Three-Dimensional Perceptions in Haptic Systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022236806-A1
Application number	US-202217721315-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 14, 2022
Priority date	Aug 3, 2016
Publication date	Jul 28, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An acoustic field may be produced from a transducer array having known relative positions and orientations In this acoustic field, one or more control points may be defined. An amplitude may be assigned to the control point. Mid-air haptic effect for a virtual object on a human body part may be generated by moving the control point in a single closed curve comprising a plurality of curve segments. The single closed curve traverses at least one location where the human body part intersects with the virtual object. Additionally, a user may interact with virtual three-dimensional content using the user's hands while a tracking system monitoring the user's hands, a physics engine updates the properties of the virtual three-dimensional content and a haptic feedback system provides haptic information to the user.

First claim

1 - 6 . (canceled)

7 . A method comprising:
a user interacting with virtual three-dimensional content using the user's hands; a tracking system monitoring the user's hands; a physics engine updating the properties of the virtual three-dimensional content; and a mid-air haptic feedback system providing haptic information to the user.

8 . The method as in claim 7 , further comprising a first haptic impulse applied to at least one of the user's hands when the at least one of the user's hands contacts the virtual three-dimensional content.

9 . The method as in claim 7 , wherein the first haptic impulse is applied at the location of the contact of the at least one of the user's hands with the virtual three-dimensional content.

10 . The method as in claim 8 , further comprising forming the at least one of the user's hands into a skeletal model having a plurality of bones, and wherein the first haptic impulse is applied to the plurality of bones of the at least one of the user's hands that contacts the virtual three-dimensional content.

11 . The method as in claim 10 , wherein the strength and duration of the first haptic impulse is adjusted based on output from the physics engine.

12 . The method as in claim 10 , wherein the waveform of the first haptic impulse is adjusted based on output from the physics engine.

13 . The method as in claim 10 , further comprising a second haptic impulse applied to the parts of the at least one of the user's hands that release contact with the virtual three-dimensional content.

14 . The method as in claim 13 , wherein the second haptic impulse is weaker than the first haptic impulse.

15 . The method as in claim 10 , wherein the first haptic impulse applied to at least one of the user's hands ceases when the at least one of the user's hands maintains contact with the virtual three-dimensional content.

16 . The method of claim 10 wherein the skeleton of the at least one of the user's hands has a first side and a second side, wherein the contact of the at least one of the user's hands occurs on the first side and the haptic impulse occurs on the second side.

17 . The method as in claim 10 , wherein the first haptic impulse applied to at least one of the user's hands follows the at least one of the user's hand using decaying amplitude when the at least one of the user's hands terminates contact with the virtual three-dimensional content.

18 - 28 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Ultrahaptics Ip Ltd

Inventors

• Carter Thomas Andrew
• Long Benjamin John Oliver
• Harwood Adam Daniel

Classifications

• 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

• G06F2203/04809

  Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard · 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

• G06F3/16

  Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L) · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

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