Computer systems with finger devices for sampling object attributes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10845894-B2
Application number	US-201916390521-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2019
Priority date	Nov 29, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A system may include electronic devices. The electronic devices may include finger devices configured to be worn on fingers of users and may include other electronic devices. The electronic devices may include sensors. A sensor may measure information on real-world-object physical attributes such as surface contours and textures associated with real-world objects. The measured physical attributes may be used to recreate a sampled physical object for a user in a computer-generated reality environment. During presentation of computer-generated content, visual content, audio content, haptic content, and/or other content may be presented that is based on measured visual, audio, haptic, and/or other physical attributes of a real-world object. Content may be presented using a head-mounted device, haptic devices and other output devices in finger devices, and/or other output devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a finger device housing configured to be coupled to a finger of a user, wherein the finger device housing is configured to leave a finger pad at a tip of the finger uncovered when the finger device housing is coupled to the finger;
a sensor coupled to the finger device housing that measures a real-world-object physical attribute, wherein the real-world-object physical attribute comprises a surface texture of a real-world object that is measured with the sensor while the finger pad contacts the real-world object; and
an output device configured to provide output to recreate the measured surface texture.

2. A system, comprising:
a finger device housing configured to be coupled to a finger of a user, wherein the finger device housing is configured to leave a finger pad at a tip of the finger uncovered when the finger device housing is coupled to the finger;
a sensor coupled to the finger device housing that measures a real-world-object physical attribute; and
an output device configured to provide output to recreate the measured real-world-object physical attribute, wherein the sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit coupled to the finger device housing, wherein the real-world-object physical attribute comprises a surface texture of a real-world object that is measured with the inertial measurement unit, wherein the output device comprises a haptic output device coupled to the finger device housing, and wherein the haptic output device is configured to provide haptic output to the finger based on measurements of the surface texture made with the inertial measurement unit.

3. The system defined in claim 2 further comprising a head-mounted device with a display that is configured to display an image.

4. The system defined in claim 3 wherein the display is configured to move a virtual object in the displayed image in response to user input obtained from the sensor.

5. The system defined in claim 2 further comprising a projector that is coupled to the finger device housing and that is configured to project an image onto a surface.

6. The system defined in claim 5 wherein the projector is configured to move a virtual object in the image on the surface in response to user input obtained from the sensor.

7. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises an image sensor.

8. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of: a strain gauge, an ultrasonic sensor, a direct contact sensor that senses a surface by directly contacting the surface, a temperature sensor, a light detection and ranging sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, and a capacitive sensor.

9. A system, comprising:
a finger device housing configured to be coupled to a finger of a user, wherein the finger device housing is configured to leave a finger pad at a tip of the finger uncovered when the finger device housing is coupled to the finger and wherein the finger device housing has a protrusion configured to extend past the tip of the finger when the finger device housing is coupled to the finger;
a sensor coupled to the finger device housing that measures a real-world-object physical attribute; and
an output device configured to provide output to recreate the measured real-world-object physical attribute.

10. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the output device comprises a haptic output device, wherein the real-world-object physical attribute comprises a surface contour of a real-world object, and wherein the haptic output device is configured to recreate the surface contour of the real-world object as the finger is moved through air without contacting any real-world objects.

11. The system defined in claim 1 wherein the output device comprises a haptic output device coupled to the finger device housing, and wherein the haptic output device is configured to provide haptic output to the finger based on measurements of the surface texture with the sensor.

12. A system, comprising:
a finger device housing configured to be coupled to a finger of a user;
a sensor coupled to the finger device housing that measures a real-world-object physical attribute, wherein the sensor comprises a three-dimensional optical sensor configured to project dots of infrared light onto three-dimensional surfaces of real-world objects; and
an output device configured to provide output to recreate the measured real-world-object physical attribute.

13. The system defined in claim 1 further comprising an adjustable temperature source.

14. A system, comprising:
a head-mounted device with a display configured to display computer-generated content in eye boxes;
a finger device housing that is configured to be worn on a finger having a finger pulp, wherein the finger device housing has a protrusion configured to extend past the tip of the finger when the finger device housing is coupled to the finger;
a sensor coupled to the finger device housing that is configured to measure a real-world-object physical attribute of a real-world object while the finger pulp is in direct contact with the real-world object; and
a haptic output device coupled to the finger device housing, wherein the haptic output device is configured to provide haptic output to the finger based on the measured real-world-object physical attribute as the finger device housing provides user input that moves an object in the computer-generated content.

15. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer.

16. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises a sensor selected from the group consisting of: a force sensor and a touch sensor.

17. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises an optical sensor.

18. The system defined in claim 14 wherein the sensor comprises an image sensor.

19. A system, comprising:
a head-mounted device with a display configured to display computer-generated content in eye boxes;
a finger device housing that is configured to be worn on a finger;
a sensor coupled to the finger device housing that is configured to measure a real-world-object physical attribute of a real-world object;
a haptic output device coupled to the finger device housing, wherein the haptic output device is configured to provide haptic output to the finger based on the measured real-world-object physical attribute as the finger device housing provides user input that moves an object in the computer-generated content; and
computing equipment configured to maintain an online library of measured real-world-object physical attributes, wherein the haptic output device is configured to provide haptic output to the finger based on a measured real-world-object physical attribute retrieved from the online library.

20. A method, comprising:
with a head-mounted device having a display, presenting computer-generated visual content in eye boxes;
while presenting the computer-generated visual content, providing haptic output using a haptic output device in a finger device configured to be worn on a finger, wherein the haptic output is based on a measured surface contour of a real-world object; and
while presenting the computer-generated visual content, providing audio using a speaker, wherein the audio includes a sampled sound measured by the finger device.

21. The method defined in claim 20 further comprising:
with a sensor in the finger device, measuring the surface contour of the real-world object.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wang Paul X

Classifications

• G06F3/016

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

• G06F3/0304

  Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means (constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042) · CPC title

• G06F2203/0331

  Finger worn pointing device · CPC title

• G06F3/014 Primary

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

• G06F3/011 Primary

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