Controlling haptic sensations for vibrotactile feedback interface devices

• US 7,446,752 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2003
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Goldenberg, Alex S., Alarcon, Ramon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moon; Seokyun
• Application Number:
  US10/671,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20040056840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,863 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 310/81, 310/15, 310/130, 310/40, 463/44
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• 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 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0276 with simultaneous generation, e.g. with modulation, harmonics
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

Controlling haptic sensations from a vibrotactile feedback device connected to a computer. The vibrotactile device includes an actuator having a rotatable mass, and receives information, which causes a periodic control signal to be produced. The control signal controls the actuator to rotate the mass to induce a vibration in the device, where a magnitude and a frequency of the vibration can be adjusted independently of each other by adjusting the control signal. Vibration magnitude is based on control signal duty cycle, and vibration frequency is based on control signal frequency. Kinesthetic haptic effects can be output on the vibrotactile device by mapping the kinesthetic effect to a vibrotactile effect that causes vibrotactile forces to be output. The kinesthetic haptic effect can be a periodic or nonperiodic effect.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information associated with an application;

determining a periodic control signal based on the information, the periodic control signal configured to drive an actuator having a rotatable mass such that the mass rotates to produce a vibration having a magnitude and a frequency, the magnitude of the vibration being based on a duty cycle of the control signal and independent of the frequency of the vibration; and

sending the periodic control signal to the actuator, wherein the control signal has at least one of an on time and an off time, the on-time of the control signal being associated with the magnitude of the vibration, the on-time of the control signal is determined based on a selected frequency of the vibration, if the selected frequency is below a predetermined threshold frequency, the on-time is determined using a first method, and if the selected frequency is above the predetermined threshold frequency, the on-time is determined using a second method.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-time is determined as a percentage of a period of the vibration if the selected frequency is below the predetermined threshold frequency and the on-time is determined as a predetermined amount of time for each period of the vibration if the selected frequency is above the predetermined threshold frequency.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the percentage is proportional to a desired magnitude of the vibration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the actuator is disposed within a gamepad controller, the application associated with a host microprocessor of a host computer, the vibration is correlated with at least an event and an interaction occurring within a graphical environment of the application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a position of the mass about the axis of rotation so that the mass rotates in response to the control signal.

6. The method of claim 1, the information being associated with a kinesthetic effect, the method further comprising:

mapping from the kinesthetic effect to a vibrotactile effect based on the information to produce the control signal.

7. The method of claim 1, the information being associated with a kinesthetic effect, the method further comprising:

mapping from the kinesthetic effect to a vibrotactile effect based on the information to produce the control signal, the actuator being disposed within a haptic feedback device having a local microprocessor, the mapping being performed by the local microprocessor.

8. The method of claim 1, the information being associated with a kinesthetic effect, the method further comprising:

mapping from the kinesthetic effect to a vibrotactile effect based on the information to produce the control signal, the actuator being disposed within a haptic feedback device having a local microprocessor, the mapping being performed by the local microprocessor, the gamepad controller including a joystick having two degrees of freedom and configured to provide input to the host computer when manipulated.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an initial control signal to the actuator, the mass initiating rotation before initiation of the vibration.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the actuator is one of a plurality of actuators disposed within a haptic feedback device, each actuator from the plurality of actuators is individually controllable to collectively produce the vibration.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is modified by envelope parameters received from a host computer, the envelope parameters modifying the magnitude of the vibration.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes a high level command and at least one parameter, the actuator being disposed within a vibrotactile interface device having a local microprocessor separate from a host microprocessor, the local processor configured to parse the high level command.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the information includes a high level command and at least one parameter, the high level command is a vibration command, the at least one parameter includes a magnitude parameter and a frequency parameter associated with the vibration.