the force is applied. In some cases of such
implementations, the top portion may be a touch sensitive surface,
such as a capacitive touch sensitive surface, that determines a
location where the top of the force sensing input device is
touched. In such cases, the location determined by the touch
sensitive surface may be utilized as the detected location in order
to scale the force data and/or the determined amount of force.
[0006] In other cases, the force sensing input device may include
multiple force sensors. In such other cases, the detected location
may be determined by comparing and/or combining force data from the
multiple force sensors.
[0007] In various implementations, the force sensor may be one or
more force sensors of various kinds. In some cases, such a force
sensor may include one or more cantilever beams. Such cantilever
beams may include one or more strain gauges.
[0008] In one or more implementations, the force sensing input
device may include one or more feedback components. Such feedback
components may include one or more auditory feedback devices, one
or more haptic feedback devices that include solenoids and/or other
mechanisms for vibrating any portion of the force sensing input
device, one or more haptic feedback devices that cause objects to
strike any portion of the force sensing input device, and/or any
other kind of feedback component. Such feedback components may be
configured to provide varying intensities of feedback in response
to various inputs, statuses of associated electronic devices, and
so on.
[0009] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are for purposes
of example and explanation and do not necessarily limit the present
disclosure. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in
and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate subject
matter of the disclosure. Together, the descriptions and the
drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a first implementation of a
force sensing mouse.
[0011] FIG. 1B is an exploded isometric view of the force sensing
mouse of FIG. 1A.
[0012] FIG. 1C is an upside down isometric view of the top portion
of the force sensing mouse of FIG. 1A.
[0013] FIG. 1D is an isometric view of the bottom portion of the
force sensing mouse of FIG. 1A.
[0014] FIG. 1E is a cross-sectional view of the force sensing mouse
of FIG. 1A taken along the line 1-1 of FIG. 1A.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for determining
an amount of force applied to a force sensing input device. This
method may be performed utilizing the force sensing mouse of FIG.
1A.
[0016] FIG. 3A is an upside down isometric view of a top portion of
a second implementation of a force sensing mouse.
[0017] FIG. 3B is an isometric view of a bottom portion of the
force sensing mouse of FIG. 3A.
[0018] FIG. 4A is an upside down isometric view of a top portion of
a second implementation of a force sensing mouse.
[0019] FIG. 4B is an isometric view of a bottom portion of the
force sensing mouse of FIG. 3A.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system for
interacting with a force sensing input device. The force sensing
input device may be one or more of the force sensing mice of FIGS.
1A-4B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] The description that follows includes sample systems,
methods, and computer program products that embody various elements
of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that
the described disclosure may be practiced in a variety of forms in
addition to those described herein.
[0022] The present disclosure discusses systems that may take the
form of, and methods for providing and/or operating, force sensing
input devices. A force sensing input device (such as a force
sensing mouse) may include at least one force sensor and at least
one top portion movably connected (such as pivotally and/or
otherwise rotatably connected via one or more pivots, one or more
ball joint elements, and/or other such pivotal connection elements)
to at least one bottom portion. When a force is applied to the top
portion, the top portion may exert pressure on the force sensor by
moving with respect to the bottom portion. The force sensor may
obtain force data based upon the pressure. The amount of force
applied to the top portion, within a range of force amounts, may be
determined from at least the force data (such as by the force
sensing input device or by an electronic device to which the force
sensing input device transmits the force data). In this way, a
broader range of inputs may be generated by the force sensing input
device as compared to input devices that operate in a binary
mode.
[0023] FIG. 1A is an isometric view of a first implementation of a
force sensing mouse 100. Although the force sensing mouse is
described as a mouse, it is understood that in other
implementations an input device other than a mouse, such as a track
ball, joystick, touch-sensitive surface, track pad, and so on, may
be utilized without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. As illustrated, the force sensing mouse may include a
top portion 102 and a bottom portion 101.
[0024] The force sensing mouse 100 is also shown as including a
mouse cord 108 for communicating with an associated electronic
device. However, it is understood that this is for the purposes of
example and the force sensing mouse may not include a cord in
various implementations, and/or may communicate with an associated
electronic device utilizing various wireless communication methods
such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and so on.
[0025] FIG. 1B is an exploded isometric view of the force sensing
mouse 100. As illustrated, the top portion 102 may be attached to a
shell 103 which may in turn be pivotally attached to the bottom
portion 101 via pivot elements 107. The top portion 102 may be
further secured or fastened to the bottom portion 101 at other
attachment points, thereby securing the two portions together and
preventing over-pivoting of the top with respect to the bottom.
Such additional attachment points may constrain motion of the top
portion 102 about the pivot elements 107, but generally do not
completely prevent such motion. As also illustrated, the force
sensing mouse may also include cantilever beam 105, which may
include a strain gauge 106, coupled to the bottom portion and/or
the top portion. Moreover, the force sensing mouse may include a
feedback element 104.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 1B, the cantilever beam 105 may be fixedly
attached on a first side and movably attached on a second side. In
this way, the cantilever beam is cantilever and may be strained by
force exerted by the top portion 102. However, it is understood
that this configuration is for the purposes of example. Other
configurations are possible without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure, such as configurations where one side of the
cantilever beam is fixedly attached and the other side of the
cantilever beam is left unattached.
[0027] FIG. 1C is an upside down isometric view of the top portion
102 and FIG. 1d is an isometric view of the bottom portion 101. As
illustrated in FIG. 1C, the top portion includes a pressure element
109 that is operable to exert pressure on the cantilever beam 105
when force is applied to the top portion. This can also be seen in
FIG. 1E, which is a cross-sectional view of the force sensing mouse
100 taken along the line 1-1 of FIG. 1A.
[0028] When a force is applied to the top portion 102, the pressure
element 109 may exert pressure on the cantilever beam 105. This
pressure may transfer the force applied to the top portion 101 to
the cantilever beam and may cause the cantilever beam to strain,
twist, flex, and/or otherwise alter its configuration. This, in
turn, bends or otherwise deforms the strain gauge 106 that is
affixed to the cantilever beam 105. As the strain gauge deforms, it
outputs a voltage. The greater the deformation, the higher the
output voltage of the gauge 106. This output voltage may be
transmitted to a processor (not shown) either within the mouse 100
or in a computing device associated with the mouse. The processor
may use the gauge output to estimate the force applied to the top
portion, thereby generating force data. From this force data, an
amount of the force that is exerted on the top portion within a
range of force amounts (such as between 0.001 pounds and 2 pounds
of force) may be determined. In some embodiments, a look-up table
may be implemented to correlate outputs of the strain gauge 106 to
forces exerted on the top portion 102.
[0029] As the top portion 102 is pivotally attached to the bottom
portion 101 through the pivot elements 107, the force transferred
to the cantilever beam 105 may differ depending on the location of
the top portion where the force is applied, even when the same
amount of force is applied to the top portion in each case. For
example, less force may be transferred to the cantilever beam 105
when the force is applied at the end of the force sensing mouse 100
corresponding to the mouse cord 108 as this location is further
from the pivot elements 107. To the contrary, more force may be
transferred to the cantilever beam 105 when the force is applied at
the directly above the pivot elements 107. To correct for this
distortion, the force data may be scaled based on the location
where the force is applied.
[0030] For example, in some implementations, the top portion 102
may be a touch sensitive surface, such as a capacitive touch
sensitive surface. The touch sensitive surface may be able to
detect one or more user touches which may be interpreted as input,
gestures (based on detected combinations of one or more sensed
touches, movement of one or more touches on the touch sensitive
surface, and so on), and so on. As such, the exact location that a
force is applied may be determinable utilizing the touch sensitive
surface. This determined location may be utilized to scale the
force data when determining the amount of force utilizing the force
data. However, in other implementations, mechanisms other than
touch sensing may be used to determine a location of an applied
force. In some cases, the location of the applied force may be
determinable from the force data itself, which will be discussed in
more detail below.
