Externally-activated haptic devices and systems

• US 10,388,119 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Levesque, Vincent, Birnbaum, David M., Belley, Benoit, Saboune, Jamal, Khoshkava, Vahid, Forest, Simon, Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US15/905,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20180350201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/01 Details for indicating displaying information in general G09F, G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Examples of externally-activated devices and systems are disclosed. One example system includes a first device having an actuation component; and a second device having a haptic output component, wherein: the first device and the second device are configured to be physically separable from each other; the actuation component is configured to transmit an actuation signal to the haptic output component while the first device and the second device are physically separated from each other, and the haptic output component configured to output a haptic effect in response to receiving the actuation signal and while the first device and the second device are physically separated from each other, the haptic effect based on the actuation signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a haptic device, a wireless interrogation signal from an actuation device;

responsive to receiving the wireless interrogation signal, determining, using a sensor of the haptic device, a state of a material contained within the haptic device, the haptic device defining a container to store a quantity of material;

transmitting an indication of the state of the material to the actuation device;

receiving by the haptic device, a wireless actuation signal from the actuation device, the wireless actuation signal comprises electromagnetic actuation energy and an indication of a haptic effect, the indication of the haptic effect based on the state of the material; and

responsive to receiving the wireless actuation signal, outputting the haptic effect using the electromagnetic actuation energy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor uses received electromagnetic energy from the wireless interrogation signal to determine the state of the material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic device comprises a haptic output component configured to:

be physically separable from an actuation component of the actuation device and receive the wireless actuation signal, and

in response to receipt of the wireless actuation signal and while the haptic output component is physically separated from the actuation component, output the haptic effect using electromagnetic energy from the wireless actuation signal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the state of the material comprises receiving sensor signals from a plurality of sensors, and determining the state of the material is based on the received sensor signals.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining a quantity of the material based on a number of sensors from which a sensor signal is received.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic device comprises an RFID tag, and wherein transmitting the indication of the state of the material comprises transmitting an RFID signal comprising the indication of the state of the material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic device comprises a bottle, a carton, a pitcher, or a drinking container;

wherein the material is a liquid; and

wherein the state of the material is a quantity of liquid.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic device comprises a bottle, a carton, a pitcher, or a drinking container;

wherein the material is a liquid, and wherein the state of the material is a temperature of the liquid.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless actuation signal comprises a varying electromagnetic field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the haptic device comprises a haptic output component, the haptic output component comprises at least one of a magnet or a ferromagnetic material (“

FM material”

), and wherein the magnet or the FM material is configured to directly receive the varying electromagnetic field (“

EMF”

) and to move in response to receipt of the varying EMF to output the haptic effect.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic device comprises an actuator, and wherein the actuator receives actuating power from a power antenna of the haptic device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises inductively heating a haptic output device using energy from the wireless actuation signal.

13. A haptic device comprising:

a container defining a volume to store a material;

one or more sensors coupled to the container and configured to sense a state of the material;

an RFID tag component to receive one or more sensor signals from the one or more sensors, receive wireless interrogation signals from an actuation device, and transmit wireless response signals to the actuation device; and

a haptic output component configured to;

be physically separable from an actuation component of the actuation device and receive wireless actuation signals, and

in response to receipt of the wireless actuation signals and while the haptic output component is physically separated from the actuation component, output a haptic effect using electromagnetic energy from the wireless actuation signal.

14. The haptic device of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is configured to sense a level of a liquid within the container.

15. The haptic device of claim 13, wherein at least one of the one or more sensors is a temperature sensor.

16. The haptic device of claim 13, further comprising a battery in communication with the one or more sensors.

17. The haptic device of claim 13, wherein the wireless actuation signal comprises a varying electromagnetic field.

18. The haptic device of claim 17, wherein the haptic output component comprises at least one of a magnet or a ferromagnetic material (“

FM material”

), and wherein the magnet or the FM material is configured to directly receive the varying electromagnetic field (“

EMF”

) and to move in response to receipt of the varying EMF to output the haptic effect.

19. The haptic device of claim 13, wherein the haptic output component comprises an actuator, and wherein the actuator is configured to receive actuating power from a power antenna of the haptic device.

20. The haptic device of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of haptic output components, at least two of the haptic output components configured to:

be physically separable from a respective actuation component of the actuation device and receive wireless actuation signals, and

in response to receipt of the wireless actuation signals and while the respective haptic output component is physically separated from the respective actuation component, output a haptic effect using electromagnetic energy from the wireless actuation signal.