Systems and methods for providing electrostatic haptic effects via a wearable or handheld device

• US 10,261,586 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Levesque, Vincent, Saboune, Jamal, Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US15/290,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20180101232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

One illustrative system disclosed herein includes a computing device with an electrostatic force (“ESF”) haptic output device coupled to a surface of the computing device. The ESF haptic output device comprises a signal electrode that includes an insulation layer and a conductive layer positioned proximate to the insulation layer and the conductive layer is electrically coupled to a voltage supply to receive an amount of voltage for generating an ESF haptic effect, which can include a dynamic ESF haptic effect or a static ESF haptic effect. The ESF haptic output device can output the ESF haptic effect to the surface of the computing device to which the ESF haptic output device is coupled.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a housing;

a computing device disposed in the housing, the computing device comprising a memory and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory;

a touch sensor communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to detect one or more movements of one or more contacts on the housing and one or more speeds of the one or more contacts on the housing and transmit a touch sensor signal associated with a detected one or more movements of the one or more contacts and a detected one or more speeds of the one or more contacts to the processor;

a first electrostatic force (“

ESF”

) haptic output device disposed within a portion of the housing and in communication with the computing device, the first ESF haptic output device configured to output a static ESF haptic effects; and

a second ESF haptic output device disposed within the housing and in communication with the computing device, the second ESF haptic output device configured to output a dynamic ESF haptic effects, wherein the processor is configured to determine the static ESF haptic effects and the dynamic ESF haptic effects in response to the detected one or more movements of the one or more contacts and the detected one or more speeds of the one or more contacts, and wherein the first ESF haptic output device comprises;

a first conductive layer electrically coupled to a voltage source; and

a first insulation layer disposed on the first conductive layer to prevent contact between a user and the first conductive layer, and wherein the second ESF haptic output device comprises;

a second conductive layer electrically coupled to the voltage source; and

a second insulation layer disposed on the second conductive layer to prevent contact between the user and the second conductive layer.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first ESF haptic output device and the second ESF haptic output device comprise a single ESF haptic output device disposed within the housing.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a wearable device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a handheld device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a first ESF haptic effect and transmit a first ESF haptic signal to the first ESF haptic output device, the first ESF haptic effect comprising a static ESF haptic effect; and

determine a second ESF haptic effect and transmit a second ESF haptic signal to the second ESF haptic output device, the second ESF haptic effect comprising a dynamic ESF haptic effect.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing has an outer surface and wherein the first ESF haptic output device and the second ESF haptic output device are disposed on the outer surface of the housing.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first ESF haptic output device is configured to output a static ESF haptic effect at a first location on the portion of the housing and the second ESF haptic output device is configured to output a dynamic ESF haptic effect at a second location on the portion of the housing.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a first ESF haptic effect and transmit a first ESF haptic signal to the first ESF haptic output device, the first ESF haptic effect comprising the static ESF haptic effect; and

determine a second ESF haptic effect and transmit a second ESF haptic signal to the second ESF haptic output device, the second ESF haptic effect comprising the dynamic ESF haptic effect.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the touch sensor is-configured to detect one or more contacts at the first and second locations and transmit a touch sensor signal associated with a detected one or more contacts to the processor and wherein the processor is configured to:

in response to the detected one or more contacts at the first location, determine the first ESF haptic effect based on the detected one or more contacts at the first location; and

in response to the detected one or more contacts at the second location, determine the second ESF haptic effect based on the detected one or more contacts at the second location.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to:

in response to the detected one or more movements of the one or more contacts and the detected one or more speeds of the one or more contacts at the first location, determine the first ESF haptic effect based at least in part on the detected one or more movements of the one or more contacts and the detected one or more speeds of the one or more contacts at the first location; and

in response to the detected one or more movements of the one or more contacts and the detected one or more speeds of the one or more contacts at the second location, determine the second ESF haptic effect based at least in part on the detected one or more movements of the one or more contacts and the detected one or more speeds of the one or more contacts at the second location.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a ground electrode coupled to the housing, the ground electrode comprising a ground electrode conductive layer and wherein the ground electrode is exposed and contactable by the user.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the ground electrode further comprises a ground electrode insulation layer or a conductive gel, wherein the ground electrode insulation layer or the conductive gel is coupled to the ground electrode conductive layer.

13. A method comprising:

detecting one or more contacts on a housing of a computing device at a first location and a second location;

detecting characteristics of the one or more contacts, the detected characteristics including one or more movements or one or more speeds of the one or more contacts;

transmitting a sensor signal associated with a detected one or more contacts or the detected characteristics;

receiving a sensor signal indicating the one or more contacts between an object and a portion of the housing;

determining, in response to the sensor signal, a first ESF haptic effect and a second ESF haptic effect based at least in part on the one or more contacts and the detected characteristics, the first ESF haptic effect comprising a static ESF haptic effect and the second ESF haptic effect comprising a dynamic ESF haptic effect;

determining, in response to the detected one or more contacts or the detected characteristics at the first location, the first ESF haptic effect based on the detected one or more contacts at the first location or at least in part on the detected characteristics;

determining, in response to the detected one or more contacts or the detected characteristics at the second location, the second ESF haptic effect based on the detected one or more contacts at the second location or at least in part on the detected characteristics;

transmitting a first ESF haptic signal associated with the first ESF haptic effect to a first ESF haptic output device disposed within the portion of the housing and a second ESF haptic signal associated with the second ESF haptic effect to a second ESF haptic output device disposed within the portion of the housing, the first ESF haptic output device configured to output static ESF haptic effects and the second ESF haptic output device configured to output dynamic ESF haptic effects, and wherein the first ESF haptic output device comprises;

a first conductive layer electrically coupled to a voltage source; and

a first insulation layer disposed on the first conductive layer to prevent contact between a user and the first conductive layer, and the second ESF haptic output device comprises;

a second conductive layer electrically coupled to the voltage source; and

a second insulation layer disposed on the second conductive layer to prevent contact between the user and the second conductive layer; and

outputting, by the first ESF haptic output device, the static ESF haptic effect at the first location on the portion of the housing and, by the second ESF haptic output device, the dynamic ESF haptic effect at the second location on the portion of the housing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first ESF haptic output device and the second ESF haptic output device comprise a single ESF haptic output device disposed within the housing.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the computing device is a wearable device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the computing device is a handheld device.