Calibration of haptic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10353467-B2
Application number	US-201615047447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for providing haptic output and audio output on computing devices using the same haptic device and methods for calibrating the same. To produce the haptic and audio output, the computing device receives a profile of a desired output waveform that is to be provided by the haptic device. Using the desired output waveform, an input waveform is generated. Once the input waveform that will produce the desired output waveform is generated, the input waveform may be calibrated to account for various structural components of the haptic device and may also be combined with an audio waveform. The input waveform is then provided to the haptic device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of calibrating a haptic device, the method comprising:
receiving at a controller of the haptic device one or more respective characteristics of each of a plurality of input waveforms, wherein distortions in the haptic device cause the haptic device to generate a haptic output different from a desired haptic output;
determining respective current profiles associated with each of the plurality of input waveforms having the respective characteristics;
applying, by the controller, the current profiles to a haptic actuator of the haptic device to produce respective output waveforms;
measuring respective characteristics of the respective output waveforms;
determining a scaling factor and a stiffness associated with one or more biasing supports of the haptic actuator based on the measured respective characteristics of the respective output waveforms; and
calibrating the haptic device based on the determined scaling factor and stiffness to account for the distortions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scaling factor accounts for one or more of:
a structure of the haptic device; and
a gap between a first component of the haptic device and the haptic actuator of the haptic device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the current profiles associated with the input waveforms comprises determining an amount of force output by the haptic device, wherein the amount of force is modeled as a differential equation.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scaling factor is quadratically related to peak amplitudes of the input waveforms.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining the scaling factor further comprises determining a quadratic relationship of the stiffness of the one or more biasing supports and the peak amplitudes.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining the quadratic relationship of the stiffness of the one or more biasing supports and the peak amplitudes comprises obtaining a quadratic fit of peak amplitudes to stiffness values for the plurality of input waveforms.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more respective characteristics of the input waveforms include one or more of a peak amplitude, a duration, a frequency, a velocity, a displacement, and a momentum.

8. A haptic output device comprising:
a feedback surface;
an actuator linked with the feedback surface;
one or more biasing supports linked with the feedback surface; and
a controller operatively coupled to the actuator, wherein the controller is configured to:
receive parameters of a desired haptic output to be produced by the actuator on the feedback surface;
determine, using at least the received parameters, an input waveform associated with the desired haptic output;
determine a current profile associated with the input waveform, wherein the current profile includes a scaling factor associated with a stiffness of the one or more biasing supports;
provide the current profile to the haptic output device to generate an actual output waveform on the feedback surface;
measure differences between the actual output waveform and the desired haptic output; and
calibrate the actuator using at least the measured differences.

9. The haptic output device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more biasing supports include a gel pad.

10. The haptic output device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more characteristics of the input waveform includes one or more of a desired amplitude and a desired duration.

11. The haptic output device of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to superimpose an audio waveform on top of the input waveform.

12. The haptic output device of claim 8 , wherein the feedback surface is a touch surface of the haptic output device.

13. The haptic output device of claim 8 , wherein the scaling factor is quadratically related to a peak amplitude of the input waveform.

14. The haptic output device of claim 8 , wherein the calibration of the actuator comprises determining a quadratic relationship between the stiffness of the one or more biasing supports and peak amplitudes of a plurality of sample input waveforms.

15. A method of providing a tactile output and an audio output on a haptic device for an electronic device, the method comprising:
receiving, by a controller of the electronic device, characteristics of a desired output waveform to be provided by the haptic device;
generating an input waveform based on the desired output waveform by providing the characteristics to an actuator model having calibration parameters based on a scaling factor and a stiffness of one or more biasing supports of the haptic device;
adding an audio waveform on the input waveform;
providing the input waveform having the audio waveform to the haptic device to generate the tactile output and the audio output that corresponds to the audio waveform.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the audio output is provided before the tactile output.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the haptic device is a touch sensitive device.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising calibrating the actuator by adjusting the calibration parameters.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein calibrating of the actuator comprises determining a quadratic relationship between the stiffness of the one or more biasing supports and peak amplitudes of a plurality of sample input waveforms.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Augenbergs Peteris K
• Piche Marc J
• Chawda Vinay
• Wells Nicole M
• Mceuen Scott J
• Wiederhold Curtis P
• Harley Jonah A
• Westerman Wayne C
• Bernstein Jeffrey T
• Degner Brett W
• Briant Paul
• Wedlick Thomas

Classifications

• G06F3/0414

  using force sensing means to determine a position · CPC title

• G06F1/16

  Constructional details or arrangements · CPC title

• G06F1/169

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033) · CPC title

• G01L3/22

  electrically or magnetically actuated · CPC title

• G01L5/0028

  Force sensors associated with force applying means (G01L5/0052, G01L5/0057, G01L5/0061 take precedence) · CPC title