Haptic output generation with dynamic feedback control

• US 9,520,036 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Buuck, David Charles, Liljegren, Edward Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Point, Rufus
• Application Number:
  US14/030,454
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 340/384.6, 340/407.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2026/022 with tactile feedback from a controller, e.g. vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 23/00 Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/00 Audible signalling systems; Audible personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/224 Paging receivers with visible signalling details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources

Abstract

A device includes a haptic actuator to generate mechanical force stimuli in accordance with a triggering event. A haptic control system includes an accelerometer to measure the haptic response of the device. Signaling from the accelerometer is analyzed in view of an intended haptic response. A control signal may be modified in view of the analysis to correct out-of-tolerance conditions of the haptic response. This correction may occur in real time or near-real time. Component aging, shifting device performance, or other factors may be compensated for and user expectations satisfied accordingly.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive one or more haptic waveform parameters from a server; and

provide a control signal configured to cause a haptic output comprising a vibrotactile haptic force to a portion of the portable electronic device;

a haptic actuator controller configured to receive the control signal and to provide a haptic waveform signal in accordance with the one or more haptic waveform parameters communicated by the control signal;

a haptic actuator configured to receive the haptic waveform signal and to generate the haptic output in accordance with the haptic waveform signal, the haptic actuator mechanically coupled to a structure of the portable electronic device;

an accelerometer mechanically coupled to the structure of the portable electronic device and configured to provide an accelerometer signal indicative of a haptic response of the portable electronic device to the haptic output comprising the vibrotactile haptic force; and

the processor further configured to;

send telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal to the server to determine by the server that the haptic response of the user device is within a specification for the haptic output;

compare the accelerometer signal to the specification for the haptic output to determine the haptic response of the portable electronic device deviates from a predefined haptic response waveform by greater than a tolerance value;

receive from the server one or more generated adjusted haptic waveform parameters that are based on the comparing, by the server, the telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal to the specification for the haptic output; and

generate a modified control signal based on the adjusted haptic waveform parameters received from the server to adjust the haptic output to correct the haptic response by causing the haptic response of the portable electronic device to be within the tolerance value of the predefined haptic response waveform.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, the processor further configured to select the haptic output from a plurality of predefined haptic outputs, wherein the predefined haptic outputs are associated with respective predefined triggering events, and wherein the predefined triggering events correspond to respective actions performable by the portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further configured to modify at least an amplitude parameter communicated by the control signal based on the comparing the accelerometer signal to the specification for the haptic output.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, the processor further configured to:

retrieve the one or more haptic waveform parameters from a data structure stored in machine-accessible storage, wherein the one or more haptic waveform parameters define at least an amplitude for the particular haptic output;

generate the control signal in accordance with the haptic waveform parameters; and

store the one or more haptic waveform parameters within the data structure.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

anticipate a time lag between the haptic waveform signal and the accelerometer signal; and

adjust the control signal.

6. A device, comprising:

a haptic actuator configured to generate a first haptic output to cause a first haptic response;

an accelerometer configured to measure the first haptic response and to provide an accelerometer signal comprising one or more first haptic waveform parameters describing the first haptic response; and

the device is configured to;

provide a first control signal to the haptic actuator to generate the first haptic output to cause the first haptic response at a first time, wherein the first control signal communicates the one or more first haptic waveform parameters describing the first haptic response;

provide, using a network, telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal including the one or more first haptic waveform parameters describing the first haptic response;

compare the accelerometer signal to a specification for the first haptic output to determine the first haptic response deviates from a predefined haptic response waveform by greater than a tolerance value;

receive, using the network, one or more second haptic waveform parameters, wherein the one or more second haptic waveform parameters are generated based at least in part on the telemetry data;

provide a second control signal using the one or more second haptic waveform parameters; and

generate, by the haptic actuator in response to the second control signal, a second haptic output to adjust the second haptic output to cause a second haptic response at a second time to be within the tolerance value of the predefined haptic response waveform based on the one or more second haptic waveform parameters, the second haptic response being different from the first haptic response.

7. The device of claim 6, further configured to:

provide the second control signal in response to a predefined triggering event; and

change at least one of the one or more first haptic waveform parameters communicated by the first control signal based at least in part on the comparing the accelerometer signal to the specification for the first haptic output so as to generate the second haptic response at the second time.

8. The device of claim 7, further configured to:

retrieve the one or more first haptic waveform parameters correlated to the triggering event from a machine-accessible data structure, wherein the one or more first haptic waveform parameters include one or more of a wave shape or an amplitude value; and

encode information corresponding to the one or more first haptic waveform parameters within the first control signal.

9. The device of claim 8, further configured to:

change the one or more first haptic waveform parameters based at least in part on the comparing the accelerometer signal to the specification for the first haptic output; and

store the changed first haptic waveform parameters within the machine-accessible data structure.

10. The device of claim 6, further configured to provide a haptic waveform signal based on the first control signal, wherein the haptic waveform signal is provided to the haptic actuator, and wherein the haptic waveform signal is characterized in accordance with the one or more first haptic waveform parameters communicated by the first control signal.

11. The device of claim 6, further configured such that:

the first control signal is a digitally encoded signal; and

the haptic actuator is driven by an analog signal generated in accordance with the one or more first haptic waveform parameters communicated by the first control signal.

12. The device of claim 6, the device further including a computer-readable storage media storing one or more sets of haptic waveform parameters associated with data indicative of respective triggering events, the device further configured to select one of the one or more sets of haptic waveform parameters in order to generate the first haptic response, wherein one of the triggering events correspond to respective actions performable by the device.

13. The device of claim 12, the device further configured to perform one or more operations based on a machine-readable program code, the triggering event associated with a particular one of the operations.

14. The device of claim 6, further comprising a seat coupled to the haptic actuator, the seat configured to support a user in a seated orientation, wherein the device is further configured to communicate the first haptic response and the second haptic response to the seat.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more second haptic waveform parameters correspond to one or more different triggering events, and wherein the one or more second haptic waveform parameters include one or more wave shapes.

16. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more second haptic waveform parameters are generated based on one or more of an enhancement or upgrade of the one or more first haptic waveform parameters.

17. A method comprising:

determining first haptic waveform parameters for defining a first haptic output;

generating a first haptic control signal based on the first haptic waveform parameters;

generating the first haptic output by driving a haptic actuator with the first haptic control signal;

measuring one or more characteristics of a first haptic response for the first haptic output of the haptic actuator using an accelerometer;

generating, by the accelerometer an accelerometer signal indicative of the one or more characteristics of the first haptic response;

using a network to send telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal from the accelerometer;

comparing the accelerometer signal to a specification for the first haptic output to determine the first haptic response deviates from a predefined haptic response waveform by greater than a tolerance value;

using the network to receive second haptic waveform parameters based at least in part on the telemetry data;

generating a second haptic control signal based on the second haptic waveform parameters; and

using the second haptic waveform parameters to provide a second haptic output to cause the second haptic response to be within the tolerance value of the predefined haptic response waveform.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first haptic waveform parameters are used to define a first portion of a second haptic output, the method further comprising generating a second portion of the second haptic output in accordance with the second haptic waveform parameters.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

associating a triggering event with the second haptic waveform parameters, the second haptic waveform parameters stored within a machine-accessible media, the second haptic waveform parameters including an amplitude and a duration; and

storing the second haptic waveform parameters within the machine-accessible media.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

detecting an anomaly associated with the first haptic response based at least in part on the comparison; and

modifying the first haptic response based on the detecting.