Wireless force feedback input device

• US 7,348,968 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2003
• Issued: 03/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dawson, Thomas Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Said; Mansour M.
• Application Number:
  US10/726,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-170, 345174-175, 345179-183, 178/18.01, 178/19.01, 178/19.03, 178/19.05, 341/20, 341/27, 341/30, 364/709.01
• US Class Current: 345/179
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus

Abstract

A wireless force feedback device includes a housing, a central processing unit (CPU) disposed in the housing, a wireless communication receiver disposed in the housing and communicatively coupled to the CPU, wherein the wireless communication receiver is configured to receive haptic commands from a host computing device, and an actuator communicatively coupled to the central processing unit, wherein the actuator is configured to produce a haptic sensation, the haptic sensation being controlled by the CPU in response to haptic commands.

Claims

1. A wireless stylus comprising:

a housing;

a central processing unit (CPU) disposed in said housing;

a wireless communication receiver disposed in said housing and communicatively coupled to said CPU, wherein said wireless communication receiver is configured to receive haptic commands from a host computing device;

an actuator communicatively coupled to said central processing unit, wherein said actuator is configured to produce a haptic sensation, said haptic sensation being controlled by said CPU in response to said haptic commands; and

a light emitting device communicatively coupled to said CPU, wherein said light is selectively illuminated in response to said haptic commands.

2. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a cylindrical shape.

3. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said haptic commands from a host computing device are associated with an input signal received by a host application running on said host computing device.

4. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said CPU comprises one of a processor, a microprocessor, or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

5. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication receiver comprises a radio frequency (RF) receiver.

6. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication receiver comprises an infrared (I/R) receiver.

7. The wireless stylus of claim 1, further comprising a power supply disposed in said housing;

wherein said power supply is configured to selectively provide power to said CPU and said actuator.

8. The wireless stylus of claim 7, wherein said power supply comprises a battery.

9. The wireless stylus of claim 8, wherein said battery comprises a rechargeable battery.

10. The wireless stylus of claim 9, further comprising an external power connector disposed on a surface of said housing, wherein said external power connector is configured to provide power to said rechargeable battery when said external power connector is coupled to an outside power source.

11. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises an electromechanical device.

12. The wireless stylus of claim 11, wherein said actuator further comprises one of a linear actuator, a repulsive magnet pair, or a rotary actuator.

13. The wireless stylus of claim 1, further comprising:

a data storage device communicatively coupled to said CPU; and

a clock device communicatively coupled to said CPU.

14. The wireless stylus of claim 13, wherein said data storage device comprises a data lookup table configured to match one of said haptic commands with a corresponding actuator control signal.

15. The wireless stylus of claim 1, wherein said light emitting device comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

16. The wireless stylus of claim 1, further comprising a replaceable ink cartridge disposed in said housing;

wherein said replaceable ink cartridge may be selectively positioned to mark an ink receiving medium.

17. A wireless stylus comprising:

a housing;

a central processing unit (CPU) disposed in said housing;

a wireless communication receiver disposed in said housing and communicatively coupled to said CPU, wherein said wireless communication receiver is configured to receive haptic commands from a host computing device;

an actuator communicatively coupled to said central processing unit, wherein said actuator is configured to produce a haptic sensation, said haptic sensation being controlled by said CPU in response to said haptic commands; and

a speaker disposed on said housing, wherein said speaker is communicatively coupled to said CPU driven by said CPU to produce sounds in response to said haptic commands.

18. The wireless stylus of claim 17, wherein said sound is associated with said haptic sensation.

19. The wireless stylus of claim 17, further comprising a replaceable ink cartridge disposed in said housing;

wherein said replaceable ink cartridge may be selectively positioned to mark an ink receiving medium.

20. The wireless stylus of claim 17, further comprising a light emitting device communicatively coupled to said CPU, wherein said light is configured to he illuminated in response to said haptic commands.

21. The wireless stylus of claim 17, wherein said haptic commands are generated by a host computer and transmitted to said stylus in response to a cursor on a display of said host computer, which is controlled with said stylus, encountering an item displayed on said display of said host computer.

22. A system for providing force feedback to a wireless input device comprising:

a host computing device comprising a display having a cursor;

a data interface configured to be communicatively coupled to said host computing device; and

a data input device configured to input data to said data interface so as to control said cursor on said display;

wherein said data input device includes a housing, a central processing unit (CPU) disposed in said housing, a wireless receiver communicatively coupled to said CPU, and an actuator communicatively coupled to said CPU, wherein said actuator is configured to produce a haptic sensation in response to haptic commands received wirelessly from said host computing device;

wherein said haptic commands are generated by said host computing system and transmitted wirelessly to said data input device in response to said cursor on said display of said host computing device encountering another item displayed on said display of said host computing device;

wherein said data input device comprising a stylus configured to interact with said host feedback application by inputting data into host computing device via said tablet.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said host computing device and said data interface comprise a single functional unit.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein said host computing device comprises one of a personal computer or a workstation.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein said data interface comprises a tablet.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said data input device comprises a stylus configured to interact with said host feedback application by inputting data into said host computing device via said tablet.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein said housing comprises a cylindrical shape.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein said wireless transmitter comprises a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and said wireless receiver comprises an RF receiver.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein said wireless transmitter comprises an infrared (I/R) transmitter and said wireless receiver comprises an I/R receiver.

30. The system of claim 22, further comprising a power supply disposed in said housing;

wherein said power supply is configured to selectively provide power to said CPU and said actuator.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising an external power connector disposed on a surface of said housing, wherein said external power connector is configured to facilitate a recharging of said power supply.

32. The system of claim 22, wherein said actuator comprises an electromechanical device.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said actuator further comprises one of a linear actuator, a repulsive magnet pair, or a rotary actuator.

34. The system of claim 22, further comprising a light emitting diode (LED) communicatively coupled to said CPU, wherein said LED is configured to illuminate in response to said haptic commands.

35. The system of claim 22, further comprising a speaker disposed on said housing;

wherein said speaker is communicatively coupled to said CPU, and wherein said CPU is configured to selectively cause said speaker to emit a sound.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein said sound is associated with said haptic sensation.

37. The system of claim 22, further comprising a replaceable ink cartridge disposed in said housing;

wherein said replaceable ink cartridge may be selectively positioned to mark an ink receiving medium.

38. A method for producing force feedback in an input device comprising:

receiving location data in a host computer from a user input device;

controlling a cursor on a display of said host computer with said location data from said user input device;

if said cursor controlled in response to said location data intersects another item displayed on said display, generating a haptic command corresponding to said item intersected by said cursor;

transmitting said haptic command corresponding to said item intersected to said user input device;

with an actuator of said user input device, generating haptic sensations in response to said haptic command corresponding to said item intersected by said cursor;

wherein said user input device comprises a stylus, said method further comprising generating said location data by interfacing said stylus with a touch-sensitive interface of said host computer.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said transmitting is wireless performed with a wireless communication device.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein said user input device comprises a stylus, said method further comprising generating said location data by interfacing said stylus with a. touch-sensitive interface of said host computer.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein said stylus receives said haptic command wirelessly.

42. The method of claim 38, further comprising illuminating light on said user input device in response to said haptic command.

43. The method of claim 38, further comprising emitting sounds with a speaker on said user input device in response to said haptic command.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein said user input device is a stylus, and said method further comprises dispensing ink from said stylus to an ink receiving medium when said stylus is used as a writing instrument.