Programmable game-based haptic enabled gun controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9504914-B2
Application number	US-201313964628-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2013
Priority date	Jan 6, 2009
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Various systems, game controllers, and methods for simulating various objects such as weapons are provided. For example, a game controller may include a trigger, a processor within the body that receives a trigger signal when the trigger is activated by the user. The processor may communicate with a computer running a software program such as a gaming application, and an actuator coupled to the trigger, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect to the trigger in response to receiving a control signal from the processor. The game controller may simulate a gun and generate a recoil effect. In some embodiments, the recoil effect may be generated by impacting a moving mass from a discharge end of the gun to a handle end of the gun. In some embodiments, the recoil effect may be generated by using a body part of a user as a tether.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of generating a user-grounded recoil effect on a controller, the controller including a controller base and a grounding base, the method comprising:
detecting a trigger signal;
causing, by an actuator, a first vector force in a first direction, wherein the first vector force causes the recoil effect in the first direction from a discharge end of the controller base toward a user end of the controller base, wherein the actuator is coupled via a controller linkage to a controller anchor attached to the controller base, and wherein the actuator causes the first vector force by pulling the linkage and thus the controller anchor and the discharge end toward the user end of the controller;
causing a second vector force in a second direction opposite the first direction; and
causing the second vector force to be opposed by a body part of the user configured to be disposed adjacent the grounding base of the controller, thereby grounding the recoil effect.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second vector force is imparted to the grounding base.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the body part of the user is coupled to a user engaging component of the grounding base.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first vector force is imparted to the controller base that moves in response to first vector force, thereby causing the recoil effect.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the body part of the user is a forearm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is coupled via a grounding linkage to a grounding anchor attached to the grounding base and located toward the user relative to the actuator, and wherein the second vector force is caused by the actuator pulling the linkage and thus the grounding anchor towards the discharge end of the controller.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Grant Danny A
• Ramsay Erin
• Modarres Ali
• Birnbaum David M
• Cruz-Hernandez Juan Manuel
• Heubel Robert W
• Bartel Hendrik

Classifications

• A63F13/42

  by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle · CPC title

• F41A33/06

  Recoil simulators · CPC title

• A63F2300/1043

  being characterized by constructional details · CPC title

• A63F13/837

  Shooting of targets · CPC title

• A63F2300/8076

  Shooting · CPC title