Methods and apparatus for vibrotactile communication

• US 7,098,776 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2004
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Gouldstone, James E., Ishii, Hiroshi, Schmandt, Christopher, Chang, Angela
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US10/825,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20040207542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 341/20, 341/21
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

A device for enhancing interpersonal communication over distance through use of touch. A vibrotactile (touch-and-vibration) interface is used to improve existing remote communication by allowing tactile cues to augment the audio-visual information in real-time. The pressure exerted by each finger of the transmitter produces patterns of vibration against the corresponding finger of the receiver. A hand-held device using the interface allows a user to transmit and receive patterns of vibration to and from a remote user and signify tactile gestures, or expressive uses of touch.

Claims

1. The method for communicating between a human sender and a human receiver comprising, in combination, the steps of:

at the human senders location, employing an actuator manipulated by said human sender for generating a communications signal having characteristics chosen by said human sender, said actuator comprises at least two spaced-apart sensors operated by said sender

at said senders location, employing a first tranducer to translate said communications signal into a corresponding spaced-apart vibratory stimulation perceivable to the sender,

transmitting said communications signal from said sender'"'"'s location to the human receivers location, and

at said human receiver'"'"'s location, employing a second transducer for translating said communications signal into corresponding spaced-apart vibratory stimuli perceivable to said human receiver.

2. The method for communicating between a human sender and a human receiver as set forth in claim 1 wherein said actuator comprises at least one input device operated by said sender for sending a communications signal consisting of a sequence of signaling events and wherein said transducer converts said communications signal into a corresponding time sequence of vibratory stimuli.

3. The method for communicating between a human sender and a human receiver as set forth in claim 1 wherein said actuator is operated by one or more of the sender'"'"'s fingers and wherein said second transducer applies corresponding vibratory stimulation to the receiver'"'"'s fingers.

4. The method for communicating between a human sender and a human receiver as set forth in claim 3 wherein said communications signal indicates the operation of said sensor by two or more of the sender'"'"'s fingers and wherein said second transducer applies vibratory stimuli to the corresponding two or more of the receiver'"'"'s fingers.

5. The method for communicating between a human sender and a human receiver as set forth in claim 4 wherein, at the sender'"'"'s location, said first transducer is employed to translate said communications signal into a corresponding vibratory stimulation at the corresponding two or more of the sender'"'"'s fingers.

6. A tactile communications system comprising, in combination,

an actuator responsive to manipulation by a human sender at a sending location for generating an output signal indicative of the nature of said manipulation,

a vibration source at said sending location for producing feedback vibrations perceptible to said human sender which are indicative of the nature of said manipulation by said human sender

a transmission channel for conveying said signal from said sending location to a remote location, and

a vibration source at said remote location for receiving said signal via said transmission channel and producing vibrations perceptible to a human receiver which are indicative of the nature of said manipulation by said human sender.

7. A tactile communications system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said actuator comprises at least one pressure sensor for producing said signal in response to pressure applied by said human sender.

8. A tactile communications system as set forth in claim 7 wherein the intensity of said vibrations produced by said vibration source at said remote location corresponds to the magnitude of said pressure applied by said human sender.

9. A tactile communications system as set forth in claim 6 wherein said output signal is indicative of manipulation by said human sender at a first set of different positions and wherein said vibration source produces vibrations which are perceptible by said human receiver at a second set of different positions at said remote location which correspond to said first set of different positions.

10. A tactile communications system comprising, in combination,

at a transmitting location, one or more pressure sensors for detecting variations in the amount of pressure applied by the fingers of a human sender'"'"'s hand, said one or more pressure sensors producing continuous, time-varying signal values indicative of said variations in said amount of pressure,

a transmission channel for transmitting said time-varying signal values to a receiving location, and

one or more receiving vibrators located at said receiving location and responsive to said time-varying signal values for applying vibratory stimuli to the fingers of a human receiver'"'"'s hand, said vibratory stimuli having a variable intensity corresponding to said variations in said amount of pressure applied by the fingers of said human sender'"'"'s hand.

11. The tactile communications system set forth in claim 10 wherein said pressure transducers and said receiving vibrators are positioned on the surface of a touch responsive telephone handset to engage with the fingers of said human sender'"'"'s hand, and wherein said transmission channel is a telephone communication channel connecting said touch responsive telephone handset to a like remotely located telephone handset held by said human receiver'"'"'s hand.

12. The tactile communication system set forth in claim 11 further comprising one or more feedback vibrators positioned on the surface of said touch responsive handset for applying vibratory stimuli to the fingers of said human sender'"'"'s hand which simulate the vibratory stimuli applied the fingers of the human receiver'"'"'s hand at said receiving location.