HAPTIC INTERFACE

Abstract

A haptic interface of the ‘mid-air’ type, including a control circuit, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers connected to the circuit, which includes a first set of transducers emitting at a first ultrasound carrier frequency and at least a second set of transducers emitting at a second ultrasound carrier frequency different from the first; the control circuit being configured for modulating the signals sent to the transducers in order to generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by at least a part of the transducers of the first set, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch within at least a first focal region, and generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by at least a part of the transducers of the second set, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch within at least a second focal region.

Claims

1. A haptic interface of the ‘mid-air’ type, comprising: a control circuit, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers connected to said circuit, which includes a first set of transducers emitting at a first ultrasound carrier frequency and at least a second set of transducers emitting at a second ultrasound carrier frequency different from the first; the control circuit being configured for modulating the signals sent to the transducers in order to: generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by at least a part of the transducers of the first set, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch within at least a first focal region, and generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by at least a part of the transducers of the second set, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch within at least a second focal region.

2. The interface according to claim 1, the first and second carrier frequencies being separated by at least 10 kHz.

3. The interface according to claim 1, the transducers of the first set and those of the second set having active membranes of different sizes.

4. The interface according to claim 1, the transducers of the first set being grouped according to one or more subsets, as are those of the second set.

5. The interface according to claim 1, the transducers of the first and those of the second set being carried by the same substrate.

6. The interface according to claim 1, comprising at least a third set of transducers emitting at an ultrasound carrier frequency different from those of the first and second sets.

7. The interface according to claim 1, the sets of transducers being disposed according to a generally concentric arrangement by order of height of carrier frequency, the set emitting at the highest carrier frequency being disposed in the center.

8. The interface according to claim 1, comprising a detection system configured for detecting the position relative to the transducers of at least one surface to be stimulated for touch, the control circuit being arranged for controlling the transducers as a function of the position of the surface of the user thus detected.

9. The interface according to claim 1, each transducer of a set being of the piezoelectric, ferroelectric, electromagnetic, thermal or ceramic piezoelectric type.

10. A method for generating at least one mid-air touch sensation on a user using an interface as defined in claim 1, comprising the step consisting in: modulating by virtue of a control circuit the control signals sent to the transducers in order to: generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by at least a part of the transducers of the first set, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch within at least a first focal region, and generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by at least a part of the transducers of the second set, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch within at least a second focal region.

11. The method according to claim 10, a touch sensation of a first surface being generated at the first focal region and a touch sensation of a second surface being generated at the second focal region, in such a manner that the sensation of the second surface gives the impression to the user that it is smaller than the first surface.

12. The method according to claim 10, a touch sensation of a first surface being generated at the first focal region and a touch sensation of a second surface being generated at the second focal region, in such a manner that the perception of the second surface gives the impression to the user that it is situated further away than the first surface.

13. The method according to claim 10, the transducers of the first set emitting at a carrier frequency that is lower than the carrier frequency at which the transducers of the second set are emitting, a touch sensation of a first surface being generated at the first focal region and a touch sensation of a second surface being generated at the second focal region, in such a manner that the perception of the first surface gives the impression to the user that it is situated further away and/or is bigger than the second surface.

14. A method for fabricating matrices of transducers of the PMUT type of an interface such as defined in claim 1, the method comprising the steps consisting in: depositing at least a first layer of a material for forming the membranes of the transducers on the upper face of a substrate, depositing at least one piezoelectric stack on said at least a first layer for formation of the membranes, based on the succession of deposition and etching of electrode materials and of piezoelectric material, forming a plurality of transducers on the substrate by masking and etching of the layers previously deposited, cutting out the substrate by masking and etching in order to expose the lower face of the membrane of each transducer, and electrically connecting each transducer to the control circuit, notably by virtue of flexible connectors or connectors passing through the substrate.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least the first and second sets of transducers are fabricated in this said manner on the same substrate.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] FIG. 1 shows a partial and schematic view of one example of a haptic interface of the ‘mid-air’ type according to the invention,

[0051] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the principle of focusing of the ultrasound waves by adjusting the phase shift,

[0052] FIG. 3 is a partial and schematic top view of one example of an ultrasonic transducer,

[0053] FIG. 4 shows a partial and schematic view of one exemplary embodiment of a matrix of transducers comprising transducers of different sizes,

