Haptic based personal navigation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9733086-B2
Application number	US-201615090199-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2016
Priority date	Nov 10, 2010
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A mobile platform includes one or more haptic feedback elements that are positioned in regions of the mobile platform that are proximate to a facial region of a user. By way of example, the haptic feedback elements may be electric force elements that overlay a display. The mobile platform is capable of determining a current location and receiving a desired location, which may be, e.g., a location provided by the user, a location with superior signal strength or of another mobile platform. The mobile platform determines directions from the present location to the current location and translates the direction in to control signals. Haptic signals are produced to the facial region of the user by the haptic feedback elements in response to the control signals, thereby providing the directions to the user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
determining a present location of a mobile platform;
receiving a desired location for the mobile platform;
determining directions from the present location to the desired location;
translating the directions into control signals provided to one or more haptic feedback elements positioned in one or more regions of the mobile platform that are proximate to a facial region of a user; and
producing haptic signals to the facial region of the user by the one or more haptic feedback elements in response to the control signals to provide the directions from the present location to the desired location, wherein the haptic signals are produced by interaction of the facial region of the user with a localized electric field produced by the one or more haptic feedback elements on the mobile platform.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein translating the directions into the control signals provided to the one or more haptic feedback elements comprises producing the control signals to the one or more haptic feedback elements in separate regions to provide different directions.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein translating the directions into the control signals provided to the one or more haptic feedback elements comprises producing control signal that differ in at least one of length, frequency, and pattern to provide different directions.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing the haptic signals comprises producing a first haptic signal in a first region of the mobile platform to indicate turn a first direction and a second haptic signal in a second region of the mobile platform to indicate turn a second direction that is different than the first direction, the first region being different than the second region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing the haptic signals comprises producing a first haptic signal in a first region of the mobile platform, a second haptic signal in a second region of the mobile platform, and a third haptic signal in a third region of the mobile platform, the first region, the second region and the third region being different.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first haptic signal, the second haptic signal, and the third haptic signal are provided sequentially in a clockwise order to indicate turn a first direction and a counter-clockwise order to indicate turn a second direction that is different than the first direction.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first haptic signal, the second haptic signal, and the third haptic signal are provided simultaneously with at least one of different lengths, frequency and pattern to provide the directions.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring areas of a touch screen display that are in contact with the facial region of the user and wherein producing the haptic signals to the facial region of the user comprises producing the haptic signals by the one or more haptic feedback elements that are in regions adjacent to but not coincident with areas of the touch screen display that are in contact with the facial region of the user.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the haptic signals further comprise at least one of vibration and thermal signals.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the haptic signals are produced while the user is using the mobile platform as a cellular telephone.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired location for the mobile platform comprises a location with a signal strength that is better than the signal strength of the present location.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the desired location is a function of a current velocity of the mobile platform.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the desired location for the mobile platform comprises a location of a second mobile platform.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the location of the second mobile platform is one of a current location or a future location of the second mobile platform.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising communicating with a server by providing the present location of the mobile platform and in response receiving the desired location based on the present location of the mobile platform and a present location of a second mobile platform.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving a new desired location from the server based on at least one of a change in the present location of the mobile platform or the second mobile platform and a present location of a third mobile platform.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the directions from the present location to the desired location comprises:
determining that the mobile platform is traveling;
determining a direction of travel of the mobile platform; and
using the direction of travel as a basis for a first direction from the present location to the desired location.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the directions from the present location to the desired location comprises:
determining that the mobile platform is not traveling;
determining an orientation of the mobile platform; and
using the orientation of the mobile platform as a basis for a first direction from the present location to the desired location.

19. A mobile platform comprising:
at least one haptic feedback element positioned in one or more regions of the mobile platform that are proximate to a facial region of a user, wherein the at least one haptic feedback element comprises a plurality of electric force elements on the mobile platform;
a wireless transceiver;
a position determination receiver;
a processor connected to the at least one haptic feedback element, the wireless transceiver, and the position determination receiver;
memory connected to the processor; and
software held in the memory and run in the processor to determine a present location of the mobile platform using data from the position determination receiver, to receive a desired location of the mobile platform, to determine directions from the present location to the desired location of the mobile platform, to translate the directions into control signals to be provided to the at least one haptic feedback element; and to activate the at least one haptic feedback element while the at least one haptic feedback element is proximate to the facial region of the user to provide the directions from the present location to the desired location to the user by interaction of the facial region of the user with a localized electric field produced by the plurality of electric force elements.

20. The mobile platform of claim 19 , wherein there are a plurality of haptic feedback elements in separate regions of the mobile platform, wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to translate the directions into the control signals for haptic feedback elements in separate regions to provide different directions.

21. The mobile platform of claim 19 , wherein the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to translate the directions into the control signals that differ in at least one of length, frequency, and pattern to provide different directions.

22. The mobile platform of claim 19 , wherein there are a plurality of haptic feedback elements in separate regions of the mobile platform, and the software held in the memory and run in the processor causes the processor to activate a first haptic feedback element in a first region of the mobile platform to indicate t

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Forutanpour Babak
• Oliveira Louis Dominic

Classifications

• G01C21/3652 Primary

  Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli · CPC title

• G01C21/20

  Instruments for performing navigational calculations (G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01C21/00 Primary

  Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 (measuring distance traversed on the ground by a vehicle G01C22/00; control of position, course, altitude or attitude of vehicles G05D1/00; traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• H04W4/026

  using orientation information, e.g. compass · CPC title

• G01S19/13

  Receivers · CPC title