Gyro-stabilized platforms for force-feedback applications
First Claim
1. A spatially unrestricted force-feedback device, comprising:
- a body;
gyroscopic means connected to the body to provide an inertial reference to stabilize the body in at least one spatial dimension;
a user-interactable member connected to the body; and
force-feedback means coupled to the member, enabling a user of the device to experience the feedback of forces relative to the gyroscopically stabilized body.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Force feedback in large, immersive environments is provided by device which a gyro- stabilization to generate a fixed point of leverage for the requisite forces and/or torques. In one embodiment, one or more orthogonally oriented rotating gyroscopes are used to provide a stable platform to which a force-reflecting device can be mounted, thereby coupling reaction forces to a user without the need for connection to a fixed frame. In one physical realization, a rigid handle or joystick is directly connected to the three-axis stabilized platform and using an inventive control scheme to modulate motor torques so that only the desired forces are felt. In an alternative embodiment, a reaction sphere is used to produce the requisite inertial stabilization. Since the sphere is capable of providing controlled torques about three arbitrary, linearly independent axes, it can be used in place of three reaction wheels to provide three-axis stabilization for a variety of space-based and terrestrial applications.
18 Citations
33 Claims
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1. A spatially unrestricted force-feedback device, comprising:
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a body; gyroscopic means connected to the body to provide an inertial reference to stabilize the body in at least one spatial dimension; a user-interactable member connected to the body; and force-feedback means coupled to the member, enabling a user of the device to experience the feedback of forces relative to the gyroscopically stabilized body. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A spatially unrestricted force-feedback device, comprising:
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a body; an active control system to stabilize the body in space; three rotatable reaction wheels coupled to the body; means for determining the angular velocity of each wheel; an angular position measuring device to determine the state of the body in the space; a user-interactable member connected to the body; and force-feedback means using the angular velocity and position of the body as inputs to produce torque on the member about three arbitrary axes through the coordinated acceleration and deceleration of the angular velocity of each wheel. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A method of generating a spatially unrestricted haptic environment, comprising the steps of:
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providing a body in space having a user-interactable force-feedback device; geo-stabilizing the body in one or more dimensions; simulating a virtual environment modeling one or more virtual objects; and interfacing the user-interactable force-feedback device to the virtual environment, enabling the user to experience a force representative of an activity within the virtual environment involving one or more of the objects. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A spatially unrestricted force-feedback device, comprising:
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a first body; a plurality of motors, each of said motors capable of imparting an inertial force about an associated axis of rotation to change rotational momentum of a spinning body, each of said motors connected to said first body to provide computer controllable tactile sensations on said first body about said associated axis, the tactile sensations provided by changing the rotational momentum of the spinning body to cause a torque to be applied to the first body; a user-interactable member connected to said first body, wherein said user-interactable member is in communication with a host computer system modeling a simulated environment including one or more simulated objects, said host computer system commanding said tactile sensations on said first body as a function of a simulated activity involving at least one object within said simulated environment; and a computer mediated controller electrically connected to said motors and in communication with said host computer system, said controller receiving signals from said host computer system and simultaneously controlling each of said motors in response such that said motors produce said inertial forces about said axes, and said controller sending data to said host computer system, said data responsive to user manipulation of said user-interactable member. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification