Haptic user interface

• US 9,383,832 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissin Dental Products Inc.
• Original Assignee: Moog Incorporated
• Inventors: Lammertse, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Leykin, Rita
• Application Number:
  US14/218,274
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 318/671, 318/560, 318/568.21, 318/690, 700/13, 700/15, 700/17, 700/29, 700/30, 700/31, 700/61, 700/63, 700/85, 700/98, 345/179, 345/184, 414/5, 414/1, 434/263, 434/262, 434/264, 702/152, 702/153, 702/150, 702/41
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00297 Means for providing haptic feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/74 Manipulators with manual electric input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/76 Manipulators having means for providing feel, e.g. force or tactile feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/77 Manipulators with motion or force scaling
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 2009/04766 providing feel, e.g. indexing means, means to create counterforce
• 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 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/14 Arm movement, spatial
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/46 Sensing device

Abstract

A haptic arm comprising: a user connection element; a reference; a first linkage connecting the user connection element to the reference, where the first linkage provides at least six independent degrees of freedom, and contains an intermediate link, three force sensors, three angle sensors; a second linkage connecting the intermediate link to the reference; a third linkage connecting the intermediate link to the reference a fourth linkage connecting the intermediate link to the reference; the second, third, and fourth linkages each containing an independent actuator and position sensor.

Claims

1. A method of simulating a virtual procedure comprising the steps of:

providing a user interface having a user connection element with at least three independent translational degrees of freedom between said user connection element and a reference;

said user interface comprising three force sensors for measuring forces applied to said user interface along said three independent translational degrees of freedom and three actuators for controlling each of said three independent translational degrees of freedom;

providing a video display arranged to produce a stereoscopic view co-located with said user connection element;

providing a three dimensional virtual environment comprising a virtual element having a virtual position and at least one virtual object having a virtual position;

adjusting said virtual position of said virtual element as a function of said user interface force sensors;

said step of adjusting said virtual position of said virtual element as a function of said user interface force sensors comprising the steps of assigning a virtual mass to said virtual element, receiving output from said user interface force sensors, providing an acceleration variable of said virtual element within said virtual environment as a function of said output from said user interface force sensors and said virtual mass of said virtual element, integrating said acceleration variable to provide a velocity variable of said virtual element within said virtual environment, and integrating said velocity variable to provide a virtual position of said virtual element within said virtual environment;

controlling said actuators such that said user connection element is adjusted to correlate to changes in said virtual position of said virtual element; and

providing said video display with images of said virtual environment.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said virtual object comprises a triangular mesh.

3. The method set forth in claim 1, wherein said virtual element comprises an interaction region defined by an analytic function.

4. The method set forth in claim 3, and comprising the step of detecting a collision between said virtual element interaction region and said virtual object.

5. The method set forth in claim 4, and comprising the step of calculating an interaction force as a function of said collision and accelerating said virtual element as a function of said interaction force.

6. The method set forth in claim 5, and comprising the step of modifying said virtual object as a function of said collision.

7. The method set forth in claim 1, where said user connection element has three independent orientation degrees of freedom between said user connection element and said reference, said user interface has three orientation sensors for measuring said three independent orientation degrees of freedom, said virtual element has a virtual orientation, and said virtual object has a virtual orientation.