Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/20—Instruments for performing navigational calculations
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01C—MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY
  • G01C21/00—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00
  • G01C21/26—Navigation; Navigational instruments not provided for in groups G01C1/00 - G01C19/00 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
  • G01C21/34—Route searching; Route guidance
  • G01C21/36—Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
  • G01C21/3626—Details of the output of route guidance instructions
  • G01C21/3652—Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
  • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
  • G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
  • G06F1/163—Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/016—Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/0412—Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/043—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means using propagating acoustic waves
  • G06F3/0433—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means using propagating acoustic waves in which the acoustic waves are either generated by a movable member and propagated within a surface layer or propagated within a surface layer and captured by a movable member
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
  • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
  • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
  • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
  • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
  • G06F3/046—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means by electromagnetic means

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a tactile device for aiding navigation.
• the invention applies more particularly to a tactile assistance device for navigation intended to be worn by a user, comprising:
• a touch interface having a tactile contact surface
• Means for holding the touch interface in contact with the user's body designed so that, in the holding position of the touch interface in contact with a portion of the body of the user, the deformable tactile contact surface or in contact with at least a portion of this body part for tactile stimulation of this portion using the actuators.
• Such a device is for example described in the international patent application published under the number WO 2007/105937 A1. More precisely, this device provides a plurality of actuators integrated in a support intended to be worn by a user around his waist.
• the actuators are in particular placed linearly on this support, the latter being closed around the waist so that the actuators are in contact with certain points of the body of the user, in particular points indicating predetermined directions.
• Various tactile information is then generated by controlling the choice to activate this or that actuator, by controlling the frequency and the vibration amplitude of each activated actuator, by defining different possible activation sequences of the actuators, etc.
• each actuator to indicate a predetermined direction, it is essential to design the device to measure for each user and / or provide an elastic support.
• This device also has the disadvantage of limiting the amount of possible actuators since they must remain in contact with specific parts of the body of the user and the error-free detection by the user of the position of a generator actuator a tactile signal around its size requires a minimum distance between the actuators. Consequently, since, moreover, the actuators are arranged linearly on their support, this device has the disadvantage of limiting the variety messages that can be generated.
• the type of support required (a belt, or any other support such as a T-shirt or a jacket or pants, allowing the actuators to surround the size of the user) has the disadvantage of being necessarily cumbersome.
• the subject of the invention is therefore a tactile aid device for navigation intended to be worn by a user, comprising:
• a touch interface having a tactile contact surface
• Means for holding the touch interface in contact with the user's body designed so that, in the holding position of the touch interface in contact with a portion of the body of the user, the deformable tactile contact surface in contact with at least a portion of this part of the body for tactile stimulation of this portion using the actuators,
• the movable actuators are arranged in a two-dimensional arrangement in the deformable tactile contact surface.
• the arrangement of the actuators in a two-dimensional arrangement in the deformable tactile contact surface makes it possible to provide information as rich as desired, regardless of how the touch interface is kept in contact with the body of the user. Therefore, we can consider different types of media, including less bulky media that belts, T-shirts, jackets or others.
• the parts of the user's body to be solicited can also be very varied, especially other than its size, in particular parts of the body that are more sensitive to tactile stresses.
• the arrangement of the actuators and their number on the support is less limited, which increases the diversity of information to be transmitted.
• the movable actuators are distributed circularly or elliptically in the deformable tactile contact surface.
• a touch navigation aid device may comprise at least eight movable actuators distributed in the deformable tactile contact surface so as to indicate at least the eight cardinal and inter cardinal directions.
• the movable actuators are regularly distributed two-dimensionally, especially in a matrix manner, in the deformable tactile contact surface.
• the tactile interface comprises an elastic flexible membrane extending against the deformable tactile contact surface, this elastic flexible membrane being deformable according to the movements of the actuators.
• the touch interface comprises a perforated piece extending in the deformable tactile contact surface, the holes of this piece being arranged opposite actuators movable and traversed by ends of these movable actuators, these ends forming tactile contacts stimulated according to the movements of the actuators.
