Automatic and unique haptic notification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016180661-A1
Application number	US-201514978160-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 23, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for automatically generating unique haptic effects. An embodiment of the apparatus comprises a haptic actuator. Memory stores a hash function and a haptic control module programmed to generate a haptic control signal related to a hash value generated by the hash function. A controller is communicatively associated with the haptic actuator and the memory. The controller is configured to receive information, execute the hash function on at least a portion of the information to generate the hash value, generate a haptic signal related to the hash value, and control the haptic actuator to generate a haptic effect, the haptic effect related to the hash value and the haptic signal. A method of automatically generating a unique haptic effect also is disclosed.

First claim

The claims are:

1 . A haptic-enabled apparatus comprising:
a haptic actuator; memory storing a hash function and a haptic control module programmed to generate a haptic control signal related to a hash value generated by the hash function; and a controller communicatively associated with the haptic actuator and the memory, the controller configured to receive information, execute the hash function on at least a portion of the information to generate the hash value, generate a haptic signal related to the hash value, and control the haptic actuator to generate a haptic effect, the haptic effect related to the hash value and the haptic signal.

2 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the information is selected from the group consisting essentially of a message, and identifier, metadata, an image, a video signal, and an audio signal.

3 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the information is an identifier selected from the group consisting essentially of a name, a telephone number, and an address.

4 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 3 wherein:
the memory further storing two or more hash values and two or more sets of haptic data; and
the controller is further configured to map the generated hash value to a set of haptic data, and generate the haptic signal using the haptic data.

5 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to:
receive the information; and
in real time, execute the hash function on the received information to generate the hash value and map the generated hash value to the haptic data.

6 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 4 wherein:
the memory further stores a hash table comprising two or more items of predetermined information, the two or more hash values, and the two or more sets of haptic data, hash table mapping at least one item of predetermined information to a related hash value and mapping the related hash value to a related set of haptic data; and
the controller is configured to receive the information, determine if it relates to the predetermined item of information and generate the haptic signal based at least in part on the related set of haptic data.

7 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 6 wherein:
the information includes a plurality of information items; and
the controller is configured to determine if the plurality of information items includes the predetermined information item.

8 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 3 wherein:
the haptic signal is a synthesized haptic signal; and
the controller is configured to synthesize the generated hash value with a digital signal to form the synthesized haptic signal, convert the synthesized haptic signal to an analog drive signal, and communicate the analog drive signal to the haptic actuator.

9 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 8 wherein:
the controller is configured to synthesize the generated hash value and the digital signal using granular synthesis.

10 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 9 wherein:
the digital signal is synthesized with the digital signal is a predetermined signal, and the memory stores the predetermined digital signal.

11 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 10 wherein:
the predetermined digital signal corresponds to a periodic signal.

12 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
the information comprises two or more items of information; and
the controller generates at least two hash values, each hash value corresponding to a different item of information, and synthesizes each generates hash value to the digital signal.

13 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 11 wherein:
the controller forms the synthesized haptic signal in real time upon receiving the information.

14 . A haptic-enabled apparatus comprising:
a haptic actuator; memory storing a predetermined item of information; and a controller communicatively associated with the haptic actuator and the memory, the controller configured to receive information, determine whether the received information comprises the predetermined item of information, and automatically synthesize the predetermined item of information with a waveform to form a synthesized haptic signal, convert the synthesized haptic signal to a drive signal, and communicate the drive signal to the haptic actuator.

15 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 14 wherein:
the controller is configured to synthesize the predetermined item of information with the waveform using granular synthesis.

16 . The haptic-enabled apparatus of claim 15 wherein:
the memory stores at least two predetermined items of information; and
the controller is configures to determine whether the received information comprises any of the two or more predetermined items of information, and automatically synthesize the two or more predetermined items of information with the waveform to form the synthesized haptic signal.

17 . A method of automatically generating a haptic effect in a programmable apparatus, the programmable apparatus comprising a haptic actuator and a controller, the method comprising:
receiving information in the controller; executing a hash function on at least a portion of the information to generate a hash value; identifying haptic data associated with the hash value; generating a drive signal, the drive signal being generated based at least in part on the haptic data; applying the drive signal to the actuator; and generating a haptic effect, the haptic effect being associated with the haptic data, the hash value, and the information.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein identifying haptic data comprises:
mapping the generated hash value to a set of haptic data in a hash table.

19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the information includes a plurality of data items, and executing a hash function on at least a portion of the information comprises:
identifying a predetermined data item from the plurality of data items and then executing the hash function on the predetermined data item to generate the hash value.

20 . The method of claim 18 wherein:
executing a hash function, identifying haptic data, and generating a drive signal are performed in real time upon the controller receiving the information.

21 . The method of claim 17 wherein generating the drive signal comprises:
synthesizing the haptic data with a digital signal to form a synthesized signal; and
converting the synthesized signal to an analog signal, the analog signal formatting the drive signal.

22 . The method of claim 21 wherein synthesizing the haptic data with a digital signal comprises:
synthesizing the haptic data with a digital signal using granular synthesis.

23 . The method of claim 22 wherein synthesizing the haptic data with a digital signal using granular synthesis comprises:
synthesizing the haptic data with a predetermined signal stored in memory.

24 . The method of claim 23 wherein the information comprises two or more items of information, and synthesizing the haptic data with a digital signal using granular synthesis comprises:
synthesizing at least two of the items of information with the digital signal.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Ullrich Christopher

Classifications

• G08B6/00 Primary

  Tactile signalling systems, e.g. tactile personal calling systems · CPC title

• H04M19/047 Primary

  Vibrating means for incoming calls · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

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