CONTEXTUAL PRESSURE SENSING HAPTIC RESPONSES

• US 20180107276A1
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: HEUBEL, Robert W., GRANT, Danny A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,296,091 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of generating haptic effects includes detecting an input of pressure applied to a device using a gesture and determining a level associated with the gesture based on the pressure input, as well as determining a selection of an item at the level based on the gesture and a context associated with the item at the level, along with generating a contextual haptic effect comprising haptic parameter based on the context of the item at the level.

Claims

1. A method of generating a contextual haptic effect, the method comprising:

detecting a pressure input applied using a gesture;

determining a level associated with the gesture based on the pressure input;

determining a selection of an item at the level based on the gesture;

determining a context associated with the item at the level; and

generating a contextual haptic effect in response to the selection of the item according to haptic effect parameters based on the context of the item at the level.

2. The method of claim 1, where the gesture is applied to a two-dimensional surface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pressure input is based on a force applied with the gesture.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the pressure input is based on a touch surface area of the gesture.

5. The method of claim 2, where the gesture is applied along a substantially perpendicular axis to the two-dimensional surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the gesture within three-dimensional space applies a virtual pressure to a virtual surface, the pressure input being based on a distance traveled by the gesture.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising a selection haptic effect as each of a plurality of items is selected.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the level is in a depth direction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual haptic effect is determined based on the gesture.

10. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to generate a contextual haptic effect, the generating comprising:

determining a pressure input applied using a gesture;

determining a level associated with the gesture based on the pressure input;

determining a selection of an item at the level based on the gesture;

determining a context associated with the item at the level; and

generating a contextual haptic effect in response to the selection of the item according to haptic effect parameters based on the context of the item at the level.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, further comprising determining the gesture as applied to a two-dimensional surface.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising determining the pressure input based on a force applied with the gesture.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising determining the pressure input based on a touch surface area of the gesture.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising determining the gesture based on application along an axis arranged substantially perpendicular to the two-dimensional surface.

15. A system configured to generate a contextual haptic effect, the system comprising:

a touch-sensitive surface;

a haptic output device;

a controller coupled to the haptic output device;

wherein;

the controller is configured to;

detect a pressure input applied to the touch-sensitive surface using a gesture;

determine a level associated with the gesture based on the pressure input;

determine a selection of an item at the level based on the gesture;

determine a context associated with the item at the level; and

generate a contextual haptic effect in response to the selection of the item according to haptic effect parameters based on the context of the item at the level.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a two-dimensional surface.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the pressure input based on a force applied with the gesture.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the pressure input based on a measured touch surface area associated with the gesture.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the controller is further configured to detect the pressure input based on elements of the gesture applied along a substantially perpendicular axis to the two-dimensional surface.

20. The system according to claim 15, further comprising a virtual or augmented reality generation engine, the gesture being made within three dimensional space to apply a virtual pressure to a virtual object or an augmented object within a virtual reality or an augmented reality.