Force feedback device for simulating combat

• US 8,747,196 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B., Brave, Scott B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARLOS, ALVIN LEABRES
• Application Number:
  US11/233,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030383A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,183 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.11, 341/20, 345/156, 345/157, 345/161, 345/420, 463 36- 38, 463/1
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/00 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of preceding groups; Controlling or monitoring of exercises, sportive games, training or athletic performances
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 11/0051 Indicators of values, e.g. score counters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• 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 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04766 providing feel, e.g. indexing means, means to create counterforce
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04777 with additional push or pull action on the handle
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 Force feedback applied to a joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 : Signal control means within the pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2003/008 : with a haptic or a tactile feedback controlled by electrical means, e.g. a motor or magnetofriction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 : Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing force feedback to a user operating a human/computer interface device and interacting with a computer-generated simulation. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method simulates the interaction of simulated objects displayed to a user who controls one of the simulated objects manipulating a physical object of an interface device. The position of the simulated object, as provided within the simulation and as displayed, is mapped directly to the physical position of the user object. This mapping is broken under conditions that are effective to provide force feedback to the user which imparts a physical sensation corresponding to the interaction of the simulated objects. In another aspect, hand-to-hand combat is simulated wherein a user controls a simulated object by manipulating a physical object, such a sword hilt, to allow the user to utilize a wide range of physical skill and dexterity in interacting with the simulation. In another aspect, a simulation apparatus provides a display device such as one or more display screens or a projection device, and which also provides an intuitive mechanical interface device for the user to skillfully and dexterously manipulate objects within a computer-generated simulation.

Claims

1. An interactive electronic combat game apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to execute a program of an interactive combat game, wherein the processor is adapted to display a graphical environment of a battle on a display device;

a first weapon having a handle configured to be grasped by a first user, the first weapon moveable in a plurality of spatial dimensions with respect to the first user;

a sensor coupled to the first weapon and configured to track movement of said weapon handle in the plurality of spatial dimensions and provide sensor signals to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to update a first simulated object representative of the first weapon in response to the sensor signals; and

an actuator coupled to the first weapon and configured to output a haptic effect in response to receiving an activating signal from the processor after the processor determines a trajectory of the simulated image is to intersect with a second simulated object in the graphical environment;

wherein the processor is configured to perform position control mapping of movement of the first simulated object with the tracked movement of the first weapon so that movement of the first simulated object in the environment of the battle is in response to and based on displacement of the first weapon from a first location in space to a second location in space.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a second sensor coupled to said processor, said second sensor configured to operate in conjunction with said first sensor to determine a position or movement of said first weapon.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising:

a third sensor coupled to said controller, said third sensor configured to operate in conjunction with said first and second sensors to determine a position or movement of said first weapon.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second simulated object has one or more boundaries such that said second simulated object impedes motion of said first simulated object when the trajectory of said first simulated object intersects said boundaries of said second simulated object.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said position control mapping between said first weapon and said first simulated object is broken during said intersection.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tactile feedback includes a restoring force that is proportional to a magnitude by which said mapping is broken when said first simulated object intersects said one or more boundaries of said second simulated object.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said restoring force is a spring force having the mathematical form:

F=kx where F is said restoring force, x is a magnitude of a deviation of said spatial correlation including a deviation between the current location of the first simulated object and a location of said first simulated object had said mapping not been broken, and k is a spring constant parameter.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said restoring force includes a damping force and said restoring force has the mathematical form:

F=kx+bv where F is said restoring force, x is a magnitude of a deviation of said spatial correspondence including a deviation between a current location of the first simulated object and a location of said first simulated object had said mapping not been broken, v is a function of a velocity of said weapon handle, and k and b are constant parameters.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a second weapon having a handle configured to be grasped by a second user, the second weapon moveable in a plurality of spatial dimensions with respect to the second user, wherein the second weapon corresponds to said second simulated object.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said restoring force includes a weighting factor such that the location L on said display device of the simulated objects shown on said display device is determined by the equation:

5L =(w1 x1+w2 x2)(w1+w2).

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the interactive electronic combat game is a sword game.

27. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sensor further comprises an accelerometer.

28. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is located within a host computer, wherein the sensor signal and the activating signal are wirelessly communicated between the first weapon and the host computer.

12. An interactive electronic game apparatus comprising:

a display device for displaying images corresponding to an interactive electronic game;

a user object having a handle configured to be grasped by a user and moveable in three dimensions with respect to the user; and

a processor operationally coupled to the display device and the user object, the processor configured to execute a program for the interactive electronic game, wherein a first simulated object representative of the user object is displayed on the display device;

a sensor configured to track movement of the user object in the three dimensions and provide sensor signals to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to update the first simulated object on the display device based on the three-dimensional tracking and using a position control mapping; and

an actuator coupled to the user object, wherein the actuator is configured to output a haptic effect upon receiving an activating signal from the processor, the activating signal based on a determination that a trajectory of the first simulated object will intersect with a second simulated object on the display device.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user object is a sword hilt.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user object is a mace, staff, or a spear.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user object is at least a portion of a weapon.

29. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the sensor further comprises an accelerometer.

30. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the processor is located within a host computer, wherein the sensor signal and the activating signal are wirelessly communicated between the user object and the host computer.

16. An apparatus for allowing a user to interact with a computer-generated simulation, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to implement a computer-generated simulation, said simulation including a first simulated object;

a display device coupled to said processor configured to display said first simulated object; and

a force feedback interface device coupled to said processor and including a physical user object which is grasped by a user, said user object being movable in a planar workspace corresponding to a simulated plane within said simulation to move said first simulated object within said simulation according to a position control mapping, and wherein said processor is operative to command forces output to said user via said force feedback interface device,

wherein movement of the first simulated object in the simulation is in response to and based on displacement of the user object from a first location in the plane to a second location in the plane.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein a plurality of users operate said apparatus, and wherein said display device includes a plurality of display screens such that each user views an associated display screen.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said display device includes a projection device configured to display images upon a surface.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein said projection device is a front-projection device positioned on the same side of said surface as said images displayed on said surface.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein said projection device is a rear-projection device positioned on the opposite side of said surface to said images displayed on said surface.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said force feedback interface device includes a first link and a second link, said first link being rotatably coupled to ground and said second link being rotatably coupled to said first link, and wherein said user object is coupled to said second link.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said force feedback interface device includes a five member linkage.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 22 wherein said five member linkage includes a first link coupled to a ground, a second link coupled between said first link and said user object, a third link coupled to said ground, and a fourth link coupled between said third link and said user object.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said user object can be moved in a first and second degree of freedom rotary degree of freedom, and wherein a displayed orientation of said first simulated object is changed according to movement of said user object in said rotary degree of freedom.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said user object comprises a sword hilt.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 16 wherein said interface device includes a slider coupled to said handle configured to move said handle in a linear degree of freedom along a support, said support being rotatably coupled to a ground member for moving said handle in a rotary degree of freedom.