• the tactile interface comprises electromagnetic means for activating the displaceable actuators, these electromagnetic means comprising:
• a monolithic flexible structure comprising a plurality of deformable beams, each deformable beam having a free end on which is positioned an actuator in the form of a tactile pad,
• the tactile interface comprises piezoelectric means for activating the displaceable actuators, these piezoelectric means comprising:
• a monolithic flexible structure comprising a plurality of deformable beams, each deformable beam having a piezoelectric portion and a free end on which is positioned an actuator in the form of a touch pad,
• the tactile interface comprises piezoelectric means for activating the displaceable actuators, these piezoelectric means comprising:
• a flexible monolithic structure comprising a plurality of deformable beams, each deformable beam being made of piezoelectric material covered by electrodes and having a free end on which is positioned a touch pad actuator.
• each deformable beam made of piezoelectric material, thereby actuating the deformable beams and selectively displacing the tactile pads in the deformable tactile contact surface to produce a tactile sensation.
• the touch interface furthermore has, opposite the deformable tactile contact surface, a visible face comprising a light display system, in particular a plurality of light-emitting diodes distributed on the visible face opposite movable actuators, each diode being activated according to a displacement of the corresponding actuator.
• the touch interface comprises a housing and the holding means comprise a bracelet connected to the housing, lockable around an arm of the user, holding the housing in contact with the user's arm.
• a tactile navigation aid device may further comprise at least one positioning sensor chosen from the group consisting of an inertial unit, a gyrometer, an accelerometer and of a magnetometer, to determine the position and orientation of the tactile device in the space.
• FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents an exploded perspective view of the general structure of a tactile aid device according to a first embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 2 diagrammatically shows in exploded perspective the general structure of a tactile interface of a tactile aid device according to a second embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 3 diagrammatically represents a front view of a deformable tactile contact surface of the touch interface of FIG. 2,
• FIGS. 4 to 9 show schematically in perspective various variants of flexible actuator activation structures for a tactile aid device according to the invention.
• FIG. 10 shows schematically in a top view of a touch device navigation aid carried by a user, according to a third embodiment of the invention.
• a tactile aid device 10 according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown in exploded perspective in FIG.
• This device comprises a touch interface 12 and means 14 for maintaining the touch interface 12 in contact with the body of the user.
• the touch interface 12 comprises a case of any shape, for example circular according to the example of Figure 1, consisting of an upper frame 16 and a lower frame 18 fitting one into the other and can to be fixed to each other by well known means not shown.
• the outer surface of the housing of the lower frame 18 constitutes a tactile contact surface 20 of the touch interface 12 of the touch device 10.
• the lower frame 18 is further pierced with cylindrical holes 22 distributed in a two-dimensional manner, for example regular, and extending into the space occupied by the tactile contact surface 20.
• a volume is available to receive a plurality of electromagnetic actuators movable and electromagnetic means for activating these actuators.
• the electromagnetic activation means comprise a monolithic flexible structure 24 generally consisting of a soft or hard ferromagnetic material.
• the monolithic flexible structure 24 comprises, in its center, a ring 26, fixed with respect to the housing and centered in the interior volume of the housing, from which laterally extend a plurality of deformable beams 28.
• deformable beams 28 In the example of FIG. Figure 1, six deformable beams are illustrated, but generally at least three or four deformable beams must be provided according to the invention.
• Each deformable beam 28 has a first end secured to the fixed ring 26 and a second free end on which is positioned a movable actuator in the form of a touch pad 30.
• Each touch pad 30 is positioned facing each of the cylindrical holes 22 of the lower frame 18 and accordingly the tactile pads 30 are distributed in a two-dimensional manner.
• the flexible structure 24 is fixed between the upper frame 16 and lower 18 of the housing by means of two rigid cylindrical rods 32 extending through two holes formed in the fixed ring 26.
• the electromagnetic activation means further comprise a plurality of coils 34 and magnets 36.
• Each magnet 36 is cylindrical and placed against each touch pad 30 on the flexible structure 24.
