Touchscreen panel haptics

1. A touchscreen system for generating localised haptic excitations, comprising:

a touchscreen panel for measuring force and/or capacitance;

one or more first piezoelectric transducers arranged along a first line to generate first excitations in the touchscreen panel;

one or more second piezoelectric transducers arranged along a second line to generate second excitations in the touchscreen panel, wherein the second line is inclined to the first line at an angle;

a pressure and/or capacitance sensing module connected to the touchscreen panel and configured to measure a force and/or capacitance from the touchscreen panel;

a haptic driving module connected to the first and second piezoelectric transducers and configured to generate user perceptible haptic excitation by:

driving the first piezoelectric transducers at a first frequency exceeding 20 kHz, and driving the second piezoelectric transducers at a second frequency exceeding 20 kHz, wherein the difference of the first and second frequencies is a beating frequency, and the beating frequency is between 80 Hz and 400 Hz; or

driving the first and second piezoelectric transducers at a carrier frequency exceeding 20 kHz, the carrier frequency being is modulated at a modulation frequency which is between 80 Hz and 400 Hz;

wherein the angle causes spatial Moiré fringes between the first

and second excitations.

2. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , wherein the haptic driving module is further configured to:

control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by selecting the first and second frequencies in dependence upon the angle; or

control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by selecting the carrier frequency in dependence upon the angle.

3. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , further comprising one or more third piezoelectric transducers arranged along a third line to generate third excitations in the touchscreen panel, wherein the third line is inclined to the first line at a second angle, wherein the second angle is different to the angle;

wherein the haptic driving module is further connected to the third piezoelectric transducers, wherein the haptic driving module is further configured to control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by:

driving the first piezoelectric transducers at the first frequency and driving the second piezoelectric transducers at a second frequency, or driving the first and second piezoelectric transducers at the carrier frequency modulated at the modulation frequency;

driving the first piezoelectric transducers at the first frequency and driving the third piezoelectric transducers at a second frequency, or driving the first and third piezoelectric transducers at the carrier frequency modulated at the modulation frequency; or

driving the second piezoelectric transducers at the first frequency and driving the third piezoelectric transducers at a second frequency, or driving the second and third piezoelectric transducers at the carrier frequency modulated at the modulation frequency.

4. A touchscreen system according to claim 3 , wherein the haptic driving module is further configured to:

control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by selecting the first and second frequencies in dependence upon the angle, the second angle or a difference between the angle and the second angle; or

control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by selecting the carrier frequency in dependence upon the angle, the second angle or a difference between the angle and the second angle.

5. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric transducers is a discrete ceramic piezoelectric transducer.

6. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , wherein the touchscreen panel comprises:

a plurality of first electrodes;

at least one second electrode; and

a layer of piezoelectric material arranged between the first and second electrodes;

wherein each of the first and second piezoelectric transducers comprises one of the first electrodes, at least one second electrode and the layer of piezoelectric material.

7. A touchscreen system according to claim 6 , wherein each first electrode is connected to the haptic driving module and the pressure and/or capacitance sensing module by a switching circuit;

wherein each first electrode is used for measuring force and/or capacitance.

8. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , wherein the beating frequency or modulation frequency is substantially equal to 200 Hz.

9. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier frequency is modulated at the modulation frequency using a sinusoidal envelope.

10. A touchscreen system according to claim 1 , wherein the carrier frequency is modulated at the modulation frequency using a square wave envelope.

11. A touchscreen system for generating localised haptic excitations, comprising:

a touchscreen panel for measuring force and/or capacitance;

an array of piezoelectric transducers arranged in rows and columns;

wherein the touchscreen system is configured to select first piezoelectric transducers corresponding to a first row or column of the array;

wherein the touchscreen system is configured to select second piezoelectric transducers corresponding to a second, different row or column;

a pressure and/or capacitance sensing module connected to the touchscreen panel and configured to measure a force and/or capacitance from the touchscreen panel;

a haptic driving module connected to the first and second piezoelectric transducers and configured to generate user perceptible haptic excitation by:

driving the first piezoelectric transducers at a first frequency exceeding 20 kHz, and driving the second piezoelectric transducers at a second frequency exceeding 20 kHz, wherein the difference of the first and second frequencies is a beating frequency, and the beating frequency is between 80 Hz and 400 Hz; or

driving the first and second piezoelectric transducers at a carrier frequency exceeding 20 kHz, the carrier frequency being modulated at a modulation frequency which is between 80 Hz and 400 Hz;

wherein the haptic driving module is configured to drive the first piezoelectric transducers in phase to generate first excitations in the touch panel along a line corresponding to the first row or column;

wherein the haptic driving module is configured to drive the second piezoelectric transducers by applying a different phase shift to the driving signal for each of the second piezoelectric transducers, so as to generate second excitations in the touchscreen panel having an implied origin along a second line which is inclined to the first line at an angle, wherein the phase shift for each second piezoelectric transducer depends on a perpendicular distance of that second piezoelectric transducer from the second line;

wherein the angle causes spatial Moiré fringes between the first and second excitations.

12. A touchscreen system according to claim 11 , wherein the haptic driving module is further configured to:

control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by selecting the first and second frequencies in dependence upon the angle; or

control the spacing of the Moiré fringes by selecting the carrier frequency in dependence upon the angle.