Automatic remote sensing and haptic conversion system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10416774-B2
Application number	US-201815862732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2013
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A system is provided that automatically converts an input into one or more haptic effects in near real-time. The system senses the input in near real-time. The system automatically converts the sensed input into one or more haptic signals in near real-time. The system generates the one or more haptic effects based on the one or more haptic signals.

First claim

We claim:

1. A wearable haptic device, comprising:
a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect;
a speaker;
a microphone; and
a controller communicably coupled to the microphone via a communication bus, and configured
to receive a sensed audio signal from the microphone,
to identify a numeric value of a parameter of the sensed audio signal,
to convert the sensed audio signal into a haptic signal by causing a haptic parameter of the haptic signal to have a numeric value which is the same as the numeric value of the parameter of the sensed audio signal,
to communicate the haptic signal to the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal, and
to cause the speaker to be silent when the haptic output device generates the haptic effect.

2. The wearable haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the wearable haptic device includes a wrist band.

3. The wearable haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the wearable haptic device includes at least one of a head band, eyeglasses, a ring, or a leg band.

4. The wearable haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the haptic parameter of the haptic signal and the parameter of the audio signal have a same parameter type, the parameter type being at least one of: an amplitude, frequency content, a duration, an envelope, or a time signature.

5. The wearable haptic device of claim 4 , wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real time as the sensed audio signal is received from the microphone, such that any time delay between the receiving of the sensed audio signal and the generating of the haptic effect includes only a time delay for converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.

6. The wearable haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to convert the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal by identifying a frequency content or a time signature of the audio signal, and by causing the haptic signal to have an identical frequency content or time signature as the audio signal.

7. The wearable haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a processor and a memory.

8. A wearable haptic device, comprising:
a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect; and
a controller configured
to receive a sensed audio signal generated by a microphone,
to identify a frequency content of the sensed audio signal,
to convert the sensed audio signal into a haptic signal by causing the haptic signal to have a frequency content that is identical to the frequency content of the sensed audio signal,
to communicate the haptic signal to the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

9. The wearable haptic device of claim 8 , wherein the microphone is remote from the wearable haptic device, and the sensed audio signal is received via a network, wherein the wearable haptic device is configured to generate the haptic effect in near real-time as the sensed audio signal is generated by the microphone, such that any time delay between the microphone generating the sensed audio signal and the wearable haptic device generating the haptic effect includes only a first time delay introduced by network transmission of the sensed audio signal from the microphone to the wearable haptic device, and a second time delay associated with converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.

10. The wearable haptic device of claim 8 , wherein the microphone is part of the wearable haptic device.

11. A method of generating a haptic effect, the method comprising:
receiving a sensed audio signal that is generated by a microphone;
identifying a time signature of the sensed audio signal;
converting the sensed audio signal to a haptic signal, by causing the haptic signal to have a time signature that is identical to the time signature of the sensed audio signal;
communicating the haptic signal to a haptic output device, wherein the haptic output device is configured to generate the haptic effect based on the haptic signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising performing frequency filtering on the sensed audio signal to filter out characteristics of the sensed audio signal that represents a background sound, wherein the frequency filtering is performed before converting the sensed audio signal to the haptic signal.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Weddle Amaya Becvar
• Grant Danny

Classifications

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F3/005

  Input arrangements through a video camera · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• G08B6/00

  Tactile signalling systems, e.g. tactile personal calling systems · CPC title

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title