Externally-activated haptic devices and systems

• US 9,928,696 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2015
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Levesque, Vincent, Birnbaum, David M., Belley, Benoit, Saboune, Jamal, Khoshkava, Vahid, Forest, Simon, Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US14/984,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 3404071, 340 421, 3405721, 3405734, 340 52, 340 81
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10415 the interrogation device being fixed in its position, such as an access control device for reading wireless access cards, or a wireless ATM banking machines in general G07F19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/352 Contactless payments by cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0833 Card having specific functional components
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/01 Details for indicating displaying information in general G09F, G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Examples of externally-activated devices and systems are disclosed. One example system includes a first device having an actuation component; and a second device having a haptic output component, wherein: the first device and the second device are configured to be physically separable from each other; the actuation component is configured to transmit an actuation signal to the haptic output component while the first device and the second device are physically separated from each other, and the haptic output component configured to output a haptic effect in response to receiving the actuation signal and while the first device and the second device are physically separated from each other, the haptic effect based on the actuation signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a housing; and

a haptic output component coupled to the housing, the haptic output component configured to;

be physically separable from an actuation component and receive an actuation signal from the actuation component, the actuation signal comprising energy, and

in response to receipt of the actuation signal and while the haptic output component is physically separated from the actuation component, output a haptic effect using the energy from the actuation signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is an RFID tag, and wherein the RFID tag is further configured to transmit an RFID signal in response to receipt of the actuation signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuation signal comprises a varying electromagnetic field.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the haptic output component comprises at least one of a magnet or a ferromagnetic material (“

FM material”

), and wherein the magnet or the FM material is configured to directly receive the varying electromagnetic field (“

EMF”

) and to move in response to receipt of the varying EMF to output the haptic effect.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a wireless power antenna, and wherein the haptic output component comprises an actuator directly coupled to the wireless power antenna, and wherein wireless power antenna is configured to receive the actuation signal and to actuate the actuator using the energy received from the actuation signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy of the actuation signal comprises a radiated thermal energy.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the haptic output component comprises at least one of a shape memory alloy (“

SMA”

) or a bimetallic strip, and wherein the SMA or bimetallic strip is positioned to directly receive the radiated thermal energy and to change shape using the received radiated thermal energy to output the haptic effect.

8. A system comprising:

a first device comprising an actuation component; and

a second device comprising a haptic output component, wherein;

the first device and the second device configured to be physically separable from each other;

the actuation component configured to transmit an actuation signal to the haptic output component while the first device and the second device are physically separated from each other, the actuation signal comprising energy, and

the haptic output component configured to receive the actuation signal from the actuation component and, in response to receiving the actuation signal while the first device and the second device are physically separated from each other, output a haptic effect using the energy from the actuation signal.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the second device is an RFID tag, and wherein the RFID tag is further configured to transmit an RFID signal in response to receipt of the actuation signal.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the actuation signal comprises a varying electromagnetic field.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the haptic output component comprises at least one of a magnet or a ferromagnetic material (“

FM material”

), and wherein the magnet or the FM material is configured to directly receive the varying electromagnetic field (“

EMF”

) and to move in response to receipt of the varying EMF to output the haptic effect.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a wireless power antenna, and wherein the haptic output component comprises an actuator directly coupled to the wireless power antenna, and wherein wireless power antenna is configured to receive the actuation signal and to actuate the actuator using the energy received from the actuation signal.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the energy of the actuation signal comprises a radiated thermal energy.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the haptic output component comprises at least one of a shape memory alloy (“

SMA”

) or a bimetallic strip, and wherein the SMA or bimetallic strip is positioned to directly receive the radiated thermal energy and to change shape using the received radiated thermal energy to output the haptic effect.

15. A method comprising:

detecting a haptic device within proximity of an actuation device, the haptic device comprising a haptic output component;

in response to detection of the haptic device in proximity of the actuation device, generating and outputting an actuation signal to the haptic output component, the actuation signal comprising energy and configured to cause the haptic output component to output a haptic effect using the energy while the haptic device and the actuation device are physically separated from each other;

detecting the haptic device leaving proximity of the actuation device; and

in response to detection of the haptic device leaving proximity of the actuation device, discontinuing output of the actuation signal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising obtaining information from the haptic device, and wherein generating and outputting the actuation signal is based on the obtained information.