Virtual hand: a new 3-D haptic interface and system for virtual environments
First Claim
1. A method of producing a 3-D interface facilitating a user to move a virtual hand or body part or tool through a computer graphics environment defining a “
- virtual space”
having representations of objects and corresponding surfaces, said method comprising;
providing, in communication with a computer device forming said computer graphics environment, a haptic device including a robot arm mounting an array of pins, said pins having tips for contacting the hand of the user, said tips of the array of pins providing a touching surface of the virtual hand, said virtual hand represented in said virtual space corresponding to an imprint resulting from placing the user'"'"'s hand on said touching surface;
communicating control signals, from said haptic device to said computer device, for moving the virtual hand in said defined virtual space corresponding to movement imparted to the haptic device responsive to said pin tips contacting and being displaced by motion of the user'"'"'s hand on the touching surface;
representing virtual objects encountered by said virtual hand in said virtual space via the haptic device;
communicating, via said computer device, tactile information about a virtual object'"'"'s characteristics, in which the virtual object deforms the touching surface;
receiving, at said haptic device, said tactile information and responsively imparting said tactile information about the surface deformation to the array of pins, to result in pin displacements such that a user'"'"'s experience of touching virtual objects and virtual surfaces in said virtual space are sensed by the user through the haptic device; and
communicating, via said haptic device, information to said computer device for transforming the represented virtual object in said computer graphics environment responsive to a user manipulating said array of pins on the haptic device, said transforming including editing or changing a shape of a virtual object, the virtual object'"'"'s surface or texture wherein pins of said array of pins possess a predefined range of motion, said method including;
detecting, for each pin, when that pin reaches an end said predefined range of motion; and
for each pin attempting to exceed its predefined range, producing motion of said robot arm to compensate for a displacement that could not be absorbed by the pin,whereby forces applied to the user'"'"'s hand touching said pins are encountered upon said virtual hand seemingly touching objects and surfaces in said virtual environment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention discloses a creation of a virtual hand, body part, or tool in a virtual environment, controlled by a new 3-D haptic interface for virtual environments. There is also the provision of a method and arrangement applicable to computer systems for creating a virtual environment, which facilitates a user to touch, feel, edit, and interact with data about the objects, surfaces, and textures in the environment. There is also a provision for multiple virtual hands operating in the same virtual world, so that users can work collaboratively in the virtual world; they can touch, feel and edit the data in the virtual world, including data about the other users'"'"' virtual hands.
24 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of producing a 3-D interface facilitating a user to move a virtual hand or body part or tool through a computer graphics environment defining a “
- virtual space”
having representations of objects and corresponding surfaces, said method comprising;providing, in communication with a computer device forming said computer graphics environment, a haptic device including a robot arm mounting an array of pins, said pins having tips for contacting the hand of the user, said tips of the array of pins providing a touching surface of the virtual hand, said virtual hand represented in said virtual space corresponding to an imprint resulting from placing the user'"'"'s hand on said touching surface; communicating control signals, from said haptic device to said computer device, for moving the virtual hand in said defined virtual space corresponding to movement imparted to the haptic device responsive to said pin tips contacting and being displaced by motion of the user'"'"'s hand on the touching surface; representing virtual objects encountered by said virtual hand in said virtual space via the haptic device; communicating, via said computer device, tactile information about a virtual object'"'"'s characteristics, in which the virtual object deforms the touching surface; receiving, at said haptic device, said tactile information and responsively imparting said tactile information about the surface deformation to the array of pins, to result in pin displacements such that a user'"'"'s experience of touching virtual objects and virtual surfaces in said virtual space are sensed by the user through the haptic device; and communicating, via said haptic device, information to said computer device for transforming the represented virtual object in said computer graphics environment responsive to a user manipulating said array of pins on the haptic device, said transforming including editing or changing a shape of a virtual object, the virtual object'"'"'s surface or texture wherein pins of said array of pins possess a predefined range of motion, said method including; detecting, for each pin, when that pin reaches an end said predefined range of motion; and for each pin attempting to exceed its predefined range, producing motion of said robot arm to compensate for a displacement that could not be absorbed by the pin, whereby forces applied to the user'"'"'s hand touching said pins are encountered upon said virtual hand seemingly touching objects and surfaces in said virtual environment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- virtual space”
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13. A system for producing a 3-D interface facilitating a user to move a virtual hand or body part through a computer graphics environment having representations of objects and corresponding surfaces, said system comprising:
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a haptic device, in communication with a computer device forming said computer graphics environment, said haptic device including a robot arm mounting an array of pins, said pins having tips for contacting a hand of the user, said tips of the array of pins providing a touching surface of the virtual hand, said virtual hand represented in said virtual space corresponding to an imprint resulting from placing the user'"'"'s hand on said touching surface; said haptic device communicating control signals to said computer device for moving the virtual hand in said defined virtual space corresponding to movement imparted to the haptic device responsive to said pin tips contacting and being displaced by motion of the user'"'"'s hand on the touching surface; said computer device representing virtual objects encountered by said virtual hand in said virtual space via the haptic device by communicating tactile information about a virtual object'"'"'s characteristics, in which the virtual object deforms the touching surface; said haptic device receiving said tactile information and responsively imparting said tactile information about the surface deformation to the array of pins, to result in pin displacements such that a user'"'"'s experience of touching virtual objects and virtual surfaces in said virtual space are sensed by the user through the haptic device, and said haptic device further communicating information to said computer device for transforming the represented virtual object in said computer graphics environment responsive to a user manipulating said array of pins on the haptic device, said transforming including editing or changing a shape of a virtual object, a virtual object'"'"'s surface or texture, wherein pins of said array of pins possess a predefined range of motion, said computer device detecting, for each pin, when that pin reaches an end said predefined range of motion; and for each pin attempting to exceed its predefined range, said haptic device receiving signals to produce motion of said robot arm to compensate for a displacement that could not be absorbed by the pin, whereby forces applied to the user'"'"'s hand touching said pins are encountered upon said virtual hand seemingly touching objects and surfaces in said virtual environment. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification