System with wearable device and haptic output device

• US 10,269,222 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Visitacion, Allan, Jones, Trevor, Parker, Daniel Gregory, Imoto, Kohei, Reed, Keith, Ferro, Jesica E., Kapelus, Aaron, Olien, Neil, Grant, Danny A., Lacroix, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phung
• Application Number:
  US14/808,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20150332566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 3404071, 34053913, 3405392, 340566, 340665, 3406911, 345633, 345 7
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

A system includes a wearable device, a second device remote from and in communication with the wearable device, a processor configured to generate a control signal representative of an event occurring in an environment related to the wearable device and/or the second device, and a haptic output device configured to provide haptic feedback based on the generated control signal.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wearable device;

a second device remote from and in communication with the wearable device;

a processor configured to generate at least a first control signal and a second control signal representative of a first event and a second event, respectively, occurring in an environment related to the wearable device and/or the second device, the first event and the second event being different events; and

a haptic output device configured to provide a first haptic feedback signal and a second haptic feedback signal based on the first control signal and the second control signal, respectively.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second device is a second wearable device.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first event and second event comprises an indication of a physical object within a predetermined proximity of the wearable device or the second device, an indication of an environmental condition occurring in the environment, an indication of a change in an environmental condition occurring in the environment, an indication of a movement of an object within the predetermined proximity of the wearable device or second device, an interaction between the wearable device or the second device and an object in the environment, or an indication that the wearable device or the second device recognizes an object in the environment.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the wearable device comprises the haptic output device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second device comprises the haptic output device.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor configured to sense one or more environmental conditions related to the wearable device or the second device,

wherein at least one of the first event and second event comprises the one or more environmental conditions sensed by the sensor.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication port configured to establish a wireless or wired communication channel between the wearable device and the second device,

wherein the processor is configured to receive a signal representative of the first and second events occurring at the wearable device or the second device via the wireless or wired communication channel and generate the control signal based on the received signal.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the received signal comprises sensory information, and wherein at least one of the first event and second event comprises one or more environmental conditions based on the sensory information.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the received signal comprises information relating to a communication at the second device, and wherein at least one of the first event and second event comprises an indication of the communication at the second device.

10. A system comprising:

an augmented reality device configured to generate an augmented reality environment comprising an augmented reality space and a physical space, the augmented reality device comprising

a processor configured to detect a plurality of events that occur in the environment related to a wearable device, the processor configured to generate the augmented reality space coincident with the physical space,

recognize at least one physical object in the physical space and augment the at least one physical object with one or more virtual objects in the augmented reality space, and

determine an event associated with the augmented reality environment, and

generate a control signal based on the determined event;

the wearable device remote from and in communication with the augmented reality device;

a remote device remote from and in communication with the wearable device and the augmented reality device; and

a haptic output device configured to provide a plurality of haptic feedback signals based on the control signal.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the remote device is a second wearable device.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the event comprises an interaction with a virtual object, an interaction between the at least one physical object and the augmented reality environment, a confirmation of an action occurring with respect to the augmented reality environment, a confirmation that the at least one physical object is recognized by the augmented reality device, or a confirmation that an object in the physical space has been augmented.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the event comprises an indication of the at least one physical object within a predetermined proximity of the augmented reality device, an indication of an environmental condition occurring in an environment related to the augmented reality device, an indication of a change in the environmental condition occurring in the environment, or an indication of a movement of an object within the predetermined proximity of the augmented reality device.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the augmented reality device comprises the haptic output device.

16. Me system according to claim 10, wherein the remote device comprises the haptic output device.

15. The system according to chain 10, wherein the wearable device comprises the haptic output device.

17. A method comprising;

detecting an event in an environment, the detecting performed at least in part with a processor,

generating a control signal representative of an event occurring in the environment related to a wearable device and/or a second device with the processor, the generated control signal being a first control signal selected from at least first and second available control signals, the first control signal representative of the event, the second control signal representative of a different event; and

providing a plurality of haptic feedback signals based on the control signal with a haptic output device.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the second device is a second wearable device.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein at least one of the event and the different event comprises an indication of a physical object within a predetermined proximity of the wearable device or the second device, an indication of an environmental condition occurring in the environment, an indication of a change in an environmental condition occurring in the environment, an indication of a movement of an object within a predetermined proximity of the wearable device or second device, an interaction between the wearable device or the second device and an object in the environment, or an indication that the wearable device or the second device recognizes an object in the environment.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the wearable device comprises the haptic output device and the haptic feedback is provided at the wearable device.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the second device comprises the haptic output device and the haptic feedback is provided at the second device.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

sensing one or more environmental conditions related to the wearable device or the second device with a sensor,

wherein at least one of the event and the different event comprises the one or more environmental conditions sensed by the sensor.

23. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

establishing a wireless or wired communication channel between the wearable device and the second device with a communication port; and

receiving a signal representative of at least one of the event and the different event occurring at the wearable device or the second device via the wireless or wired communication channel and generate the control signal based on the received signal with the processor.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the received signal comprises sensory information, and wherein at least one of the event and the different event comprises one or more environmental conditions based on the sensory information.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the received signal comprises information relating to a communication at the second device, and wherein at least one of the event and the different event comprises an indication of the communication at the second device.

26. A method comprising:

generating an augmented reality environment comprising an augmented reality space and a physical space with an augmented reality device, said generating comprising

generating the augmented reality space coincident with the physical space with a processor,

recognizing at least one physical object in the physical space and augmenting the at least one physical object with one or more virtual objects in the augmented reality space with the processor,

detecting at least one event associated with the augmented reality environment with the processor, and

generating a control signal based on the at least one event with the processor; and

providing a plurality of haptic feedback signals based on the control signal with a haptic output device of the augmented reality device, a wearable device remote from and in communication with the augmented reality device, or a remote device remote from and in communication with the wearable device and the augmented reality device.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the remote device is a second wearable device.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the event comprises an interaction with a virtual object, an interaction between the at least one physical object and the augmented reality environment, a confirmation of an action occurring with respect to the augmented reality environment, a confirmation that the at least one physical object is recognized by the augmented reality device, or a confirmation that an object in the physical space has been augmented.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein the event comprises an indication of the at least one physical object within a predetermined proximity of the augmented reality device, an indication of an environmental condition occurring in an environment related to the augmented reality device, an indication of a change in all environmental condition occurring in the environment, or an indication of a movement of an object within a predetermined proximity of the augmented reality device.