Systems and methods for providing haptic notifications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9529435-B2
Application number	US-201414586012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 27, 2016
Grant date	Dec 27, 2016

Abstract

A system includes a sensor configured to sense relative movement between a surface and a user's skin; a haptic output device configured to generate a haptic effect at the surface; and a processor configured to receive an input signal from the sensor indicating the sensed movement between the surface and the skin of the user, determine whether a notification is to be sent to the user, and output an output signal, based on the notification, to the haptic output device to generate the haptic effect if it is determined that the notification is to be sent to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a touch-sensitive sensor configured to detect movement of an object along a surface; and
a processor in communication with the touch-sensitive sensor and configured to:
detect the movement of the object along the surface based on a sensor signal from the touch-sensitive sensor;
determine a notification independently of the sensor signal, the notification configured to convey information;
determine that the notification is to be output in response to detecting the movement of the object along the surface; and
in response to determining that the notification is to be output, generate a haptic signal based on the information to be conveyed by the notification; and

a haptic output device configured to output a haptic effect to the surface in response to the haptic signal.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the haptic output device comprises an electrostatic friction output device and the haptic effect is a change in friction of the surface.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the haptic effect comprises ultrasonic vibrations.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the haptic output device is configured to deform the surface to provide the haptic effect.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the surface is on a housing of a computer.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the notification comprises a low battery warning.

7. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the notification provides an indication of a number of unread messages in an inbox.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the surface and the haptic output device are part of a wearable device.

9. The system according to claim 8 , wherein the wearable device is selected from the group consisting of a watch, a bracelet, a necklace, and eye glasses.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification is based on at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: time, priority, and quantity.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the object is a first body part, and the surface is positioned to contact the first body part during an interaction between a second body part and an input device, wherein the input device is configured to transmit an input signal to the processor in response to the interaction.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the surface is on a piece of furniture and positioned to support the first body part during the interaction between the second body part and the input device.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the surface is on a tool and positioned to be grasped by the first body part during the interaction between the second body part and the input device.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the surface is a housing that is coupled to the input device, the touch-sensitive sensor, and the processor, and wherein the input device comprises a touchpad or a touchscreen.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the surface is positioned on a first item and the input device is positioned on a second item that is separate from the first item.

16. A method comprising:
detecting an object is moving along a surface based on a sensor signal from a touch-sensitive sensor;
determining a notification independently of the sensor signal, the notification configured to convey information;
determining that the notification is to be output in response to detecting that the object is moving along the surface; and
in response to determining that the notification is to be output, causing a haptic effect to be output at the surface, the haptic effect based on the information to be conveyed by the notification.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein causing the haptic effect to be output comprises changing the friction of the surface.

18. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the haptic effect comprises ultrasonic vibrations.

19. The method according to claim 16 , wherein causing the haptic effect to be output comprises deforming the surface.

20. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the notification is based on at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: time, priority, and quantity.

21. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the surface is part of a wearable device.

22. The method according to claim 21 , wherein the wearable device is selected from the group consisting of a watch, a bracelet, a necklace, and eye glasses.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that is executable by a processor for causing the processor to:
detect movement of an object along a surface based on a sensor signal from a touch-sensitive sensor;
determine a notification independently of the sensor signal, the notification configured to convey information;
determine that the notification is to be output in response to the detecting the movement of the object along the surface; and
in response to determining that the notification is to be output, cause a haptic effect to be output at the surface, the haptic effect based on the information to be conveyed by the notification.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 23 , wherein causing the haptic effect to be output comprises changing the friction of the surface.

Assignees

• Immersion Corp

Inventors

• Levesque Vincent
• Birnbaum David M
• Weddle Amaya Becvar
• Lacroix Robert
• Cruz-Hernandez Juan Manuel
• Grant Danny A
• Olien Neil
• Ramsay Erin B
• Modarres Ali

Classifications

• G06F1/163

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F3/016 Primary

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

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/041

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title