Enhanced cursor control using interface devices

• US 20050057509A1
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Martin, Kenneth M., Rosenberg, Louis B., Braun, Adam C., Beamer, Jonathan L., Chang, Dean C., Mallett, Jeffrey R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,696,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 Force feedback applied to a joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

An interface device and method for providing enhanced cursor control with force feedback. A force feedback interface device includes a manipulandum, such as a mouse, that is moveable in a local workspace. The device is coupled to a host computer that displays a cursor in a graphical environment, such as a GUI, on a display screen. An interior region and a border region in the local workspace is defined. One mapping of device movement to cursor movement is used for the interior region, and a different mapping is used for the border region. Mapping methods include ballistics, absolute, linear, rate control, and variable absolute. Rate control embodiments can be single axis or dual axis. In one embodiment, when the mouse moves from the interior region to the border region, the mapping providing the greater cursor velocity is used to better conserve device workspace in the direction of travel and to decrease any sense of mapping mode change to the user. Other features include an autocentering function for reducing offset between local and host frames.

Claims

1-29. -29. (cancelled).

30. A method, comprising

determining a first region and a second region of a display area in a graphical environment, a cursor being associated with and moveable in the display area responsive to movement of a manipulandum;

determining a first mapping associating the movement of the cursor in the first region with the movement of the manipulandum;

determining a second mapping associating the movement of the cursor in the second region with the movement of the manipulandum; and

selecting one of the first mapping and the second mapping to be associated with the cursor crossing a boundary between the first region and the second region.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first region and the second region are associated with an interior region and a border region of the display area, respectfully.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first mapping includes one of a ballistics mapping, a linear mapping, and an absolute mapping.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the second mapping includes one of a rate control mapping and a variable absolute mapping.

34. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining a force effect to be output to oppose the movement of the manipulandum as the cursor moves from the interior region into the border region, a magnitude of the force effect associated with a penetration distance of the cursor into the border region.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising determining a force effect to be output to oppose the movement of the manipulandum as the cursor moves towards a boundary of the border region.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the force effect includes a spring force.

37. The apparatus of claim 30, further comprising determining a force effect to be output to the manipulandum when the cursor crosses the boundary between the first region and the second region.

38. The method of claim 30, wherein the selected mapping causes the cursor to move at a greater speed when the cursor crosses the boundary between the first region and the second region.

39. A processor-executable program stored in a computer-readable medium, comprising:

code to determine a first region and a second region of a display area in a graphical environment, a cursor being associated with and moveable the display area responsive to movement of a manipulandum;

code to determine a first mapping associating the movement of the cursor in the first region with the movement of the manipulandum;

code to determine a second mapping associating the movement of the cursor in the second region with the movement of the manipulandum; and

code to select one of the first mapping and the second mapping to be associated with the cursor crossing a boundary between the first region and the second region.

40. The processor-executable program of claim 39, wherein the first region and the second region are associated with an interior region and a border region of the display area, respectfully.

41. The processor-executable program of claim 40, wherein the first mapping includes one of a ballistics mapping, a linear mapping, and an absolute mapping.

42. The processor-executable program of claim 40, wherein the second mapping includes one of a rate control mapping and a variable absolute mapping.

43. The processor-executable program of claim 40, further comprising code to output a force effect to oppose the movement of the manipulandum as the cursor moves from the interior region into the border region, a magnitude of the force effect being associated with on a penetration distance of the cursor into the border region.

44. The processor-executable program of claims 40, further comprising code to output a force effect to oppose the movement of the manipulandum as the cursor moves towards a boundary of the border region.

45. The processor-executable program of claim 44, wherein the force effect includes a spring force.

46. The processor-executable program of claim 39, further comprising code to output a force effect to the manipulandum when the cursor crosses the boundary between the first region and the second region.

47. The processor-executable program of claim 39, wherein the selected mapping causes the cursor to move at a greater speed when the cursor crosses the boundary between the first region and the second region.

48. A processor-executable program stored in a computer-readable medium, comprising:

code to define a display area in a graphical environment, a cursor being associated with the display region and moveable responsive to a movement of a manipulandum;

code to associate boundaries of the displaying area with boundaries of a workspace of the manipulandum according to a predetermined relationship;

code to determine a mapping associating the movement of the cursor with the movement of the manipulandum; and

code to output a force effect to the manipulandum when the cursor reaches at lease one of the boundaries of the display area.

49. The processor-executable program of claim 48, wherein the force effect include a spring force.