Force feedback interface with selective disturbance filter

• US 6,310,605 B1
• Filed: 08/09/1999
• Issued: 10/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Dean C., Rosenberg, Louis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRIER, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US09/370,948
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/161, 345/184, 463/30, 463/38, 244/223, 434/45, 318/568.1, 318/568.11
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 Force feedback applied to a joystick
• 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

Abstract

A force feedback interface and method providing a selective disturbance filter for providing selective reduction or elimination of displayed disturbances associated with output force sensations. A force feedback interface device is connected to a host computer that displays a graphical environment. The interface device includes a user manipulatable object, a sensor for detecting movement of the user object, and an actuator to apply output forces to the user object. A microprocessor outputs controlling force signals to the actuator, receives sensor signals from the sensors and reports locative data to the host computer indicative of the movement of the user object. The host computer updates a position of a displayed user-controlled graphical object in the graphical environment based on the reported data. The microprocessor implements a selective disturbance filter for modifying the locative data reported to the host computer when the output force would cause a disturbance to the user-controlled graphical object, the disturbance occurring when an output force sensation affects the position of the user object such that the host computer would display the user controlled graphical object in an undesired location or with an undesired motion in the graphical environment.

Claims

1. A force feedback interface device implementing a selective disturbance filter for reporting filtered data to a host computer system, said host computer system implementing and displaying a graphical environment, the interface device comprising:

a user manipulatable object physically contacted by a user and movable in physical space in a degree of freedom with respect to a ground;

a sensor operative to detect said movement of said user manipulatable object in physical space in said degree of freedom with respect to said ground and output sensor signals representative of said movement;

an actuator coupled to said user manipulatable object and operative to apply an output force in said degree of freedom of said user manipulatable object; and

a microprocessor, separate from said host computer, coupled to said sensor and to said actuator, said microprocessor operative to receive host commands from said host computer and output force signals to said actuator to control said output force on said user manipulatable object, and operative to receive said sensor signals from said sensors and report locative data to said host computer derived from said sensor signals and indicative of said movement of said user manipulatable object, said host computer updating a graphical environment based on at least a portion of said locative data, wherein said microprocessor implements a selective disturbance filter for modifying said locative data reported to said host computer when said output force causes said user manipulatable object to move and would cause an undesired change in position of said user manipulatable object to be reported to said host computer if said modification of said locative data were not performed.

2. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 1 wherein said selective disturbance filter is associated with at least one force sensation controlled by said microprocessor, such that said selective disturbance filter modifies said reported data only when said associated force sensation is output by said actuator.

3. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 2 wherein a plurality of different types of force sensations can be commanded by said microprocessor to be output by said actuator, and wherein said at least one of said different types of force sensations can be commanded by said host computer by providing a host command to said microprocessor, wherein said selective disturbance filter is activated by said host computer by providing a host command.

4. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 3 wherein said modifying of said locative data is performed if said output force sensation is associated with said selective disturbance filter that has previously been commanded to be active by said host computer.

5. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 3 wherein at least one of a plurality of available selective disturbance filters may be used to modify said locative data.

6. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 1 wherein said modification of said locative data includes sampling said locative data over time according to a sampling rate, and reporting only said sampled locative data to said host computer.

7. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 1 wherein said modification of said locative data includes time-averaging said locative data and reporting said averaged data to said host computer.

8. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 1 wherein said modification of said locative data includes sampling and holding a data value derived from said sensor signals before said force sensation is output, wherein said held data value is reported to said host computer during said force sensation.

9. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 1 wherein said modification of said locative data includes using a spatial filter to sample and hold a data value derived from said sensor signals, said data value representing a last position of said user manipulatable object before said user object is moved out of a predetermined region in said graphical environment.

10. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 1 wherein said different types of force sensations include a vibration that causes a disturbance of a vibrating cursor when said reported locative data is not modified.

11. A force feedback interface device as recited in claim 10 wherein said different types of force sensations include a jolt that causes a disturbance of a cursor that is suddenly moved in a direction corresponding to said jolt when said reported locative data is not modified.

12. A method for selectively filtering visual disturbances associated with forces occurring in a force feedback system, the method comprising:

enabling a reception of a command at a force feedback interface device from a host computer to output a force sensation on a user manipulatable object of said force feedback interface device;

enabling a determination of whether said force sensation is associated with a disturbance filter process stored in a computer readable medium;

enabling a determination of whether said associated disturbance filter process is enabled;

enabling a filtering of input data according to said associated disturbance filter process to provide filtered input data, said filtering being performed if said associated disturbance filter process is enabled, said input data being received from sensors during said output of said force sensation and being representative of a position of said user manipulatable object in a degree of freedom, wherein said filtered input data is substantially free of a disturbance on said user manipulatable object caused by said output of said force sensation; and

enabling a report of said filtered input data to said host computer, said host computer using at least part of said filtered data to update a displayed graphical environment.

13. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising enabling a reception of a command from said host computer to enable said associated disturbance filter process.

14. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said filtered data is used by said host computer to position a cursor in a graphical environment.

15. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said force sensation is one of a plurality of different available force sensations that may be output by said force feedback interface device, wherein at least two of said force sensations are associated with different disturbance filter processes.

16. A method for selectively decoupling an input channel from an output channel in a force feedback interface device by filtering input data, the method comprising:

outputting a force sensation in a degree of freedom of a user manipulatable physical object of said force feedback interface device, said force sensation being correlated with an event in a graphical environment implemented by a host computer coupled to said force feedback interface device;

determining whether said force sensation is associated with a disturbance filter process stored in memory of said force feedback device;

filtering input data according to said associated disturbance filter process to reduce a visual disturbance in said graphical environment caused by said output of said force sensation, said input data being received from sensors during said output of said force sensation and being representative of a position of said physical object in said degree of freedom; and

using said filtered input data to update said displayed graphical environment.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 further comprising determining whether said associated disturbance filter process is active, and performing said filtering only if said associated disturbance filter process is active.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising receiving a command from a host computer coupled to said force feedback interface device to activate said associated disturbance filter process.

19. A method as recited in claim 18 wherein said outputting of said force sensation is commanded by said host computer using a host command.

20. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein a plurality of disturbance filter processes are stored in said memory, and wherein said force sensation is one of a plurality of different available force sensations that may be output by said force feedback interface device, wherein at least two of said force sensations are associated with different ones of said disturbance filter processes.

21. A method for selectively decoupling an input channel from an output channel in a force feedback interface device by filtering input data, the method comprising:

enabling an output of a force sensation in a degree of freedom of a user manipulatable physical object of said force feedback interface device, said force sensation being correlated with an event in a graphical environment implemented by a host computer coupled to said force feedback interface device;

enabling a determination of whether said force sensation is associated with a disturbance filter process stored in memory of said force feedback device;

enabling a filtering of input data according to said associated disturbance filter process to reduce a visual disturbance in said graphical environment caused by said output of said force sensation, said input data being received from sensors during said output of said force sensation and being representative of a position of said physical object in said degree of freedom; and

enabling a update of said displayed graphical environment using said filtered input data.

22. A method as recited in claim 21 wherein a plurality of disturbance filter processes are stored in said memory, and wherein said force sensation is one of a plurality of different available force sensations that may be output by said force feedback interface device, wherein at least two of said force sensations are associated with different ones of said disturbance filter processes.

23. A method for reducing disturbances in input data from a force feedback device, the method comprising:

enabling an output of a force sensation from a force feedback device; and

enabling a filtering of said input data according to a disturbance filter process associated with said force sensation to provide filtered input data, said input data being received from at least one sensor of said force feedback device during said output of said force sensation and being representative of movement of said user manipulatable object in a degree of freedom, wherein said filter input data is substantially free of a disturbance on said movement of said user manipulatable object caused by said output of said force sensation.

24. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein at least part of said filtered input data is used to update a displayed graphical environment.

25. A method as recited in claim 24 wherein a position of a graphical object in said graphical environment is updated using said filtered input data.

26. A method as recited in claim 23 further comprising enabling a report of said filtered input data to a host computer in communication with said force feedback device.

27. A method as recited in claim 24 wherein said enabling an output of a force sensation and a said enabling a filtering of said input data is performed by a processor local to said force feedback device and separate from a host computer in communication with said force feedback device.

28. A method as recited in claim 24 wherein said enabling an output of a force sensation and said enabling a filtering of input data is performed by a driver running on a host computer in communication with said force feedback device.

29. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein said disturbance filter process can be enabled or disabled, and wherein said filtering is performed if said associated disturbance filter process is enabled.

30. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein said force sensation is output by at least one actuator of said force feedback device, and wherein said output of said force sensation is correlated with an event in said graphical environment implemented by a host computer in communication with said force feedback device.

31. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein said disturbance filter process modifies said input data only when said associated force sensation is output by said force feedback device.

32. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein said disturbance filter process modifies said input data by sampling said input data over time according to a sampling rate, and using only said sampled input data as said filtered input data.

33. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein said disturbance filter process modifies said input data by time-averaging said input data and reporting said using said time-averaged data as said filtered input data.

34. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein said disturbance filter process modifies said input data by sampling and holding a data value derived from said input data before said force sensation is output, wherein said held data value is used as said filtered input data.

35. An apparatus implementing a selective disturbance filter for filtering data used in displaying objects in a computer-implemented graphical environment, the apparatus comprising:

means for causing an output of a force sensation from a force feedback device; and

means for filtering said input data according to a disturbance filter process associated with said force sensation to provide filtered input data, said input data being received from at least one sensor of said force feedback device during said output of said force sensation and being representative of movement of a user manipulatable object of said force feedback device in a degree of freedom, wherein said filtered input data is substantially free of a disturbance on said movement of said user manipulatable object caused by said output of said force sensation.

36. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein said means for filtering includes a processor local to said force feedback device and separate from a host computer.

37. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein said means for filtering is included in a driver running on a host computer in communication with said force feedback device.

38. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein said force feedback device includes a sensor operative to detect said movement of said user manipulatable object in physical space in said degree of freedom and output sensor signals representative of said movement.

39. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein said disturbance filter process modifies said input data by sampling said input data over time according to a sampling rate, and using only said sampled input data as said filtered input data.

40. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein said disturbance filter process modifies said input data by time-averaging said input data and reporting said using said time-averaged data as said filtered input data.

41. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein at least part of said filtered input data is used to update a displayed graphical environment.

42. An apparatus as recited in claim 41 wherein a position of a graphical object in said graphical environment is updated using said filtered input data.

43. An apparatus as recited in claim 35 wherein said force sensation is correlated with an event in said graphical environment implemented by a host computer coupled to said force feedback device.