Haptics Controller ICs Enhance Tactile Feedback

HiWave Technologies' recently developed haptics controller ICs are designed for use with the company's haptic exciters to deliver real-time touch feedback to users' fingertips. The haptic solutions utilize the company's patented bending wave technology to create and position tactile sensations on conventional flat panels.


Click to enlarge

HiWave's HIHS9002 has extremely low latency when receiving coordinates and vectors from a host system processor and delivering stored haptic signals to the transducers. The signal library comprises a range of haptic clicks and textures that allow straightforward implementation of button, trackpad and scroll features. In addition, it contains audio cues that can be delivered through the same transducers, which turn the flat panel or display into a loudspeaker. Multiple haptic signals and audio cues are stored in the chip's non-volatile memory, enabling appropriate feedback to be generated to accompany the key-press or gesture being invoked by the user.

Fundamental to the implementation of bending wave haptics are HiWave's real-time rendering algorithms embedded in the controller. One of their key functions is to compensate in advance for the signal dispersion and interference that occurs between the actuators and the point of finger contact. The processing is tuned to the given panel or screen implementation. It optimizes for size, shape, material characteristics and mounting. The HIHS9002 generates bespoke waveforms, tailored to the prevailing touch co-ordinates, for feeding into a pair of haptic exciters. In this way, the sensation is refined for the application.

The haptics controller ICs are suitable for application in hand-held computing and communications, data entry terminals, keypads, chip/pin readers, industrial control and home appliances.

HiWave