[0054] FIG. 5a shows a partial and schematic view of one exemplary embodiment of an assembly of matrices of transducers,

[0055] FIG. 5b shows a partial and schematic view of another exemplary embodiment of an assembly of matrices of transducers,

[0056] FIG. 5c shows a partial and schematic view of another exemplary embodiment of an assembly of matrices of transducers,

[0057] FIG. 6a illustrates a partial and schematic view of a matrix of transducers of different sizes that can generate various touch sensations,

[0058] FIG. 6b illustrates a partial and schematic view of the possibility of generating various touch sensations using a matrix of transducers of different sizes,

[0059] FIG. 6c illustrates a partial and schematic view of the possibility of generating other various touch sensations using a matrix of transducers of different sizes,

[0060] FIG. 7 is a partial and schematic cross section of one exemplary embodiment of an ultrasonic transducer of the PMUT type,

[0061] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating steps of one example of a method for fabricating a plurality of ultrasonic transducers of the PMUT type,

[0062] FIG. 9 is a partial and schematic cross section illustrating the second step in FIG. 8,

[0063] FIG. 10 is a partial and schematic cross section of the plurality of transducers of the PMUT type after the third step in FIG. 8,

[0064] FIG. 11 is a partial and schematic cross section of the plurality of transducers of the PMUT type in FIG. 8 prior to the dicing by matrix,

[0065] FIG. 12 is a partial and schematic cross section illustrating one example of electrical connection of the transducer in FIG. 7, and

[0066] FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating one example of operation of the haptic interface according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0067] One example of a haptic interface 1 according to the invention is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1.

[0068] The interface 1 comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 2, for example carried by the same substrate 4, and a control circuit 3.

[0069] The plurality of transducers 2 comprises a first set 25 of transducers emitting at a first ultrasound carrier frequency and a second set 26 of transducers emitting at a second ultrasound carrier frequency, different from the first.

[0070] The control circuit 3 is configured for modulating the signals 30 sent to the transducers 2 in order to generate, with the ultrasound waves emitted by the first set of transducers, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch on a surface S, defined for example by the palm and/or the fingers of one hand, within a first focal region 10, and, with the ultrasound waves emitted by the second set of transducers, an acoustic pressure detectable by touch via the surface S within a second focal region 11. Each focal region exhibits spatial characteristics notably depending on the carrier frequency of the set of transducers responsible for the corresponding acoustic pressure.

[0071] The focal regions 10 and 11 may be localized at separate places of the surface S or may overlap, at least partially. They may or may not be of different sizes.

[0072] In the example considered, the interface 1 furthermore comprises a detection system 5 configured for detecting the position of the surface S to be stimulated by touch and for transmitting corresponding localization data 50 to the control circuit 3. The interface 1 is said to be of the ‘mid-air’ type because the surface S to be stimulated by touch is remote from the transducers 2, and the focal regions 10 and 11 are situated in the air at a distance from the transducers, being visually invisible to the user.

[0073] The acoustic pressures detectable by touch are generated according to a principle known as ‘electronic acoustic focusing’, known from the prior art and illustrated schematically in FIG. 2.

[0074] In order to concentrate the ultrasound waves 20 emitted by the transducers 2 of the same set of transducers into a predefined focal region 10, in a manner known per se, the control circuit 3 sends complex alternating signals 30 to the transducers 2 in order to introduce phase shifts between the various ultrasound waves emitted by the transducers 2 actuated, thus generating the desired wavefront shape, this wavefront shape resulting in an increase of the acoustic pressure within the focal region 10.

[0075] FIG. 3 shows one example of a transducer 2 carried by a substrate 4. The transducer 2 comprises for example a piezoelectric actuator 21 and an active membrane 22 set into vibration by the actuator 21.

[0076] In the example considered, the active membrane 22 has a circular shape. In other embodiments, the active membrane 22 has a non-circular shape, for example polygonal, notably square, rectangular, or any other appropriate shape, 2D or 3D, where the membrane may have a convex or concave shape. The radius of the piezoelectric actuator 21 is for example around 50% of the radius of the active membrane 21, this ratio being advantageous for a correct deformation of the membrane, as described in the article by Casset, F., et al. “Piezoelectric membrane actuator design.” (2011 12th Intl. Conf. on Thermal, Mechanical & Multi-Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems. IEEE, 2011).

[0077] Within each set of transducers, the latter are identical and consequently emit at the same carrier frequency. From one set to the other, the transducers 2 differ for example in their dimension, each dimension corresponding to a respective carrier frequency. The active membrane 22 of the transducers 2 varies for example in thickness and/or in radius, preferably in radius, from one set to another.

[0078] The transducers of the various sets of the interface according to the invention may be disposed within one or more matrices 40. The term ‘matrix’ denotes a single-piece structure carrying several transducers, identical or otherwise. A matrix may comprise transducers which have been fabricated simultaneously, as detailed hereinbelow.

[0079] FIG. 4 shows a matrix 40 of ultrasonic transducers 2 comprising three sets 25, 26 and 27 of transducers with different respective sizes, the transducers 2 being disposed on the substrate 4 according for example to a concentric distribution, as illustrated. For example, the set 25 corresponds to that comprising the transducers 2 of smallest size, disposed at the center of the matrix, the set 26 to that comprising the transducers 2 of intermediate size, and the set 27 to that comprising the transducers 2 of largest size, distributed on the periphery of the matrix.

[0080] The active membranes 22 of the transducers 2 of the sets 25, 26 and 27 have for example radii of 1000, 1600 and 2200 micrometers, respectively. The carrier frequency f corresponding to a given size of membrane may be estimated by virtue of the following equation, coming from the article by Nguyen, M. D., et al. “Optimized electrode coverage of membrane actuators based on epitaxial PZT thin films.” (Smart materials and structures 22.8 (2013): 085013.):

[00001]$f=\frac{{\lambda }_n^{2}t}{2\pi r^2}\sqrt{\frac{E}{12\rho \left(1-v\right)}}$

[0081] with E and v the Young's modulus and the Poisson coefficient of the membrane, respectively, ρ its average density, t its thickness and r its radius. λ.sub.n is the resonance eigenvalue of the membrane with n the mode of resonance.

[0082] In the example considered, the carrier frequencies of the transducers 2 of the sets 25, 26 and 27 are thus approximately 107 kHz, 44 kHz and 22 kHz, respectively. According to these frequencies, the haptic effect may be generated at a distance of the order of 10 cm to 1 m.

[0083] The transducers of various sets may be disposed within the same matrix 40 in various ways, for example in a generally concentric fashion as illustrated in FIG. 4, or else mixed randomly or complying with other rules for disposition of the transducers relative to one another.

[0084] In other embodiments, as illustrated for example in FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c, the sets are disposed on respective separate matrices 40 which are for example grouped, the matrices 40 being for example assembled in the same plane. The matrices 40 may be of different shapes and sizes, such as in FIG. 5a, or of similar size such as in FIG. 5b. The membranes 22 of the transducers 2 of each matrix 40 may differ in thickness, such as illustrated in FIG. 5c, the carrier frequency varying with the thickness.

[0085] The dimensioning of the matrix or matrices 40 of transducers 2 depends on the desired haptic effect(s).

[0086] It is possible to estimate the number of transducers needed based on the acoustic pressure that it is desired to generate and on its localization. For example, for transducers having a radius of active membrane of the order of 1000 micrometers, a haptic effect able to be sensed by the finger, corresponding to an acoustic pressure of 198 Pa, may be obtained at a distance of 0.2 m with around 550 transducers. This acoustic pressure is the sum of the unitary acoustic pressures generated by each transducer. The unitary acoustic pressure P generated by a transducer may be calculated from the surface area S.sub.m of its membrane, from its carrier frequency f and from the distance d at which it is generated, by using the following equation of the acoustic pressure coming from a plane piston:

[00002]$P=\frac{\sqrt{2}.Math.\pi .Math.\rho .Math.S_m.Math.ϵ.Math.f^2}{d}$ [0087] with ρ the average density of the membrane and E the amplitude of the vibration.

[0088] In a similar manner to the preceding calculation, it is possible to generate at the same distance of 0.2 m a haptic effect able to be sensed by the finger, corresponding to an acoustic pressure of 199 Pa, with 700 transducers having a membrane radius of the order of 1600 micrometers. Around 900 transducers with a membrane radius of 2200 micrometers may be used to generate an acoustic pressure of the same order at a similar distance.

