Haptic output generation with dynamic feedback control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9520036-B1
Application number	US-201314030454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 18, 2013
Priority date	Sep 18, 2013
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A device includes a haptic actuator to generate mechanical force stimuli in accordance with a triggering event. A haptic control system includes an accelerometer to measure the haptic response of the device. Signaling from the accelerometer is analyzed in view of an intended haptic response. A control signal may be modified in view of the analysis to correct out-of-tolerance conditions of the haptic response. This correction may occur in real time or near-real time. Component aging, shifting device performance, or other factors may be compensated for and user expectations satisfied accordingly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a processor configured to:
receive one or more haptic waveform parameters from a server; and
provide a control signal configured to cause a haptic output comprising a vibrotactile haptic force to a portion of the portable electronic device;

a haptic actuator controller configured to receive the control signal and to provide a haptic waveform signal in accordance with the one or more haptic waveform parameters communicated by the control signal;
a haptic actuator configured to receive the haptic waveform signal and to generate the haptic output in accordance with the haptic waveform signal, the haptic actuator mechanically coupled to a structure of the portable electronic device;
an accelerometer mechanically coupled to the structure of the portable electronic device and configured to provide an accelerometer signal indicative of a haptic response of the portable electronic device to the haptic output comprising the vibrotactile haptic force; and
the processor further configured to:
send telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal to the server to determine by the server that the haptic response of the user device is within a specification for the haptic output;
compare the accelerometer signal to the specification for the haptic output to determine the haptic response of the portable electronic device deviates from a predefined haptic response waveform by greater than a tolerance value;
receive from the server one or more generated adjusted haptic waveform parameters that are based on the comparing, by the server, the telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal to the specification for the haptic output; and
generate a modified control signal based on the adjusted haptic waveform parameters received from the server to adjust the haptic output to correct the haptic response by causing the haptic response of the portable electronic device to be within the tolerance value of the predefined haptic response waveform.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , the processor further configured to select the haptic output from a plurality of predefined haptic outputs, wherein the predefined haptic outputs are associated with respective predefined triggering events, and wherein the predefined triggering events correspond to respective actions performable by the portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the processor is further configured to modify at least an amplitude parameter communicated by the control signal based on the comparing the accelerometer signal to the specification for the haptic output.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , the processor further configured to:
retrieve the one or more haptic waveform parameters from a data structure stored in machine-accessible storage, wherein the one or more haptic waveform parameters define at least an amplitude for the particular haptic output;
generate the control signal in accordance with the haptic waveform parameters; and
store the one or more haptic waveform parameters within the data structure.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
anticipate a time lag between the haptic waveform signal and the accelerometer signal; and
adjust the control signal.

6. A device, comprising:
a haptic actuator configured to generate a first haptic output to cause a first haptic response;
an accelerometer configured to measure the first haptic response and to provide an accelerometer signal comprising one or more first haptic waveform parameters describing the first haptic response; and
the device is configured to:
provide a first control signal to the haptic actuator to generate the first haptic output to cause the first haptic response at a first time, wherein the first control signal communicates the one or more first haptic waveform parameters describing the first haptic response;
provide, using a network, telemetry data indicative of the accelerometer signal including the one or more first haptic waveform parameters describing the first haptic response;
compare the accelerometer signal to a specification for the first haptic output to determine the first haptic response deviates from a predefined haptic response waveform by greater than a tolerance value;
receive, using the network, one or more second haptic waveform parameters, wherein the one or more second haptic waveform parameters are generated based at least in part on the telemetry data;
provide a second control signal using the one or more second haptic waveform parameters; and
generate, by the haptic actuator in response to the second control signal, a second haptic output to adjust the second haptic output to cause a second haptic response at a second time to be within the tolerance value of the predefined haptic response waveform based on the one or more second haptic waveform parameters, the second haptic response being different from the first haptic response.

7. The device of claim 6 , further configured to:
provide the second control signal in response to a predefined triggering event; and
change at least one of the one or more first haptic waveform parameters communicated by the first control signal based at least in part on the comparing the accelerometer signal to the specification for the first haptic output so as to generate the second haptic response at the second time.

8. The device of claim 7 , further configured to:
retrieve the one or more first haptic waveform parameters correlated to the triggering event from a machine-accessible data structure, wherein the one or more first haptic waveform parameters include one or more of a wave shape or an amplitude value; and
encode information corresponding to the one or more first haptic waveform parameters within the first control signal.

9. The device of claim 8 , further configured to:
change the one or more first haptic waveform parameters based at least in part on the comparing the accelerometer signal to the specification for the first haptic output; and
store the changed first haptic waveform parameters within the machine-accessible data structure.

10. The device of claim 6 , further configured to provide a haptic waveform signal based on the first control signal, wherein the haptic waveform signal is provided to the haptic actuator, and wherein the haptic waveform signal is characterized in accordance with the one or more first haptic waveform parameters communicated by the first control signal.

11. The device of claim 6 , further configured such that:
the first control signal is a digitally encoded signal; and
the haptic actuator is driven by an analog signal generated in accordance with the one or more first haptic waveform parameters communicated by the first control signal.

12. The device of claim 6 , the device further including a computer-readable storage media storing one or more sets of haptic waveform parameters associated with data indicative of respective triggering events, the device further configured to select one of the one or more sets of haptic waveform parameters in order to generate the first haptic response, wherein one of the triggering events correspond to respective actions performable by the device.

13. The device of claim 12 , the device further configured to perform one or more operations based on a machine-readable program code, the triggering event associated with a particular one of the operations.

14. The device of claim 6 , further comprising a seat coupled to the haptic actuator, the seat configured to supp

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Buuck David Charles
• Liljegren Edward Albert

Classifications

• G08B3/10

  using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission · CPC title

• G08B7/06

  using electric transmission {, e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources} · CPC title

• G08B23/00

  Alarms responsive to unspecified undesired or abnormal conditions · CPC title

• G08B3/00

  Audible signalling systems, e.g. audible personal calling systems · CPC title

• G08B6/00 Primary

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