Cursor control using a tactile feedback device

• US 6,894,678 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2001
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Rosenberg, Louis B., Braun, Adam C., Beamer, Jonathan L., Chang, Dean C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US09/935,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20020003528A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 345/856, 345/145, 345/156, 345/157, 345/159, 345/161, 345/163, 463/30
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/015 Force feedback applied to a joystick
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03548 Sliders, in which the moving part moves in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A mouse interface device and method for providing enhanced cursor control and indexing cursor control with force feedback. A force feedback interface device includes a manipulandum, such as a mouse, that is moveable in a local workspace. The device is coupled to a host computer that displays a cursor in a graphical environment, such as a GUI, on a display screen. A cursor position in the display frame is reported to the host computer derived from a reference position of the mouse in the local frame, and the host displays the cursor; for example, the cursor position may be scaled by a ballistics algorithm based on mouse velocity to allow fine positioning or coarse motion of the cursor. A force is output on the mouse based on interactions in the GUI, the force being determined based on mouse reference data or cursor ballistic data, depending on the type of force, to reduce distortion between visual and force outputs. Assistive forces can alternatively be output to achieve the enhanced cursor control. Indexing features allow control of the cursor when an offset between local and display frames exists, allow the user to reduce the offset, and reduce disconcerting collisions of the mouse with physical workspace limits.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sensing a movement of a manipulandum of an interface device with respect to a fixed local frame, a movement of a cursor in a graphical display being associated with the movement of the manipulandum;

deriving a cursor position using a scale factor based on the sensed movement of the manipulandum and the movement of the cursor, the scale factor being associated with a velocity of the manipulandum with respect to the fixed local frame;

determining a tactile sensation to be output based on the scaled cursor position; and

outputting the tactile sensation by sending a signal to a motor included in the interface device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cursor position is a ballistics position, the ballistics position being the sensed movement of the manipulandum modified by a ballistics algorithm in which a position of the cursor is mapped to a position of the manipulandum based on the scale factor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the cursor is mapped according to a constant mapping when the tactile sensation to be output is a virtual spring force.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile sensation is determined based on one of a motion and a position of the manipulandum with respect to the fixed local frame, the cursor position being based on previous cursor positions in the graphical display.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tactile sensation is determined based on the position of the manipulandum if the tactile sensation is not a virtual spring force, and is determined using the ballistics position if the tactile sensation is a virtual spring force, and is determined using neither manipulandum position nor ballistic position if the tactile sensation is determined independently of the motion or position of the manipulandum.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the tactile sensation determined independently of the motion or the position of the manipulandum includes at least one of a vibration, jolt or other tactile sensation based solely on time parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile sensation output allows fine positioning and coarse movement of the cursor within the graphical display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the tactile sensation includes a resistive force having a magnitude inversely proportional to the velocity of the manipulandum in the fixed local frame to allow enhanced fine positioning while not affecting coarse movement of the cursor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said manipulandum is a mouse.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if an indexing feature should be performed, the indexing feature allowing control of an offset between the position of the manipulandum in the fixed local frame and the position of the cursor on the graphical display.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a local microprocessor, included with the interface device is configured to determine the tactile sensation based on the scaled cursor position.

12. The method of 1, wherein the scaled cursor position allows fine positioning of the cursor, the scaling of the cursor position being performed only when fine positioning is determined to be necessary for positioning the cursor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein fine positioning is determined to be necessary for positioning the cursor when the cursor moves within a region of predetermined size for longer than a predetermined time period.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving a sensor signal associated with a position of a manipulandum of an interface device with respect to a reference point;

updating data values associated with a movement of a cursor in a graphical user interface based on a scale factor, the scale factor based on a velocity of the manipulandum with respect to the reference point; and

sending a tactile sensation signal based on the scale factor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the updating data values includes modifying the sensed position of the manipulandum by a ballistics algorithm.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile sensation signal is associated with a virtual spring force and the a cursor position is mapped to the position of the manipulandum.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein a magnitude of a tactile force associated with the tactile sensation signal is inversely proportional to the velocity of the manipulandum.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the tactile sensation signal is associated with a tactile sensation, the tactile sensation being independent of the motion or the position of the manipulandum and includes at least one of a vibration, jolt or other tactile sensation based on time parameters.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

applying an indexing feature configured to control an offset between the position of the manipulandum and the position of the cursor on the graphical display.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the scaling only occurs when the cursor moves within a region of predetermined size on the graphical display for a predetermined period of time.

21. A processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to cause a processor to:

receive a sensor signal associated with a position of a manipulandum of an interface device with respect to a reference point;

update data values associated with a movement of a cursor in a graphical user interface based on a scale factor, the scale factor based on a velocity of the manipulandum with respect to the reference point; and

send a tactile sensation signal based on the scale factor.