Contextual pressure sensing haptic responses

• US 10,296,091 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Heubel, Robert W., Grant, Danny A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/292,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of generating haptic effects includes detecting an input of pressure applied to a device using a gesture and determining a level associated with the gesture based on the pressure input, as well as determining a selection of an item at the level based on the gesture and a context associated with the item at the level, along with generating a contextual haptic effect comprising haptic parameter based on the context of the item at the level.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of generating a contextual haptic effect, the method being performed by a haptically enabled device including a processor programmed with computer instructions that, when executed, cause the haptically enabled device to perform the method, the method comprising:

detecting a level of pressure input applied to a touch-sensitive surface of the haptically enabled device using a gesture, wherein the level of pressure input is based on at least one of a force applied with the gesture and a measured touch surface area of the gesture;

determining, by the processor, a selection of an interface level from among a plurality of interface levels of the haptically enabled device associated with the gesture based on the level of pressure input;

generating, by the processor, a primary haptic effect in response to the selection of the interface level;

outputting the primary haptic effect by a first actuator associated with the haptically enabled device;

determining, by the processor, display of an item at the interface level based on the gesture;

determining, by the processor, a context associated with the item at the interface level;

generating, by the processor, a contextual haptic effect in response to the display of the item according to haptic effect parameters based on the context of the item at the interface level; and

outputting the contextual haptic effect by a second actuator associated with the haptically enabled device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of pressure input is based on the force applied with the gesture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the level of pressure input is based on the measured touch surface area of the gesture.

4. The method of claim 1, where the gesture is applied along a substantially perpendicular axis to the touch-sensitive surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interface level is represented on a display of the haptically enabled device in a depth direction.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual haptic effect is determined based on the gesture.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is a first item, and the context associated with the first item includes information about a second item different than the first item and related to the first item.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of generating a contextual haptic effect, the method of generating comprising:

determining a level of pressure input applied to a touch-sensitive surface of a haptically enabled device using a gesture, wherein the level of pressure input is based on at least one of a force applied with the gesture and a measured touch surface area of the gesture;

determining, by the processor, a selection of an interface level from among a plurality of interface levels of the haptically enabled device associated with the gesture based on the level of pressure input;

generating, by the processor, a primary haptic effect in response to the selection of the interface level;

outputting the primary haptic effect by a first actuator associated with the haptically enabled device;

determining, by the processor, a display of an item at the interface level based on the gesture;

determining, by the processor, a context associated with the item at the interface level;

generating, by the processor, a contextual haptic effect in response to the display of the item according to haptic effect parameters based on the context of the item at the interface level; and

outputting the contextual haptic effect by a second actuator associated with the haptically enabled device.

8. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the method of generating further comprises determining the level of pressure input based on the force applied with the gesture.

9. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the method of generating further comprises determining the level of pressure input based on the measured touch surface area of the gesture.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the method of generating further comprises determining the gesture based on application along an axis arranged substantially perpendicular to the touch-sensitive surface.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the item is a first item, and the context associated with the first item includes information about a second item different than the first item and related to the first item.

11. A system configured to generate a contextual haptic effect, the system comprising:

a touch-sensitive surface;

a haptic output device; and

a controller coupled to the haptic output device;

wherein the controller is configured to;

detect a level of pressure input applied to the touch-sensitive surface using a gesture, wherein the level of pressure input is based on at least one of a force applied with the gesture and a measured touch surface area of the gesture;

determine a selection of an interface level associated with the gesture based on the level of pressure input;

generate a primary haptic effect in response to the selection of the interface level;

determine a display of an item at the interface level based on the gesture;

determine a context associated with the item at the interface level; and

generate a contextual haptic effect in response to the display of the item according to haptic effect parameters based on the context of the item at the interface level.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a two-dimensional surface.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the level of pressure input based on the force applied with the gesture.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the level of pressure input based on the measured touch surface area associated with the gesture.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the level of pressure input based on elements of the gesture applied along a substantially perpendicular axis to the two-dimensional surface.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein the item is a first item, and the context associated with the first item includes information about a second item different than the first item and related to the first item.