Systems and methods for a texture engine

• US 9,874,935 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2010
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Grant, Danny A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US12/697,010
• Publication Number:
  US 20100231540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,916 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• 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: 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: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems

Abstract

Systems and methods for a texture engine are disclosed. For example, one disclosed system includes: a processor configured to receive a display signal including a plurality of pixels, determine a haptic effect comprising a texture, and transmit a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to an actuator in communication with the processor, the actuator configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a display signal comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the plurality of pixels is associated with a color and an intensity of the color;

assign a haptic value to each color;

receive a sensor signal from a sensor configured to detect movement of a mobile device in the X, Y, or Z direction;

determine a haptic effect comprising a texture, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises determining the haptic value associated with one or more of the plurality of pixels, and wherein determining the haptic effect further comprises determining the haptic effect based in part on the movement; and

transmit a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect;

an actuator in communication with the processor, the actuator configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect, wherein the haptic signal comprises a direction of operation and an intensity of operation for the actuator, wherein the direction of operation is based in part on the color and the intensity of operation is based in part on the intensity of the color; and

a display in communication with the processor, the display configured to receive the display signal and output an image, wherein the texture is output onto a surface of the display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the texture is vibrotactile effect.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the texture comprises the texture of one or more of:

sand, lizard skin, or a brick.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises one or more of:

an eccentric rotating mass motor, a linear resonant actuator, a shape memory alloy, an electroactive polymer, or a piezoelectric actuator.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each color comprises an intensity, and determining the haptic effect further comprises adjusting the haptic value to correspond to the intensity.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator is coupled to the display.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a housing configured to enclose the actuator and the processor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the housing comprises a mobile device housing.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the actuator is coupled to the housing.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the movement of the mobile device corresponds to a movement in a virtual workspace.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a touch-sensitive interface configured to detect user interaction and transmit a sensor signal to the processor based at least in part on the user interaction.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the haptic effect based at least in part on the sensor signal.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the touch-sensitive interface is configured to detect a speed of the user interaction and wherein determining the haptic effect comprises adjusting the haptic effect to correspond with the speed of the user interaction.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the touch-sensitive interface is configured to detect a pressure of the user interaction and wherein determining the haptic effect comprises adjusting the intensity of the haptic effect to correspond with the pressure of the user interaction.

15. A method for outputting a haptic effect comprising:

receiving a display signal comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the plurality of pixels is associated with a color and an intensity of the color;

assigning a haptic value to each color;

receiving a sensor signal from a sensor configured to detect movement of a mobile device in the X, Y, or Z direction;

determining a haptic effect comprising a texture, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises determining the haptic value associated with one or more of the plurality of pixels, and wherein determining the haptic effect further comprises determining the haptic effect based in part on the movement;

transmitting a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to an actuator configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect, wherein the haptic signal comprises a direction of operation and an intensity of operation for the actuator, wherein the direction of operation is based in part on the color and the intensity of operation is based in part on the intensity of the color; and

outputting the display signal to a display configured to receive the display signal and output an image, wherein the texture is output onto a surface of the display.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each color comprises an intensity and determining the haptic effect further comprises adjusting the haptic value to correspond to the intensity.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving an interface signal from a touch-sensitive interface, and wherein the haptic effect is determined based at least in part on the interface signal.

18. A system comprising:

a touch-sensitive interface configured to detect a user interaction and transmit a signal corresponding to the user interaction, the touch-sensitive interface configured to detect the a speed and pressure of the user interaction;

a processor in communication with the touch-sensitive interface, the processor configured to;

receive a display signal comprising a plurality of pixels that each comprise a color and an intensity of the color;

assign a haptic value to each color;

receive a sensor signal from a sensor configured to detect movement of a mobile device in the X, Y, or Z direction;

determine a haptic effect comprising a texture, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises determining the haptic value associated with one or more of the plurality of pixels, and wherein determining the haptic effect further comprises determining the haptic effect based in part on the movement; and

transmit a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect;

an actuator in communication with the processor, the actuator configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect, wherein the haptic signal comprises a direction of operation and an intensity of operation for the actuator, wherein the direction of operation is based in part on the color and the intensity of operation is based in part on the intensity of the color; and

a display in communication with the processor, the display configured to receive the display signal and output an image, where in the texture is output onto a surface of the display.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a sensor configured to detect a movement of a mobile device in the X, Y, or Z direction, and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the haptic effect based in part on the movement.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the movement of the mobile device corresponds to a movement in a virtual workspace.