Increasing force transmissibility for tactile feedback interface devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411420-B2
Application number	US-78941807-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2007
Priority date	Sep 30, 1999
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

Method and apparatus for increasing the transmissibility of forces produced by an actuator on a manipulandum. A haptic device, coupled to a host computer, outputs tactile sensations to a user based on interactions and events occurring in a displayed graphical environment. An actuator produces forces and a compliant suspension couples the actuator to the manipulandum. A compliance of the suspension is configured such that the suspension magnifies the forces for a particular frequency range of the forces. The magnified forces are transmitted to the manipulandum to be felt by the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a housing;
an actuator bracket coupled to an interior of the housing;
a processor configured to determine a control signal at least in part by mapping a kinesthetic haptic command to an inertial tactile command, the kinesthetic haptic command configured to cause a kinesthetic haptic actuator to output a kinesthetic haptic effect and the inertial tactile command configured to cause an inertial tactile actuator to output an inertial tactile haptic effect, wherein the control signal has a predetermined frequency that is less than or equal to a resonance frequency of at least one elastic member;
an actuator in electrical communication with the processor and coupled to the actuator bracket via the at least one elastic member,
wherein the actuator is suspended with respect to the actuator bracket, the actuator having a movable mass coupled to a motor, wherein, responsive to the control signal, the motor is configured to cause the mass to move between a first position and a second position at the predetermined frequency to output a haptic effect to the at least one elastic member,
wherein the resonance frequency of the at least one elastic member is configured to cause the at least one elastic member to magnify the amplitude of the haptic effect at the predetermined frequency and to apply the magnified haptic effect to the housing through the actuator bracket, the magnified haptic effect having a greater amplitude than the haptic effect output by the actuator; and
a damper coupled between the actuator and the housing, the damper configured to tune the characteristics of the magnified haptic effect applied to the housing by the at least one elastic member.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the haptic effect output by the actuator includes a first component associated with a first frequency range and a second component associated with a second frequency range different from the first frequency range.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the haptic effect output by the actuator includes a first component associated with a first amplitude range and a second component associated with a second amplitude range different from the first amplitude range.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elastic member forms a compliant suspension mechanism and wherein the haptic effect applied by the actuator to the at least one elastic member includes a first component and a second component, the compliant suspension mechanism configured to magnify the first component but not the second component.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is configured to cause the actuator to impart a single pulse of the haptic effect to the housing.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elastic member includes at least one spring member.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elastic member is a leaf spring.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elastic member includes at least one spring member, wherein the at least one spring member includes at least one spring beam coupled to said housing, the spring beam configured to flex, a compliance of the spring member being defined at least in part by the flex of the spring beam.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elastic member includes a diaphragm.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the damper includes a foam.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a rotary motor and the at least one elastic member is coupled between a housing of the motor and the housing of the device.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein an eccentric mass is coupled to a rotating shaft of the motor and is configured to output the haptic effect.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a linear motor including an oscillating element and is configured to output the haptic effect.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is based in part on a signal received from a video game console, the signal being based on an event in a video game.

15. The device of claim 1 , configured as a game controller.

16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the damper is configured to operate in parallel with the at least one elastic member.

17. The device of claim 1 , wherein a stiffness of the at least one elastic member is configured to cause the at least one elastic member to magnify the amplitude of the haptic effect.

18. The device of claim 1 , wherein the kinesthetic haptic effect is configured to impart a haptic force in a degree of freedom of motion of a manipulandum and the inertial tactile effect is configured to impart one or more vibrations to a skin surface of a user.

Assignees

• Shahoian Erik J
• Martin Kenneth M
• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Shahoian Erik J
• Martin Kenneth M

Classifications

• A63F13/818

  Fishing · CPC title

• A63F2300/8035

  Virtual fishing · CPC title

• A63F2300/8011

  Ball · CPC title

• A63F2300/1043

  being characterized by constructional details · CPC title

• A63F2300/1037

  being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback · CPC title