HAPTIC FEEDBACK FOR DIRECTIONAL CONTROL PADS
First Claim
1. A tactile feedback control device for inputting control signals to a computer and for outputting forces to a user of the control device, the control device comprising:
- a housing, said housing capable of being held and operated by a user in one or more hands of said user;
a direction pad coupled to said housing, said direction pad capable of being contacted by said user in at least two different locations to provide two different directional signals to said host computer, each directional signal corresponding to one of said locations on said direction pad; and
a computer-controlled actuator coupled to said direction pad, said actuator outputting a force directly on said direction pad.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A haptic feedback control device coupled to a host computer and outputting forces to a user of the control device. The control device includes a housing, a direction pad capable of being contacted by the user in at least two different locations to provide two different directional signals to the host computer, and a computer-controlled actuator that outputs a force directly on the direction pad. A sensor, such as one or more contact switches, can detects when the locations of the direction pad have been contacted or pressed by the user. The actuator can be a linear or rotary actuator that outputs a force on the direction pad, e.g. approximately perpendicular to the top surface of the direction pad. The actuator can output a vibration or a pulse tactile sensation on the direction pad in coordination with interactions or events in a computer graphical environment or functions of a controlled electronic device. The control device can be a game controller, a mouse, a remote control device, or other type of device.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. A tactile feedback control device for inputting control signals to a computer and for outputting forces to a user of the control device, the control device comprising:
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a housing, said housing capable of being held and operated by a user in one or more hands of said user;
a direction pad coupled to said housing, said direction pad capable of being contacted by said user in at least two different locations to provide two different directional signals to said host computer, each directional signal corresponding to one of said locations on said direction pad; and
a computer-controlled actuator coupled to said direction pad, said actuator outputting a force directly on said direction pad. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A tactile feedback control device for inputting control signals to a host computer and for outputting forces to a user of the control device, the control device comprising:
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a housing;
a direction pad coupled to said housing, said direction pad capable of being contacted by said user in at least two different locations to provide two different directional signals to said host computer, each directional signal corresponding to one of said locations on said direction pad; and
a computer-controlled actuator coupled to said direction pad, said actuator outputting a linear force directly on said direction pad, wherein said linear force is provided along a z-axis approximately perpendicularly to a plane of a top surface of said direction pad. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method for providing haptic feedback to a direction pad of an interface device, said interface device coupled to a host processor implementing a graphical environment, the method comprising:
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providing a housing;
providing at least one sensor operative to sense manipulation of a direction pad provided on said housing by a user, said direction pad including a plurality of locations, wherein said manipulation includes the pressing of at least one of said locations on said direction pad by said user, wherein said at least one sensor provides a different sensor signal for each of said pressed locations; and
providing an actuator coupled to said housing, said actuator receiving control signals derived from force information from said host processor, wherein said force information causes said actuator to output a force on said direction pad, said force being correlated with an interaction occurring in said graphical environment between a user-controlled graphical object or entity and a different graphical object. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification