Feedback for enhanced situational awareness

• US 10,166,466 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Brav, Ehren J., Chan, Alistair K., Duncan, William D., Hannigan, Russell J., Hyde, Roderick A., Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Johanson, 3ric, Kare, Jordin T., Pan, Tony S., Schneider, Michael A., Sweeney, Elizabeth A., Tegreene, Clarence T., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Jr., Lowell L., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Torimiro, Adetokunbo O
• Application Number:
  US14/746,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20160166930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 345421, 345427, 463 7, 463 15, 463 20, 463 22, 463 25, 463 30
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/00 Adaptations for training adaptations of barrels for recoil reinforcement F41A21/26; Gun simulators teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26 ; shooting games A63F9/02; military simulation G09B9/003
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 11/00 Compressed-gas guns, e.g. air guns; Steam guns
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/00 Means of attack or defence not otherwise provided for details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

An electronic game feedback system includes a wearable haptic feedback device and a processing circuit. The wearable haptic feedback device includes a plurality of haptic elements configured to provide haptic feedback to a user. The processing circuit is configured to provide a display to the user associated with an electronic game, the electronic game associated with a primary object and a distal secondary object; receive first positional data regarding the primary object; receive second data regarding the secondary object; and control operation of the wearable haptic feedback device to provide the feedback to the user based on the first positional data and the second data.

Claims

1. An electronic game feedback system, comprising:

a wearable haptic feedback device including a plurality of haptic elements configured to provide haptic feedback to a user; and

a processing circuit configured to;

provide a display on a display device to the user associated with an electronic game, the display device being a non-wearable display device, the electronic game associated with a virtual primary object controlled by the user and a virtual distal secondary object, wherein the virtual primary object and the virtual distal secondary object are provided within a virtual environment of the electronic game, and wherein the virtual environment, the virtual primary object, and the virtual distal secondary object are generated by the processing circuit absent considerations regarding a surrounding real world environment such that the presence of the virtual environment, the virtual primary object, and the virtual distal secondary object is disjointed from physical objects within the surrounding real world environment;

receive first positional data regarding the virtual primary object within the virtual environment of the electronic game;

receive second data regarding the virtual distal secondary object within the virtual environment of the electronic game;

generate an alert based on the first position data and the second data; and

control operation of the wearable haptic feedback device to provide the alert via haptic feedback to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an operational mode of the wearable haptic feedback device is represented in the electronic game by a virtual tertiary object, wherein the processing circuit is configured to control implementation of the operational mode in response to the virtual primary object acquiring possession of the virtual tertiary object within the electronic game.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic game includes at least one of a video game, a console game, a computer game, and a mobile game.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first positional data includes an orientation of the primary object relative to the distal secondary object.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first positional data includes at least one of an orientation of the primary object, a location of the primary object within a virtual environment, a movement of the primary object, a velocity of the primary object, and an acceleration of the primary object.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensor configured to acquire user data regarding at least one of an orientation and movement of the user, wherein the first positional data is based on the user data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the user data includes at least one of a head orientation, a torso orientation, an arm orientation, and a leg orientation for the user.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the distal secondary object is not visible on the display when the user receives the haptic feedback.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an input device configured to receive an input from the user of the electronic game, wherein the first positional data is based on the input.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the input device and the wearable haptic feedback device are provided by a single device configured to provide both the input to the processing circuit and the haptic feedback to the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic elements are provided in a wearable headgear device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic elements are provided on a band including at least one of a headband, an arm band, a leg band, and a torso band.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of haptic elements are provided on an article of clothing, including at least one of a shirt, a pants, a sock, a shoe, and a glove.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is configured to provide an indication of a direction between the virtual primary object and the virtual distal secondary object relative to an orientation of the virtual primary object in the electronic game.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is configured to provide an indication of at least one of a relative velocity and a relative acceleration between the virtual primary object and the virtual distal secondary object in the electronic game.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the haptic feedback is configured to provide an indication of at least one of an absolute velocity and an absolute acceleration of at least one of the virtual primary object and the virtual distal secondary object in the electronic game.

