System and method for inducing somatic sense using air plasma and interface device using them

• US 10,459,522 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konkuk University Glocal-Industry-Academic Collaboration Foundation
• Original Assignee: Konkuk University Glocal-Industry-Academic Collaboration Foundation
• Inventors: Chung, Soon-Cheol, Kim, Hyung-Sik, Jun, Jae-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosario, Nelson M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Au, Scott
• Application Number:
  US15/367,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20170364157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 Force feedback applied to a game
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

A system and method for generating air plasma by radiating a laser in the air, and making a user feel a somatic sense such as a tactile sense, a thermal sense or the like using a principle of inducing a state change in a medium as a result of a shock wave or an electric field generated by the air plasma.

Claims

1. A somatic sense induction system using air plasma, the system comprising:

a laser radiation device for controlling parameters of a laser and generating the air plasma at one point in air by radiating the laser at the one point in the air;

a lens for inducing the generation of the air plasma by focusing the laser radiated from the laser radiation device on the one point in the air;

an information collection unit for collecting biological information of a driver or driving information of a vehicle; and

a drowsiness determination unit for receiving the biological information of a driver or the driving information of a vehicle and determining whether the driver is in a drowsy state,

wherein a shock wave and an electric field generated by the air plasma induce a state change in a medium existing in an area affected by the shock wave and the electric field, and

wherein if it is determined by the drowsiness determination unit that the driver is in a drowsy state, the laser radiation device generates air plasma by radiating a pulse laser at a point around the driver.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the medium is a skin of a human body.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the shock wave induces a state change in the skin of the human body by making peripheral nerves generate an action potential by stimulating a cell in the skin of the human body.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the electric field generates a potential in a cell of the skin of the human body and induces a state change in the skin of the human body by making peripheral nerves stimulated by the generated potential generate an action potential.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the parameters of the laser include energy intensity, a pulse width, a pulse frequency, a stimulating time and a beam diameter.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the shock wave and the electric field generated by the air plasma induce a state change in a medium existing at a certain point inside a virtual sphere around a position where the air plasma is generated.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein wavelength of the pulse laser is 1064 nm.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein energy intensity of the pulse laser is between 35 mJ and 65 mJ.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensing unit for sensing temperature of a heating element of an electric device,

wherein if the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing unit is higher than a preset temperature, the laser radiation unit generates air plasma by radiating a laser at a point above the electric device.

10. A somatic sense induction system using air plasma, the system comprising:

a laser radiation device for controlling parameters of a laser and generating the air plasma at one point in air by radiating the laser at the one point in the air;

a lens for inducing the generation of the air plasma by focusing the laser radiated from the laser radiation device on the one point in the air;

a camera for photographing a user;

a motion detection unit for receiving an image photographed by the camera and detecting a motion of the user; and

a position detection unit for receiving motion information of the motion detection unit and detecting a position where the motion of the user is generated,

wherein a shock wave and an electric field generated by the air plasma induce a state change in a medium existing in an area affected by the shock wave and the electric field, and

wherein the laser radiation device generates air plasma by radiating a pulse laser at a point around a position where the motion of the user is performed.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the medium is a skin of a human body.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the shock wave induces a state change in the skin of the human body by making peripheral nerves generate an action potential by stimulating a cell in the skin of the human body.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the electric field generates a potential in a cell of the skin of the human body and induces a state change in the skin of the human body by making peripheral nerves stimulated by the generated potential generate an action potential.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the parameters of the laser include energy intensity, a pulse width, a pulse frequency, a stimulating time and a beam diameter.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the shock wave and the electric field generated by the air plasma induce a state change in a medium existing at a certain point inside a virtual sphere around a position where the air plasma is generated.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein wavelength of the pulse laser is 1064 nm.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein energy intensity of the pulse laser is between 35 mJ and 65 mJ.

18. The system according to claim 10, further comprising a temperature sensing unit for sensing temperature of a heating element of an electric device,

wherein if the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing unit is higher than a preset temperature, the laser radiation unit generates air plasma by radiating a laser at a point above the electric device.