Tactile feedback device

• US 7,737,828 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Yuk, Nam-Su, Lee, Seung-Seob, Kwon, Dong-Soo, Yang, Tae-Heon
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US12/009,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20090009301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 340/407.1, 340/7.6, 340/825.19, 345/173, 345/179, 345/156, 434/112, 434/113, 434/114, 341/27
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

The present invention discloses a tactile feedback device for giving realistic touch sensation to the user by stimulating the skin of the user. The tactile feedback device of the present invention comprises a housing having one end positioned near the skin of the user in use, an actuator, touch pins and an elastic means. The actuator is mounted inside the housing to convert electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy. The touch pins are mounted inside the housing so as to pop in and out, and the front end thereof is popped out of one end of the housing to contact the skin, and is connected with the actuator so as to be operated by kinetic energy of the actuator. The elastic plates of the elastic means are mounted between one end of the housing and the actuator, and have the touch pins fixedly passing through so as to be interlocked with the touch pins, and when the touch pins pop in and out, they are elastically deformed to have elastic energy. According to the present invention, the touch pins stimulate the skin of the user by dint of an interlocking structure of the actuator that converts electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy and the elastic means, so it is possible to implement realistic touch sensation.

Claims

1. A tactile feedback device comprising:

a housing which has one end positioned near a user'"'"'s skin;

an actuator which is mounted inside said housing to convert electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy;

touch pins having front ends which are mounted in such a way that they can pop into and out of said housing, the front ends of which are protruded from one end of said housing to contact the user'"'"'s skin, and which are connected to said actuator so as to be operated by kinetic energy of said actuator; and

an elastic means which is mounted between one end of said housing and said actuator, into which said touch pins fixedly pass through so as to be interlocked with said touch pins, and which is elastically deformed to have elastic energy when said touch pins are popped into said housing.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a body having a space in which said actuator, said touch pins and said elastic means are mounted;

a first cover which is mounted at one end of said housing and in which holes are formed for said touch pins to pass through; and

a second cover which is mounted at the other end of said housing.

3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein said actuator mounted inside said housing and combined with said touch pins comprises cores which move between a first position where said touch pins are popped in lengthwise direction of said housing and a second position where said touch pins are popped out of said housing;

a plurality of electromagnets having coils which are wound on a periphery of said cores to form a magnetic field operative to move said cores between said first position and said second position by applying current; and

a return means which returns said cores from said second position to said first position.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said return means includes a plurality of magnets each having a polarity which are mounted so as to be close to said cores in an opposite direction of said touch pins, and the polarity of said magnets is composed in such a way that repulsive force is generated by said magnetic field against the polarity that said cores have.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said actuator further comprises a linear motion guide which is mounted inside said housing so as to guide said core to linear motion, and said linear motion guide has a guide hole for said core to be inserted into to be guided.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein said elastic means is disposed between one end of said housing and said linear motion guide, and has subspacers, into which said touch pins pass through, mounted to maintain intervals between said elastic means and said linear motion guide.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said elastic means consists of elastic plates, and said elastic plates have a plurality of holes into which said touch pins fixedly pass through, and slots are formed around the holes of said elastic plates for the elastic deformation.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein a plurality of said elastic plates are laminated, and main spacers are interposed respectively to maintain intervals between said elastic plates.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein each of said elastic plates has an elastic deformation portion supported at one point around said hole by the forming of said slot, and each of said elastic plates is laminated in such a way that said elastic deformation portion forms an equal interval centering around each of said holes.