Three dimensional haptics hybrid modeling

• US 9,390,598 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mankowski, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rachedine, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/024,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20150072738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/02 using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method and apparatus for producing a haptic sensation is disclosed. An acoustic transducer at a first cellular communication device is used to determine a gesture of a user object with respect to a first cellular communication device. The gesture is generally performed in a three-dimensional space of the first cellular communication device. A haptic signal is created that corresponds to the determined gesture and is sent from the first cellular communication device to a second cellular communication device. An actuator at the second cellular communication device is actuated according to the haptic signal to produce a haptic sensation at the second cellular communication device.

Claims

1. A method of producing a haptic sensation, comprising:

using a plurality of acoustic transducers at a first cellular communication device to determine a first gesture by an object moving within a three-dimensional space in front of a display on the first cellular communication device, wherein the three-dimensional space is segmented into a plurality of spatial levels spanning a range of distances from the display along a first axis, each spatial level including pixel volumes sized according to a resolution capability of the acoustic transducers, wherein the pixel volumes are configured to provide resolution to power levels for determining the first gesture;

sending a first haptic signal from the first cellular communication device to a second cellular communication device; and

actuating at least one actuator at the second cellular communication device according to the first haptic signal to produce a haptic sensation at the second cellular communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using an acoustic transducer at the second cellular communication device to determine a second gesture with respect to the second cellular communication device;

sending a second haptic signal from the second cellular communication device to the first cellular communication device; and

actuating at least one actuator at the first cellular communication device according to the second haptic signal to produce a haptic sensation at the first cellular communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first gesture is performed by the object in the three-dimensional space at a location away from a screen of the first cellular communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic signal is sent from the first cellular communication device to the second cellular communication device in a data frame that includes at least one of:

(i) an audio signal;

(ii) a visual signal; and

(iii) a text message signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining horizontal and vertical distances between each acoustic transducer and the object based on ultrasonic pulses generated and received by the acoustic transducers, and triangulating the horizontal and vertical distances to determine a relative location of the object, wherein the plurality of acoustic transducers comprise only four actuators embedded along a perimeter of the display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic sensation further includes at least one of:

a sensation of a translation of the second cellular communication device in a selected direction; and

a sensation of a rotation of the second cellular communication device about a selected axis.

7. An apparatus for haptic communication, comprising:

at least one acoustic transducer comprising a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter configured to generate an acoustic signal that propagates away from a display of the apparatus and towards an object in touchless communication with the apparatus such that the receiver receives an ultrasonic pulse reflection from the object in a three-dimensional space within which movement of the object is detectable;

a processor configured to segment the three-dimensional space into a plurality of spatial levels spanning a range of distances from the display along a first axis, each spatial level including pixel volumes sized according to a resolution capability of the at least one acoustic transducer, wherein the pixel volumes are configured to provide resolution to power levels for enabling the processor to determine a movement of the object from at least the received ultrasonic pulse reflection and generate a haptic signal based on the determined movement; and

a communication circuit configured to send the haptic signal to a device to produce a haptic sensation at the device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a location of the object based at least on a difference in time between propagating the acoustic signal into the three-dimensional space and receiving the ultrasonic pulse reflection, wherein the processor uses the location to determine a motion of the object, and wherein the generated haptic signal corresponds to the motion of the object.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the motion of the object is performed in the three-dimensional space at a distance away from inducing a pressure-sensitive signal at a screen on the display of the apparatus, wherein the processor determines a perpendicular distance along the first axis between the display and the object based on the difference in time and a known speed of sound, and wherein the perpendicular distance is used to detect a position of the object.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising at least one actuator, wherein the processor is configured to receive a haptic signal communicated to the apparatus and activate the at least one actuator to produce a haptic sensation corresponding to the received haptic signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor sends the haptic signal to the device in a data frame that includes at least one of:

(i) an audio signal;

(ii) a visual signal; and

(iii) a text message signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one acoustic transducer further comprises only four acoustic transducers embedded along a perimeter of the display, each acoustic transducer comprising a pair of transmitters and receivers for generating acoustic signals and receiving ultrasonic pulse reflections, wherein the processor records time delays between generating the acoustic signals and receiving the ultrasonic pulse reflections, and wherein the processor uses the time delays and known spatial distances between each of the four transmitter-receiver pairing to determine horizontal and vertical distances between the display and the object.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the haptic sensation further includes at least one of:

a sensation of a translation of the device in a selected direction; and

a sensation of a rotation of the device about a selected axis.

14. A system for haptic communication, comprising:

a first cellular communication device and a second cellular communication device in communication with each other;

an acoustic transducer of the first cellular communication device configured to generate an acoustic signal that propagates into a three-dimensional space away from the first cellular communication device and towards an object in front such that the at least one acoustic receiver receives an ultrasonic pulse reflection from the object;

a first processor of the first cellular communication device configured to segment the three-dimensional space into a plurality of spatial levels spanning a range of distances from the display along a first axis, each spatial level including pixel volumes sized according to a resolution capability of the at least one acoustic transducer, wherein the pixel volumes are configured to provide resolution to power levels for enabling the first processor to determine a gesture based on a first haptic signal that corresponds to the received reflections of the generated acoustic signal;

at least one actuator of the second cellular communication device; and

a second processor of the second cellular communication device configured to receive the first haptic signal from the first cellular communication device and actuate the at least one actuator to produce a haptic sensation at the second cellular communication device that corresponds to the received acoustic signal at the first cellular communication device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein a motion of the object with respect to the first cellular communication device affects the reflected acoustic signal and the haptic sensation at the second cellular communication device corresponds to the motion of the object.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the motion of the object is performed in the three-dimensional space at a distance away from inducing a pressure-sensitive signal at a screen of the first cellular communication device.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the haptic signal is sent from the first cellular communication device to the second cellular communication device in a data frame that includes at least one of:

(i) an audio signal;

(ii) a visual signal; and

(iii) a text message signal.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one actuator further comprises one of:

three actuators;

four actuators; and

more than four actuators.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the haptic sensation further includes at least one of:

a sensation of a translation of the second cellular communication device in a selected direction; and

a sensation of a rotation of the second cellular communication device about a selected axis.

20. The system of claim 14, further comprising a second acoustic transducer at the second cellular communication device and at least one actuator at the first cellular communication device and a second actuator at the second cellular communication device, wherein the second processor determines a second gesture from signals obtained using the second acoustic transducer and sends a second haptic signal from the second cellular communication device to the first cellular communication device over a cellular phone network;

and the first processor actuates the actuator of the first cellular communication device according to the second haptic signal to produce a haptic sensation at the first cellular communication device.