Patent Application
20090131165
The present invention generally relates to the field of providing physical feedback to the user of an application, such as f.e. a computer game or other entertainment application software.
To understand the proposed idea of the present invention, it is necessary to briefly describe the main features, advantages and problems of haptic interfaces and tactile communication systems according to the state of the art.
Haptic interfaces represent an interesting alternative to conventional human-machine interfaces and feature a wide variety of applications. Examples include virtual-reality (VR) applications for immersive simulation, teleoperated master-slave robot systems, and robotic surgery. A haptic interface according to the state of the art comprises a special input/output device (e.g. a force-feedback joystick, a haptic mouse, or an exoskeleton), a real-time controller, and a real-time simulation of a virtual environment. The controller thereby collects information from integrated sensors of the input/output device (e.g. position, velocity, force or torque sensors), which are then used as input information to the simulation. The simulation estimates the forces a user should feel based on this input information and the internal state of the simulation itself. The simulation outputs are then used by the controller to drive the input/output device's actuators, which allows said user to touch, feel, and manipulate virtual environments.
WO 01/41636 A1 refers to a tactile communication system enabling remotely control of tactile output devices, e.g. motor actuators, which are used for a sensory/tactile stimulation of human muscles, limbs, and body joints by vibrations, warmth electromagnetic pulses, etc.
WO 98/14860 pertains to a method for transmitting the touch of a sensor array via a computer or computer network and a corresponding system for transmitting perceptible feelings, which comprises at least one computer, a sensor array for detecting touches from a person and providing sensor signals, an actuator array for generating physically perceptible pressure signals, and a control unit linking the sensor array and the actuator array to the computer.
In EP 0 875 821 A2, a communication terminal device with a tactile feedback is described. The device comprises a pen-input tablet, a microphone, an acceleration sensor and a number of pressure sensors.
A computerized system including a touch/pressure-sensitive transducer and a computer responsive thereto for producing a sentic cycle and recording touch expression is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,423.
Today, entertainment and gaming software such as e.g. adventure games are getting more and more realistic due to a more and more enhanced graphical resolution and frame rate. Modern game console platforms are also used in combination with hand-held controller devices providing a haptic force-feedback function. However, these force-feedback controller devices according to the state of the art do not provide a realistic way of feeling tactile sensations in virtual game scenarios.
In view of the explanations mentioned above, it is the object of the present invention to provide a controlling device which allows a more realistic (intuitive) feedback.
This object is achieved by means of the features of the independent claims. Advantageous features are defined in the subordinate claims. Further objects and advantages of the invention are apparent in the detailed description which follows.
A system providing realistic physical feedback in a computer gaming environment according can comprise:
The wearable receiver can be integrated in a piece of garment.
A display can be integrated into the piece of garment.
The wearable receiver can comprise a controller for controlling an array of actuators according to an operational pattern depending on any feedback signal received.
The system furthermore can comprise a channel for transmitting signals representing biological data from the user to the computing device hosting the application software program.
The application software can be an entertainment or game-type software.
The feedback signals can be generated depending on a background scene and/or a virtual actor of a game-type software.
The application software can be divided into several logical parts, wherein each part is associated with a channel of the feedback signals and each channel is associated with a respective subgroup of the actuator means.
The actuator means can comprise means for generating vibrational, tactile and/or heat.
The wearable receiver can comprise means for adjusting manually operational parameters of the actuator means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for providing physical feedback sensations to the body of a user of an application software program can comprise the following steps:
Another aspect relates to computer program product, a computer game console and a wearable game accessory respectively supporting such a method.
Further advantages and conceivable applications of the present invention result from the subordinate claims as well as from the following description of one embodiment of the invention as depicted in the following drawings:
a shows a piece of clothing (e.g. a shirt) comprising a wearable display,
b shows a piece of clothing (e.g. a shirt) comprising a wearable display which shows a simulated heavy violation by coloring parts of said shirt red,
a illustrates a tactile communication scenario according to a first embodiment of the invention, and
b illustrates a tactile communication scenario according to a second embodiment of this invention,
In the following, different embodiments of the present invention as depicted in
The present invention particularly refers to a piece of clothing or wearable accessory 101 equipped with at least one wearable computing device 100, wherein the computing device is connected to the central controlling unit 109″ e.g. of a game console application or any type of application software running on an external controlling device 109 over a wireless or wirebound link 199. It comprises means (100C) for receiving (S202′) and processing (S202′) e.g. digitally encoded control information representing physical feedback signals from the external controlling device 109, actuating means 106a-d placed on or close to the body of a person wearing said piece of clothing or wearable accessory 101, which generate multi-sensorial feedback e.g. from a virtual gaming scene by generating (S104′) visual, auditive, tactile, gustatoric and/or olfactoric stimuli, particularly stimuli using the skin of a user as an interface, as well as means for activating, controlling and deactivating (S104) these actuating means 106a-d according to said control information.
