HAPTIC DIRECTIONAL FEEDBACK HANDLES FOR LOCATION DEVICES

• US 20130207791A1
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seektech Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seektech Inc.
• Inventors: Olsson, Mark S., Newby, Garrett A., Warren, Alexander Logan, Cox, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,082,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/081 the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/165 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by the object or by the detecting device with electromagnetic waves G01V3/17
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

Locating devices and systems providing haptic tactile feedback are disclosed. In one embodiment, a locator includes a haptic handle configured to provide directional signals through an operator'"'"'s sense of touch to aid in locating and tracing a buried conductor or other object such as a pipe or cable.

Claims

1. A system for providing tactile feedback, the system comprising:

one or more feedback components configured to provide the tactile feedback based on position information relating to a location of a physical object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback is associated with a relative position of the user with respect to the location of the physical object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a direction in which the user may travel towards the physical object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback indicates an amount of distance between the user and the physical object.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback indicates an orientation of the user with respect to the location of the physical object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a depth of the physical object below a surface.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the tactile feedback further indicates an amount of distance between the user and the physical object.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the tactile feedback further indicates a depth of the physical object below a surface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one feedback component provides time modulated tactile feedback.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one feedback component provides amplitude modulated tactile feedback.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one feedback component provides frequency modulated tactile feedback.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein at least one feedback component provides one or more of time modulated, amplitude modulated, and frequency modulated tactile feedback to indicate the amount of distance between the user and the physical object.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the tactile feedback further indicates a direction in which the user may travel towards the physical object, and at least one feedback component provides one or more of time modulated, amplitude modulated, and frequency modulated tactile feedback to indicate the direction.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one feedback component is configured to provide a first number of activation periods corresponding to a first number of measurement units to indicate a first amount of distance between the user and the physical object at a first instance in time.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one feedback component is further configured to provide a second number of activation periods corresponding to a second number of measurement units to indicate a second amount of distance between the user and the physical object at a second instance in time, and wherein the second number of activation periods and the second number of measurement units are both less than the first number of activation periods and the first number of measurement units when the second amount of distance is less than the first amount of distance, and the second number of activation periods and the second number of measurement units are greater than the first number of activation periods and the first number of measurement units when the second amount of distance is greater than the first amount of distance.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one feedback component is configured to provide different amplitude modulated tactile feedback associated with different amounts of distance between the user and the physical object at different instances of time.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more feedback components includes a plurality of feedback components configured to contact the user'"'"'s body.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of feedback components are integrated with or coupled to clothing worn by the user.

19. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a buried object locator, wherein the buried object locator includes;

the one or more feedback components disposed within a handle of the buried object locator; and

a locator module configured to determine the position information relating to the location of the object, wherein the object is a buried object.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a processing module configured to generate, based at least in part on the position information, one or more control signals, wherein the one or more feedback components provide the tactile feedback based on the control signals.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

a first feedback component is configured to provide first tactile feedback based on a first control signal, and a second feedback component is configured to provide no tactile feedback at a first instance of time to indicate a first direction in which the user may travel towards the object, and

the second feedback component is further configured to provide second tactile feedback based on a second control signal, and the first feedback component is further configured to provide no tactile feedback at a second instance of time to indicate a second direction in which the user may travel towards the object.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more feedback components includes a first feedback component disposed on a first side of the handle and a second feedback component disposed on a second side of the handle.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more feedback components includes an array of three or more feedback components.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more feedback components includes a plurality of feedback components configured to sequentially provide tactile feedback so as to indicate a direction of rotation in which the user may rotate in order to align the user along a path to the object.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a clockwise direction of rotation about a vertical axis from the ground when the tactile feedback includes tactile feedback from a first feedback component at a first instance of time, and tactile feedback from a second feedback component at a second instance of time after the first instance of time.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the tactile feedback indicates one or more of a direction in which the user may travel towards the object, an amount of distance between the user and the object, and a depth of the object below a surface.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one feedback component provides one or more of time modulated, amplitude modulated, and frequency modulated tactile feedback.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein tactile feedback indicating the direction includes tactile feedback from a first feedback component and no tactile feedback from a second feedback component, and wherein tactile feedback indicating the amount of distance is modulated so as to provide more frequent tactile feedback as the amount of distance decreases over a time period.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the locator module determines the position information based on magnetic fields related to the buried object.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the position information is based at least in part on GPS location technologies.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the feedback components is configured to provide audio feedback based on the position information relating to the location of the object and further based on a location and orientation of the user relative to the location of the objects.

32. The system of claim 1, wherein the tactile feedback is further based on information relating to an obstacle or hazard in the same environment of the object.

33. A method for providing tactile feedback, comprising:

providing tactile feedback based on position information relating to a location of a physical buried object.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a relative position of a buried object locator with respect to the location of the buried object.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

providing the tactile feedback from two or more feedback components disposed within a handle of a buried object locator.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the tactile feedback indicates one or more of a direction towards location of the buried object, an amount of distance to the location of the buried object, and a depth of the buried object below a surface.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the tactile feedback is modulated in one or more of time, frequency, and amplitude.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

determining the position information based on magnetic fields related to the buried object.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

generating, based on the position information, one or more control signals, wherein a feedback component provides the tactile feedback based on the one or more control signals.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the providing tactile feedback includes:

providing a first tactile feedback output from a first tactile feedback component while providing no tactile feedback output from a second tactile feedback component to indicate a direction towards the location of the buried object.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein a first feedback component is disposed on a first side of the handle and a second feedback component is disposed on a second side of the handle.

42. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for providing tactile feedback, the method comprising:

providing tactile feedback based on position information relating to a location of a physical buried object.

43. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a relative position of a buried object locator with respect to the location of the buried object.

44. The computer program product of claim 42, the method further comprising:

providing the tactile feedback from two or more feedback components disposed within a handle of a buried object locator, wherein a first feedback component is disposed on a first side of the handle and a second feedback component is disposed on a second side of the handle.

45. The computer program product of claim 42, wherein the tactile feedback indicates one or more of a direction towards location of the buried object, an amount of distance to the location of the buried object, and a depth of the buried object below a surface, and wherein the tactile feedback is modulated in one or more of time, frequency, and amplitude.

46. The computer program product of claim 42, further comprising:

determining the position information based on magnetic fields related to the buried object;

generating, based on the position information, one or more control signals; and

providing, based on the one or more control signals, a first tactile feedback output from a first tactile feedback component while providing no tactile feedback output from a second tactile feedback component to indicate a direction towards the location of the buried object.

47. A buried object locator configured to provide tactile feedback, the locator comprising:

means for providing the tactile feedback based on position information relating to a location of a physical buried object.

48. The locator of claim 47, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a relative position of the buried object locator with respect to the location of the buried object.

49. The locator of claim 47, wherein the means for providing the tactile feedback includes a first feedback means disposed on a first side of a handle of the buried object locator, and a second feedback means disposed on a second side of the handle.

50. The locator of claim 47, wherein the tactile feedback indicates a direction towards location of the buried object, an amount of distance to the location of the buried object, and a depth of the buried object below a surface, and wherein the tactile feedback is modulated in one or more of time, frequency, and amplitude.

51. The locator of claim 49, further comprising:

a means for determining the position information based on magnetic fields related to the buried object; and

a means for generating, based on the position information, one or more control signals, wherein the first feedback means is configured to provide, based on the one or more control signals, a first tactile feedback output, and the second feedback means is configured to provide, based on the one or more control signals, no tactile feedback output, to indicate a first direction towards the location of the buried object.