# US 12,001,610 B2 · Three-dimensional perceptions in haptic systems

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- Number: US 12,001,610 B2
- Document ID: US12001610B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/347,490
- Filed: 2023-07-05
- Published: 2024-02-29
- Granted: 2024-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-03
- Assignees: Ultrahaptics IP Ltd
- Applicants: Ultrahaptics IP Ltd
- Inventors: Benjamin John Oliver Long
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001610B2

## CPC

- G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user}
- G06F 3/011: {Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00)}
- G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)}
- G06F 3/0416: {Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers}
- G06F 3/04815: Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
- G06F 3/0488: using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
- G06F 3/16: Sound input; Sound output (speech processing G10L)
- G06F 2203/04108: Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
- G06F 2203/04809: Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

An acoustic field may be produced from a transducer array having known relative positions and orientations In this acoustic field, one or more control points may be defined. An amplitude may be assigned to the control point. Mid-air haptic effect for a virtual object on a human body part may be generated by moving the control point in a single closed curve comprising a plurality of curve segments. The single closed curve traverses at least one location where the human body part intersects with the virtual object. Additionally, a user may interact with virtual three-dimensional content using the user's hands while a tracking system monitoring the user's hands, a physics engine updates the properties of the virtual three-dimensional content and a haptic feedback system provides haptic information to the user.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method comprising:
producing an acoustic field from a transducer array having known relative positions and orientations;
defining a control point wherein the control point has a known spatial relationship relative to the transducer array;
assigning an amplitude to the control point;
generating a mid-air haptic effect for a user by traversing the control point in a closed curve using smooth movement without interruption to minimize unwanted audible noise, wherein the mid-air haptic effect is a sensation across multiple fingers of the user.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as in claim 1, wherein
wherein the closed curve comprises a plurality of curve segments.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method as in claim 2, wherein the closed curve is traversed relative to a normal vector defined relative to the user.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method as in claim 2, wherein the closed curve comprises multiple curves to provide feedback to multiple users.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The method as in claim 2, wherein the closed curve is defocused at a user's location.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The method as in claim 2, wherein traversing the control point in a single closed curve comprises:
computing a length of the closed curve required to complete a closed path;
for each of the plurality of curve segments, creating additional haptic effects at each intersection with a user;
for the plurality of curve segments that do not contribute to the haptic effects, traversing the control point at a faster speed.