[0031] Although the force sensing mouse 100 has been illustrated
and described as utilizing a cantilever beam 105 with a strain
gauge 106 to obtain the force data, it is understood that this is
for the purposes of example. In other implementations, other force
sensors may be utilized instead of a cantilever beam and/or strain
gauge. Such force sensors may include one or more piezoelectric
force sensors, force transducers, pressure sensor arrays, torque
sensors, and/or any other kind of force sensor. As yet another
example, an underside (or portion of an underside) of the top
portion 102 may be formed from, or adjacent, a first conductive
element such as a plate. A second conductive element and/or plate
may be positioned within the body of the mouse 100, such as
approximately at the location of the strain gauge 106 as shown in
FIG. 1A. As the top portion moves downward in response to a
user-generated force, the first conductive element may approach the
second conductive element. The change in capacitance between these
two conductive elements may be measured; the capacitance generally
increases due to the separation distance decreasing. If the pivot
is spring-loaded such that the force required to depress the top
portion 102 increases with motion of the top portion, then the
change in capacitance may be used to estimate an input force.
[0032] In some implementations, the force sensing mouse 100 may
determine the amount of the force from the force data. In such
cases, the force sensing mouse may include one or more processing
units (not shown, but collectively referred to as a "processor")
and/or other circuitry for determining the amount of the force form
the force data. However, in other implementations, the force
sensing mouse may transmit the force data to an electronic device
(such as a computing device) with which the force sensing mouse is
associated (possibly along with other data) and the electronic
device may determine the amount of force from the transmitted force
data.
[0033] As discussed above with respect to FIG. 1B, the force
sensing mouse 100 may include one or more feedback elements 104. As
illustrated, the feedback element 104 is a haptic feedback element
that utilizes an electromagnet to provide haptic feedback by
causing a magnetic element to strike the top portion 102. An
electromagnet may be selectively actuated to move the feedback
element 104 to strike the top portion 102 when haptic output is
desired. However, it is understood that this is for the purposes of
example. In various implementations, various kinds of feedback
devices may be utilized (such as auditory feedback devices, haptic
feedback devices that include solenoids and/or other mechanisms for
vibrating any portion of the force sensing mouse, haptic feedback
devices that cause objects to strike any portion of the force
sensing mouse, and so on) that may be configured to provide varying
intensities of feedback in response to various inputs, statuses of
associated electronic devices, and so on. Likewise, it should be
appreciated that haptic output may be provided on any surface of
the mouse by varying the position and/or alignment of the feedback
element 104.
[0034] For instance, a first amount of force may correspond to
selection of an icon presented by a graphical interface by an
associated electronic device whereas a second amount of force may
correspond to execution of a program corresponding to the icon.
When the force sensing mouse 100 detects the first amount of force,
the force sensing mouse may utilize the feedback element 104 to
provide a first level of feedback (such as striking the top portion
102 with a first amount of force) to indicate to a user that an
input corresponding to selection of an icon was received.
Similarly, when the force sensing mouse detects the second amount
of force, the force sensing mouse may utilize the feedback element
104 to provide a second level of feedback that is more intense than
the first level of feedback (such striking the top portion 102 with
a second amount of force that is stronger than the first amount of
force) to indicate to a user that an input corresponding to
execution of a program corresponding to an icon was received.
[0035] Although the force sensing mouse 100 has been illustrated
and described as having a top portion 102 movably connected to a
bottom portion, it is understood that this is for the purposes of
example. In various implementations the two portions may be
portions other than top and bottom portions such as front portions,
back portions, side portions, and so on. Though the portions are
described with reference to directional terms, the portions are not
limited to such directional terms and portions without such
directional orientation may be utilized without departing from the
scope of the present disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 for operating a force
sensing input device. The method 200 may be performed by the force
sensing mouse of FIGS. 1A-1E. The flow begins at block 201 and
proceeds to block 202 where the force sensing input device
determines whether or not strain data from one or more cantilever
beams corresponding to a force applied to a top portion of the
force sensing input device is detected. If so, the flow proceeds to
block 203. Otherwise, the flow returns to block 202 where the force
sensing input device determines whether or not strain data from one
or more cantilever beams is detected.
[0037] At block 203, the force sensing input device (or an
associated computing device/processor) obtains strain data
utilizing the cantilever beam. The flow then proceeds to block 204
where the force sensing input device determines an amount of force
that was applied to a top portion of the force sensing input device
based at least on the strain data.
