Methods, devices, and systems for creating haptic stimulations and tracking motion of a user

• US 10,678,335 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2019
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: META Platforms Technologies LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)), Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Keller, Sean Jason, Trutna, Tristan Thomas, Benko, Hrvoje, King, Raymond, Lou, Yang, Visell, Yon, Shao, Yitian, Dandu, Bharat
• Primary Examiner(s): McLoone, Peter D
• Application Number:
  US16/241,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20190212821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1673 Arrangements for projecting a virtual keyboard
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• 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 3/0426 tracking fingers with respect to a virtual keyboard projected or printed on the surface virtual keyboards on touch screens G06F3/04886
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A method of creating haptic stimulations and anatomical information includes a wearable device including a plurality of transducers that can each generate one or more waves. The method includes activating one or more first transducers of the plurality of transducers based on an instruction received from a remote device. Waves generated by the activated one or more first transducers provide a haptic stimulation. The method further includes activating one or more second transducers of the plurality of transducers. Waves generated by the activated one or more second transducers provide anatomical information of a user of the wearable device when the waves are received by one or more transducers of the plurality of transducers.

Claims

1. A wearable device, comprising:

a plurality of transducers that can each generate one or more waves; and

one or more processors coupled with the plurality of transducers, the one or more processors being configured to;

activate one or more first transducers of the plurality of transducers based on a first instruction received from a remote device, wherein waves generated by the activated one or more first transducers provide a haptic stimulation to a user of the wearable device at a first target location;

activate one or more second transducers of the plurality of transducers, wherein waves generated by the activated one or more second transducers provide anatomical information of the user of the wearable device when the waves are received by one or more transducers of the plurality of transducers; and

in accordance with the anatomical information and a second instruction received from the remote device;

activate one or more third transducers of the plurality of transducers to provide a haptic stimulation to the user of the wearable device at a second target location distinct from the first target location.

2. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the instruction received from the remote device corresponds to visual data displayed by a head-mounted display in communication with the remote device.

3. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a radio configured to receive the instruction from the remote device.

4. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a radio configured to send the anatomical information to the remote device after activating the one or more second transducers.

5. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein the anatomical information, when received by the remote device, causes the remote device to:

generate at least a partial representation of the user of the wearable device from the anatomical information; and

include the representation in visual data displayed by a head-mounted display in communication with the remote device.

6. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the anatomical information corresponds to a posture of the user'"'"'s hand at a particular point in time.

7. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein:

the waves generated by the one or more first transducers are generated at a first frequency within a first frequency range;

the waves generated by the one or more second transducers are generated at a second frequency within a second frequency range; and

the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range.

8. The wearable device of claim 1, further comprising a band configured to be secured around a wrist or ankle of the user,

wherein each of the plurality of transducers is coupled to the band.

9. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein transducers of the plurality of transducers are radially spaced along a perimeter of the band.

10. The wearable device of claim 9, wherein the one or more transducers of the plurality of transducers that receive the waves are opposite the one or more second transducers on the band.

11. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein transducers of the plurality of transducers are spaced equidistant from one another on the wearable device.

12. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein:

transducers in the plurality of transducers are arranged in columns on the wearable device; and

transducers in a first respective column are adjacent to and parallel with corresponding transducers in a second respective column.

13. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the waves generated by the plurality of transducers are ultrasonic waves.

14. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to activate the one or more first transducers and the one or more second transducers simultaneously.

15. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

activate the one or more first transducers at a first time; and

activate the one or more second transducers at a second time different from the first time.

16. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the one or more transducers that receive the waves generated by the activated one or more second transducers include one or more transducers from (i) the one or more second transducers and/or (ii) the one or more first transducers.

17. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the one or more first transducers include:

a first group of transducers that generates waves in a first direction; and

a second group of transducers that generates waves in a second direction different from the first direction.

18. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein the anatomical information is tomographic information.

19. A method, comprising:

at a wearable device comprising a plurality of transducers that can each generate one or more waves;

activating one or more first transducers of the plurality of transducers based on a first instruction received from a remote device, wherein waves generated by the activated one or more first transducers provide a haptic stimulation to a user of the wearable device at a first target location;

activating one or more second transducers of the plurality of transducers, wherein waves generated by the activated one or more second transducers provide anatomical information of the user of the wearable device when the waves are received by one or more transducers of the plurality of transducers; and

in accordance with the anatomical information and a second instruction received from the remote device;

activate one or more third transducers of the plurality of transducers to provide a haptic stimulation to the user of the wearable device at a second target location distinct from the first target location.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, storing one or more programs configured for execution by one or more processors of a wearable device having a plurality of transducers, the one or more programs including instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors cause the wearable device to:

activate one or more first transducers of the plurality of transducers based on a first instruction received from a remote device, wherein waves generated by the activated one or more first transducers provide a haptic stimulation to a user of the wearable device at a first target location;

activate one or more second transducers of the plurality of transducers, wherein waves generated by the activated one or more second transducers provide anatomical information of the user of the wearable device when the waves are received by one or more transducers of the plurality of transducers; and

in accordance with the anatomical information and a second instruction received from the remote device;

activate one or more third transducers of the plurality of transducers to provide a haptic stimulation to the user of the wearable device at a second target location distinct from the first target location.