17. An electronic game feedback system, comprising:

a wearable haptic feedback device including a plurality of haptic elements configured to provide haptic feedback to a user, the wearable haptic feedback device operable in a first operational mode and a second operational mode; and

a processing circuit configured to;

provide a display to the user associated with an electronic game, the electronic game associated with a virtual primary object controlled by the user, wherein the virtual primary object is provided within a virtual environment of the electronic game, and wherein the virtual environment and the virtual primary object are generated by the processing circuit absent considerations regarding a surrounding real world environment such that the presence of the virtual environment and the virtual primary object is disjointed from physical objects within the surrounding real world environment;

receive event data regarding at least one of a virtual setting and a virtual condition within the electronic game; and

change the operational mode of the wearable haptic feedback device from the first operational mode to the second operational mode based on the event data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first operational mode and the second operational mode comprises a specified sensitivity setting of the wearable haptic feedback device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first operational mode and the second operational mode comprises a specified event data responsiveness.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first operational mode and the second operational mode comprises a specified feedback presentation to the user.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first operational mode and the second operational mode comprises a specified availability of the haptic feedback to the user.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive second data regarding a virtual secondary object, wherein the processing circuit changes the operational mode of the wearable haptic feedback device based further on the second data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the virtual secondary object includes at least one of a virtual character, a virtual vehicle, and a virtual inanimate object controlled by at least one of the processing circuit, a user on an opposing team of the virtual primary object, and a user on a same team as the virtual primary object.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the second data includes at least one of an affiliation of the virtual secondary object, a virtual distance between the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object, a threat level of the virtual secondary object, an attribute of the virtual secondary object, a location of the virtual secondary object, a direction between the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object, an orientation of the virtual secondary object, movement of the virtual secondary object, a velocity of the virtual secondary object, and an acceleration of the virtual secondary object.

25. The system of claim 17, further comprising a sensor configured to acquire user data regarding at least one of an orientation and movement of the user, wherein the user data includes at least one of a head orientation, a torso orientation, an arm orientation, and a leg orientation for the user, and wherein the processing circuit changes the operational mode of the wearable haptic feedback device based further on the user data.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one of the virtual setting and the virtual condition of the event data includes at least one of a change in a level of the electronic game, a change in a situation within the electronic game, performance of the virtual primary object of the user in the electronic game, an attribute of the virtual primary object within the electronic game, a current virtual environment of the electronic game, performance of virtual secondary objects within the electronic game, and a difficulty setting of the electronic game.

26. An electronic game haptic feedback system, comprising:

a wearable haptic feedback device including a plurality of haptic elements configured to provide haptic feedback to a user; and

a processing circuit configured to;

receive first positional data regarding a virtual primary object within a virtual environment of an electronic game;

receive second threat data regarding a virtual secondary object within the virtual environment of the electronic game, wherein the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object are provided within the virtual environment of the electronic game, and wherein the virtual environment, the virtual primary object, and the virtual secondary object are generated within the virtual environment of the electronic game absent considerations regarding a surrounding real world environment such that the presence of the virtual environment, the virtual primary object, and the virtual distal secondary object is disjointed from physical objects within the surrounding real world environment;

generate an alert based on first position data and the second data; and

control operation of the wearable haptic feedback device to provide the alert via haptic feedback to the user.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the first positional data includes an orientation of the virtual primary object relative to the virtual secondary object.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the first positional data includes at least one of an orientation of the virtual primary object, a location of the virtual primary object within a virtual environment, a movement of the virtual primary object, a velocity of the virtual primary object, and an acceleration of the virtual primary object.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the second threat data includes at least one of an affiliation of the virtual secondary object, a virtual distance between the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object, a location of the virtual secondary object, a direction between the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object, an orientation of the virtual secondary object, movement of the virtual secondary object, a velocity of the virtual secondary object, and an acceleration of the virtual secondary object.

30. The system of claim 26, further comprising a sensor configured to acquire user data regarding at least one of an orientation and movement of the user, wherein the first positional data is based on the user data.

31. The system of claim 26, wherein the haptic feedback is configured to provide an indication of at least one of a distance and a direction between the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object in the electronic game.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the haptic feedback is configured to provide an indication of a direction between the virtual primary object and the virtual secondary object relative to an orientation of the virtual primary object in the electronic game.

34. The system of claim 26, wherein the second threat data comprises an attribute of the virtual secondary object, the attribute of the virtual secondary object comprising at least one of a weapon, a shield, an offensive capability, a defensive capability, a health, an experience level, a skill level, a strength, a speed, a sensory capability, and an agility.