Handheld electronics devices with multiple user sensory transducers and methods
View Patent ↗An electronics device ( 100 ), for example, a cellular telephone, includes a plurality of discrete transducers, one of which is a dynamic loudspeaker device ( 162 ) and the other being a linear vibrating device ( 164 ). In another embodiment, two or more linear vibrators within device housing are driven with signals having different frequency and/or time variant characteristics to provide different sensory effects for the user.
1. A handheld electronics device, comprising:
a handheld housing;
a transducer driver circuit having a signal output, the transducer driver circuit having an amplifier with an output corresponding to the signal output;
a first discrete transducer disposed in the handheld housing, the first transducer having a first transducer input coupled to the signal output of the transducer driver circuit;
a second discrete transducer disposed in the handheld housing, the second transducer having a second transducer input coupled to the signal output of the transducer driver circuit,
the first transducer having a first frequency characteristic, the second transducer having a second frequency characteristic, the first and second transducers coupled to the same output of the amplifier.
2. The handheld electronics device of claim 1 , the first transducer is a linear vibrating device, the second transducer is a dynamic loudspeaker.
3. The handheld electronics device of claim 1 , the first transducer coupled to the output of the amplifier by a first passive signal conditioning circuit, the second transducer coupled to the output of the amplifier by a second passive signal conditioning circuit.
4. The handheld electronics device of claim 1 further comprising a stereo signal source having right and left channel signal outputs, the amplifier has an input coupled to one of the right or left stereo channel signal outputs of the stereo signal source.
5. The handheld electronics device of claim 1 , the first frequency characteristic of the first transducer is different than the second frequency characteristic of the second transducer.
6. The handheld electronics device of claim 1 is a communications handset including a processor and a radio transceiver coupled to the processor, an audio receiver coupled to the processor.
7. A method in an electronics handset, the method comprising:
providing a vibrating sensation with a first linear vibrator of the electronics handset in response to a first input signal applied to the first linear vibrator;
providing the vibrating sensation with a second linear vibrator of the electronics handset in response to a second input signal applied to the second linear vibrator,
the first and second linear vibrators are discrete devices disposed within a housing of the electronics handset.
8. The method of claim 7 , providing the vibrating sensation with the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics handset in response to first and second input signals having different time variant characteristics.
9. The method of claim 7 , driving the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics handset with the first and second input signals to provide different effects perceived by the user.
10. The method of claim 7 , driving the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics handset with the first and second input signals to provide different beats.
11. The method of claim 7 , driving the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics handset with the first and second input signals to provide a rocking motion of the electronics handset.
12. The method of claim 7 , driving the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics handset with the first and second input signals to pan the vibrating sensation across the electronics handset.
13. The method of claim 7 , providing the first signal and the second signal to the first and second linear vibrators as a composite signal.
14. The method of claim 13 , conditioning the composite signal provided to the first and second linear vibrators with corresponding passive circuits.
15. The method of claim 7 , providing the first and second signals to the first and second linear vibrators as discrete, non-composite signals.
16. A handheld electronics device, comprising:
a handheld housing;
a transducer driver circuit having a signal output;
a first linear vibrator disposed in the handheld housing, the first linear vibrator having a first input coupled to the signal output of the transducer driver circuit;
a second linear vibrator disposed in the handheld housing, the second linear vibrator having a second input coupled to the signal output of the transducer driver circuit,
the first linear vibrator having a first frequency characteristic, the second linear vibrator having a second frequency characteristic.
17. The handheld electronics device of claim 16 , the first frequency characteristic of the first linear vibrator is substantially the same as the second frequency characteristic of the second linear vibrator.
18. The handheld electronics device of claim 16 , vibration axes of the first and second linear vibrators have different orientations within the housing.
19. The handheld electronics device of claim 18 , the transducer driver circuit for generating first and second drive signals having different time variant characteristics and for providing the first and second drive signals to the first and second linear vibrators.
20. The handheld electronics device of claim 18 , the transducer driver circuit for driving the first and second linear vibrators with input signals that provide different beats.
21. The handheld electronics device of claim 18 , the transducer driver circuit for driving the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics device with input signals that provide a rocking motion of the electronics device.
22. The handheld electronics device of claim 18 , the transducer driver circuit for driving the first and second linear vibrators of the electronics device with input signals that pan a vibrating sensation across the electronics device.