Tactile feedback man-machine interface device

• US 20040046777A1
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Virtual Technologies, Inc. (Immersion Corporation)
• Inventors: Yim, Mark H., Tremblay, Mark R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,755,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/34 Switch arrangements, e.g. keyboards or mechanical switches specially adapted for electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/321 Garment sensors, i.e. musical control means with trigger surfaces or joint angle sensors, worn as a garment by the player, e.g. bracelet, intelligent clothing vital parameter sensing G10H2220/371; wearable interfaces in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/225 Feedback of the input speech

Abstract

A man-machine interface which provides tactile feedback to various sensing body parts is disclosed. The device employs one or more vibrotactile units, where each unit comprises a mass and a mass-moving actuator. As the mass is accelerated by the mass-moving actuator, the entire vibrotactile unit vibrates. Thus, the vibrotactile unit transmits a vibratory stimulus to the sensing body part to which it is affixed. The vibrotactile unit may be used in conjunction with a spatial placement sensing device which measures the spatial placement of a measured body part. A computing device uses the spatial placement of the measured body part to determine the desired vibratory stimulus to be provided by the vibrotactile unit. In this manner, the computing device may control the level of vibratory feedback perceived by the corresponding sensing body part in response to the motion of the measured body part. The sensing body part and the measured body part may be separate or the same body part.

Claims

25. A system, comprising:

a plurality of vibrotactile devices each being configured to be uniquely associated with a user from a plurality of users, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices being responsive to a signal associated with a common computer simulated event, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices having;

an actuator having a shaft and an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, the actuator being configured to rotate its eccentric mass about the shaft in response to the signal to produce a vibration; and

a processor coupled to the actuator, the processor being configured to produce the signal.

26. A system, comprising:

a plurality of vibrotactile devices each being configured to be uniquely associated with a user from a plurality of users, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices being responsive to a signal associated with a common computer simulated event, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices having;

an actuator having a shaft and an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, the actuator being configured to rotate its eccentric mass about the shaft in response to the signal to produce a vibration;

a processor coupled to each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, the processor being configured, for each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, to produce the signal for that vibrotactile device.

27. A system, comprising:

a plurality of vibrotactile devices each being configured to be uniquely associated with a user from a plurality of users, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices being responsive to a first signal associated with a common computer simulated event, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices having;

an actuator having a shaft and an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, the actuator being configured to rotate its eccentric mass about the shaft in response to the first signal to produce a vibration; and

a first processor coupled to the actuator, the first processor being configured to produce the first signal based on a second signal; and

a second processor configured to be in communication with the first processor of each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, the second processor being configured to provide, for each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, the second signal.

28. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of vibrotactile devices each being configured to be uniquely associated with a user from a plurality of users, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices being responsive to a signal associated with a common computer simulated event; and

for each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices;

providing an actuator having a shaft and an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, the actuator being configured to move its eccentric mass about the shaft in response to the signal to produce a vibration; and

providing a processor coupled to the actuator, the processor being configured to produce the signal.

29. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of vibrotactile devices each being configured to be uniquely associated with a user from a plurality of users, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices being responsive to a signal associated with a common computer simulated event, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices having;

an actuator having a shaft and an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, the actuator being configured to rotate its eccentric mass about the shaft in response to the signal to produce a vibration; and

providing a processor coupled to each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, the processor being configured, for each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, to produce the signal for that vibrotactile device.

30. A method, comprising:

providing a plurality of vibrotactile devices each being configured to be uniquely associated with a user from a plurality of users, each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices being responsive to a first signal associated with a common computer simulated event;

for each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices;

providing an actuator having a shaft and an eccentric mass coupled to the shaft, the actuator being configured to rotate its eccentric mass about the shaft in response to the first signal to produce a vibration; and

providing a first processor coupled to the actuator, the first processor being configured to produce the first signal based on a second signal; and

providing a second processor configured to be in communication with the first processor of each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, the second processor being configured to provide, for each vibrotactile device from the plurality of vibrotactile devices, the second signal.