Haptic device for variable bending resistance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10474236-B1
Application number	US-201715703691-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2017
Priority date	Sep 13, 2017
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A haptic glove comprises a glove body including a glove digit corresponding to a phalange of a user hand with the glove digit having a bend location that is located along the glove digit. A haptic apparatus is coupled to the glove body at the bend location with the haptic apparatus comprising a plurality of sheets that are flexible and inextensible and a pressure actuator coupled to one or more of the plurality of sheets. The plurality of sheets are stacked and configured to translate relative to each other along the centerline with bending of the glove digit. The pressure actuator is configured to adjust an applied pressure to the plurality of sheets to adjust friction between the sheets. The adjustment of friction is proportional to a bending resistance of the glove digit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A haptic glove, comprising:
a glove body including a glove digit corresponding to a phalange of a user hand, the glove digit having a bend location that is located along a centerline that bisects a surface of the glove digit;
a haptic apparatus coupled to the glove body at the glove digit, the haptic apparatus comprising:
a plurality of sheets that are flexible and inextensible, the plurality of sheets are stacked and configured to translate relative to each other along the centerline with bending of the glove digit, and a resistance to bending the glove digit is based in part on friction between at least some of the plurality of sheets, and
a pressure actuator coupled to one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets, the pressure actuator configured to adjust a pressure applied to one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets to adjust friction between some of the plurality of sheets, the friction adjusting the resistance to bending the glove digit at the bend location.

2. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein a sheet of the plurality of sheets is composed of a polymer.

3. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sheets includes a first sheet, and the haptic glove further comprises:
an inflexible plate with a braking surface, the braking surface adjacent to a surface of the first sheet.

4. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the pressure actuator comprises an expandable bladder that controls the pressure applied to an intermediate plate coupled between the expandable bladder and the plurality of sheets, wherein the intermediate plate applies a variable pressure to the one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets based in part on the pressure applied by the expandable bladder, the expandable bladder has a plurality of sizes and each size of the plurality of sizes corresponds to a different pressure applied to the one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets.

5. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the pressure actuator comprises a controllable electromagnet and a metallic plate that is positioned between the electromagnet and the one or more sheets, and the electromagnet controls the pressure applied to the one or more sheets by applying a magnetic force to the metallic plate.

6. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the pressure actuator is coupled to an individual sheet of the plurality of sheets.

7. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the pressure actuator is coupled to at least two sheets of the plurality of sheets.

8. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the bending resistance at the bend location on the glove digit is determined by a rigidity of a virtual object.

9. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the glove digit has a palmar surface and a dorsal surface that is opposite the palmar surface, and the haptic apparatus coupled to the glove body is located on the dorsal surface of the glove digit, the haptic glove further comprising:
a second haptic apparatus coupled to the glove body at the bend location on the palmar surface of the glove digit.

10. The haptic glove of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sheets are coupled to the glove digit, and at least some of the plurality of sheets are coupled to different locations on the glove digit.

11. A haptic article of clothing, comprising:
a fabric body including a bend location that is located along a centerline that bisects a surface of the fabric body;
a haptic apparatus coupled to the fabric body at a position along the centerline and adjacent to the bend location, the haptic apparatus comprising:
a plurality of sheets that are flexible and inextensible, the plurality of sheets are stacked and configured to translate relative to each other along the centerline with bending of the glove digit, and a resistance to bending the glove digit is based in part on friction between at least some of the plurality of sheets, and
a pressure actuator coupled to one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets, the pressure actuator configured to adjust a pressure applied to one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets to adjust friction between some of the plurality of sheets, the friction adjusting the resistance to bending the fabric body along the bisection.

12. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein a sheet of the plurality of sheets is composed of a polymer.

13. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of sheets includes a first sheet, and the haptic article of clothing further comprises:
an inflexible plate with a braking surface, the braking surface adjacent to a surface of the first sheet.

14. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the pressure actuator comprises an expandable bladder that controls the pressure applied to an intermediate plate coupled between the expandable bladder and the plurality of sheets, wherein the intermediate plate applies a variable pressure to the one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets based in part on the pressure applied by the expandable bladder, the expandable bladder has a plurality of sizes and each size of the plurality of sizes corresponds to a different pressure applied to the one or more sheets of the plurality of sheets.

15. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the pressure actuator comprises a controllable electromagnet and a metallic plate that is positioned between the electromagnet and the one or more sheets, and the electromagnet controls the pressure applied to the one or more sheets by applying a magnetic force to the metallic plate.

16. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the pressure actuator is coupled to an individual sheet of the plurality of sheets.

17. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the pressure actuator is coupled to at least two sheets of the plurality of sheets.

18. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the bending resistance at the bend location on the article of clothing is determined by a rigidity of a virtual object.

19. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the haptic joint has an anterior surface and a posterior surface that is opposite the anterior surface, and the haptic apparatus coupled to the fabric body is located on the posterior surface of the haptic joint, the haptic article of clothing further comprising:
a second haptic apparatus coupled to the fabric body at the bend location on the anterior surface of the haptic joint.

20. The haptic article of clothing of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of sheets are coupled to the fabric body, and at least some of the plurality of sheets are coupled to different locations on the fabric body.

Assignees

• Facebook Tech Llc

Inventors

• Stewart Charles
• King Raymond
• Corson Nicholas Roy
• Keller Sean Jason

Classifications

• G06F3/016

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

• G06F3/014 Primary

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title