New Transducers Limited

Nvf Tech Ltd

Google Inc.

New Tranducers Limited

Tectonic Audio Labs

Martin Colloms

Neil John Harris

Henry Firouz Azima

Graham Bank

Neil Simon Owen

Christien Ellis

Martin Christopher Cassey

Timothy Christopher Johnson Whitwell

Paul Antony Burton

Farad Azima

Martin Roberts

Nicholas Patrick Roland Hill

Geoffrey Arthur Boyd

James East

Julian Fordham

Ian D MacFarlane

Denis Morecroft

Charles Bream

Bijan Djahansouzi

Mark Starnes

Chris Cowdery

David Keith Berriman

Douglas Andrew Marchant

Andrew Marchant

Norman Crocker

Andreas Buos

Ian David Macfarlane

Andrew Douglas Marchant

Geoffrey A Boyd

A touch sensitive device comprising a touch surface, a force exciter coupled to the touch surface to excite vibration in the surface in response to a signal sent to the exciter, with the touch surface and exciter together forming a coupled system and a signal generator to generate the signal, with the signal generator generating a carrier wave signal at frequencies within the frequency bandwidth of the coupled system and modulating the carrier wave signal with a complex modulation where the modulated carrier wave signal has a time response comparable to that of a low frequency signal which produces a desired haptic sensation whereby a user touching the touch surface excited by the exciter in response to the modulated carrier wave signal experiences the desired haptic sensation which is perceived at a frequency below the frequency bandwidth of the coupled system.

Touch sensitive device

A method of making a touch-sensitive data entry screen of the kind arranged to provide haptic response to a user via at least one electromechanical exciter coupled to the screen, comprising analyzing the mechanical and electromechanical coupled system represented by the data entry screen and the at least one exciter, and selecting values of parameters of the coupled system to provide a required displacement and acceleration of the screen at low frequency in response to human touch.

A touch sensitive device comprising a touch sensitive display member capable of supporting bending wave vibration and having a user accessible display surface, an array of transducers coupled to the display member with the array of transducers comprising at least some transducers which are configured to both detect physical touching of the input surface by the user and to input impulses into the display member to produce a haptics sensation to the user in response to said detected touching of the display surface, and a signal processor to receive signals from at least some of transducers in the array of transducers and adapted to analyze the signals to determine the location of the physical touch on the display surface.

Touch sensitive device employing bending wave vibration sensors that detect touch location and provide haptic feedback

A user/machine interface comprising a panel having a surface, the panel being capable of supporting bending waves, a touch-sensitive input device associated with the surface, and means including a force transducer for providing force feedback to the input device. The force is in the form of pulses to the panel, the pulses being in the form of a modulated signal shaped as a damped sinusoid whereby a button click sensation is provided to the user's finger tip. The modulated signal may be produced by a narrow-band sine wave having a carrier frequency in the range 150 to 750 Hz and being of a duration of at least 10 ms.

Touch-sensitive device

An acoustic device and method of making said acoustic device. The acoustic device comprises a diaphragm having resonant bending wave modes in the operating frequency range, and a plurality of electromechanical transducers coupled to the diaphragm. The positioning and mechanical impedance of the transducers are such that at least a selected number of the resonant bending wave modes are balanced so that the net transverse modal velocity over the area of the diaphragm tends to zero with the balancing of the resonant bending wave modes being achieved substantially by the positioning and mechanical impedance of the transducers. The parameters of the diaphragm may be such that there are a plurality of nodal grouped locations at or around which the nodal lines of a selected number of resonant modes are clustered. Each transducer may be mounted at one of the plurality of nodal grouped locations.

Bending wave acoustic device and method of making thereof

A transducer () for producing a force which excites an acoustic radiator, e.g. a panel () to produce an acoustic output. The transducer () has an intended operative frequency range and comprises a resonant element which has a distribution of modes and which is modal in the operative frequency range. Parameters of the transducer () may be adjusted to improve the modality of the resonant element. A loudspeaker () or a microphone may incorporate the transducer.

Resonant element transducer

From one aspect, the invention is a method of making a bending wave panel loudspeaker, comprising rigidly coupling a lever to a panel edge or marginal portion such that the lever extends at an angle to the plane of the panel, coupling a bending wave exciter to the lever whereby bending wave energy is coupled to the panel to produce an acoustic output when the exciter is fed with a signal and supporting the panel on a suspension positioned outboard of the lever. From another aspect the invention is a bending wave panel-form loudspeaker having a lever rigidly coupled to a marginal portion or edge of the panel, a vibration exciter coupled to the lever to apply bending wave energy to the panel to produce an acoustic output and a panel suspension positioned outboard of the lever. From a further aspect, the invention is a small electronic device, e.g. a mobile telephone or PDA, having a display screen, and a transparent protective cover over the display screen, wherein the transparent protective cover is a loudspeaker as described above.

Bending wave panel loudspeaker

A bending wave loudspeaker having an operating frequency range and a coincidence frequency which is above the operating frequency range, comprising a resonant panel having two generally orthogonal axes, vibration exciting means coupled to the panel to excite the panel into resonance along the one axis of the panel, and means restraining or preventing resonance along the other axis of the panel whereby the panel radiates an acoustic output which is of wide directivity along the one axis and of narrow directivity along the other axis of the panel.

Acoustic device

An inertial exciter () for an acoustic radiator (), and a loudspeaker incorporating an acoustic radiator and such an exciter. The exciter has a massive member (); a coupler () adapted for attachment to the acoustic radiator () and adapted for relative movement with respect to the massive member (); a motor for effecting relative movement of the coupler with respect to the massive member; and a suspension () for supporting the massive member relative to the coupler. The suspension () acts in a plane generally passing through the center of mass of the massive member, thereby reducing any moment acting on the suspension. Also disclosed is a loudspeaker exciter assembly () that has a base plate () for attachment to an acoustic radiator in a non-repeatedly engageable manner, and an exciter () attached to the base plate () in a repeatedly engageable manner; and a loudspeaker incorporating such an exciter assembly.

Loudspeaker driver

Acoustic device including a member extending transversely of its thickness and capable of sustaining bending waves at least over an intendedly consequentially acoustically active area of the transverse extent of said member, the member having, by reason of orderly design methodology disclosed and claimed, a distribution of resonant modes of its natural bending wave vibration at least over said area that is dependent on values of particular parameters of said members, including geometrical configuration and directional bending stiffness(es), which values have been selected to predetermine said distribution of natural resonant modes being consonant with required achievable acoustic action of said member for operation of said device over a desired operative acoustic frequency range.

A bending wave loudspeaker includes a transparent acoustic radiator capable of supporting bending wave vibration and an electromechanical force transducer mounted to the acoustic radiator to excite bending waves in the acoustic radiator to produce an acoustic output. The transducer has an intended operative frequency range and includes a resonant element having a frequency distribution of modes in the operative frequency range and a coupler for mounting the transducer to the acoustic radiator. The loudspeaker may be incorporated in a telephone handset or a visual display unit.

Growing community of inventors

London, United Kingdom

Martin Colloms