Kinesthetically enabled glove

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10613626-B2
Application number	US-201816010177-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2018
Priority date	Jun 15, 2018
Publication date	Apr 7, 2020
Grant date	Apr 7, 2020

Abstract

A kinesthetically enabled glove for providing kinesthetic feedback to a user are provided. The kinesthetically enabled glove incorporates various actuators configured to provide resistance to movement and/or to provide movement. Kinesthetic actuators employed include electroadhesive actuators, electromagnetic actuators, air-jamming actuators, and inertial mass actuators. The kinesthetic actuators are arranged in various portions of the kinesthetically enabled glove to provide force feedback at different locations. The kinesthetic glove may be employed during interaction with a computer system, providing a user with a more immersive experience.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable device for providing kinesthetic effects, comprising:
a glove including a plurality of finger portions and a glove body; and
an actuator including an inner portion configured for contact with a finger of a wearer and an outer portion secured to the glove and configured to
receive a command signal indicative of a virtual interaction, and
provide a force, in response to the command signal, to execute at least one of a movement of the glove by causing relative movement between the inner portion and the outer portion and a resistance to a movement of the glove by resisting relative movement between the inner portion and the outer portion.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein
the actuator is located in at least one finger portion of the plurality of finger portions, and
the force provides the resistance to a movement of the glove which further includes a resistance to a bending movement of the at least one finger portion.

3. The wearable device of claim 2 , wherein
the actuator further includes an inner electrode secured to the inner portion and an outer electrode secured to the outer portion, and
the inner electrode and the outer electrode are separated by an insulation layer, and
the inner electrode and the outer electrode are configured to provide an electroadhesive attraction in response to the command signal.

4. The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the electroadhesive attraction is the force providing the resistance to a bending movement of the at least one finger portion.

5. The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the outer portion is secured to the glove body at a wrist portion of the glove body.

6. The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the glove body further includes an extension portion configured to extend past a wrist of the wearer, the outer electrode of the outer portion of the actuator being secured to the glove body at the extension portion, and the inner electrode of the inner portion being configured to extend along the outer electrode of the outer portion into the extension portion.

7. The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the inner portion of the actuator includes an inner tube and the outer portion of the actuator includes an outer tube, the inner tube being located inside the outer tube.

8. The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the insulation layer is secured to the inner electrode.

9. The wearable device of claim 3 , wherein the insulation layer is secured to the outer electrode.

10. The wearable device of claim 2 , wherein
the inner portion of the actuator has an inner electromagnet and is configured for contact with a finger of a wearer and the outer portion of the actuator has an outer electromagnet and is secured to the glove body, and
the inner electromagnet and the outer electromagnet are configured to provide the force via an electromagnetic attraction in response to the command signal.

11. A method of providing kinesthetic feedback in a wearable device comprising a glove including a plurality of finger portions and a glove body, the method comprising:
receiving a command signal at an actuator including an inner portion configured for contact with a finger of a wearer and an outer portion secured to the glove; and
providing a force, via the actuator, to execute at least one of a movement of the glove by causing relative movement between the inner portion and the outer portion and a resistance to a movement of the glove by resisting relative movement between the inner portion and the outer portion in response to the command signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the actuator is located in at least one finger portion of the plurality of finger portions, and
the method further comprises providing the force to execute the resistance to a movement of the glove which further includes a resistance to a bending movement of the at least one finger portion.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising
providing, in response to the command signal, an electroadhesive attraction between an inner electrode secured to the inner portion of actuator and an outer electrode secured to the outer portion of the actuator.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing the electroadhesive attraction as the force that executes the resistance to a bending movement.

15. The method of claim 12 , the method further comprising
activating an inner electromagnet secured to an inner portion of the at least one finger portion, the inner portion being configured for contact with a finger of a wearer, and
activating an outer electromagnet secured to an outer portion of the least one finger portion, the outer portion being secured to a glove body.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising
activating an air-jamming actuator via evacuation of a gas by a vacuum source in response to the command signal.

17. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising
providing, in response to the command signal via the actuator located in the glove body, the force as the resistance to a movement of the glove which further includes resistance to a bending movement of the glove body.

18. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising
providing, in response to the command signal via the actuator which is a moving mass actuator, the force to cause movement of the glove.

19. A wearable device for providing kinesthetic effects, comprising:
a glove including a plurality of finger portions and a glove body; and
an actuator located in at least one finger portion of the plurality of finger portions and including:
an inner portion configured for contact with a finger of a wearer and having an inner electrode secured thereto, and
an outer portion secured to the glove and having an outer electrode secured thereto, the outer electrode being separated from the inner electrode by an insulation layer;

wherein the actuator is configured to
receive a command signal indicative of a virtual interaction, and
provide an electroadhesive force by the inner electrode and the outer electrode, in response to the command signal, to execute a resistance to a movement of the glove which is a resistance to a bending movement of the at least one finger portion.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Cruz Hernandez Juan Manuel

Classifications

• H01F2007/068

  using printed circuit coils · 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

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/016

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