The central controlling unit can be connected operatively with a monitor device, as it is well known f.e. from game consoles, to transmit and eventually receive signals from the monitor device.
According to a further aspect of the invention, said device 100 features a tactile interface which comprises different sensing means 105a-c for detecting tactile input information when being touched by a user and/or a number of actuating means 106a-d for generating (S104′) tactile stimuli, which provides said user with sensoric feedback f.e. from a virtual gaming scene according to said control information.
According to a first embodiment of the invention as depicted in
As shown in
There are usually different types of visual or audio information conveyed to the user. Possible categories are:
(1) information regarding the atmosphere, e.g. via the rhythm of music indicating danger,
(2) information about what the main character in a virtual game scenario shown on the monitor is doing (e.g. jumping or firing), and
(3) information related to other characters such as enemies and partners of the main character. These different categories of information (background, main and foreground information) can be conveyed by different types of actuators (acoustic, optical, haptic actuators or special actuators that generate signals stimulating a player's gustatoric or olfactoric sense) to represent different levels of information to the user. For each category, the intensity of a signal can be varied.
The controlling unit 100C of a wearable computing device 100 integrated into the player's clothes thereby acts as a wireless or wired link between the actuators 106a-d and the game console platform 109. Besides conventional wireless standards such as Bluetooth, ZigBee or IEEE 802.11b WLAN technology, high-speed fixed network connections such as Ethernet, USB or 1394 can also be supported.
A second embodiment of the present invention as depicted in
A third embodiment of the present invention is directed to an interactive tactile communication scenario, wherein wearable computing devices of at least two players, each wearing a piece of clothing as described above and having a communication platform (i.e. a game console or PC) with the appropriate interfaces and application software, are interconnected via a wireless or wired network link. Thereby, a number of biometric (110c) and/or environmental signals (110c′) indicating the physical condition, emotional states and/or states of mind of a first person wearing a first piece of clothing 101 equipped with a first wearable computing device 100 and/or tactile sensations perceived by said first person are continuously (or intermittently) sensed and monitored (S100).
After having extracted (S101) a number of features from said biometric (110c) and/or environmental signals (100c′), these features are analyzed (S102) and mapped (S103) to a number of emotional patterns (meta information), that are stored in an integrated read access memory (RAM) for further processing. This meta information is then transmitted (S201) to a second person wearing a second piece of clothing 101′ equipped with at least one further wearable computing device 100′ for receiving (S202) and reproducing (S104) tactile sensations perceived and/or physical affection expressed by said first person. The application software thereby allows a “remote touch” by opening an e.g. Internet-based “tactile remote control” connection between the two players. Each player can alternatively select to control the distant wearable device of his/her counterpart or his/her own wearable device. Therefore, the application software provides predefined patterns for a mutual tactile stimulation and also enables the users to create their own individual “remote touch” patterns or sequences. In case of an online connection, real-time entertaining is available; for non-real-time operation the provision of an email interface to drive the “remote touch” scenario is also possible. Finally, it should be mentioned that this embodiment can advantageously be combined with said first and/or said second embodiment described above.
In addition to the haptic interface, a user can also wear a piece of clothing 300a/b (e-g. a shirt) that comprises optical fibers and/or any other type of wearable optical displays 102, 102′ or 102″. These displays can e.g.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the haptic interface additionally comprises actuators 106a-d which are used for generating low-frequency vibrations or acoustic signals making the player feeling tired, stressed or unconcentrated and simulating physical strain.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03 026 896.5 | Nov 2003 | EP | regional |
This application is a Continuation of and claims the benefit priority from U.S. Ser. No. 10/995,001, filed Nov. 22, 2004, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference, which claims the benefit of priority from European Patent Application No. 03026896.5, filed Nov. 24, 2003.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10995001 | Nov 2004 | US |
| Child | 12357184 | US |
