Systems and methods for a texture engine

• US 10,198,077 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Cruz-Hernandez, Juan Manuel, Grant, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Haile, Benyam
• Application Number:
  US15/700,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20180011539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• 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 sensor configured to detect movement of a mobile device housing in an X, Y, or Z direction;

a processor in communication with the sensor, the processor configured to;

receive a display signal comprising one or more colors and an intensity for each of the one or more colors;

assign a haptic value to each of the one or more colors;

determine a haptic effect based at least in part on the movement of the mobile device housing, the haptic effect comprising a texture, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises determining the haptic value associated with one or more of the colors; and

transmit a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect, wherein the haptic signal comprises a direction of operation and an intensity of operation, wherein the direction of operation is based in part on the color and the intensity of operation is based in part on an intensity of the color; and

an actuator in communication with the processor, the actuator configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display in communication with the processor, the display configured to receive the display signal and output an image, and wherein the texture is output onto a surface of the display.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a touch-sensitive interface configured to detect user interaction and wherein the processor is further configured to determine the haptic effect based at least in part on the user interaction.

4. The system of claim 3, 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.

5. The system of claim 3, 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.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement of the mobile device corresponds to a movement in a virtual workspace.

7. A method for outputting a haptic effect comprising:

receiving a display signal comprising one or more colors and an intensity for each of the one or more colors;

assigning a haptic value to each of the one or more colors;

determining a haptic effect based at least in part on a first sensor signal received from a sensor configured to detect movement of a mobile device in an X, Y, or Z direction, the haptic effect comprising a texture, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises determining the haptic value associated with one or more of the colors; and

transmitting a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to an actuator configured to 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 an intensity of the color.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying an image associated with the display signal on a surface of a display, and wherein the texture is output onto the surface of the display.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the haptic effect based at least in part on a second sensor signal received from a touch-sensitive interface configured to detect user interaction.

10. The method of claim 9, 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.

11. The method of claim 9, 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.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the movement of the mobile device corresponds to a movement in a virtual workspace.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program code, which when executed by a processor is configured to cause the processor to:

receive a display signal comprising one or more colors and an intensity for each of the one or more colors;

assign a haptic value to each of the one or more colors;

determine a haptic effect based at least in part on a first sensor signal received from a sensor configured to detect movement of a mobile device in an X, Y, or Z direction, the haptic effect comprising a texture, wherein determining the haptic effect comprises determining the haptic value associated with one or more of the colors; and

transmit a haptic signal associated with the haptic effect to an actuator configured to 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 an intensity of the color.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising program code, which when executed by a processor is configured to cause the processor to:

display an image associated with the display signal on a surface of a display, and wherein the texture is output onto the surface of the display.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising program code, which when executed by a processor is configured to cause the processor to:

determine the haptic effect based at least in part on a second sensor signal received from a touch-sensitive interface configured to detect user interaction.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, 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.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, 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.