Method and apparatus for providing passive force feedback to human-computer interface systems
First Claim
1. An apparatus for interfacing the motion of an object with an electrical system comprising:
- a sensor for detecting movement of said object along a degree of freedom, said sensor having a sensing resolution and being operative to develop an electrical sensor signal for an electrical system; and
an actuator assembly coupled to said object, said actuator assembly including;
an actuator for transmiting a force to said object along said degree of freedom, said actuator being responsive to an electrical actuator signal provided by said electrical system; and
a play mechanism coupled between said actuator and said object for providing an amount of play between said actuator and said object along said degree of freedom, wherein said amount of play is equal to or greater than said sensing resolution,such that said actuator and said sensor provide an electromechanical interface between said object and said electrical system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for interfacing the motion of an object with a digital processing system includes a sensor which has a sensing resolution and detects movement of the object along a degree of freedom. An amount of play less than the sensing resolution exists between the sensor and the object. A passive actuator is coupled to the mechanism to transmit a resistive force to the object along the degree of freedom. A play mechanism is coupled to the actuator to provide a desired amount of play between the actuator and the object along the degree of feedom. The desired amount of play is greater than the sensing resolution of the sensor so that the sensor can detect the desired play when the user moves the object, even when the actuator has locked the object into place. Such desired play can be torsion flex (compliance) or rotary backlash. The actuator and the sensor provide an electromechanical interface between the object and the digital processing system. A gimbal mechanism or slotted yoke mechanism can be coupled between the actuator and the object. The interface is well suited for simulations of medical procedures and simulations in which an object such as a stylus or a joystick is moved and manipulated by the user.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. An apparatus for interfacing the motion of an object with an electrical system comprising:
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a sensor for detecting movement of said object along a degree of freedom, said sensor having a sensing resolution and being operative to develop an electrical sensor signal for an electrical system; and an actuator assembly coupled to said object, said actuator assembly including; an actuator for transmiting a force to said object along said degree of freedom, said actuator being responsive to an electrical actuator signal provided by said electrical system; and a play mechanism coupled between said actuator and said object for providing an amount of play between said actuator and said object along said degree of freedom, wherein said amount of play is equal to or greater than said sensing resolution, such that said actuator and said sensor provide an electromechanical interface between said object and said electrical system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for interfacing the motion of an object with an electrical system comprising:
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a gimbal mechanism providing a first revolute degree of freedom to an object engaged with said gimbal mechanism about a first axis of rotation; a sensor electrically coupled to said electrical system and rigidly mechanically coupled to said gimbal mechanism for sensing positions of said object along said first degree of freedom, said sensor having a sensing resolution; and a braking mechanism electrically coupled to said electrical system and rigidly mechanically coupled to said gimbal mechanism to create a drag along said first degree of freedom, said braking mechanism providing an amount of play between said actuator and said object along said degree of freedom, said amount of play being equal to or greater than said sensing resolution; whereby said braking mechanism and said sensor provide an electromechanical interface between said object and said electrical system. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for interfacing motion of an object with an electrical system, the method comprising the steps of:
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defining an origin in 3-dimensional space; providing a gimbal mechanism movable relative to said origin in said 3-dimensional space such that an object engaged with said gimbal mechanism has at least one degree of freedom; sensing positions of said object along said degree of freedom with a sensor and producing electrical sensor signals therefrom, wherein a first amount of play less than a sensing resolution of said sensor is allowed between said sensor and said object; and creating a drag from a brake along said degree of freedom in response to electrical drag signals, wherein a second amount of play is allowed between said brake and said object before said force is generated along said degree of freedom, wherein said second amount of play is greater than or equal to said sensing resolution of said sensor. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An electromechanical input/output device comprising:
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a) an object capable of moving along at least one degree of freedom; b) a sensor for sensing movement along said at least one degree of freedom and for providing an electrical signal therefrom; c) an electromechanical brake mechanism responsive to a braking signal; and d) a play mechanism coupling said brake mechanism to said object; whereby said sensor can detect movements of said object along said degree of freedom when said brake mechanism is engaged due to said play mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A system for controlling an electromechanical interface apparatus manipulated by a user, the system comprising:
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a digital computer system for receiving an input control signal and for providing an output control signal, wherein said digital computer system updates a process in response to said input control signal; a passive actuator for receiving said output control signal and providing a resistive force along a degree of freedom to an object coupled to said passive actuator, said resistive force being based on information in said output control signal and resisting a force applied to said object by said user along said degree of freedom; a play mechanism for providing an intentional amount of play between said actuator and said object; and a sensor for detecting motion of said object and outputting said input control signal including information representative of the position and motion of said object to said digital computer system. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method for controlling an interface apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) sensing a current position of an object coupled to an interface apparatus; (b) determining the difference between said current position of said object and a previous position of said object; (c) determining a magnitude of a resistive force to be applied to said object, said magnitude being based at least in part on said difference of said current postion and said previous position; and (d) providing a control signal to a passive actuator to transmit a resistive force having said determined magnitude to said object. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification