Interactivity model for shared feedback on mobile devices

• US 8,659,571 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Birnbaum, David, Ullrich, Chris, Short, Jason, Devenish, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHERMAN, STEPHEN G
• Application Number:
  US13/773,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178 1801- 1809, 178/18.11, 340/4.12, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 463/30
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A system that produces a dynamic haptic effect and generates a drive signal that includes a gesture signal and a real or virtual device sensor signal. The haptic effect is modified dynamically based on both the gesture signal and the real or virtual device sensor signal such as from an accelerometer or gyroscope, or by a signal created from processing data such as still images, video or sound. The haptic effect may optionally be modified dynamically by using the gesture signal and the real or virtual device sensor signal and a physical model, or may optionally be applied concurrently to multiple devices which are connected via a communication link. The haptic effect may optionally be encoded into a data file on a first device. The data file is then communicated to a second device and the haptic effect is read from the data file and applied to the second device.

Claims

1. A method of producing a haptic effect comprising:

receiving a first gesture signal;

receiving a second gesture signal;

generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal; and

applying a drive signal to a haptic output device according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first or second gesture signal comprises a vector signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first or second gesture signal comprises an on-screen signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter from a difference between the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and a physical model.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and an animation.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a first device sensor signal;

receiving a second device sensor signal; and

wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and the first device sensor signal and the second device sensor signal.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises an accelerometer signal.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises a gyroscope signal.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises an ambient signal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises a virtual sensor signal.

12. A haptic effect enabled system comprising:

a haptic output device;

a drive module electronically coupled to the haptic output device for receiving a first gesture signal, receiving a second gesture signal, and generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal; and

a drive circuit electronically coupled to the drive module and the haptic output device for applying a drive signal to the haptic output device according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first or second gesture signal comprises a vector signal.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the first or second gesture signal comprises an on-screen signal.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for generating a dynamic interaction parameter from a difference between the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and a physical model.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and an animation.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for receiving a first device sensor signal, receiving a second device sensor signal, and generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and the first device sensor signal and the second device sensor signal.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises an accelerometer signal.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises a gyroscope signal.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises an ambient signal.

22. The system of claim 12 wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises a virtual sensor signal.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to produce a haptic effect, the instructions comprising:

receiving a first gesture signal;

receiving a second gesture signal;

generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal; and

applying a drive signal to a haptic output device according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first or second gesture signal comprises a vector signal.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first or second gesture signal comprises an on-screen signal.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter from a difference between the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and a physical model.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and an animation.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving a first device sensor signal;

receiving a second device sensor signal; and

wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first gesture signal and the second gesture signal and the first device sensor signal and the second device sensor signal.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the first device sensor signal or the second device sensor signal comprises a signal selected from the list consisting of accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient, or virtual.