Friction modulation for three dimensional relief in a haptic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054907-B2
Application number	US-202016845810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2020
Priority date	Jan 24, 2013
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A haptic device includes a display configured to display an image, a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect to a user when the user interacts with the display, and a processor configured to receive information related to the image displayed on the display. The processor is also configured to create a friction based haptic effect map associated with the image displayed on the display, and generate a signal to the haptic output device to output the haptic effect when the user interacts with the display when the image is displayed on the display, the haptic effect being configured to simulate a feel of the image in three dimensions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A haptic device comprising:
a haptic output device configured to output a haptic effect;
a processing device communicatively coupled to the haptic output device configured to simulate a spatial texture of an image or a spatial texture of a contour of the image;
a memory communicatively coupled to the processing device, the memory comprising program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
detect an interaction with a virtual object in a virtual environment, the interaction comprising a movement relative to the virtual object;
select a haptic-effect map from among a plurality of haptic-effect maps based on a direction of the movement relative to the virtual object, each haptic-effect map among the plurality of haptic-effect maps specifying intensities of the haptic effect at different locations in the virtual environment; and
adjust an intensity of the haptic effect based on the selected haptic-effect map.

2. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the haptic effect comprises electrostatic friction or ultrasonic vibration.

3. The haptic device of claim 1 , further comprising a touch sensitive surface, wherein the movement is across the touch sensitive surface.

4. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the virtual object includes a surface feature comprising a texture, spatial pattern, edge, or border, and the haptic effect is configured to simulate a feel of the surface feature of the virtual object.

5. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
modify the intensity of the haptic effect to simulate a first gravitational effect when the direction of the movement is a first direction and a second gravitational effect when the direction of the movement is a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

6. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the direction of the movement relative to the virtual object comprises moving towards or away from a portion of the virtual object.

7. The haptic device of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
identify a plurality of gradients associated with a surface of the virtual object;
determine a gradient, from among the plurality of gradients, based on the direction of the movement; and
modify the intensity of the haptic effect based in part on the gradient.

8. The haptic device of claim 1 , further comprising a touchscreen display communicatively coupled to the processing device, wherein the memory further comprises program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
display the virtual environment on the touchscreen display, the virtual environment comprising a graphical user interface.

9. The haptic device of claim 1 , further comprising a camera communicatively coupled to the processing device, wherein the memory further comprises program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
receive an image from the camera, the image comprising an object; and
generate the virtual environment based on the image, the virtual environment comprising a graphical representation of the object that includes the virtual object.

10. The haptic device of claim 9 , wherein the haptic effect is configured to simulate a contour of the virtual object, and the virtual object comprises a graphical representation of an inanimate object.

11. A method comprising:
detecting, by a processing device, an interaction with a virtual object in a virtual environment, the interaction comprising a movement relative to the virtual object;
selecting, by the processing device, a haptic-effect map from among a plurality of haptic-effect maps based on a direction of the movement relative to the virtual object, each haptic-effect map among the plurality of haptic-effect maps specifying intensities of a haptic effect at different locations in the virtual environment;
adjusting, by the processing device, an intensity of the haptic effect based on the selected haptic-effect map; and
outputting and modulating the haptic effect based at least in part on the selected haptic-effect map, the haptic effects configured to simulate a spatial texture of the virtual object or a spatial texture of a contour of the virtual object.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the haptic effect comprises electrostatic friction or ultrasonic vibration.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the virtual object includes a surface feature comprising a texture, spatial pattern, edge, or border, and the haptic effect is configured to simulate a feel of the surface feature of the virtual object.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
modifying the intensity of the haptic effect to simulate a first gravitational effect when the direction of the movement is a first direction and a second gravitational effect when the direction of the movement is a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
identifying a plurality of gradients associated with a surface of the virtual object;
determining a gradient, from among the plurality of gradients, associated with the direction of the movement; and
modifying the intensity of the haptic effect based in part on the gradient.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processing device, an image from a camera, the image comprising an object; and
generating, by the processing device, the virtual environment based on the image, the virtual environment comprising a graphical representation of the object that includes the virtual object.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that is executable by a processing device to cause the processing device to:
detect an interaction with a virtual object in a virtual environment, the interaction comprising a movement relative to the virtual object;
select a haptic-effect map from among a plurality of haptic-effect maps based on a direction of the movement relative to the virtual object, each haptic-effect map among the plurality of haptic-effect maps specifying intensities of a haptic effect at different locations in the virtual environment;
adjust an intensity of the haptic effect based on the selected haptic-effect map; and
output and modulate the haptic effect based at least in part on the selected haptic-effect map, the haptic effect configured to simulate a spatial texture of the virtual object or a spatial texture of a contour of the virtual object.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the movement is across a touch sensitive surface, and the haptic effect comprises electrostatic friction or ultrasonic vibration.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
identify a plurality of gradients associated with a surface of the virtual object;
determine a gradient, from among the plurality of gradients, based on the direction of the movement; and
modify the intensity of the haptic effect based in part on the gradient.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising program code that is executable by the processing device to cause the processing device to:
receive an

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Lacroix Robert
• Levesque Vincent

Classifications

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F3/041

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title