Touch sensitive device for providing mini-map of tactile user interface and method of controlling the same

1. A touch sensitive device comprising:

a touch sensitive panel configured to provide a tactile user interface including at least one tactile object;

a sensor unit configured to detect contact with the touch sensitive panel and generate contact region information of a contact region in which the contact is detected;

a tactile feedback unit configured to generate tactile feedback of a mini-map of the tactile user interface in the contact region indicated by the generated contact region information; and

a controller configured to control the touch sensitive panel, the sensor unit, the tactile feedback unit and the tactile user interface,

wherein the mini-map of the tactile user interface includes a duplicate of the tactile object provided on the touch sensitive panel, and

wherein the duplicate of the tactile object indicates a direction from the contact region indicated by the contact region information to the tactile object.

2. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the tactile user interface includes a first tactile object and a second tactile object, and

the mini-map of the tactile user interface includes a first duplicate corresponding to the first tactile object and a second duplicate corresponding to the second tactile object.

3. The touch sensitive device according to claim 2 , wherein:

when the first tactile object and the second tactile object are located in different directions from the contact region indicated by the contact region information,

the second duplicate is removed from the mini-map and the first duplicate is maintained if the contact region is moved in a direction in which the first tactile object is located, and

the first duplicate is removed from the mini-map and the second duplicate is maintained if the contact region is moved in a direction in which the second tactile object is located.

4. The touch sensitive device according to claim 2 , wherein, when the first tactile object and the second tactile object are located in the same direction from the contact region indicated by the contact region information and distances from the contact region indicated by the contact region information to the first tactile object and the second tactile object are equal to or greater than a predetermined distance,

the controller removes the first duplicate and the second duplicate from the mini-map, groups the first tactile object and the second tactile object, and includes a third duplicate corresponding to the grouped first and second tactile objects in the mini-map.

5. The touch sensitive device according to claim 4 , wherein the third duplicate is equal to the first duplicate or the second duplicate in terms of at least one of position, shape and size.

6. The touch sensitive device according to claim 4 , wherein, if the distances from the contact region indicated by the contact region information to the first tactile object and the second tactile object are reduced to be less than the predetermined distance, the controller removes the third duplicate from the mini-map and includes the first duplicate and the second duplicate in the mini-map.

7. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein, if the contact region indicated by the contact region information overlaps the tactile object by a ratio within a first ratio range, the controller removes the duplicate of the overlapped tactile object from the mini-map of the tactile user interface.

8. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein, if the contact region indicated by the contact region information overlaps the tactile object by a ratio within a second ratio range, the tactile feedback unit removes the tactile feedback of the mini-map of the tactile user interface and generates tactile feedback of the overlapped tactile object.

9. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein, if the contact region indicated by the contact region information is included in a region of the tactile object, the duplicate of the tactile object indicates a reduced size and shape of the tactile object.

10. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein the mini-map includes the duplicate of the tactile object on a virtual line connecting the center of the contact region indicated by the contact region information and the tactile object.

11. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller sets the position of the duplicate of the tactile object in the mini-map according to a distance from the center of the contact region indicated by the contact region information to the tactile object.

12. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the controller divides the contact region indicated by the contact region information into a plurality of sub contact regions, and

the tactile feedback unit generates tactile feedback with respect to sub contact regions of a direction, in which the tactile object is located, among the plurality of sub contact regions.

13. The touch sensitive device according to claim 12 , wherein the tactile feedback unit generates different tactile feedback with respect to sub contact regions in the direction, in which the tactile object is located, among the plurality of sub contact regions.

14. The touch sensitive device according to claim 12 , wherein the tactile feedback unit controls the strength of the tactile feedback according to the distance between the sub contact region of the direction, in which the tactile object is located, and the tactile object.

15. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein the touch sensitive panel includes a touch sensitive display for displaying a graphical user interface.

16. The touch sensitive device according to claim 15 , wherein the touch sensitive display displays the graphical user interface corresponding to the tactile user interface.

17. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein the duplicate of the tactile object is generated by reducing the tactile object.

18. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein the tactile object includes a soft button with a function for controlling the touch sensitive device or an application executed in the touch sensitive device.

19. The touch sensitive device according to claim 1 , wherein the mini-map of the tactile user interface indicates a relative distance from the contact region indicated by the contact region information to the tactile object.

20. A method of controlling a touch sensitive device, the method comprising:

providing a tactile user interface including at least one tactile object on a touch sensitive panel;

detecting contact with the touch sensitive panel and generating contact region information of a contact region in which the contact is detected; and

generating tactile feedback of a mini-map of the tactile user interface in the contact region indicated by the generated contact region information,

wherein the mini-map of the tactile user interface includes a duplicate of the tactile object provided on the touch sensitive panel, and

wherein the duplicate of the tactile object indicates a direction from the contact region indicated by the contact region information to the tactile object.