[0089] It is possible to obtain in a simple manner haptic effects which would otherwise be relatively complex to obtain using the acoustic contributions of the transducers operating at the various carrier frequencies. This principle is illustrated in FIGS. 6a, 6b and 6c.

[0090] As illustrated in FIG. 6a, a matrix 40 is for example used comprising three sets 25, 26 and 27 of transducers disposed according to a concentric distribution by order of size, from the smallest transducers (set 25) in the center to the largest transducers (set 27) at the periphery. The use of the transducers of various sizes, and hence carrier frequencies, allows haptic effects that are more or less localized to be simultaneously or successively generated, or a haptic effect to be complexified at one point in space. For example, the transducers 2 with the largest size, in other words emitting at the lowest carrier frequency (corresponding to the set 27 in the example considered), may be used to generate the haptic effect furthest away and/or the touch sensation of a pattern with the least resolution, in other words the largest. On the other hand, the transducers 2 with the smallest size, in other words emitting at the highest carrier frequency (corresponding to the set 25), may be used to generate the nearest haptic effect and/or the touch sensation of a smaller pattern.

[0091] In the example illustrated in FIG. 6b, the transducers of the set 27 generate for example a touch sensation 17 giving the impression to the user of touching the front of an elephant, whereas the transducers of the set 25 generate a touch sensation 15 giving the impression to the user of touching a smaller and more angular region of the same elephant, for example the tip of its tusk. The transducers of the set 26, of intermediate size, may generate a touch sensation 16 giving for example the impression to the user of touching the trunk of the elephant.

[0092] In another example, illustrated in FIG. 6c, the user may have the impression of holding a chick P in their hand by virtue of three haptic effects 15, 16 and 17 generated by the sets 25, 26 and 27, respectively, and reproducing virtually the touch sensations of the beak, of the head and of the body of the chick, respectively.

[0093] FIG. 7 shows one exemplary embodiment of a transducer 2 of the interface 1. In the example in question, the transducer 2 is of the micro-machined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) type and comprises, as previously described, an active membrane 22 fixed onto a rigid substrate 4 and a piezoelectric actuator 21 disposed on the membrane 22.

[0094] The rigid substrate 4 is for example made of silicon. An insulating layer 41, for example made of silicon oxide, may be added between the substrate 4 and the membrane 22. The membrane 22 is fixed onto the substrate only by its periphery, its central part being free to flex.

[0095] The membrane 22 is formed of one or more superposed constitutive layers and has a total thickness for example in the range between 0.5 and 10 μm. In the example considered, the membrane 22 is composed of two superposed layers 220 and 221. The lower layer 220 is for example made of polysilicon and has a thickness of 4 μm. The upper layer 221 is for example made of silicon oxide and has a thickness of 1.9 μm.

[0096] The piezoelectric actuator 21 comprises for example four superposed layers 210, 211, 212 and 213. The layer 210 is in contact with the upper layer 221 of the membrane 22. The layer 210 is for example a layer of platinum and forms the lower electrode of the actuator 21. In this example, the upper electrode of the actuator comprises a layer 212, for example of ruthenium, and a conductor layer 213, for example of gold. The layer 211 situated between the two electrodes is a layer of piezoelectric or ferroelectric material, for example of lead zirconate titanate (PZT). It may also be a layer of aluminum nitride (AlN), of zinc oxide (ZnO) or any other suitable piezoelectric or ferroelectric material.

[0097] In order to obtain the PMUT transducer illustrated in FIG. 7, a method of fabrication comprising the steps shown in FIG. 8 may be implemented, allowing a large number of transducers to be fabricated simultaneously.

[0098] At the step 71, one or more layer(s), for example of polysilicon and silicon oxide, is/are deposited on the upper face of a rigid substrate 4, in order to form the active membranes 22 of the transducers. An insulating layer 41 may initially be deposited between the substrate 4 and the first layer of the membrane.

[0099] At the step 72, the materials that will form the piezoelectric actuators 21 are successively deposited in thin layers. The method starts for example by depositing a layer of platinum 210 so as to form the lower electrode, then it is covered with a layer 211 of a piezoelectric material of the PZT type, which is subsequently itself covered by a thin layer of ruthenium 212. At the end of the step 72 and as illustrated in FIG. 9, a continuous stack of the layers previously described is obtained, namely from bottom to top: the substrate 4, the insulating layer 41, the layers 220 and 221 forming the membrane 22, and the layers 210, 211 and 212 forming the piezoelectric actuator 21.

