Wearable accessory for force feedback

• US 10,310,608 B1
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2016
• 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: Keller, Sean Jason, Trutna, Tristan Thomas, Perek, David R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Giesy, Adam R.
• Application Number:
  US15/632,042
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

A wearable actuation device allows a user to interact with virtual objects in an AR or VR environment by providing force or haptic feedback. The wearable actuation device includes one or more actuator assemblies anchored to each of the user'"'"'s fingers and a controller configured to communicate with a head mounted display. Embodiments of the actuator assembly include an electrorheological actuator, an optically driven actuator, and a piezo actuator sandwich assembly each of which is configured to undergo a reversible change in stiffness in response to an applied voltage or current. In one or more embodiments, the actuator assembly is configured to stiffen, elongate, compress in response to the application of a current or voltage waveform. In still other embodiments, the actuator assembly determines a measures of the current stress or strain being applied by the user on the virtual object.

Claims

1. A wearable device comprising:

a wearable structure configured to be worn by a user;

one or more actuator assemblies attached to the wearable structure, each actuator assembly configured undergo a change in stiffness in response to an applied stimulus pattern, wherein each of the one or more actuator assemblies comprises;

a flexible tube includes a carrier fluid and a plurality of light activated elements, and

a lamp coupled to the flexible tube, the lamp configured to illuminate the flexible tube with one or more wavelengths of light;

a controller coupled to the actuator assembly, the controller configured to;

receive one or more instructions from a host system,

determine one or more forces to be applied on each of the one or more actuator assemblies based on the received one or more instructions,

generate one or more stimulus patterns based at least in part on the determined forces, and

provide the generated stimulus patterns to the one or more actuator assemblies.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the light activated elements are light activated liquid crystal polymer (LCP) elements.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the LCP elements are configured to undergo a structural change in the presence of a first wavelength of light.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the intensity of illumination is related to the stiffness of the flexible tube.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the structural change comprises a phase change.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the phase change is associated with an increase in stiffness.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the phase change is reversed in the presence a second wavelength of light wherein the second wavelength of light is different from the first.

8. A wearable device comprising:

a wearable structure configured to be worn by a user;

one or more actuator assemblies attached to the wearable structure, each actuator assembly configured undergo a change in stiffness in response to an applied stimulus pattern, wherein each of the one or more actuator assemblies comprises;

a positive terminal and a negative terminal configured to receive voltage waveforms,

a piezo electric crystal (PEC) wherein the PEC is connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal via one or more electrodes configured to form a low resistance contact with the PEC,

a capacitor charged to a predetermined voltage above a nominal bias voltage associate with the PEC, and

a digital logic comprising one or more discrete logic elements;

a controller coupled to the actuator assembly, the controller configured to;

receive one or more instructions from a host system,

determine one or more forces to be applied on each of the one or more actuator assemblies based on the received one or more instructions,

generate one or more stimulus patterns based at least in part on the determined forces, and

provide the generated stimulus patterns to the one or more actuator assemblies.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the one or actuator assemblies is configured to communicate with the controller through one or more flexible conductive traces wherein the actuator assembly is configured to obtain a measurement of the applied strain and induce an actuation.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the capacitor is a battery or a voltage source.

11. A wearable device comprising:

a wearable structure configured to be worn by a user;

one or more actuator assemblies attached to the wearable structure, each actuator assembly configured undergo a change in stiffness in response to an applied stimulus pattern, wherein each of the one or more actuator assemblies comprises;

a first piezo electric crystal (PEC) configured to actuate in response to an applied voltage and a second PEC wherein the first PEC and the second PEC are separated by a deformable insulating layer,

a voltage source configured to induce actuation, the voltage source connected to the first PEC, and

a digital logic element connected to the second PEC wherein the digital logic element is configured to generate a measure;

a controller coupled to the actuator assembly, the controller configured to;

receive one or more instructions from a host system,

determine one or more forces to be applied on each of the one or more actuator assemblies based on the received one or more instructions,

generate one or more stimulus patterns based at least in part on the determined forces, and

provide the generated stimulus patterns to the one or more actuator assemblies.

12. The system of 11, wherein the digital logic element is further configured to generate a time multiplexed to indicate both a magnitude of actuation and a measurement of the stresses induced.