Active Fingertip-Mounted Object Digitizer

• US 20090278798A1
• Filed: 07/26/2007
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Original Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Inventors: Kim, Young-Seok, Kesavadas, Thenkurussi
• Application Number:
  US11/828,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278798A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• 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 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors

Abstract

A finger-mounted implement including a kinesthetic sensor, at least one tactile sensor, and means for securing the kinesthetic sensor and the at least one tactile sensor to a fingertip. The tactile sensor may be a thin-film force transducer, a piezoelectric accelerometer, or a combination thereof. An artificial fingernail may be connected to the accelerometer. The kinesthetic sensor may include a magnetic transducer and may sense an X-Y-Z position and an angular orientation of a fingertip to which the kinesthetic sensor is secured. The securing means may include at least one means selected from the group consisting of adhesive tape, an elastically deformable cover, and detachable adhesive. The implement can be further connected to a computer processing system for, amongst other things, the virtual representation of sensed objects. The implement can also be used as part of a method of haptic sensing of objects.

Claims

1. A finger-mounted implement, comprising:

a kinesthetic sensor;

at least one tactile sensor; and

means for securing the kinesthetic sensor and the at least one tactile sensor to a fingertip.

2. The implement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tactile sensor includes a thin-film force transducer.

3. The implement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tactile sensor includes a piezoelectric accelerometer.

4. The implement according to claim 3, further comprising an artificial fingernail connected to the accelerometer.

5. The implement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tactile sensor includes a thin-film force transducer and a piezoelectric accelerometer.

6. The implement according to claim 1, wherein the kinesthetic sensor includes a magnetic transducer.

7. The implement according to claim 1, wherein the kinesthetic sensor senses an X-Y-Z position and an angular orientation of a fingertip to which the kinesthetic sensor is secured.

8. The implement according to claim 1, wherein the securing means includes at least one means selected from the group consisting of adhesive tape, an elastically deformable cover, and detachable adhesive.

9. A haptic sensing system, comprising:

a human fingertip;

a kinesthetic sensor mounted on the fingertip for providing kinesthetic signal information indicating a position of the fingertip in space;

at least one tactile sensor mounted on the fingertip for providing tactile signal information indicating at least one of acceleration at the fingertip and contact force applied at the fingertip; and

signal processing circuitry receiving the kinesthetic signal information and the tactile signal information and generating a digital data set describing active movement of the fingertip over time;

whereby the fingertip may be used as a digitizing probe or digital input device.

10. The haptic sensing system according to claim 9, wherein the signal processing circuitry generates the digital data set in real time.

11. The haptic sensing system according to claim 10, wherein the signal processing circuitry is embodied in a plurality of electronics units and a computer connected to the plurality of electronics units.

12. The haptic sensing system according to claim 11, further comprising a display connected to the computer, wherein the computer is programmed to provide a virtual reality representation on the display based on the digital data set.

13. A method of haptic sensing comprising the steps of:

mounting a plurality of sensors on a fingertip of a human, the plurality of sensors providing tactile signal information associated with the fingertip and kinesthetic signal information associated with the fingertip;

actively moving the fingertip to touch an object; and

processing the tactile signal information and the kinesthetic signal information provided during the active movement of the fingertip.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the tactile signal information indicates at least one of acceleration at the fingertip and contact force applied at the fingertip.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the kinesthetic signal information indicates at least one of position of the fingertip in space and angular orientation of the fingertip in space.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of actively moving the fingertip includes moving the fingertip while the fingertip is in contact with the object and moving the fingertip while the fingertip is out of contact with the object.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of actively moving the fingertip includes a transient stage as the fingertip makes contact with the object, during which transient stage viscoelastic behavior of fingertip tissue is reflected in the tactile signal information.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of actively moving the fingertip includes performing a tactual task selected from the group of tactual tasks consisting of rubbing the object, palpating the object, tapping the object, and scratching the object.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein the tactile signal information and the kinesthetic signal information is processed to determine properties of the object, and the method further comprises the step of digitally modeling the object based on the determined properties of the object.

20. The method according to claim 13, wherein the tactile signal information and the kinesthetic signal information is processed to determine characteristics of the active movement of the fingertip.