[0100] Then, at the step 73, and as illustrated in FIG. 10, the plurality of transducers on the substrate 4 is formed by application of a mask and by etching the layers 210, 211 and 212 constituting the piezoelectric actuator. This step may furthermore comprise the application of an insulating passivation layer 214, for example of silicon oxide, and of a conducting layer 213, for example of gold, on at least a part of the layer 212.

[0101] At the step 74, the lower face of the substrate 4 and the insulating layer 41 are cut out, for example via the application of a mask then by etching, in such a manner as to expose the lower face of the central part of the active membrane 22 of each transducer such as illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0102] A plurality of transducers may thus be formed simultaneously in a simple fashion on the same substrate. At the step 75, the substrate may subsequently be cut up in order to obtain matrices 40 of transducers of the desired size. The size and the thickness of the membranes may be adjusted in order to obtain transducers of different frequencies.

[0103] At the step 76, each transducer is electrically connected to control electronics by virtue, for example, of through-connections 7.

[0104] In order to electrically connect the transducers thus obtained to their control electronics, flexible connectors may be connected to each of the transducers.

[0105] The matrices 40 thus obtained may subsequently be integrated into a packaging and the flexible connectors connected to the control electronics. Alternatively and as illustrated in FIG. 12, through-connections 7 may be used to bring electrical contacts onto the lower face of the substrate 4. The matrices 40 of transducers may then be directly integrated on the control electronics.

[0106] When a voltage difference is applied between the electrodes 210 and 213, the piezoelectric layer 211 can deform under the action of the electric field generated, causing a deformation of the active membrane 22 and the emission of an acoustic wave. Conversely, the transducer 2 thus connected can act as an acoustic wave receiver, for example as a system for detecting the surface S on which the haptic effect is to be generated. In this case, the reception of an acoustic wave deforms the layer 211 and hence the membrane 22, leading to a variation in the electric field which can be translated into an electrical signal on the electrodes, measured by virtue of the electrical connections 7.

[0107] A haptic interface 1 according to the invention, coupled with a detection system 5, may operate according to the steps described in FIG. 13.

[0108] At the step 81, the haptic interface is for example in standby, in the absence of a user within the detection field of the detection system 5. At the step 82, the detection system 5, for example formed from a part of the transducers 2 or from any other suitable detection system, for example optical, detects the presence of a surface S of a user within the detection field and localizes the place where the haptic effect(s) is/are to be generated.

[0109] At the step 83, the control circuit 2 sends the appropriate control signals 30 to actuate at least a part of the transducers 2 in such a manner as to generate the desired haptic effects. At the step 84, the transducers emit ultrasound waves at different carrier frequencies, depending on the sets actuated, allowing one or more haptic effects to be generated within one or more focal regions, giving for example the impression to the user of touching larger or smaller surfaces, in motion and/or exhibiting features. At the step 85, the user moves out of the detection field and the interface 1 goes back into standby.

[0110] It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the examples just described.

[0111] For example, the ultrasonic transducers may be of any type other than a PMUT, and may emit within any range of carrier frequency higher than the audible range.

[0112] The transducers may be fabricated other than by the method of fabrication described hereinabove. The active membranes are for example formed on a glass substrate or on a flexible polymer sheet. The piezoelectric actuator may be located in the center of the membrane or otherwise, in the form of a disk or of a ring or any other shape, and be of various size with respect to the size of the membrane. There may be several piezoelectric actuators on the same membrane, for example one in its center and one on the periphery. The transducers may be deposited as thin layers or transferred directly onto the membrane. As described previously, the transducers with different sized membranes may be disposed on the substrate according to any given distribution.

[0113] The ultrasound waves in the examples considered propagate in the air, but any type of medium may be considered, for example a liquid.

[0114] The haptic effects may be generated at various points located with respect to a predefined region of skin of a user, and/or at one or more fixed points in space, independently of the detection of a user, for example to give anyone entering into the region the impression of the presence of an obstacle. They may be generated on both hands of a user, simultaneously or otherwise, or on any other part of the body of the user.

[0115] The haptic effects may be generated in such a manner as to give the impression to a user of touching various textures.

[0116] The haptic interface may be connected to one or more system(s) generating a visual effect, for example at least one screen, mirror or hologram.