Haptic braille output for a game controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10322336-B2
Application number	US-201715793786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2017
Priority date	Feb 1, 2017
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A game controller with haptic Braille chording capability. While a conventional game controller are geared to sighted players, the disclosed controller configurations include various adaptations that provide alternative input and outputs to facilitate game play by sight-impaired or blind users, as well as other users knowledgeable of Braille. A number of paddles may be arranged on a game controller housing so that a player may engage selected ones of the paddles to enable encoding braille characters using the paddles. This input may be used to control a game, enter text into a chat session or take any other action desired. The converse may also occur, where a combination of the paddles may provide haptic feedback detectable by a user holding a game controller so that the paddles encode braille output (or other data), allowing a user to receive output simply by contact with the paddles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A game controller with haptic Braille chording capability, comprising:
a plurality of paddles arranged as a Braille cell on a housing;
a control circuit to translate a touch force applied to selected ones of the paddles into a Braille character input; and
a first haptic feedback emitter coupled with at least one paddle of the plurality of paddles to generate a force, detectable by contact with the at least one paddle, corresponding to a portion of a Braille character output.

2. The game controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
an adjustable tactile component disposed within selected ones of the plurality of paddles;
wherein an adjustable tactile component for a first paddle may extrude a tactilely detectable portion contemporaneous to when the first haptic emitter generates the force for the first paddle.

3. The game controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
the first haptic feedback emitter coupled with multiple ones of the plurality of paddles to generate forces corresponding to a haptic representation of the Braille character output.

4. The game controller of claim 1 , further comprising
haptic feedback emitters coupled with each of the plurality of paddles, which when force is emitted by selected ones of the haptic feedback emitters, a pattern of haptic feedback across all of the plurality of paddles corresponds to the Braille character output.

5. The game controller of claim 1 , wherein the force created by the first haptic feedback emitter is based at least in part on operation of a selected one or more of: a motor, a vibration element, an ultrasonic emitter, a piezo component.

6. The game controller of claim 1 , in which the game controller is held by a hand having at least a finger in contact with the at least one paddle, further comprising:
a contact sensor positioned in the at least one paddle to measure a degree of contact with the finger.

7. The game controller of claim 6 , wherein the force is adjusted based at least in part on the degree of contact with the finger.

8. The game controller of claim 1 , in which the game controller is held by a hand having fingers in contact with at least some of the plurality of paddles, further comprising:
contact sensors positioned in each of the plurality of paddles to at least identify contact between fingers and the at least some of the plurality of paddles.

9. The game controller of claim 8 , wherein a haptic pattern corresponding to the Braille character output, if emitted across selected ones of the plurality of paddles, can be considered received if the contact sensors identify contact with fingers on the selected ones of the plurality of paddles when the haptic pattern was emitted.

10. The game controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of actuation switches each with a haptic emitter, and each coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of paddles.

11. The game controller of claim 10 , wherein:
each of the plurality of paddles are shaped for manual manipulation by a finger as hands grip the handheld game controller;
the control circuit detects actuation of the actuation switches to translate the touch force applied to the at least some of the plurality of paddles into individual Braille character input; and
the haptic emitters of the plurality of activation switches translate the emitted forces applied to the at least some of the plurality of paddles into individual Braille character output.

12. An apparatus with haptic Braille chording capability, comprising:
a plurality of paddles arranged as a Braille cell on a housing;
a control circuit to translate a touch force applied to selected ones of the paddles into a Braille character input; and
haptic feedback emitters coupled with each of the plurality of paddles, which when force is emitted by selected ones of the haptic feedback emitters, a pattern of haptic feedback across the plurality of paddles corresponds to a Braille character output.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , in which at least a portion of the apparatus is held by a hand having fingers in contact with at least some of the plurality of paddles, further comprising:
contact sensors coupled with each of the plurality of paddles to at least identify contact between the fingers and the plurality of paddles;
wherein a receipt of the Braille character output can be determined if contact sensors for the paddles corresponding to the Braille character output identify contact with fingers.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a delivery rate of Braille output characters is based at least in part on determining the receipt.

15. A method for using a game controller with haptic Braille chording capability based at least in part on a plurality of paddles disposed within the game controller, comprising:
receiving force indicators for selected ones of the paddles;
identifying a Braille character input based at least in part on which paddles had force applied to them;
determining a Braille character output for presenting to the game controller;
identifying a pattern of paddles corresponding to the Braille character output; and
activating a haptic feature for each paddle in the pattern of paddles.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
activating an adjustable tactile component of each paddle in the pattern of paddles contemporaneous with activating the haptic feature for each paddle in the pattern of paddles.

17. The method of claim 15 , in which the game controller is held by a hand having at least a finger in contact with at least one paddle of the plurality of paddles, further comprising:
a contact sensor positioned in the at least one paddle to measure contact with the finger; and
determining receipt by use of at least a portion of the Braille character output corresponding to the at least one paddle based at least in part on a measured contact with the at least one paddle.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions for using a game controller with haptic Braille chording capability based at least in part on a plurality of paddles disposed within the game controller, when executed, the instructions provide for:
receiving force indicators for selected ones of the paddles;
identifying a Braille character input based at least in part on which paddles had force applied to them;
determining a Braille character output for presenting to the game controller;
identifying a pattern of paddles corresponding to the Braille character output; and
activating a haptic feature for each paddle in the pattern of paddles.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 , the media having further instructions to provide for:
activating an adjustable tactile component of each paddle in the pattern of paddles contemporaneous with activating the haptic feature for each paddle in the pattern of paddles.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18 , in which the game controller is held by a hand having at least a finger in contact with at least one paddle of the plurality of paddles, the media having further instructions to provide for:
a contact sensor positioned in the at least one paddle to measure contact with the finger; and
determining receipt by use of at least a portion of the Braille character output corresponding to the at least one paddle based at least in part on a measured contact with the at least one paddle.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Tran Jessica Julie
• Porter Iii John Richard

Classifications

• A63F2009/0004

  using BRAILLE · CPC title

• A63F13/24

  Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles · CPC title

• A63F13/92

  Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing · CPC title

• G09B21/004

  Details of particular tactile cells, e.g. electro-mechanical or mechanical layout · CPC title

• A63F2300/1037

  being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback · CPC title