SBIR Phase II: Electrostatic Normal Force Modulation for Haptic Touch Screens

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目将推进静电表面触觉的发展，作为为触摸屏提供触觉反馈的一种手段。 在静电表面触觉中，用户的手指被静电电势选择性地拉到玻璃表面，就像电容器的极板彼此吸引一样。 当手指在表面上移动时，增强的法向力导致增强的摩擦力。 通过响应于手指位置和时间来调制静电力，可以创建各种引人注目的触觉感知。 在以前的工作中，开发了低电压技术，薄硬高介电涂层，避免用户接地的必要性的方法，允许不同手指体验不同感觉的透明导体图案，以及一些软件控制。 在第二阶段，将开发与触觉致动完全兼容的手指位置感测方法。 新方法还提供了根据同一只手或相反的手来区分多点触摸手指的可能性，或者同一触摸屏上的第二个人的手指。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于与触摸屏设备的丰富通信。触摸屏已经具有巨大的商业重要性。 从2009年到2011年，全球触摸屏模块市场增长了三倍，其中智能手机、平板电脑和汽车显示应用引领了这一趋势。 消费者已经被触摸屏作为输入设备的多功能性所吸引，但触觉反馈的缺乏限制了低视力人群的可访问性，加剧了驾驶等应用中的安全问题，并阻止了触摸美学的充分发展。 表面触觉技术有可能解决所有这些弱点。 它可用于使用户界面元素仅通过触摸操作，创建新的交互隐喻，并增强整体用户体验。 通过解决市场上已知的和潜在的需求，表面触觉将促进新的工业增长。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will advance the development of electrostatic surface haptics as a means of providing tactile feedback for touchscreens. In electrostatic surface haptics, a user's finger(s) are selectively pulled down to a glass surface by an electrostatic potential, just as a capacitor's plates are attracted to one another. The enhanced normal force leads to an enhanced frictional force when the fingers are moved across the surface. By modulating the electrostatic force in response to finger position and time, a great variety of compelling haptic percepts can be created. In previous work, low voltage techniques, thin hard high dielectric coatings, a way of avoiding the necessity of grounding the user, patterns of transparent conductor that allow different fingers to experience different sensations, and some of the software controls, were developed. In Phase II, methods of finger position sensing that are fully compatible with haptic actuation will be developed. The new methods also offer the possibility of discriminating multi-touch fingers according to same or opposite hand, or the fingers of a second person on the same touchscreen.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project stems from enriched communication with touchscreen devices. Already touchscreens are of immense commercial importance. The worldwide market for touchscreen modules grew three-fold from 2009 to 2011 with smartphones, tablet computers, and automotive display applications leading the charge. Consumers have been attracted to the versatility of touchscreens as input devices, yet the absence of haptic feedback has limited accessibility for low-vision populations, exacerbated safety concerns in applications such as driving, and prohibited the aesthetics of touch from being fully developed. Surface haptics technology has the potential to address all of these weaknesses. It can be used to make user interface elements operable by touch alone, to create new interaction metaphors, and to enhance the overall user experience. By addressing known and latent needs in the marketplace, surface haptics will foster new industrial growth.