Interactivity model for shared feedback on mobile devices

• US 8,823,674 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• 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:
  US14/176,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 204 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:

enabling a communication link between a primary device and one or more multiple secondary devices, each of the one or more multiple secondary devices having one or more secondary haptic output devices;

receiving a first signal from the primary device;

receiving a second signal from the primary device;

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

communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link; and

applying a drive signal to the one or more secondary haptic output devices to produce the haptic effect according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter comprises creating a data signal using the dynamic interaction parameter and communicating the data signal to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third signal from the one or more multiple secondary devices; and

communicating the third signal to the first device via the communication link.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating a dynamic interaction parameter comprises generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first signal, the second signal and the third signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a drive signal to a primary haptic output device on the primary device according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link comprises communicating a signal representing the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal or the second signal comprises a signal selected from the list consisting of vector, on-screen, device, gesture, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient or virtual.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link comprises communicating a signal representing the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link comprises communicating a haptic effect based on the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

11. A haptic effect enabled apparatus comprising:

a haptic output device;

a communication module enabling a communication link between a primary device and one or more multiple secondary devices, each of the one or more multiple secondary devices having one or more secondary haptic output devices;

a drive module electronically coupled to the communication module for receiving a first signal from the primary device, and for receiving a second signal from the primary device, and generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first signal and the second signal, and communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link; and

a drive circuit electronically coupled to the drive module and the one or more secondary haptic output devices for applying a drive signal to the one or more secondary haptic output devices according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive module for communicating the dynamic interaction parameter comprises a drive module for creating a data signal using the dynamic interaction parameter and communicating the data signal to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for receiving a third signal from the one or more multiple secondary devices, and communicating the third signal to the first device via the communication link.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for generating a dynamic interaction parameter using the first signal, the second signal and the third signal.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for applying a drive signal to a primary haptic output device on the primary device according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for communicating a signal representing the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first signal comprises a signal selected from the list consisting of vector, on-screen, device, gesture, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient or virtual.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for communicating a signal representing the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the drive module comprises a drive module for communicating a haptic effect based on the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

21. 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:

enabling a communication link between a primary device and one or more multiple secondary devices, each of the one or more multiple secondary devices having one or more secondary haptic output devices;

receiving a first signal from the primary device;

receiving a second signal from the primary device;

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

communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link; and

applying a drive signal to the one or more secondary haptic output devices to produce the haptic effect according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter comprises creating a data signal using the dynamic interaction parameter and communicating the data signal to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a third signal from the one or more multiple secondary devices; and

communicating the third signal to the first device via the communication link.

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

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising applying a drive signal to a primary haptic output device on the primary device according to the dynamic interaction parameter.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, further comprising communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 26, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link comprises communicating a signal representing the dynamic interaction parameter to the first device via the communication link.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the first signal or the second signal comprises a signal selected from the list consisting of vector, on-screen, device, gesture, accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient or virtual.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link comprises communicating a signal representing the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.

30. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein communicating the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link comprises communicating a haptic effect based on the dynamic interaction parameter to the one or more multiple secondary devices via the communication link.