• Each coil 34 is annular, disposed around each magnet 36 and individually controlled by an electric power source (not shown) for the selective displacement of each magnet 36 which placed against the respective touch pad 30, displaces the latter by deforming the flexible structure 24.
• the touch pads 30 biased move through the cylindrical holes 22 of the lower frame 18 so as to pass through the contact surface 20 making contact this one deformable.
• Each touch pad 30 may be biased in motion according to a vibratory mode or a pressure mode.
• the tactile pads 30 move in the cylindrical holes 22 in a reciprocating periodic motion at an oscillation frequency which can be adjusted, ideally between 0 and 300 Hz.
• the skin especially in the vicinity of the wrist, is very sensitive around 250 Hz, but this frequency has the disadvantage of being acoustically unpleasant and produce an unpleasant tactile sensation.
• each touch pad 30 whose displacement is activated is held in a depressed position in which it passes through the surface of touch contact 20 by deforming it.
• the corresponding touch pad 30 is moved and held in position by pressing the corresponding magnet 26 against the deformable structure 24 as long as the electric current is applied.
• the amplitude of the displacement can be adjusted using the DC voltage value applied.
• the touch interface 12 is placed above the wrist of a user.
• the means 14 for maintaining the tactile interface 12 in contact with the body of the user are then more precisely holding means 14 around the wrist, for example a watch strap 14 closed around the wrist of the user so that that the deformable tactile contact surface 20 is in contact with at least a portion of the wrist for tactile stimulation of this portion using the touch pads 30.
• means 14 around the wrist for example a watch strap 14 closed around the wrist of the user so that that the deformable tactile contact surface 20 is in contact with at least a portion of the wrist for tactile stimulation of this portion using the touch pads 30.
• different types of support to maintain the device touch 10 in contact with different parts of the body of the user can be envisaged.
• the tactile aid device 10 is intended to exploit the tactile sensitivity of the user to transmit information.
• the movable actuators that is to say the tactile pads 30, are two-dimensionally distributed in the deformable tactile contact surface 20 which allows to display a wide variety of tactile patterns on the surface
• the touch interface 12 of FIG. 1 comprises six displaceable actuators distributed in a circular or elliptical manner at the six angles of a hexagon in the deformable tactile contact surface 20.
• eight displaceable actuators may be evenly distributed circularly or elliptically in the deformable tactile contact surface 20 thus making it possible to indicate at least the following eight cardinal and inter cardinal directions: “North”, “Northeast”, “East”, “Southeast”, “South”, “Southwest”, “West” and “Northwestern”.
• the messages to be transmitted by such a device may also result from a succession of predetermined configurations of activated touch pads, a configuration being characterized by a certain number of activated actuators placed on particular positions.
• a simple message indicating a cardinal direction could be formulated by a single activated actuator.
• a more complex message such as "turn right” could be formulated by the sequential activation (in vibratory or pressure mode) of several actuators, for example the actuators indicating the cardinal directions “north”, “northeast “,” East “,” south-east “,” south “,” southwest “,” west “and” north-west “successively.
• any message expressed by a predetermined configuration of solicited actuators could be enriched by a concept of danger while at the same time increasing the frequency and amplitude of vibration of the actuators.
• the touch device 10 may also be connected to a mobile device (not shown) comprising:
• a receiver circuit able to receive positioning information from satellite or terrestrial beacons and to deduce therefrom the geographical position of the receiver
• a processor equipped with a navigation software module, for example capable of calculating an optimal path relating to a destination registered by the user, and a software module capable of translating each navigation instruction of the optimal path into a succession of tactile messages.
• This mobile device for example a mobile phone or a digital personal assistant, transmits the tactile messages to the touch device 10 through a network.
• This network is for example a LAN type Bluetooth (registered trademark).
• Each tactile message received by the touch device 10 corresponds to a series of electrical signals to be addressed to each of the coils 34.
• a control circuit (not shown in the figures) selectively transmits the currents in the different coils. This control circuit can be in the touch device 10.
• positioning sensors 37 are placed in or on the touch device 10, for example an inertial unit, gyrometers, accelerometers or magnetometers. These sensors generate signals that make it possible to know the position and orientation of the actuators in the touch interface 12. These signals can then be used to recalculate the tactile messages to be transmitted to the touch device 10 taking into account the position of the actuators and of the orientation of the touch interface 12.
• the signals generated by the positioning sensors 37 can be transmitted through a network to the aforementioned mobile device and be processed in the processor of this mobile device. But alternatively, the processing of these signals can also be performed by the touch device 10 if it comprises the necessary calculation means.
• FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the touch interface 12 with eight actuators.
• the monolithic flexible structure 24 and the lower frame 18 are further both made of a soft ferromagnetic material.
• This embodiment uses the same principle of electromagnetic activation of the actuators as the previous one. However, what differentiates it from the previous one is the fact that the tactile pads 30 take the place of the magnets 36 and are directly biased in displacement by the coils 34 since they themselves are made of soft ferromagnetic material. Consequently, an advantage of this second embodiment is its compactness and the smaller number of different elements to be provided inside the housing 16, 18. A second advantage of this second embodiment is the absence of magnets which could disturb some sensors of a mobile phone possibly used to control the tactile device 10.
• the lower frame 18 is pierced with eight cylindrical holes 22 positioned opposite the eight touch pads 30 and distributed in a two-dimensional and regular manner on the deformable tactile contact surface 20 to allow an indication of the eight cardinal and inter cardinal directions.
• the electromagnetic activation means of the actuators comprise eight coils of electromagnets 34 disposed in each of the holes 22 of the inner wall of the lower frame 18. It can be seen that a second advantage of this second embodiment is the channeling of the magnetic field. generated around each coil 34. This magnetic field thus remains contained within the housing of the touch interface 12, between the flexible structure 24 and the lower frame 18, both of which are made of soft ferromagnetic material, thus protecting the signals from gyrometers or accelerometers possibly placed near the housing.
• a touch navigation aid device may comprise a light display system distributed on the outer surface of the housing of the upper frame 16 to generate a visual feedback improving understanding of tactile messages.
• a light display system distributed on the outer surface of the housing of the upper frame 16 to generate a visual feedback improving understanding of tactile messages.
• light-emitting diodes 38 may be integrated on the outer surface of the upper frame 16 opposite each touch pad 30. Each light emitting diode 38 is activated according to a displacement of the corresponding actuator: for example a light-emitting diode 38 is lit when the corresponding touch pad 30 stimulates the wrist of the user by its displacement or its vibration .
• the touch interface 12 may comprise an elastic flexible membrane extending in the deformable tactile contact surface 20 under the lower frame 18, this flexible elastic membrane being deformable according to the movements of the actuators. This flexible membrane then performs a protective function of the elements arranged inside the housing by sealing it.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the deformable tactile contact surface
• the eight coils 34 surrounding the eight touch pads 30 are visible through the eight holes 22 distributed in a two-dimensional manner in the deformable tactile contact surface 20 which presents on this figure an elliptical form.
• different shapes of the deformable tactile contact surface 20 and a different number of cylindrical holes 22 could be envisaged.
• the flexible structure 24 is in elliptical form and comprises a fixed ring 26 and eight deformable beams 28 straight extending laterally of in a regular way around the fixed ring 26.
• the advantage of the elliptical shape compared to a circular shape is its ergonomics to better adapt to the wrist of the user.
• the flexible structure 24 is presented under circular shape and comprises a fixed ring 26 and six deformable beams 28 extending laterally in a regular manner around the fixed ring 26.
• the deformable beams 28 of identical size are in an arcuate form, for example semi -circular.
• the arcuate shape of the beams 28 has the advantage of being able to increase their length without need or need to increase the outer diameter of the flexible structure 24.
• the increase in the length of the beams 28 makes it possible to reduce the resonance frequency of said beams and to achieve the desired frequency range, namely about 50 Hz. This objective is achieved without negative counterpart of congestion.
• the third variant illustrated in FIG. 6 differs from the previous one only in the number of deformable beams 28 in the flexible structure 24: they are eight instead of six.
