Haptic mapping

• US 10,386,926 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rain, Guy, Levy, Dor, Natan, Ofir, Zur, Ohad
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Yu
• Application Number:
  US14/866,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,425 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/014 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods may include recording forces from manipulation of a three-dimensional object by a haptic user interface and generating a digital electrical representation of the three-dimensional object from the recorded forces and from a visual representation of the three-dimensional object.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a haptic user interface; and

logic, implemented at least partly in one or more of configurable or fixed-functionality hardware, to;

record levels of flexure and forces of reaction detected at the haptic user interface arising from manipulation of a real three-dimensional object lying outside of the haptic user interface by the haptic user interface, wherein the forces of reaction are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to forces applied to the three-dimensional object by the haptic user interface;

generate a digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object from the recorded levels of flexure and forces of reaction and from a visual image of the three-dimensional object; and

determine, based on the digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object, an amount of flexure to be applied to each of different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware includes one or more of a processor or a controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the haptic user interface is a wearable device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the logic determines a degree of rigidity to be applied to each of the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the logic determines electrical parameters to create each degree of rigidity and each level of flexure to be applied to the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein haptic user interface includes one or more materials selected from electroactive polymers, ionic polymer-metal composites, piezoelectric materials, microfluidic materials, or electrostatic materials.

7. An apparatus comprising:

logic, implemented at least partly in one or more of configurable or fixed-functionality hardware, to;

record levels of flexure and forces of reaction detected at a haptic user interface arising from manipulation of a real three-dimensional object lying outside of the haptic user interface by the haptic user interface, wherein the forces of reaction are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to forces applied to the three-dimensional object by the haptic user interface;

generate a digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object from the recorded levels of flexure and forces of reaction and from a visual representation of the three-dimensional object; and

determine, based on the digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object, an amount of flexure to be applied to each of different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the hardware includes one or more of a processor or a controller.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the logic determines a degree of rigidity to be applied to each of the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the logic determines electrical parameters to create each degree of rigidity and each level of flexure to be applied to the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the haptic user interface is to include one or more materials selected from electroactive polymers, ionic polymer-metal composites, piezoelectric materials, microfluidic materials, or electrostatic materials.

12. A method comprising:

recording levels of flexure and forces of reaction detected at a haptic user interface arising from manipulation of a real three-dimensional object lying outside of the haptic user interface by the haptic user interface, wherein the forces of reaction are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to forces applied to the three-dimensional object by the haptic user interface;

generating a digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object from the recorded levels of flexure and forces of reaction and from a visual image of the real three-dimensional object; and

determining, based on the digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object, an amount of flexure to be applied to each of different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein recording forces includes measuring electrical parameters from the haptic user interface during manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the visual image is a three-dimensional visual image of the real three-dimensional object.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a degree of rigidity to be applied to each of the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining electrical parameters to create each degree of rigidity and each level of flexure to be applied to the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

17. At least one computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

record levels of flexure and forces of reaction detected at a haptic user interface arising from manipulation of a real three-dimensional object lying outside of the haptic user interface by the haptic user interface, wherein the forces of reaction are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to forces applied to the three-dimensional object by the haptic user interface;

generate a digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object from the recorded levels of flexure and forces of reaction and from a visual image of the real three-dimensional object; and

determine, based on the digital electrical representation of the real three-dimensional object, an amount of flexure to be applied to each of different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

18. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to measure electrical parameters from the haptic user interface during manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.

19. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the visual image is a three-dimensional visual image of the real three-dimensional object.

20. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the computing device to determine electrical parameters to create each degree of rigidity and each level of flexure to be applied to the different segments of the haptic user interface to simulate manipulation of the real three-dimensional object.