System, terminal apparatus, method, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10514763-B2
Application number	US-201716070933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Apr 7, 2016
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

There is provided a system that enables rich communication using tactile simulation, the system including: a first terminal apparatus; and a plurality of second terminal apparatuses. The first terminal apparatus transmits first tactile information that has been generated by combining first sensor information related to a first user detected by sensors and indicates a state of the first user. The plurality of second terminal apparatuses receive and output the first tactile information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a first terminal apparatus; and
a plurality of second terminal apparatuses,
wherein the first terminal apparatus transmits first tactile information that has been generated by combining first sensor information related to a first user detected by sensors and indicates a state of the first user, and
the plurality of second terminal apparatuses receive and output the first tactile information,
wherein the first tactile information includes tactile information that has been generated by modulating sensor information detected in relation to the first user based on another sensor information detected in relation to the first user.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first tactile information includes vibration information obtained by modulating vibration information based on a heart rate of the first user on a basis of body temperature information of the first user.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first tactile information includes vibration information obtained by modulating vibration information based on an action of the first user on a basis of sound information in a surrounding of the first user.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first terminal apparatus controls whether or not to transmit the first tactile information on a basis of the state of the first user.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first tactile information is generated using a generation rule corresponding to the state of the first user from among a plurality of the generation rules for the first tactile information.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first tactile information includes information obtained by abstracting the state of the first user in accordance with a set level.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
another first terminal apparatus; and
a communication device that transmits the first tactile information received from the first terminal apparatuses to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses,
wherein the communication device transmits a plurality of pieces of the first tactile information related to a plurality of the first users to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses, and
the plurality of second terminal apparatuses select one piece of the first tactile information to be output from among the plurality of received pieces of the first tactile information.

8. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
another first terminal apparatus; and
a communication device that transmits the first tactile information received from the first terminal apparatuses to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses,
wherein the communication device transmits a plurality of pieces of the first tactile information related to a plurality of the first users to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses, and
the plurality of second terminal apparatuses select one piece of the first tactile information to be received from among the plurality of pieces of the first tactile information.

9. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
another first terminal apparatus; and
a communication device that transmits the first tactile information received from the first terminal apparatuses to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses,
wherein the communication device transmits one piece of the first tactile information selected from among a plurality of pieces of the first tactile information related to a plurality of the first users to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses.

10. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of second terminal apparatuses transmit second tactile information that has been generated by combining second sensor information related to a second user detected by sensors and indicates state of the second user, and
the first terminal apparatus receives and outputs the second tactile information.

11. The system according to claim 10 , further comprising:
another first terminal apparatus; and
a communication device that transmits the second tactile information related to the second user, which has been received from the plurality of second terminal apparatuses, to the first terminal apparatuses.

12. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first tactile information is transmitted to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses via a wireless communication path.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the first tactile information is differently generated in accordance with the wireless communication path used to transmit the first tactile information to the plurality of second terminal apparatuses.

14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second terminal apparatuses output the first tactile information in a case in which a second user associated with the plurality of second terminal apparatuses has conducted a predetermined action.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of second terminal apparatuses are worn by a second user other than the first user.

16. A terminal apparatus comprising:
a control unit that transmits first tactile information that has been generated by combining first sensor information related to a first user detected by sensors and indicates a state of the first user,
wherein the first tactile information includes tactile information that has been generated by modulating sensor information detected in relation to the first user based on another sensor information detected in relation to the first user, and
wherein the control unit is implemented via at least one processor.

17. A terminal apparatus comprising:
a control unit that receives and outputs first tactile information that has been generated by combining a plurality of pieces of first sensor information related to a first user detected by sensors and indicates a state of the first user,
wherein the first tactile information includes tactile information that has been generated by modulating sensor information detected in relation to the first user based on another sensor information detected in relation to the first user, and
wherein the control unit is implemented via at least one processor.

18. A method performed in a system including a first terminal apparatus and a plurality of second terminal apparatuses, the method comprising:
transmitting, by the first terminal apparatus, first tactile information that has been generated by combining first sensor information related to a first user detected by sensors and indicates a state of the first user; and
receiving and outputting, by the plurality of second terminal apparatuses, the first tactile information,
wherein the first tactile information includes tactile information that has been generated by modulating sensor information detected in relation to the first user based on another sensor information detected in relation to the first user.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a method, the method comprising:
receiving and outputting first tactile information that has been generated by combining a plurality of pieces of first sensor information related to a first user detected by sensors and indicates a state of the first user,
wherein the first tactile information includes tactile information that has been generated by modulating sensor information detected in relation to the first user based on another sensor information detected in relation

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Yamano Ikuo
• Matsuzaki Yosuke

Classifications

• H04M2250/12

  including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion · CPC title

• H04M1/00

  Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers (subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08) · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F1/163

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

• H04M1/725

  Cordless telephones (user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724) · CPC title