HAPTIC LOCOMOTION USING WIDE-BAND ACTUATOR

• US 20190098122A1
• Filed: 09/22/2017
• Published: 03/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Harrison, Jere C., Speltz, Alex J., Liu, Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 10,694,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/026 Details of the structure or mounting of specific components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments of haptic locomotion use one or more actuators to: 1) determine the properties of contact surfaces to improve various applications that use haptic locomotion; 2) automatically improve power transfer efficiency during wireless charging or cellular or wireless signal reception; 3) increase device accessibility for visually or hearing impaired users; 4) improve speaker and microphone performance; 5) protect a free falling mobile device from impact damage by orienting the mobile device to a low-risk orientation during free fall, or by driving the mobile device away from a high-risk orientation during free fall; and 6) control asymmetric surface friction using a directional magnetic field provided by an actuator to improve haptic locomotion in a desired direction of travel.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

driving one or more actuators of a mobile device lying on a surface;

receiving, by a processor of the mobile device, motion data from one or more motion sensors of the mobile device, the motion data describing the mobile device motion on the surface resulting from driving the one or more actuators;

determining, by the processor, a friction coefficient based on the motion data;

determining, by the processor, one or more surface types based on the determined friction coefficient; and

initiating, by the processor, one or more actions on the mobile based on the one or more determined surface types.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

measuring asymmetry of motion of the mobile device; and

determining, based on the measured asymmetry of motion, that the mobile device is on a sloped surface; and

initiating one or more actions based on determining that the device is on a sloped surface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein measuring asymmetry of motion further comprises:

driving the one or more actuators to translate the mobile device in a first direction;

driving the one or more actuators to translate the mobile device in a second direction that is opposite the first direction;

comparing the motion in the first direction and the motion in the second direction; and

determining that the motion of the mobile device is asymmetric based on the comparing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the friction coefficient further comprises:

measuring an acceleration of the mobile device;

calculating a friction force parallel to the surface based on a product of the acceleration and a mass of the mobile device;

calculating a force normal to the surface based on gravitational acceleration and the mass of the mobile device; and

calculating the friction coefficient based on a ratio of the friction force over the normal force.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a waveform that includes one or more pulses for driving the one or more actuators to move the mobile device between static and kinetic friction states.

6. A method comprising:

determining a target location and orientation of a mobile device on a surface;

determining a current location and orientation of the mobile device on the surface;

generating one or more waveforms based on the current and target mobile device locations and orientations;

responsive to the one or more waveforms, driving one or more actuators of the mobile device to move the mobile device on the surface;

measuring the motion of the mobile device on the surface resulting from driving the one or more actuators with the one or more waveforms;

based at least in part on the measuring, determining that the mobile device has reached the target location and orientation; and

initiating one or more actions on the mobile at the target location and orientation.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the current location and orientation of the mobile device further comprises:

determining a friction coefficient for the surface based on the measured motion;

determining a surface type based on the friction coefficient; and

determining the current location based on the surface type and other sensor data.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the surface is a charging mat and the method further comprises:

monitoring power transfer efficiency between the charging mat and the mobile device; and

determining, based at least in part on the monitoring, that the mobile device is in the target orientation and at the target location.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

monitoring received signal strength measurements of radio frequency signals while the mobile device is in motion; and

determining, based at least in part on the monitoring, that the mobile device is in the target orientation and at the target location.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

monitoring received audio signals while the mobile device is in motion; and

determining, based at least in part on the monitoring, that the mobile device is in the target orientation and at the target location.

11. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor of a mobile device, that the mobile device is in freefall, the determining based on motion data from one or more motion sensors of the mobile device;

determining, by the processor of the mobile device, a low-risk orientation based on the motion data; and

commanding, by the processor of the mobile device, a movable mass of a haptic engine embedded in the mobile device into vibratory state based on the low-risk orientation and the motion data, the vibratory state resulting in a mechanical force that slows or stops rotation of the mobile device at or near the low-risk orientation.

