Multi-functional vibro-acoustic device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG.
1 shows apparatus according to the invention in the form of a smart-phone or personal data assistant (PDA) 1 having a casing 3 and an input device in the form of a touch-sensitive panel 5.
The panel is of the appropriate thickness and moderate mechanical impedance to be set into bending wave vibration for several vibro-acoustic purposes.
The panel is made from a transparent material allowing a liquid crystal display (LCD) 9 which is mounted behind the panel to be viewed.
The panel acts as a loudspeaker and is capable of supporting bending waves.
A first transducer 15 is mounted to the panel to excite bending wave vibration in the panel to produce an acoustic output.
The volume of the acoustic output may be adjusted allowing the PDA to be used in conference mode as a hands-free loudspeaker telephone or in telephone mode to be held to a user's ear.
A second exciter 13 is also mounted on the panel 5 to provide pulses to the panel when a key is depressed and hence provide haptics or tactile feedback.
A single dual-function transducer may be provided which provides both the loudspeaker and feedback functionality.
The dual function transducer, or either of the first and second transducers, may also be energisable in the body-perceived band around 80 Hz to provide silent signalling of a call.
Thus, the panel acts as a multimode loudspeaker, for example, as a telephone ear piece, a hands-free speaker or a ringer.
The panel 5 also functions as a keypad or keyboard.
Individual keys 11 of the keypad may appear on the display mounted underneath the panel or alternatively the keys may be marked on its surface.
A microphone transducer 7 is also fixed to the panel whereby the panel may function as a microphone.
Alternatively, one or more microphones may attached to the panel or the casing, allowing sound capture and localisation for sound reproduction when in conference or video mode.
A mobile communications aerial 17 and associated conventional mobile telephony circuitry (not shown) allows the device to function as a mobile telephone or to send and receive messages or video material