Automatic remote sensing and haptic conversion system

• US 10,416,774 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2018
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Weddle, Amaya Becvar, Grant, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Girma, Fekadeselassie
• Application Number:
  US15/862,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20180129291A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 3404071
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• 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

A system is provided that automatically converts an input into one or more haptic effects in near real-time. The system senses the input in near real-time. The system automatically converts the sensed input into one or more haptic signals in near real-time. The system generates the one or more haptic effects based on the one or more haptic signals.

Claims

1. A wearable haptic device, comprising:

a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect;

a speaker;

a microphone; and

a controller communicably coupled to the microphone via a communication bus, and configured

to receive a sensed audio signal from the microphone,

to identify a numeric value of a parameter of the sensed audio signal,

to convert the sensed audio signal into a haptic signal by causing a haptic parameter of the haptic signal to have a numeric value which is the same as the numeric value of the parameter of the sensed audio signal,

to communicate the haptic signal to the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal, and

to cause the speaker to be silent when the haptic output device generates the haptic effect.

2. The wearable haptic device of claim 1, wherein the wearable haptic device includes a wrist band.

3. The wearable haptic device of claim 1, wherein the wearable haptic device includes at least one of a head band, eyeglasses, a ring, or a leg band.

4. The wearable haptic device of claim 1, wherein the haptic parameter of the haptic signal and the parameter of the audio signal have a same parameter type, the parameter type being at least one of:

an amplitude, frequency content, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature.

5. The wearable haptic device of claim 4, wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real time as the sensed audio signal is received from the microphone, such that any time delay between the receiving of the sensed audio signal and the generating of the haptic effect includes only a time delay for converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.

6. The wearable haptic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to convert the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal by identifying a frequency content or a time signature of the audio signal, and by causing the haptic signal to have an identical frequency content or time signature as the audio signal.

7. The wearable haptic device of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a processor and a memory.

8. A wearable haptic device, comprising:

a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect; and

a controller configured

to receive a sensed audio signal generated by a microphone,

to identify a frequency content of the sensed audio signal,

to convert the sensed audio signal into a haptic signal by causing the haptic signal to have a frequency content that is identical to the frequency content of the sensed audio signal,

to communicate the haptic signal to the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

9. The wearable haptic device of claim 8, wherein the microphone is remote from the wearable haptic device, and the sensed audio signal is received via a network, wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real-time as the sensed audio signal is generated by the microphone, such that any time delay between the microphone generating the sensed audio signal and the wearable haptic device generating the haptic effect includes only a first time delay introduced by network transmission of the sensed audio signal from the microphone to the wearable haptic device, and a second time delay associated with converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.

10. The wearable haptic device of claim 8, wherein the microphone is part of the wearable haptic device.

11. A method of generating a haptic effect, the method comprising:

receiving a sensed audio signal that is generated by a microphone;

identifying a time signature of the sensed audio signal;

converting the sensed audio signal to a haptic signal, by causing the haptic signal to have a time signature that is identical to the time signature of the sensed audio signal;

communicating the haptic signal to a haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising performing frequency filtering on the sensed audio signal to filter out characteristics of the sensed audio signal that represents a background sound, wherein the frequency filtering is performed before converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.