Flexure mechanism for interface device
First Claim
1. An interface device comprising:
- a manipulandum moveable in at least two rotary degrees of freedom; and
a five-bar closed-loop mechanism coupled to said manipulandum, said mechanism providing said at least two rotary degrees of freedom with respect to a ground, wherein said mechanism includes four members forming a unitary piece coupled to said ground, wherein said members are coupled to each other by flexible couplings allowing rotation of said members.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A flexure mechanism for an interface device that interfaces a user with a computer system. An interface device includes a manipulandum physically contacted by the user. A five-bar closed-loop mechanism is coupled to the manipulandum to provide two rotary degrees of freedom to the manipulandum. The mechanism includes members coupled to each other by flexible couplings allowing rotation of the members. In preferred embodiments, four or five of the members are coupled together by flexible couplings that allow bending, thereby forming a unitary piece, where the couplings are oriented along axes of rotation of the mechanism. A senor senses a position of the manipulandum outputs a sensor signal, and in some embodiments actuators are coupled to the mechanism to output a force to the manipulandum in particular degrees of freedom. The manipulandum can be a joystick handle or portion of a sphere, where the device in one embodiment can be a handheld gamepad or similar controller.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An interface device comprising:
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a manipulandum moveable in at least two rotary degrees of freedom; and a five-bar closed-loop mechanism coupled to said manipulandum, said mechanism providing said at least two rotary degrees of freedom with respect to a ground, wherein said mechanism includes four members forming a unitary piece coupled to said ground, wherein said members are coupled to each other by flexible couplings allowing rotation of said members. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An interface device comprising:
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a manipulandum moveable in at least two rotary degrees of freedom; and a gimbal mechanism coupled to said manipulandum, said gimbal mechanism configured to provide said two rotary degrees of freedom, and wherein said gimbal mechanism comprises four members forming a unitary piece, wherein; said members are coupled to each other by flexible couplings allowing rotation of said members, and said members comprise two central members and two extension members, wherein each extension member is configured to be coupled to a sensor. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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Specification