Transmitting information to a user's body

• US 20050132290A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dahlke, Aline, Treiner, Jorg, Boucher, Sophie, Clanget, Ulrich, Buchner, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,228,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

A skin stimulation system (200) is integrated into a piece of clothing or any type of wearable accessory (101, 101′) which is connected to a controlling device (109). The system comprises a variety of sensing means (105a-c, 105′) for input information. Actuators (106a-p) placed on or close to body of a person wearing this piece of clothing or wearable accessory (101, 101′) are used for generating (S104′) visual, auditive, tactile, gustatoric and/or olfactoric stimuli (e.g. heat, pressure, vibrational and/or electric pulses, etc.). The invention further specifies a new method for transmitting tactile information between different wearable computing devices (100, 100′).

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a number of different actuator elements (106a-p) which are used for generating vibro-tactile sensations are integrated into a piece of jewelry such as e.g. a necklace (304), a bracelet, rings (900b) with a single or variable number of beads (900a), gemstones, etc. These actuator elements (106a-p) are embedded in detachable casings (306a1-a4) which are pivotable about their suspension axes. Each of said beads, gemstones, etc. or at least some of them includes at least one integrated actuator element (106a-p).

The invention further pertains to a method for tuning (S901) key parameters of said stimuli by pivoting said casing (306a1-a4) about at least one axis so as to bring said actuator means (106a-p) closer to or farther away from parts of a user'"'"'s body wearing said piece of clothing or wearable accessory (101, 101′). Said key parameters are e.g. the intensity, duration and/or frequency of said stimuli.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information to a user'"'"'s body, said method comprising the following steps:

providing a set of standardized codes, each code being associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator designed to transmit information to a user using the skin as an interface to the user,

selecting and transmitting a code or a combination of a plurality of codes to a wearable accessory having integrated therein the at least one actuator, and

controlling the at least acuator according to the activation pattern associated with the code transmitted.

2. A method according to claim 1,

wherein the actuator is designed to transmit tactile, virational, pressure, heat stimuli to the skin of a user.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that

a code is selected based on a user'"'"'s manual, visual or audio input or signals originating from biometric sensors.

4. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that

the actuators are controlled by manually manipulating their orientation and/or position.

5. A computer program product supporting a method according to claim 1 when running on a computing device.

6. A wearable piece of garment or accessory, comprising:

an array of actuators designed to transmit stimuli to a user using the skin of the users'"'"'s body as an interface, and

a controller being functionally connected to the array of actuators in order to activate them according to a defined operational pattern.

7. A system for transmitting physical expressions of affection, comprising:

means for generating a coded signal out of a set of coded signals, each coded signal being associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator designed to transmit information to a user using the skin as an interface to the user,

means for transmitting the at least one of the coded signals to a wearable accessory having integrated therein the at least one actuator, and

means for controlling the at least acuator according to the activation pattern associated with the coded signal transmitted.

8. A system according to claim 7,

wherein the actuator is designed to transmit tactile, virational, pressure, heat information to the skin of a user.

9. A system according to anyone of claims 7,

comprising means for selecting a coded signal based on a user'"'"'s manual, visual or audio input or signals originating from biometric or environmental sensors.

10. A system according to claim 7, characterized in that

the actuators are controllable by manually manipulating their orientation and/or position.

17. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 9, characterized by

biometric (105) and/or environmental sensors (105′

),

processing means for extracting (S101) features from said biometric (110c) and/or environmental signals (110c′

) and mapping (S103) the results of this analysis to stored meta information,

transmitting means (100T″

) for wirelessly transmitting this meta information to the wearable computing device (100′

) of a further piece of clothing or wearable accessory (101′

),

receiving means (100R″

) for wirelessly receiving said meta information, and

means (206) for activating, controlling and deactivating (S104) these actuating means (106a-p) based on meta information received

18. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 17, characterized in that

said biometric sensors (105) are sensors for measuring the body temperature, skin conductivity, blood volume pressure, respiration rate, the pulse rate and/or other biometric phenomena.

19. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 17, characterized in that

said environmental sensors (105′

) are sensors for measuring parameters indicating climatic and/or meteorological conditions given by temperature, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity and/or wind speed.

11. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory having a stimulation system (200) and a computing device (100), said de-vice (100) being connected to controlling device (109), characterized by

means (100C) for processing received control information from the controlling device (109),

actuating means (106a-p) for generating (S104′

) stimuli to the skin of a user, and

means (206) for controlling (S104) these actuating means (106a-p) according to said control information.

12. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 11, characterized by

a haptic interface (103) comprising different sensing means (105a-c) for detecting tactile input information.

13. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 11, characterized by

at least one detachable casing (706a-c, 706a1-a4) for accommodating said actuating means (106a-p) which casing is pivotable about at least one axis, said casing being designed for changing operational parameters of said stimuli when being rotated about said axis.

14. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 13, characterized in that

said parameters are the intensity, duration and/or frequency of said stimuli.

15. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 11, characterized by

processing means for extracting (S101) features from entered audio, visual or manual information and mapping the extracted features to prestored meta information, and

transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting this meta information.

16. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 15, characterized by

receiving means (100R′

) for receiving said meta information, and

means (206) for controlling the actuating means (106a-p) based on meta information received.

20. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 15, characterized in that

said actuators (106a-p) are vibro-motors, audio speakers, piezo benders, heating elements, peltier elements, micro fans and/or electrostatic discharge modules which are used for generating heat, coolness, pressure, acoustic signals, vibrational and/or electric pulses, respectively.