Haptic authoring

• US 6,374,255 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Haanpaa, Douglas, Peurach, Thomas M., Yocum, Todd, Jacobus, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): AMSBURY, WAYNE P
• Application Number:
  US09/640,358
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 707/102, 707/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Methods are presented for authoring geometrical databases which incorporate touch or haptic feedback. In particular, a database of geometrical elements incorporates attributes necessary to support haptic interactions such as stiffness, hardness, friction, and so forth. Users may instantiate objects designed through CAD/CAM environments or attach haptic or touch attributes to subcomponents such as surfaces or solid sub-objects. The resulting haptic/visual databases or world-describing models can then be viewed and touched using a haptic browser or other appropriate user interface.

Claims

1. A method for allowing a user to customize a feel of graphical objects in a graphical environment, said method comprising:

accessing a database describing one or more of said graphical objects in said graphical environment, the database including geometric data associated with said graphical objects as well as tactile attributes associated with said graphical objects, said tactile attributes having parameters characterizing said tactile attributes; and

providing an interface enabling a user to both view said graphical objects and feel tactile sensations associated with said graphical objects, said interface also enabling a user to modify said parameters of said tactile attributes and then feel modified tactile sensations resulting from said modified parameters.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said tactile attributes include a vibration sensation and wherein said parameters include a frequency of said vibration.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said tactile attributes include a vibration sensation and wherein said parameters include an amplitude of said vibration.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said tactile attributes include a texture sensation and wherein said parameters include an orientation of said texture.

5. A method for allowing a user to customize tactile sensations associated with a graphical environment, comprising:

storing, in the memory of a computer system, a database including information which describes a graphical object viewable on a display device of said computer system, said graphical object also associated with at least one haptic attribute defining a tactile sensation for said graphical object;

providing a visual/haptic representation of said user in said graphical environment, said representation manipulable by said user;

using said representation of said user to;

a) display a user'"'"'s position relative to said graphical object, and

b) allow said user to interact with said graphical object through touch; and

receiving input from said user to edit said at least one haptic attribute until a desired tactical interaction with said graphical object is achieved.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said representation of said user is an avatar in a 3-D virtual world.

7. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said at least one haptic attribute includes a vibration sensation having frequency and amplitude parameters.

8. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said at least one haptic attribute includes a texture sensation having an orientation that is editable by said user.

9. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said at least one haptic attribute includes a simulated mass of said graphical object.

10. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein said at least one haptic attribute can be either an interior attribute describing forces encountered by said representation of said user when inside said graphical object, or a surface attribute describing forces encountered by said representation of said user when in contact with a surface of said graphical object.

11. A method of providing a tactile user interface, said method comprising:

accessing information over a network, said information describing a graphical environment, said information including geometric information as well as tactile information, said information describing static graphical objects and dynamic graphical objects;

accessing a human interface device that is capable of tracking a user'"'"'s manual motions and provide simulated tactile feedback, said accessing including receiving motion data from said human interface device;

displaying a plurality of said graphical objects, wherein a location, shape, and size of said graphical objects are based in part on said geometric information, wherein at least one of said displayed graphical objects is a dynamic graphical object, and displaying a graphical avatar, a location of said avatar based in part upon said motion data received from said human interface device;

determining an interaction of said graphical avatar with at least one of said graphical objects; and

sending touch-sensation data to said human interface device in response to said determined interaction, said touch-sensation data enabling said human interface device to provide a user with a touch sensation that corresponds with said determined interaction, wherein said touch-sensation data is updated and sent to said human interface device over time to correspond with changes in at least one of said dynamic graphical objects.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said geometric information includes polygon data.

13. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein said polygon data is associated with at least one haptic attribute.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein said haptic attribute is one of a stiffness parameter and a friction parameter.

15. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said updating of said touch-sensation data over time to correspond with changes in at least one of said dynamic graphical objects is accomplished by creating a dynamic object simulation that indicates changes in dynamic object parameters.

16. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said geometric information includes spline patch data.

17. A method as recited in claim 16 wherein said spline patch data is associated with at least one haptic attribute.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein said haptic attribute is a stiffness parameter.

19. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said geometric information includes sphere data.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein said sphere data is associated with at least none haptic attribute.

21. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said geometric information includes data in DXF format.

22. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said geometric information includes data in IGES format.

23. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said geometric information indicates if at least one object is deformable or non-deformable.

24. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said information received over a network includes URL addresses.

25. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said determining said interaction includes computing a penetration of said avatar into geometric boundaries associated with at least one of said graphical objects.

26. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein said data sent to said human interface device is a function of said computed penetration, and wherein said touch sensation corresponds with said computed penetration.

27. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein said network is the Internet.

