BUTTON ACTUATION WITH VIB-PULSE FEEDBACK

Publishing Venue

Motorola

Related People

Abstract

With continuing reduction in product size, the required space to accomplish a switch with good tactile feedback is reaching it's threshold. Elastomeric switches, for example, require a minimum height to allow for the rubber dome to collapse or buckle and produce a change in actuation force which the user perceives as tactile feed- back. Non-collapsing elastomeric switches require less space, but do not provide the tactile feed back. Some electronic products, such as microwave ovens, take advantage of these low profue and low cost switches and provide an audible beep feedback once the switch is actuated.

0 M ^MO-LA

/NC. Technical Developments Volume 19 June 1993

BUTTON ACTUATION WITH VIB-PULSE FEEDBACK

by Evencio Fernandez and Russ Strobe1

  With continuing reduction in product size, the required space to accomplish a switch with good tactile feedback is reaching it's threshold. Elastomeric switches, for example, require a minimum height to allow for the rubber dome to collapse or buckle and produce a change in actuation force which the user perceives as tactile feed- back. Non-collapsing elastomeric switches require less space, but do not provide the tactile feed back. Some electronic products, such as microwave ovens, take advantage of these low profue and low cost switches

and provide an audible beep feedback once the switch is actuated.

  An alternative to audio feedback is to use a short pulse from the vibrator, typically found in a pager, to provide the feedback once the switch is actuated. This is accomplished by having the micro computer provide a short (fraction of a second) "on" cycle to the vibrator, thus providing a pulse vibrate feedback to the user.

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USER

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SWITCH ACTUATION

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MICRO-P PROVIDES MOMENTARY POWER TO VIBRATOR

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PULSE-VIB FEEDBACK

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0 Motorola. Inc. 1993 123