Finger-mounted device with sensors and haptics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11914780-B2
Application number	US-202217886360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2022
Priority date	Jun 29, 2017
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A finger-mounted device may include finger-mounted units. The finger-mounted units may each have a body that serves as a support structure for components such as force sensors, accelerometers, and other sensors and for haptic output devices. The body may have sidewall portions coupled by a portion that rests adjacent to a user's fingernail. The body may be formed from deformable material such as metal or may be formed from adjustable structures such as sliding body portions that are coupled to each other using magnetic attraction, springs, or other structures. The body of each finger-mounted unit may have a U-shaped cross-sectional profile that leaves the finger pad of each finger exposed when the body is coupled to a fingertip of a user's finger. Control circuitry may gather finger press input, lateral finger movement input, and finger tap input using the sensors and may provide haptic output using the haptic output device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A finger-mounted electronic device, comprising:
a body having first and second side body portions coupled by an upper body portion;
a force sensor in the first side body portion, wherein the force sensor comprises multiple components each of which produces a separate respective force sensor measurement based on different amounts of finger compression along the first side body portion;
a haptic output device coupled to the body; and
control circuitry configured to:
gather finger input using the force sensor;
provide haptic output using the haptic output device in response to the finger input; and
send control signals to an external electronic device based on the finger input.

2. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising an accelerometer coupled to the body, wherein the control circuitry is configured to gather finger tap input with the accelerometer, and wherein the control circuitry includes wireless communications circuitry configured to wirelessly transmit the finger tap input to the external electronic device.

3. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising:
an optical sensor coupled to the body; and
a light-emitting diode coupled to the body.

4. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a biasing structure coupled between the first and second side body portions that is configured to pull the first and second side body portions together.

5. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the body comprises magnetic portions that couple the first and second side body portions together.

6. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising visual markers with which the external electronic device tracks a location of the finger-mounted electronic device.

7. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the visual markers comprise passive visual markers.

8. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the visual markers comprise infrared light-emitting diodes.

9. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the force sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a piezoelectric force sensor, a capacitive force sensor, and a strain gauge.

10. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the haptic output device comprises a piezoelectric haptic output device.

11. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the haptic output comprises haptic output selected from the group consisting of: virtual reality haptic output and augmented reality haptic output.

12. A finger-mounted electronic device, comprising:
a body having first and second side body portions coupled by an upper body portion;
visual markers on the body with which an external electronic device tracks a location of the finger-mounted electronic device;
a force sensor;
a haptic output device;
an accelerometer; and
control circuitry configured to:
gather finger input with the force sensor and the accelerometer; and
provide haptic output with the haptic output device, wherein the haptic output is based on the finger input and the tracked location of the finger-mounted electronic device.

13. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the visual markers comprise passive visual markers.

14. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the visual markers comprise infrared light-emitting diodes.

15. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the force sensor comprises multiple components each of which produces a separate respective force sensor measurement based on different amounts of finger compression along the first side body portion.

16. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the control circuitry comprises wireless communications circuitry with which the control circuitry wirelessly transmits control signals to the external electronic device based on the finger input.

17. A finger-mounted electronic device, comprising:
a U-shaped housing having first and second side housing portions coupled by an upper housing portion;
a force sensor in the first side housing portion that is configured to measure finger compression;
infrared light-emitting diodes on the U-shaped housing with which an external electronic device tracks a location of the finger-mounted electronic device; and
control circuitry configured to gather finger input with the force sensor and to send control signals to the external electronic device based on the finger input.

18. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the force sensor comprises multiple components each of which produces a separate respective force sensor measurement based on different amounts of finger compression along the first side housing portion.

19. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 18 wherein the force sensor is selected from the group consisting of: a piezoelectric force sensor, a capacitive force sensor, and a strain gauge.

20. The finger-mounted electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a haptic output device, wherein the control circuitry is configured to provide haptic output using the haptic output device, and wherein the haptic output is based on the finger input and the tracked location of the finger-mounted electronic device.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Wang Paul X
• Lehmann Alex J
• Rockwell Michael J
• Cheung Michael Y
• Chang Ray L
• Sun Hongcheng
• Bullock Ian M
• Nekimken Kyle J
• Cordier Madeleine S
• Kim Seung Wook
• Bloom David H
• Johnston Scott G

Classifications

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G01P15/003

  Kinematic accelerometers, i.e. measuring acceleration in relation to an external reference frame, e.g. Ferratis accelerometers (G01P15/001, G01P15/16, G01P15/165 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · 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