Hand-held controller using segmented capacitive touch trigger

• US 10,183,217 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2017
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: META Platforms Technologies LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Chen, Yi-Yaun, Tompkins, Glen Jason, Johnson, Bradley Morris
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US15/487,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20180296913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A hand-held controller includes a handle extending in a longitudinal direction. The handle is shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user'"'"'s hand. A trigger protrudes from an outer surface of the handle and moves relative to the handle responsive to pressing of the trigger by a finger of the user'"'"'s hand. The trigger includes a touch surface that comes into contact with the finger of the user'"'"'s hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user'"'"'s hand on the touch surface.

Claims

1. A hand-held controller comprising:

a handle extending in a longitudinal direction, the handle shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user'"'"'s hand; and

a trigger protruding from an outer surface of the handle and configured to move relative to the handle responsive to pressing of the trigger by a finger of the user'"'"'s hand, the trigger comprising a touch surface configured to come into contact with the finger of the user'"'"'s hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user'"'"'s hand on the touch surface, wherein the touch surface comprises a plurality of segmented tracks configured to generate distinct sensor signals indicating which of the segmented tracks come in contact with the finger.

2. The hand-held controller of claim 1, further comprising a sensor interface circuit to receive the distinct sensor signals from the plurality of segmented tracks and process the distinct sensor signals to determine the sliding of the finger based on a sequence in which the distinct sensor signals indicate touching or disengaging of the finger and the segmented tracks.

3. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of segmented tracks is separated from a neighboring track by a spacing distance.

4. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of segmented tracks extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

5. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein the touch surface is a capacitive touch surface.

6. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein the handle has a cylindrical shape.

7. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein the touch surface is made of plastic or glass.

8. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein the handle is made of engineering plastic.

9. The hand-held controller of claim 1, wherein the trigger is further configured to detect pressing of the trigger by the finger of the user'"'"'s hand.

10. The hand-held controller of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic sensor embedded within the handle and configured to detect a depth of motion of the trigger when the finger of the user'"'"'s hand presses the trigger in a direction towards the handle.

11. The hand-held controller of claim 10, wherein the magnetic sensor is a Hall Effect sensor, a fluxgate magnetometer, or a magnetoresistance sensor.

12. The hand-held controller of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication interface configured to transmit wireless signals representing haptic input received from the touch surface.

13. A hand-held controller comprising:

a handle extending in a longitudinal direction, the handle shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user'"'"'s hand;

a trigger protruding from an outer surface of the handle and configured to move relative to the handle responsive to pressing of the trigger by a finger of the user'"'"'s hand, the trigger comprising a touch surface configured to come into contact with the finger of the user'"'"'s hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user'"'"'s hand on the touch surface; and

a ring attached to an end of the handle and having an annular surface, the annular surface defining a plane that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction.

14. The hand-held controller of claim 13, wherein the touch surface is segmented and each segment is configured to independently detect a presence of the finger.

15. The hand-held controller of claim 13, wherein the touch surface is a capacitive touch surface.

16. The hand-held controller of claim 13, wherein the handle has a cylindrical shape.

17. The hand-held controller of claim 13, wherein the touch surface is made of plastic or glass.

18. The hand-held controller of claim 13, wherein the trigger is further configured to detect pressing of the trigger by the finger of the user'"'"'s hand.

19. The hand-held controller of claim 13, further comprising a magnetic sensor embedded within the handle and configured to detect a depth of motion of the trigger when the finger of the user'"'"'s hand presses the trigger in a direction towards the handle.

20. The hand-held controller of claim 19, wherein the magnetic sensor is a Hall Effect sensor, a fluxgate magnetometer, or a magnetoresistance sensor.