Systems and methods for providing haptic feedback to touch-sensitive input devices
AssigneeImmersion Corporation
InventorDanny Grant
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for providing haptic feedback to touch-sensitive input devices are disclosed. For example, one disclosed system includes an input device having a housing having an exterior surface; a touch-sensitive surface configured to transmit a contact signal indicating a contact with the touch-sensitive surface; a sensor disposed within the housing, the sensor configured to sense movement of the input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the input device; an actuator disposed within the housing, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based on an actuator signal, the actuator signal based at least in part on the contact signal.
Claims27
A mouse input device comprising:
- a housing having an exterior surface;
- a touch-sensitive surface disposed within the exterior surface of the housing, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touch screen and is configured to transmit a contact signal indicating a contact with the touch-sensitive surface;
- a sensor disposed within the housing, the sensor configured to sense movement of the mouse input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the mouse input device;
- an actuator disposed within the housing, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based on an actuator signal;
- and
- a processor in communication with the touch-sensitive surface, the sensor, the actuator, and a host computer implementing a graphical environment, the processor configured to:
- transmit, to the host computer, a signal comprising contact information associated with the contact signal,
- receive a haptic signal from the host computer, wherein the haptic signal is based on the contact information, and
- determine the actuator signal based at least in part on the haptic signal.
A method for capturing input data and providing haptic feedback effects to a user of a mouse input device, the method comprising:
- receiving a contact signal indicating a contact with a touch-sensitive surface of the mouse input device, the mouse input device comprising a housing and a sensor, wherein the touch-sensitive surface comprises a touch screen and is disposed within an exterior surface of the housing, the sensor disposed within the housing and configured to sense movement of the input device and to transmit a sensor signal indicating movement of the mouse input device;
- transmitting, to a host computer, a signal comprising contact information associated with the contact signal;
- receiving a haptic signal from the host computer, wherein the haptic signal is based on the contact information;
- determining an actuator signal based at least in part on the haptic signal;
- and
- transmitting the actuator signal to an actuator, the actuator configured to output a haptic effect based at least in part on the actuator signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.