Tactus Technology, Inc.

Todd A Culver

Craig M Ciesla

Micah B Yairi

One variation of a method for controlling a dynamic tactile user interface includes: sensing a capacitance value across a portion of a cavity, a tactile layer defining a deformable region and a peripheral region, the peripheral region adjacent the deformable region, and the deformable region cooperating with the substrate to define the cavity; estimating a vertical position of the tactile surface at the deformable region according to the sensed capacitance value across the portion of the cavity; manipulating a fluid pressure within the cavity to modify a vertical position of the tactile surface at the deformable region according to a difference between the estimated vertical position of the tactile surface at the deformable region and a target vertical position of the tactile surface at the deformable region; and sensing an input on the tactile surface according to a change in capacitance value across the portion of the cavity.

User interface and methods

One variation of a method for controlling a dynamic tactile user interface includes: sensing a first capacitance value across a portion of a cavity in a retracted setting; sensing a second capacitance value across a peripheral region; generating a capacitance map according to the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value; modifying a fluid pressure within the cavity to transition the cavity into an expanded setting, the deformable region elevated above the peripheral region in the expanded setting; sensing a third capacitance value across the portion of the cavity in the expanded setting; updating the capacitance map according to the third capacitance value; and detecting an input on the tactile surface at the deformable region according to a comparison between a sensed capacitance value across the portion of the cavity and the capacitance map.

Growing community of inventors

Fremont, CA, United States of America

Todd A Culver