AUTOMATIC REMOTE SENSING AND HAPTIC CONVERSION SYSTEM

• US 20180129291A1
• Filed: 01/05/2018
• Published: 05/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: WEDDLE, Amaya Becvar, GRANT, Danny
• Granted Patent: US 10,416,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system is provided that automatically converts an input into one or more haptic effects in near real-time. The system senses the input in near real-time. The system automatically converts the sensed input into one or more haptic signals in near real-time. The system generates the one or more haptic effects based on the one or more haptic signals.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A wearable haptic device, comprising:

a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect; and

a controller configured

to receive a sensed input signal from a sensor,

to identify a numeric value of a parameter of the sensed input signal,

to convert the sensed input signal into a haptic signal by causing a haptic parameter of the haptic signal to have a numeric value which is the same as the numeric value of the parameter of the sensed input signal, and

to communicate the haptic signal to the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

24. The wearable haptic device of claim 23, wherein the wearable haptic device includes a wrist band.

25. The wearable haptic device of claim 23, wherein the wearable haptic device includes at least one of a head band, eyeglasses, a ring, or a leg band.

26. The wearable haptic device of claim 23, wherein the haptic parameter of the haptic signal and the parameter of the sensed input signal have a same parameter type, the parameter type being at least one of:

an amplitude, a frequency, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature.

27. The wearable haptic device of claim 26, wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real time as the sensed input signal is received from the sensor, such that any time delay between the receiving of the sensed input signal and the generating of the haptic effect includes only a time delay for converting the sensed input signal to the haptic signal.

28. The wearable haptic device of claim 27, wherein the sensor is remote from the wearable haptic device, and the sensed input signal is received from the sensor via a network, and wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real time as the sensor generates the sensed input signal, such that any time delay between the sensor generating the sensed input signal and the wearable haptic device generating the haptic effect includes only a first time delay introduced by network transmission of the sensed input signal from the sensor to the haptic output device, and a second time delay associated with converting the sensed input signal into the haptic signal.

29. The wearable haptic device of claim 23, wherein the sensor is part of the wearable haptic device, and the sensor input signal is received by the controller via a bus that is communicably coupled to the controller.

30. The wearable haptic device of claim 29, wherein the sensor is a microphone, and the sensed input signal is an audio signal.

31. The wearable haptic device of claim 30, wherein the controller is configured to convert the sensed input signal to the haptic signal by identifying at least one of:

one or more frequencies, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature of the audio signal, and by causing the haptic signal to have an identical one or more frequencies, duration, envelope or time signature as the audio signal.

32. The wearable haptic device of claim 30, further comprising a speaker, wherein the controller is configured to cause the speaker to be silent when the haptic output device generates the haptic effect.

33. The wearable haptic device of claim 29, wherein the sensor is at least one of a pressure sensor, a camera, an accelerometer, and a pedometer.

34. The wearable haptic device of claim 29, wherein the sensor is at least one of an electrocardiogram, an electroencephalogram, an electromyograph, an electrooculogram, or a galvanic skin response sensor, and wherein the sensed input signal is a biological signal.

35. The wearable haptic device of claim 23, wherein the controller includes a processor and a memory.

36. A wearable haptic device, comprising:

a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect; and

a controller configured

to receive a sensed audio signal generated by a microphone,

to identify at least one of;

one or more frequencies, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature of the sensed audio signal,

to convert the sensed input signal into a haptic signal by causing the haptic signal to have one or more frequencies, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature that is based on the one or more frequencies, duration, envelope, or time signature of the sensed audio signal,

to communicate the haptic signal to the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

37. The wearable haptic device of claim 36, wherein the controller is configured to cause the one or more frequencies, duration, envelope, or time signature of the haptic signal to be identical to the one or more frequencies, duration, envelope, or time signature of the sensed audio signal.

38. The wearable haptic device of claim 36, wherein the microphone is remote from the wearable haptic device, and the sensed audio signal is received via a network, wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real-time as the sensed audio signal is generated by the microphone, such that any time delay between the microphone generating the sensed audio signal and the wearable haptic device generating the haptic effect includes only a first time delay introduced by network transmission of the sensed audio signal from the microphone to the wearable haptic device, and a second time delay associated with converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.

39. The wearable haptic device of claim 36, wherein the microphone is part of the wearable haptic device.

40. The wearable haptic device of claim 36, wherein the controller is further configured to perform frequency filtering on the sensed audio signal before converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal, wherein the frequency filtering comprises filtering out characteristics of the sensed audio input that represents a background sound.

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

receiving a sensed audio signal that is generated by a microphone;

identifying at least one of;

one or more frequencies, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature of the sensed audio signal;

converting the sensed audio signal to a haptic signal, by causing the haptic signal to have one or more frequencies, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature that is based on the one or more frequencies, duration, envelope, or time signature of the sensed audio signal;

communicating the haptic signal to a haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising performing frequency filtering on the sensed audio signal to filter out characteristics of the sensed audio signal that represents a background sound, wherein the frequency filtering is performed before converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.