12. A method comprising:

determining, by a processor of a mobile device, a desired direction of travel of the mobile device on a surface with asymmetric friction;

generating a directional magnetic field that aligns the direction of the asymmetric friction with the direction of travel; and

driving one or more movable masses of the haptic engine to move the mobile device in the direction of travel.

13. A mobile device comprising:

one or more actuators;

one or more motion sensors;

one or more processors;

memory storing instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

driving the one or more actuators to move the mobile device on a surface;

receiving motion data from the one or more sensors, the motion data describing the mobile device motion on the surface resulting from driving the one or more actuators;

determining a friction coefficient based on the measured motion;

determining one or more surface types based on the determined friction coefficient; and

initiating one or more actions on the mobile based on the one or more determined surface types.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

measuring asymmetry of motion of the mobile device; and

determining, based on the measured asymmetry of motion, that the mobile device is on a sloped surface; and

initiating one or more actions based on determining that the device is on a sloped surface.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein measuring asymmetry of motion further comprises:

driving the one or more actuators to translate the mobile device in a first direction;

driving the one or more actuators to translate the mobile device in a second direction that is opposite the first direction;

comparing the motion in the first direction and the motion in the second direction; and

determining that the motion of the mobile device is asymmetric based on the comparing.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein determining the friction coefficient further comprises:

measuring an acceleration provided by the one or more sensors of the mobile device;

calculating a friction force parallel to the surface based on a product of the acceleration and a mass of the mobile device;

calculating a force normal to the surface based on gravitational acceleration and the mass of the mobile device; and

calculating the friction coefficient based on a ratio of the friction force over the normal force.

17. The mobile device of claim 13, operations further comprising:

generating a waveform that includes one or more pulses for driving the one or more actuators to move the mobile device between static and kinetic friction states.

18. A mobile device comprising:

one or more actuators;

one or more motion sensors generating motion data;

a radio frequency signal receiver;

one or more processors;

memory storing instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining a target location and orientation of a mobile device on a surface based on the motion data;

determining a current location and orientation of the mobile device on the surface based on the motion data;

generating one or more waveforms based on the current and target mobile device locations and orientations;

responsive to the one or more waveforms, driving one or more actuators of the mobile device to move the mobile device on the surface;

receiving motion data describing the mobile device motion on the surface resulting from driving the one or more actuators with the one or more waveforms;

based at least in part on the motion data, determining that the mobile device has reached the target location and orientation; and

initiating one or more actions on the mobile at the target location and orientation.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein determining the current location and orientation of the mobile device further comprises:

determining a friction coefficient for the surface based on the measured motion;

determining a surface type based on the friction coefficient; and

determining the current location based on the surface type and other sensor data.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the surface is a charging mat and the method further comprises:

monitoring power transfer efficiency between the charging mat and the mobile device; and

determining, based at least in part on the monitoring, that the mobile device is in the target orientation and at the target location.

21. The mobile device of claim 18, the operations further comprising:

monitoring received signal strength measurements of radio frequency signals while the mobile device is in motion, the received signal strength measures based on radio frequency signals received by the radio frequency signal receiver; and

determining, based at least in part on the monitoring, that the mobile device is in the target orientation and at the target location.

22. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising:

monitoring received audio signals while the mobile device is in motion; and

determining, based at least in part on the monitoring, that the mobile device is in the target orientation and at the target location.

23. A mobile device comprising:

a haptic engine having a movable mass;

one or more motion sensors;

one or more processors;

memory storing instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining, using the one or more motion sensors, that the mobile device is in freefall;

determining, using the one or more motion sensors, a low-risk orientation based on the motion data; and

commanding the movable mass into vibratory state based on the low-risk orientation and the motion data, the vibratory state resulting in a mechanical force that slows or stops rotation of the mobile device at or near the low-risk orientation.

24. A mobile device comprising:

one or more actuators having one or more movable masses;

one or more processors;

memory storing instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

determining a desired direction of travel of the mobile device on a surface with asymmetric friction;

generating a directional magnetic field to align the direction of the asymmetric friction with the direction of travel; and

driving the one or more movable masses to move the mobile device in the direction of travel.