Tactile feedback man-machine interface device

• US 8,368,641 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Immersion Corporation
• Inventors: Tremblay, Marc R., Yim, Mark H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US11/981,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 715700-713, 414 1- 7, 463/30, 463/37, 901 32- 34
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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

1. A method of training a gesture recognition program comprising:

measuring a plurality of gestures of a user'"'"'s body part using a sensor, wherein the sensor outputs a plurality of sensor signals each corresponding to a gesture;

generating an average position associated with the plurality of gestures;

measuring a first gesture and outputting a sensor signal in response to the first gesture;

comparing one or more positional values from the sensor signal with the average position;

determining whether a particular motion has been gesticulated based on the comparison, wherein the particular motion is pre-specified and independent from a contact with a graphical object; and

outputting a haptic effect via an actuator in contact with the user based on the determination of the particular motion has been gesticulated.

2. The method claim 1, wherein outputting the sensor signal comprises outputting the sensor signal to a computer.

3. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

receiving from the computer an instruction to generate the haptic effect, wherein outputting the haptic effect is based on the instruction.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the received instruction comprises an instruction to vary a level of the haptic effect.

5. The method of claim 2, the method further comprising:

displaying;

by the computer, a graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein displaying, by the computer, the graphical user interface comprises:

displaying, by the computer, a virtual representation of the first gesture.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

varying an amplitude of the haptic effect, the haptic effect comprising a profile that is non-uniform over time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

varying a frequency of the haptic effect.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

varying a duration of impulses of the haptic effect.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

varying an amplitude and a frequency of the haptic effect.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

outputting the haptic effect via a second actuator different from the actuator.

12. The method of claim 11, the method further comprising:

outputting the haptic effect via the actuator and the second actuator in unison.

13. The method of claim 11, the method further comprising:

outputting the haptic effect via the actuator and the second actuator at different times.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

sequencing two or more actuators to output the haptic effect.

15. The method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

outputting via each of the two or more actuators a different amplitude or frequency profile.

16. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

sensing the haptic effect outputted via the actuator; and

controlling a frequency or an amplitude of the haptic effect based on the sensed haptic effect in a control loop.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

outputting a first haptic effect when the particular motion has been gesticulated and a second haptic effect when the particular motion has not been gesticulated.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

determining a level of correctness that the particular motion has been gesticulated; and

varying the haptic effect based on the level of correctness.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the haptic effect comprises:

outputting the haptic effect via an eccentric mass.