28. A method as recited in claim 27 wherein said method is performed by a client computer attached to said Internet and wherein said information accessed over said network is stored on a server computer.

29. A host controlled software architecture implemented on a host computer, said architecture controlling a tactile interface device and enabling the execution of and output of multiple simultaneous tactile effects from said tactile interface device, said host controlled software architecture comprising:

an application layer running on said host computer, said application layer providing a software interface to a user and, based upon user interactions in said software interface, making calls requesting a plurality of parameterized high-level tactile effects to be executed simultaneously;

an API layer running on said host computer, said API layer interpreting said calls from said application layer and, based upon said calls, passing appropriate parameters for each of said tactile effects; and

a device driver layer running on said host computer, said device driver layer receiving said passed parameters and determining a force contribution for each of said tactile effects using said passed parameters, said device driver layer summing said force contributions of said simultaneous tactile effects, and outputting a superimposed set of forces to said tactile interface device over a communication bus.

30. A host controlled software architecture as recited in claim 29 wherein said API layer includes routines accommodating specific types of application programs.

31. A host controlled software architecture as recited in claim 30 wherein said specific types of application programs include game programs.

32. A host controlled software architecture as recited in claim 29 wherein said API layer enables a vibration effect that is parameterized by frequency and magnitude parameters.

33. A host controlled software architecture as recited in claim 29 wherein said tactile interface device includes a local microprocessor that receives said forces and controls motors accordingly to create said output forces.

34. A host controlled software architecture as recited in claim 29 wherein said device driver layer receives data from said tactile interface device.

35. A host controlled software architecture as recited in claim 34 wherein said device driver layer uses said data received from said tactile interface device in determining said forces associated with at least one of said high-level tactile effects.

36. A method for allowing a user to customize tactile sensations associated with a graphical environment, said method comprising:

accessing a file that associates at least one of a plurality of graphical objects of said graphical environment with a particular tactile attribute;

displaying said at least one graphical object to a user on a graphical display while simultaneously presenting said particular tactile attribute to said user as a tactile sensation via a human interface device that provides tactile feedback;

allowing the user to interactively modify parameters of said tactile attribute and feel a resulting modified tactile sensation; and

allowing the user to save said modified tactile attribute in a file that associates said tactile attribute with at least one graphical object within said graphical environment.

37. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a vibration.

38. A method as recited in claim 37 wherein said parameters include at least one of a frequency parameter and an amplitude parameter.

39. A method as recited in claim 38 wherein said accessed file includes URL links.

40. A method as recited in claim 38 wherein said tactile attribute includes a pre-computed force sequence.

41. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a predefined force sample.

42. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is associated with an interior of said graphical object.

43. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is associated with a surface of said graphical object.

44. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a simulated mass of said graphical object.

45. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute defines an attractive or repulsive force associated with said graphical object.

46. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a hardness.

47. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a stiffness.

48. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a texture.

49. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said tactile attribute is a friction.

50. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said user can navigate said graphical environment with a mouse.

51. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said file is received over the Internet from a server.

52. A method as recited in claim 36 wherein said file describes a 3D graphical environment.

53. A method as recited in claim 52 wherein said 3D graphical environment represents a virtual store displaying products.

54. A method for allowing a user to customize tactile sensations associated with a graphical environment, said method comprising:

accessing a file that associates a plurality of graphical objects of said graphical environment with tactile attributes;

displaying said plurality of graphical objects to a user on a graphical display;

displaying an avatar to a user, the location of said avatar based upon the motion of a haptic human interface device being manipulated by said user;

allowing said user to select a particular one of said plurality of graphical objects when said avatar interacts with said particular graphical object;

presenting a tactile sensation to said user as a feel of said tactile attributes associated with said particular one of said graphical objects via said haptic human interface device;

allowing said user to interactively modify parameters of said tactile attributes and then feel a modified tactile sensation; and

allowing said user to save said modified tactile attributes in a file that associates said modified tactile attributes with said particular one of said graphical objects.

55. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute includes a vibration.

56. A method as recited in claim 55 wherein said parameters include at least one of a frequency parameter and an amplitude parameter.

57. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute includes a predefined force sample.

58. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute is associated with an interior of said graphical object.

59. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute is associated with a surface of said graphical object.

60. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute defines an attractive or repulsive force associated with said graphical object.

61. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute is one of a hardness, a stiffness, a texture, and a friction.

62. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said user can navigate said graphical environment with a mouse.

63. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said file is received over the Internet from a server.

64. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said accessed file also includes URL links.

65. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said file describes a 3D graphical environment, wherein said 3D graphical environment represents a virtual store displaying products.

66. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said avatar can be made to snap to a selected graphical object using a haptic cue.

67. A method as recited in claim 54 wherein said tactile attribute includes a pre-computed force sequence.