Textures and other spatial sensations for a relative haptic interface device

• US 7,283,123 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2002
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Martin, Kenneth M., Rosenberg, Louis B., Braun, Adam C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Awad; Amr A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sheng; Tom V
• Application Number:
  US10/122,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20040233167A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,013 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/161, 345/163, 345/167, 715700-702, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 468/30, 468/36, 468/37, 468/38
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1037 being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/013 Force feedback applied to a game
• 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 2203/0333 Ergonomic shaped mouse for one hand
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 : with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 : Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A low-cost haptic feedback device that provides spatially-based sensations such as textures in correlation with a displayed graphical environment. The device includes a housing, a sensor device, and an actuator for applying a force to the user. A local processor reports relative sensor data to the host processor and receives force information from the host processor. The host force information causes a texture sensation to be output by the actuator, the texture sensation providing forces to the user at least approximately spatially correlated with predefined locations in the graphical environment as determined by a local processor. In some embodiments, the local processor can model a position of the cursor while the cursor interacts with the texture field, where the modeled position is used for determining the force output to the user, and the force information from the host can include a gating command to activate or deactivate the texture sensation when the cursor enters or exits the texture field.

Claims

1. A haptic feedback device comprising:

an actuator operative to apply a force along an axis approximately perpendicular to a substantially unbounded planar workspace; and

a local processor in communication with the actuator, the local processor configured to;

receive a sensor signal from a sensor, wherein the sensor signal is associated with a change in a position of the haptic feedback device in the substantially unbounded planar workspace,

transmit sensor data to a host processor, the sensor data associated with the sensor signal,

receive force information from the host processor, the force information comprising a texture sensation having at least one force parameter describing at least one force to be output based at least in part on an interaction of a graphical object with a texture field, the force information further comprising a high level force command comprising the texture field, the texture field comprising a boundary,

store the texture field,

determine a modeled position of the graphical object, the modeled position based at least in part on the sensor data,

determine whether the modeled position of the graphical object is within the boundary of the texture field,

determine the interaction, and

determine when to output the at least one force based at least in part on the interaction.

2. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the local processor is further configured to determine when to output the at least one force based on the a modeled position of the graphical object.

3. The haptic feedback device of claim 2, wherein the modeled position comprises a ballistic position, the ballistic position based at least in part on the sensor data and a velocity of the haptic feedback device in the substantially unbounded planar workspace.

4. The haptic feedback device of claim 3, wherein the host processor is configured to:

determine the ballistic position, and

determine when to activate the texture sensation.

5. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the force information further comprises a gating command configured to activate the texture field.

6. The haptic feedback device of claim 5, wherein the gating command is configured to deactivate the texture field.

7. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the at least one force comprises one or more pulses.

8. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a linear actuator.

9. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to generate a linear contact force by moving a cover portion or a button of the haptic feedback device.

10. The haptic feedback device of claim 1, wherein the host processor is configured to determine the interaction.

11. A method for providing haptic feedback, comprising:

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor, the sensor signal associated with a change in a position of a haptic feedback device in a substantially unbounded planar workspace;

transmitting sensor data to a host processor, the sensor data associated with the sensor signal;

receiving force information from the host processor, the force information comprising a texture sensation having at least one parameter describing at least one force to be output based at least in part on an interaction of a graphical object with a texture field, the force information further comprising at least one characteristic of the texture sensation;

parsing the force information;

storing the at least one characteristic; and

determining when to output the at least one force based at least in part on the interaction.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising outputting the at least one force.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining when to output the at least one force comprises modeling a position of the graphical object.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein modeling the position of the graphical object comprises:

receiving a first sensor signal and a second sensor signal;

determining a first position based at least in part on the first sensor signal;

determining a second position based at least in part on the second sensor signal; and

determining a modeled position based at least in part on the first and second positions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein modeling the position further comprises:

determining a velocity based at least in part on the first and second sensor signals;

determining a ballistic position based at least in part on the velocity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ballistic position moves outside the texture field and the texture sensation remains activated.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the ballistic position is determined during the interaction, and the interaction is based at least in part on the ballistic position.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the ballistic position is based on a velocity threshold, wherein if the velocity is less than the velocity threshold, the graphical object is modeled to move a first distance across the texture field, or if the velocity is greater than the velocity threshold, the graphical object is modeled to move a second distance, the first distance being shorter than the second distance.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving ballistic information from the host processor; and

determining the ballistic position based at least in part on the velocity and the ballistic information.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a ballistic position of the graphical object from the host processor.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the ballistic information includes a ballistic scale factor for scaling motion of the graphical objected cursor on a velocity.

22. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving activation information from the host processor; and

activating the texture sensation based at least in part on the activation information.

23. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving deactivation information from the host processor; and

deactivating the texture sensation based at least in part on the deactivation information.

24. The method of claim 11, wherein storing the at least one characteristic includes storing a spacing of features in the texture field.

25. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises sense.

26. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving activation information; and

activating the texture sensation based at least in part on the activation information.

27. The method of claim 12, wherein outputting the at least one force causes a housing of the haptic feedback device to transmit the force.

28. A haptic feedback device comprising:

an actuator operative to apply a force along an axis approximately perpendicular to a substantially unbounded planar workspace;

a local processor in communication with the actuator, the local processor configured to;

receive a signal from a sensor, wherein the sensor signal is associated with a change in a position of the haptic feedback device in the substantially unbounded planar workspace,

transmit sensor data to a host processor, the sensor data associated with the sensor signal,

receive force information from the host processor, the force information comprising a texture sensation having at least one force parameter describing at least one force to be output based at least in part on an interaction of a graphical object with a texture field,

receive texture field information from the host processor, the texture field information comprising a location of the texture field within a graphic environment the texture field further comprising a boundary;

determine a modeled position of the graphical object, the modeled position of the graphical object based at least in part on the sensor data,

determine whether the modeled position of the graphical object is within the boundary of the texture field.

determine the interaction, and

determine when to output the at least one force based at least in part on the interaction; and

a memory coupled to the local processor and configured to store the texture field information.