Envelope modulator for haptic feedback devices
AssigneeImmersion Corporation
InventorKollin M. Tierling
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An amplitude modulator circuit includes a reference oscillator and an envelope modulator coupled to the reference oscillator for receiving a reference signal. A microcontroller is coupled to the envelope modulator for providing an envelope signal to the envelope modulator and a low pass filter is coupled to the envelope modulator for receiving a modulated command from the envelope modulator. An inverter is coupled to the low pass filter for receiving a low passed envelope modulated signal from the low pass filter and a transducer or amplifier is coupled to the inverter and the low pass filter for receiving an inverted low passed signal and the low passed envelope modulated signal.
Claims20
An apparatus, comprising:
- a reference oscillator configured to provide a reference signal having a frequency substantially similar to a resonant frequency of an actuator;
- a controller configured to provide an envelope signal, wherein the envelope signal includes tactile information;
- and
- an envelope modulator coupled to the reference oscillator and the controller, the envelope modulator configured to modulate the reference signal with the envelope signal to produce a modulated command signal, the envelope modulator being configured to provide an output signal, the output signal configured to drive the actuator to output a haptic effect based on the modulated command signal.
A method, comprising:
- generating a reference signal having a frequency substantially similar to a resonant frequency of an actuator;
- generating an envelope signal from a microcontroller, wherein generating an envelope signal further includes providing tactile information;
- modulating the reference signal with the envelope signal to produce a modulated command signal;
- and
- providing an output signal based on the modulated command signal;
- and
- driving the actuator with the output signal to output a haptic effect.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a reference oscillator capable of generating a reference signal having a frequency substantially similar to a resonant frequency of an haptic actuator;
- a microcontroller configured to generate an envelope signal, which includes tactile information;
- an envelope modulator coupled to the reference oscillator and the microcontroller, wherein the envelope modulator is configured to generate a modulated command signal in response to the reference signal and the envelope signal;
- a low-pass filter coupled to the envelope modulator;
- and
- an inverter coupled to the low-pass filter and configured to drive the haptic actuator in response to the modulated command signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.