Transmitting information to a user's body

• US 8,228,202 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Buchner, Peter, Boucher, Sophie, Dahlke, Aline, Clanget, Ulrich, Treiner, Jörg
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US10/966,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20050132290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,839 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/573.2, 340/573.3, 340/573.4, 340/573.5, 340/573.6, 600/38, 414/1, 414/2, 414/5, 341/20, 341/21, 463 36- 38
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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

Abstract

A method for transmitting information to a body includes providing a set of standardized codes. Each code of the standardized codes is associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator designed to transmit the information to the body using skin as an interface. A code or a combination of a plurality of codes is selected and transmitted to a wearable accessory having integrated therein the at least one actuator. The at least one actuator is outside a user'"'"'s body. The at least one actuator is controlled according to the predefined activation pattern associated with the code or the combination of the plurality of codes transmitted. Features about emotional states or states of mind are extracted from biometric and/or environmental signals of biometric and/or environmental sensors. The features are mapped to stored meta information. The meta information is wirelessly transmitted to a receiver.

Claims

1. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory having a stimulation system and a computing device, said device being connected to a controlling device, the piece of clothing or wearable accessory comprising:

biometric and/or environmental sensors, the biometric and/or environmental sensors being integrated in the piece of clothing or wearable accessory;

processing means including detecting means for detecting emotional states or states of mind from biometric or environmental signals;

transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting meta information relating to the emotional states or states of mind to a receiver;

receiving means for receiving meta information from another piece of clothing or wearable accessory;

actuating means for generating stimuli to skin; and

means for controlling the actuating means based on said meta information received, the means for controlling being connected with the receiving means and the actuating means.

2. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, wherein said biometric sensors are sensors for measuring a body temperature, a skin conductivity, a blood volume pressure, a respiration rate, and/or a pulse rate.

3. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, wherein said environmental sensors are sensors for measuring parameters indicating climatic and/or meteorological conditions given by a temperature, an atmospheric pressure, a relative humidity and/or a wind speed.

4. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, further comprising:

a haptic interface including different sensing means for detecting tactile input information.

5. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, wherein the processing means extracts features about emotional states or states of mind from entered audio, visual or manual information.

6. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 5, wherein said actuating means includes vibro-motors, audio speakers, piezo benders, heating elements, peltier elements, micro fans and/or electrostatic discharge modules for generating heat, a coolness, a pressure, acoustic signals, and vibrational and/or electric pulses.

7. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one detachable casing that accommodates said actuating means, said casing being pivotable about at least one axis, and designed for changing operational parameters of said stimuli when being rotated about said at least one axis.

8. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 7, wherein said operational parameters include an intensity, a duration and/or a frequency of said stimuli.

9. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, wherein the actuating means are integrated in the piece of clothing or wearable accessory.

10. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, wherein the biometric and/or environmental sensors are worn outside a user'"'"'s body.

11. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 1, wherein the detecting means comprises an extracting unit for extracting features from said biometric and/or environmental signals, and a mapping unit connected to a memory, the mapping unit being configured to map the extracted features to meta information stored in the memory.

12. A method for transmitting information to a body, said method comprising:

providing a set of standardized codes, each code of said standardized codes being associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator designed to transmit the information to the body using skin as an interface;

selecting and transmitting a code or a combination of a plurality of codes to a wearable accessory having integrated therein the at least one actuator, the at least one actuator being outside a user'"'"'s body;

controlling the at least one actuator according to the predefined activation pattern associated with the code or the combination of the plurality of codes transmitted;

extracting features about emotional states or states of mind from biometric and/or environmental signals of biometric and/or environmental sensors, and mapping the features to stored meta information; and

wirelessly transmitting said meta information to a receiver.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one actuator is designed to transmit tactile, vibrational, pressure and heat stimuli to the skin.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the code or the combination of the plurality of codes is selected based on a manual, visual or audio input or signals originating from biometric sensors.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one actuator is controlled by manually manipulating an orientation and/or a position of the at least one actuator.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer program instructions which when executed by a computer cause a processor to execute a method to transmit information to a body, the method comprising:

providing a set of standardized codes, each code of the standardized codes being associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator designed to transmit the information to the body using skin as an interface;

selecting and transmitting a code or a combination of a plurality of codes to a wearable accessory having integrated therein the at least one actuator, the at least one actuator being outside a user'"'"'s body;

controlling the at least one actuator according to the predefined activation pattern associated with the code or the combination of the plurality of codes transmitted;

extracting features about emotional states or states of mind from biometric and/or environmental signals of biometric and/or environmental sensors, and mapping results of the extracting to stored meta information; and

wirelessly transmitting the meta information to a receiver.

17. A piece of clothing or wearable accessory having a stimulation system and a computing device, said device being connected to a controlling device, the piece of clothing or wearable accessory comprising:

biometric and/or environmental sensors, the biometric and/or environmental sensors being integrated in the piece of clothing or wearable accessory;

at least one actuator, the at least one actuator being outside a user'"'"'s body, the at least one actuator being configured to transmit information to the body using skin as an interface;

a processing device including a detecting device configured to detect emotional states and/or states of mind from biometric and/or environmental signals;

a mapping unit configured to map the detected emotional states and/or states of mind to a code of a set of standardized codes, each of said standardized codes being associated with a predefined activation pattern for at least one actuator; and

a transmitting device that transmits the code to the at least one actuator having the predefined activation pattern, wherein the stimulation system is configured to control the at least one actuator having the predefined activation pattern according to the predefined activation pattern associated with the code.

18. The piece of clothing or wearable accessory according to claim 17, wherein the detecting device comprises an extracting unit for extracting features from said biometric and/or environmental signals, and a mapping unit connected to a memory, the mapping unit being configured to map the extracted features to meta information stored in the memory.

19. A system for transmitting signals representing emotional states and/or states of mind, the system comprising:

a transmitter; and

a receiver,

the transmitter including;

biometric or environmental sensors, the biometric and/or environmental sensors being worn outside a user'"'"'s body;

a processing device including a detecting device configured to detect the emotional states or the states of mind from biometric or environmental signals; and

a transmitting device that wirelessly transmits meta information relating to the emotional states or states of mind to the receiver,

the receiver including;

receiving means for wirelessly receiving meta information from another system for transmitting signals representing emotional states and/or states of mind;

actuating means for generating stimuli to skin, the actuating means being worn outside a user'"'"'s body; and

means for activating, controlling and deactivating said actuating means based on said meta information received, wherein the means for activating, controlling and deactivating said actuating means is connected with the means for wirelessly receiving and the actuating means.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are implemented as a piece of clothing or wearable accessory, respectively.