[0038] The flow then returns to block 202 where the force sensing
input device determines whether or not strain data from one or more
cantilever beams is detected.
[0039] Although the method 200 has been illustrated and described
as utilizing a cantilever beam to obtain strain data, it is
understood that this is for the purposes of example. In other
implementations, other force sensors may be utilized instead of a
cantilever beam which may obtain force data, strain data, and/or
any other data from which an amount of applied force may be
determined.
[0040] Further, although the method 200 has been illustrated and
described as the force sensing input device determining the amount
of force, it is understood that this is for the purposes of
example. In other implementations, the force sensing input device
may transmit strain and/or force data to an electronic device (such
as a computing device and/or other electronic device) with which
the force sensing mouse is associated (possibly along with other
data such as a determined location of an applied force detected by
a touch sensitive surface and/or other force application location
detection mechanism) and the electronic device may determine the
amount of force from the transmitted force data.
[0041] Returning to FIG. 1, in some implementations, cantilever
beam 105 and/or the strain gauge 106 may be operable to determine
information regarding the location of an applied force. For
example, the pivot elements 107 may allow side to side motion along
with up and down motion and the strain gauge may be able to detect
torsion of the cantilever beam caused by the force being applied to
one side of the top portion or the other.
[0042] In other implementations, the force sensing mouse may
include multiple cantilever beams and/or strain gauges, multiple
force sensors of various kinds, and/or a combination of these
elements. In such cases, force data may be obtained from multiple
different force sensors and may be combined and/or compared in
other to determine location of an applied force as well as the
amount of the applied force. The location of the applied force may
be utilized to scale the force data and/or the determined amount of
force.
[0043] By way of a first example, FIG. 3A illustrates a top portion
302 and FIG. 3B illustrates a bottom portion 301 of a second
implementation of a force sensing mouse. As illustrated, the force
sensing mouse includes a first cantilever beam 305 with a strain
gauge 306 and two additional cantilever beams 305 with strain
gauges 306 that are positioned orthogonally to the first (the force
sensing mouse is also illustrated as including mouse cord 308,
shell 303, pressure elements 309, and feedback elements 304). By
combining and/or comparing force data from the three strain gauges
306, a determination may be made as to whether a force was applied
to a left portion of the force sensing mouse, a right portion of
the force sensing mouse, a middle portion of the force sensing
mouse, and/or a combination thereof.
[0044] By way of a second example, FIG. 4A illustrates a top
portion 402 and FIG. 4B illustrates a bottom portion 401 of a third
implementation of a force sensing mouse. As illustrated, the force
sensing mouse includes four cantilever beams 405 with a strain
gauges 406 that are positioned radially about a ball joint. The
force sensing mouse is also illustrated as including mouse cord
408, shell 403, and feedback elements 404.
[0045] In this example, the top portion may be rotatable with
respect to the bottom portion about the ball joint in one or more
different directions. Such rotation may cause one or more of the
pressure elements 409 to exert pressure on one or more of the
cantilever beams 405, which may be detected by one or more of the
strain gauges 406. By combining and/or comparing force data from
the four strain gauges (in some cases force data from one or more
of the four strain gauges may be no force data detected), a
determination may be made as to whether a force was applied to a
front portion of the force sensing mouse, a back portion of the
force sensing mouse, a left side of the force sensing mouse, a
right side of the force sensing mouse, a middle of the force
sensing mouse, and/or a combination thereof.
[0046] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system 500 for
interacting with a force sensing input device 502. The force
sensing input device 502 may be one or more of the force sensing
mice of FIGS. 1A-4B. As illustrated, the system may include a
computing device 501 which may utilize one or more processing unit
503 to execute instructions stored in one or more storage media 504
to perform various computing device functions. The computing device
may also include one or more input/output components 505 for
receiving input (such as from the force sensing input device 502)
and/or providing output (such as to the display 506 and/or the
force sensing input device).
[0047] The computing device 501 may be any kind of computing device
such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a
mobile computer, a digital video player, a digital music player, a
smart phone, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, and/or
other such computing device.