• Figure 7 illustrates a fourth variant of flexible structure 24 in elliptical form with eight deformable beams 28 arranged regularly around the ring 22 and having the same length.
• the deformable beams 28 are in different forms.
• the two beams 28 placed in the direction of the major axis of the ellipse are straight, while the six remaining beams 28 are in a curved shape, for example a partial shape of "S", to increase the length of these six beams 28 (so that it is equal to that of the two straight beams) without increasing the size of the elliptical shape.
• FIGS. 8 and 9 show schematically in perspective two variants of flexible structures 24 according to an embodiment in which the electromagnetic activation means of the actuators are replaced by piezoelectric bending means of the deformable beams 28.
• These piezoelectric means use the induced deformation by an electrical voltage to selectively drive a deformation of the deformable beams 28 and thus a displacement of the actuators (ie the tactile pads 30).
• the general principle is that if a voltage applied to an element of piezoelectric material has the same polarity as this element, the latter is deformed by compression. If on the contrary The polarity of the voltage is the inverse of that of the material, which is deformed by extension.
• a piezoelectric ceramic strip 40 is bonded to each deformable beam 28 of the flexible structure 24, so as to cover only a portion, close to the integral end of the ring fixed, 26 of each deformable beam 28.
• a sinusoidal alternating electrical voltage whose frequency corresponds to the natural oscillation frequency of each deformable beam 28, can be applied individually to each piezoelectric ceramic strip 40.
• the band is compressed or extends proportionally to the applied voltage.
• the deformable beams 28 of the flexible structure 24, not varying in length, thus accompany each deformation of their piezoelectric ceramic strip 40 by a bending proportional to the applied voltage.
• a disadvantage of this configuration is that the touch pads 30 can in practice be solicited only in vibratory mode.
• a piezoelectric ceramic strip 42 is bonded to each deformable beam 28 of the flexible structure 24, on a much larger portion extending from the fixed ring 26 to the free end of the Deformable beam 28.
• the free end In vibratory mode, the free end then moves on either side of its rest position, under the action of a sinusoidal electric voltage applied to the piezoelectric ceramic strip 42 and so as to deform by compression or extension.
• the frequency of the electrical signal applied to each deformable beam 28 corresponds to the resonance frequency of this beam 28.
• the particular advantage of this variant is that the deformable beams 28 can be biased in the pressure mode.
• a DC voltage can be applied to any of the deformable beams 28, causing the displacement of the corresponding pad 30 through the deformable tactile contact surface 20, this position being maintained as the voltage is applied.
• each deformable beam 28 of the flexible structure 24 in piezoelectric material 42 of the "piezo bender" type electrodes are bonded to each deformable beam 28 made of piezoelectric material 42.
• the actuators or tactile pads 30 are arranged in a matrix manner in the touch device 10. This matrix arrangement makes it possible to enrich the number of possible patterns and to increase the number of possible patterns. different types of tactile messages to be transmitted to the user, thanks in particular to an increase in the number of actuators.
• the touch interface 12 is fixed by a watch strap 14 on the wrist of a user.
• the device has an elliptical shape which is best adapted to the shape of the arm of the user at his wrist, the major axis of the ellipse being arranged in length on the longitudinal axis of the arm of the user.
• a touch navigation aid device such as that described above according to several embodiments makes it possible to transmit touch messages as rich in content as desired without any constraining limitation of the number of actuators that can be implemented and with multiple possibilities of arrangements around body parts of the user in contact with the device.
• This device can indeed be placed at various locations on the body of the user and can use space-saving holding means, especially less bulky than a belt, a T-shirt, a jacket or other.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Radar, Positioning & Navigation (AREA)
• Remote Sensing (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• User Interface Of Digital Computer (AREA)
• Position Input By Displaying (AREA)
• Navigation (AREA)

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• 2012
  • 2012-07-04 FR FR1256394A patent/FR2993066B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2013
  • 2013-07-04 WO PCT/FR2013/051588 patent/WO2014006336A2/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2013-07-04 EP EP13747436.7A patent/EP2870525A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2013-07-04 US US14/412,610 patent/US20150153179A1/en not_active Abandoned

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