Apparatus and method for controlling vibration transfer between vibration devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9448627-B2
Application number	US-201213616820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2012
Priority date	Feb 10, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus and method for controlling a vibration transfer between vibration devices. The apparatus for controlling a vibration transfer may change vibration values of a plurality of vibration devices according to a movement of a virtual vibration body, thereby providing a user with a sense of touch of a movement of the virtual vibration body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for controlling a vibration transfer, the apparatus comprising:
a vibration value determiner, using at least one processor, to determine vibration values of first vibration device and second vibration device based on a direction of a movement of a virtual vibration body corresponding to a vibration source, a location of the virtual vibration body, and locations of the first vibration device and second vibration device; and
a vibration device controller to control the first vibration device and second vibration device according to the determined vibration values, wherein as the virtual vibration body moves from one location to another location in an area between the first vibration device and second vibration device, the vibration value of the first vibration device decreases while simultaneously increasing the vibration value of the second vibration device, thereby providing a user with motion sensation of the virtual vibration body's movement.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibration value determiner increases a vibration magnitude among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and decreases a vibration magnitude among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibration value determiner increases a value of a frequency among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and decreases a value of a frequency among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibration value determiner increases a vibration acceleration among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and decreases a vibration acceleration among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibration value determiner decreases a vibration timing interval among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and increases a vibration timing interval among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the vibration value determiner determines, based on a velocity of movement of the virtual vibration body, variation velocities of a vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body and a vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body.

7. An apparatus for controlling a vibration transfer, the apparatus comprising:
a vibration value determiner, using at least one processor, to determine vibration value of first vibration device placed in a first area to be different from vibration value of second vibration device placed in a second area located opposite to the first area when a virtual vibration body is located between the first vibration device and the second vibration device; and
a vibration device controller to control the first vibration device and the second vibration device based on the determined vibration values, thereby providing a user with a sensation that the virtual vibration body exists between the first vibration device and the second vibration device,
wherein as the virtual vibration body moves in an area between the first vibration device and second vibration device, the vibration value of the first vibration device decreases while simultaneously increasing the vibration value of the second vibration device, thereby providing a user with motion sensation of the virtual vibration body's movement.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
a virtual vibration body controller to control the virtual vibration body to periodically move between the first area and the second area,
wherein the vibration value determiner determines, based on the control of the virtual vibration body, the vibration values of the vibration devices placed in the first area and the vibration values of the vibration devices placed in the second area.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the vibration value determiner determines a vibration magnitude and a vibration frequency among the vibration values of the vibration devices placed in the first area to be the same as the vibration values of the vibration devices placed in the second area, and determines a vibration timing among the vibration values of the vibration devices placed in the first area to be different from the vibration values of the vibration devices placed in the second area.

10. A method of controlling a vibration transfer, the method comprising:
determining, using at least one processor, vibration values of first vibration device and second vibration device based on a direction of a movement of a virtual vibration body corresponding to a vibration source, a location of the virtual vibration body, and locations of the first vibration device and the second vibration device; and
controlling the first vibration device and second vibration device according to the determined vibration values, thereby providing a user with sensation that the virtual vibration body moves from one location to other location in an area between the first vibration device and the second vibration device,
wherein the determining of vibration values comprises determining vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body to be different from the vibration value of the second vibration devices corresponding to a direction opposite to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining comprises increasing a vibration magnitude among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and decreasing a vibration magnitude among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining comprises increasing a value of a frequency among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and decreasing a value of a frequency among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining comprises increasing a vibration acceleration among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and decreasing a vibration acceleration among vibration value of the second vibration device corresponding to the direction opposite to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining comprises decreasing a vibration timing interval among vibration value of the first vibration device corresponding to the direction of the movement of the virtual vibration body, and increasing a vibration timin

Assignees

• Lim Soo Chul
• Park Joon Ah
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lim Soo Chul
• Park Joon Ah

Classifications

• A63F13/285

  Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback · CPC title

• G06F3/014

  Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves · CPC title

• G06F2203/014

  Force feedback applied to GUI · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• B60K35/00

  Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles · CPC title