[0048] In various cases, the computing device 501 may receive force
data related to application of a force to the top portion of the
force sensing input device 502 and/or an amount of force applied to
a top portion of the force sensing input device and/or other data
(such as a location of the top portion of force sensing input
device. The computing device may utilize such data in a variety of
different ways.
[0049] For example, in cases where the force data is received, the
computing device may determine that amount of force that was
applied. The amount of force may correspond to various aspects of
one or more programs executing on the computing device and the
computing device may alter its status accordingly. For instance, a
first amount of force may correspond to selection of an icon
presented by a graphical interface whereas a second amount of force
may correspond to execution of a program corresponding to the
icon.
[0050] By way of another example, in cases where the amount of
force is received, the amount of force may correspond to various
aspects of one or more programs executing on the computing device
and the computing device may alter its status accordingly as
described with respect to the example above. For instance, the
amount of force may correspond to a height that a character in a
video game is instructed to jump.
[0051] By way of a third example, in cases where an amount of force
is received along with a location where the force was applied, the
location may correspond to locations on a graphical interface and
the amount of force may correspond to an action to be performed at
that location (such as a first amount of force may correspond to
selection of an icon corresponding to the location of the graphical
interface whereas a second amount of force may correspond to
execution of a program corresponding to the icon).
[0052] By way of a fourth example, in cases where an amount of
force is received along with an indication as to whether that force
is a left force, a right force, or a middle force, the amount and
kind of force may correspond to instructions for an aircraft in a
flight simulator executing on the computing device. The kind of
force (left, right, or middle) may correspond to the type of
directional change that the aircraft is to make (pitch, yaw, or
roll, respectively). Similarly, the amount of force may correspond
to the speed at which the aircraft is to make the directional
change.
[0053] By way of a fifth example, the computing device 501 may
instruct one or more feedback components of the force sensing input
device 502 to provide feedback based on the force data and/or an
amount of force received by the computing device.
[0054] For instance, a first amount of force may correspond to
selection of an icon presented by a graphical interface whereas a
second amount of force may correspond to execution of a program
corresponding to the icon. When the computing device receives force
data and/or an amount of force that corresponds to the first amount
of force, the computing device may instruct the feedback component
to provide a first level of feedback (such as vibrating a solenoid
with a first level of vibration) to indicate to a user that an
input corresponding to selection of an icon was received.
[0055] Similarly, when the computing device receives force data
and/or an amount of force that corresponds to the second amount of
force, the computing device may instruct the feedback component to
provide a second level of feedback that is more intense than the
first level of feedback (such as vibrating the solenoid with a
second level of vibration that is stronger than the first level of
vibration) to indicate to a user that an input corresponding to
execution of a program corresponding to an icon was received.
[0056] In the present disclosure, the methods disclosed may be
implemented as sets of instructions or software readable by a
device. Further, it is understood that the specific order or
hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed are examples of sample
approaches. In other embodiments, the specific order or hierarchy
of steps in the method can be rearranged while remaining within the
disclosed subject matter. The accompanying method claims present
elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not
necessarily meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy
presented.
[0057] The described disclosure may be provided as a computer
program product, or software, that may include a non-transitory
machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which
may be used to program a computer system (or other electronic
devices) to perform a process according to the present disclosure.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for
storing information in a form (e.g., software, processing
application) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). The
non-transitory machine-readable medium may take the form of, but is
not limited to, a magnetic storage medium (e.g., floppy diskette,
video cassette, and so on); optical storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM);
magneto-optical storage medium; read only memory (ROM); random
access memory (RAM); erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and
EEPROM); flash memory; and so on.
[0058] It is believed that the present disclosure and many of its
attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing
description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be
made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components
without departing from the disclosed subject matter or without
sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form described is
merely explanatory, and it is the intention of the following claims
to encompass and include such changes.
[0059] While the present disclosure has been described with
reference to various embodiments, it will be understood that these
embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the disclosure
is not limited to them. Many variations, modifications, additions,
and improvements are possible. More generally, embodiments in
accordance with the present disclosure have been described in the
context or particular embodiments. Functionality may be separated
or combined in blocks differently in various embodiments of the
disclosure or described with different terminology. These and other
variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall
within the scope of the disclosure as defined in the claims that
follow.
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