Button Simulation and Design via FDVV Models

Abstract

Designing a pushbutton with desired sensation and performance is challenging because the mechanical construction must have the right response characteristics. Physical simulation of a button's force-displacement (FD) response has been studied to facilitate prototyping; however, the simulations' scope and realism have been limited. In this paper, we extend FD modeling to include vibration (V) and velocity-dependence characteristics (V). The resulting FDVV models better capture tactility characteristics of buttons, including snap. They increase the range of simulated buttons and the perceived realism relative to FD models. The paper also demonstrates methods for obtaining these models, editing them, and simulating accordingly. This end-to-end approach enables the analysis, prototyping, and optimization of buttons, and supports exploring designs that would be hard to implement mechanically.

Shape-Haptics: Planar & Passive Force Feedback Mechanisms for Physical Interfaces

“…Among these methods, the FD curve is often used as a preliminary way of considering force feedback delivered by a mechanism that displaces with one degree of freedom (e.g. buttons and knobs) [6,14,16,34,36]. It is important to note that the FD curve does not comprehensively communicate all the haptic nuances of interacting with a physical input.…”

“…It is important to note that the FD curve does not comprehensively communicate all the haptic nuances of interacting with a physical input. For instance, static FD calculations do not capture changes due to different interaction velocities and they do not account for vibrations (cutaneous stimulation) that participate in the haptics [16]. However, for designers unfamiliar with haptics, FD curves offer an approachable way to consider the haptics of physical inputs; such as the "click" of a button [2,14], or the stops along a knob's rotation [37].…”

“…a push button, a knob); rather than an independent feature to consider. Furthermore, while the haptics of force feedback mechanisms can be characterized by their force-displacement (FD) curve; this curve is invisible during the design process and is usually empirically evaluated with physical measurements after fabrication [16].…”

Design and Experimental Evaluation of an Electrorheological Haptic Module with Embedded Sensing

“…Mazursky et al [52] demonstrated a thin, button-type actuator based on ER fluid. Designing button-type actuators has long been studied in human-computer interaction, but often requires combining separate actuators for each sensation or convincing the user of displacement through haptic illusions [53][54][55]. In contrast, using smart fluids enables a single mechanism for providing both sensations.…”

Augmenting Physical Buttons with Vibrotactile Feedback for Programmable Feels

“…This limits its versatility as a programmable, informative, or affective interface. A natural idea to improve this drawback is adding a force actuator, e.g., a linear motor, to a physical button and modulating its kinesthetic response [34,35,56]. When implemented appropriately, this approach provides physically faithful sensations and pleasant experiences.…”