Force feedback mouse wheel and other control wheels

A handheld force feedback remote control device for providing input to at least one electronic device located remotely from said remote control device, the remote control device comprising:

• a wheel rotatably coupled to a housing of said remote control device and rotatable about an axis, said wheel being manipulated by at least one digit of a user;
• a sensor coupled to said wheel, said sensor sensing rotation of said wheel and providing a wheel sensor signal to said electronic device indicative of a rotary position of said wheel;
• an actuator coupled to said wheel, said actuator outputting a computer-modulated force sensation on said wheel, said force sensation felt by said digit of said user;
• and
• a controller coupled to said actuator and to said sensor, said controller receiving said wheel sensor signal and controlling said force sensation, wherein said controller causes said force sensation to feel differently for at least two different functions of said at least one electronic device controlled by said remote control device and wherein said force sensation includes a force detent tat includes an attractive force for biasing said wheel to a predetermined rotational position.

A force feedback wheel device for providing input to an electronic radio device, the wheel device comprising:

• a wheel rotatably coupled to a housing and rotatable about an axis, said wheel being manipulated by at least one digit of a user;
• an actuator coupled to said wheel for outputting a plurality of computer-modulated force detents in a rotatable range of said wheel, said force detents felt by said user, wherein said force detents are provided at predetermined user-preferred rotational positions of said wheel corresponding to preferred radio stations having audio content output by said radio device, said preferred radio stations being a subset of a plurality of available radio stations, said detent positions being programmed by said user;
• and
• a sensor that senses rotation of said wheel and provides a wheel signal to said electronic device indicating a rotary position of said wheel.

A method for providing a force feedback mouse wheel on a mouse interface device, said mouse interface device coupled to a host computer, the method comprising:

• sensing a position of a mouse of said mouse interface device in two degrees of freedom in a planar workspace and sending an indication of said position to a host computer, said position of said mouse being changed by said user by moving a housing of said mouse in said planar workspace;
• sensing a rotation of said force feedback mouse wheel about an axis of rotation when said mouse wheel is rotated by a digit of said user and sending a wheel signal to said host computer indicating a current position of said wheel about said axis, said mouse wheel rotatable independently of said mouse position in said planar workspace;
• and
• applying a computer-modulated force to said mouse wheel about said axis of rotation using a wheel actuator coupled to said mouse wheel, said user feeling said force through said digit of said user, wherein said force is coordinated with an event occurring in said graphical environment.

An interface device for interfacing a user's input with a host computer and providing force feedback to said user, said interface device comprising:

• a user manipulandum including a mouse object, said manipulandum contacted and manipulated by a user and moveable in a planar workspace with respect to a ground surface;
• a manipulandum sensor coupled to said user manipulandum for detecting a position of said user manipulandum in said planar workspace and operative to send a position signal to said host computer indicating a position of said user manipulandum in said workspace;
• a rotatable wheel coupled to said user manipulandum and rotatable about a wheel axis;
• a wheel sensor coupled to said wheel and providing a wheel signal to said host computer indicating a rotary position of said wheel;
• and
• a wheel actuator coupled to said rotatable wheel by a belt drive mechanism and operative to apply a computer-modulated force to said rotatable wheel about said wheel axis, wherein said force is modulated as a function of time or wheel position about said wheel axis.

An interface device for interfacing a user's input with a host computer and providing force feedback to said user, said interface device comprising:

• a user manipulandum including a mouse object, said manipulandum contacted and manipulated by a user and moveable in two degrees of freedom in a planar workspace with respect to a ground surface;
• a workspace sensor coupled to said user manipulandum for detecting a position of said user manipulandum in said planar workspace and operative to send a position signal to said host computer indicating a position of said user manipulandum in said planar workspace;
• a rotatable wheel coupled to said user manipulandum and rotatable about a wheel axis independently of said position of said user manipulandum in said planar workspace, said wheel rotatable by a digit of said user, wherein said wheel can be depressed at least partially into a housing of said mouse object;
• a wheel sensor coupled to said wheel and providing a wheel signal to said host computer indicating a rotary position of said wheel;
• and
• a wheel actuator coupled to said rotatable wheel and operative to apply a computer-modulated force to said rotatable wheel about said wheel axis, wherein said force is modulated as a function of time or wheel position about said wheel axis to convey a force sensation to said user through said digit of said user.

A handheld force feedback remote control device for providing input to at least one electronic device located remotely from said remote control device, the remote control device comprising:

• a wheel rotatably coupled to a housing of said remote control device and rotatable about an axis, said wheel being manipulated by at least one digit of a user;
• a sensor coupled to said wheel, said sensor sensing rotation of said wheel and providing a wheel sensor signal to said electronic device indicative of a rotary position of said wheel;
• an actuator coupled to said wheel, said actuator outputting a computer-modulated force sensation on said wheel, said force sensation felt by said digit of said user;
• and
• a controller coupled to said actuator and to said sensor, said controller receiving said wheel sensor signal and controlling said force sensation, wherein said controller causes said force sensation to feel differently for at least two different functions of said at least one electronic device controlled by said remote control device, wherein said force sensation is controlled to feel like one of a plurality of detents positioned in a rotatable range of said wheel for one function of said at least one electronic device, and wherein said force sensation is controlled to feel like a return spring force for a different function of said at least one electronic device.