Haptic device for artificial reality systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10310610-B2
Application number	US-201715788607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2017
Priority date	Oct 19, 2017
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A haptic device provides haptic sensation to a user. The haptic device comprises a haptic plate and a plurality of actuators. The haptic plate includes a center portion and an outer portion that circumscribes the center portion. The plurality of actuators is coupled to the outer portion of the haptic plate. Of the plurality of actuators, one or more actuators are configured to generate, in accordance with haptic instructions, a haptic wave that converges to a specific waveform at a specific region of the center portion of the haptic plate. The shape of the specific waveform and the location of the specific region on the center portion of the haptic plate are based in part on the haptic instructions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A haptic device comprising:
a haptic plate including a center portion and an outer portion that circumscribes the center portion; and
a plurality of actuators coupled to the outer portion of the haptic plate, the plurality of actuators including:
one or more actuators configured to generate, in accordance with haptic instructions, a haptic wave that converges to a specific waveform at a specific region of the center portion of the plate, wherein a shape of the specific waveform and a location of the specific region on the center portion of the haptic plate are based in part on the haptic instructions, and
another actuator configured to generate a damping response to the specific waveform of the haptic wave.

2. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein an actuator of the plurality of actuators comprises:
a conductive coil; and
a plate magnet coupled to the haptic plate such that the plate magnet can translate in relation to the conductive coil in response to an electrical current applied to the conductive coil.

3. The actuator of claim 1 , wherein the damping response is based at least in part on a displacement of the haptic plate measured by a plurality of optical sensors that monitor vibrations in the haptic plate.

4. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of actuators comprises:
a first actuator configured to generate a first feedback wave that converges to a specific region of the center portion of the plate at a first point in time;
a second actuator configured to generate a second feedback wave that converges to the specific region of the center portion of the plate at a second point in time; and
wherein a specific waveform is achieved at the specific region of the center portion of the plate based at least in part on the first feedback wave and the second feedback wave.

5. The haptic device of claim 1 , further comprising a controller coupled to the plurality of actuators, upon receiving haptic instructions, the controller modulates at least one actuator, wherein each actuator modulated generates a wave with a distinct waveform at a distinct point in time.

6. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of actuators is a voice coil.

7. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the haptic plate is at least 3 feet on which a user can stand.

8. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the center portion of the haptic plate is circular and the outer portion of the haptic plate is circular.

9. The haptic device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of actuators includes a first set of actuators and a second set of actuators, and the first set of actuators is arranged in a first ring within the outer portion of the haptic plate, and the second set of actuators is arranged in a second ring that is concentric to the first ring and is also within the outer portion of the haptic plate.

10. A haptic device comprising:
a haptic plate including a center portion and an outer portion that circumscribes the center portion, the haptic plate having a diameter that is at most 18 inches; and
a plurality of actuators coupled the outer portion of the haptic plate, the plurality of actuators including:
one or more actuators configured to generate, in accordance with haptic instructions, a haptic wave that converges to a specific waveform at a specific region of the center portion of the plate, wherein a shape of the specific waveform and a location of the specific region on the center portion of the haptic plate are based in part on the haptic instructions, and
another actuator configured to generate a damping response to the specific waveform of the haptic wave.

11. The haptic device of claim 10 , wherein an actuator of the plurality of actuators comprises:
a conductive coil; and
a plate magnet coupled to the haptic plate such that the plate magnet can translate in relation to the conductive coil in response to an electrical current applied to the conductive coil.

12. The haptic device of claim 10 , wherein the damping response is based at least in part on a displacement of the haptic plate measured by a plurality of optical sensors that monitor vibrations in the haptic plate.

13. The haptic device of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of actuators comprises:
a first actuator configured to generate a first feedback wave that converges to a specific region of the center portion of the plate at a first point in time;
a second actuator configured to generate a second feedback wave that converges to the specific region of the center portion of the plate at a second point in time; and
wherein a specific waveform is achieved at the specific region of the center portion of the plate based at least in part on the first feedback wave and the second feedback wave.

14. The haptic device of claim 10 , further comprising a controller coupled to the plurality of actuators, upon receiving haptic instructions, the controller modulates at least one actuator, wherein each actuator modulated generates a wave with a distinct waveform at a distinct point in time.

15. The haptic device of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of actuators is a voice coil.

16. The haptic device of claim 10 , wherein the center portion of the haptic plate is circular and the outer portion of the haptic plate is circular.

17. The haptic device of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of actuators includes a first set of actuators and a second set of actuators, and the first set of actuators is arranged in a first ring within the outer portion of the haptic plate, and the second set of actuators is arranged in a second ring that is concentric to the first ring and is also within the outer portion of the haptic plate.

Assignees

• Facebook Tech Llc

Inventors

• Krogstad Dustin Jeffery Gordon
• Wilcox Cleveland-Joel Chavez
• Schwab Matthew Robert
• Desalvo Riccardo
• Perek David R
• Mehra Ravish
• Keller Sean Jason
• Marquez Ian Andreas
• Sandoval Sabrina Monique

Classifications

• G06F3/016 Primary

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/0325

  using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image · CPC title

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G06F3/0334

  Foot operated pointing devices · CPC title