JP2023119492A - Accessory device, program and method for providing tactile stimulation to palm of person from mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an accessory device that provides tactile stimulation to a palm of a person from a mobile device.SOLUTION: An accessory device that can be attached from an outside to a mobile device held in a palm of a person includes: wireless communication means that receives tactile data wirelessly from the mobile device; electric signal synthesis means that converts the tactile data into an electric signal; and a tactile device that generates a tactile sensation in response to the electric signal. The accessory device is attached to a back face of a display face the mobile device from which the person obtains visual information, so that it is held in a gap between the mobile device and the palm of the person. Further, the accessory device may be a case that can contain earphones, or a cover case that can protect the mobile device itself. The tactile device may be a vibrator that generates a vibration force according to the electric signal, or a Peltier element that generates heat or cools at a temperature according to the electric signal, or a motor that generates a force sensation in response to the electric signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to technology of a device that conveys haptics to a user.

Conventionally, there is a technology that allows a user to obtain a high sense of immersion while listening to audio content (see Patent Document 1, for example). According to this technique, headphones including ear cups are provided with the ear buds projecting into the ear canal of the listener. The earcup substantially surrounds the listener's ear and transmits infrasound and low frequency vibrations to the listener's skin to stimulate a vibrotactile response. Earbuds are placed in the ear canal of a listener and transmit the full range of audible frequencies. Thereby, the user can experience the tactile stimulation around the ear at the same time as the auditory stimulation.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-506021

Lederman, S.J., Klatzky, R.L. Haptic perception: A tutorial. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics 71, 1439-1459 (2009). //doi.org/10.3758/APP.71.7.1439>

The human palm is said to have many tactile receptors distributed and to have a high receptivity to tactile stimuli (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). For this reason, it is thought that the more the touch stimulation is given to the palm, the more sensitive the person will react.

Based on this knowledge, the inventors of the present application wondered whether it would be possible to immediately apply tactile stimulation in content provided from a mobile device such as a smartphone to the human palm. A portable device is configured to be operable by being held by a person's palm. The inventors of the present application considered whether it would be possible to give a tactile stimulus to the palm of a person holding a mobile device. We thought that this would improve the user's experience and satisfaction with the content provided from the mobile device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to provide an accessory, a program, and a method for applying tactile sensation stimulation to a person's palm from a portable device.

According to the present invention, an accessory device that can be externally attached to a portable device held in the palm of a person,
wireless communication means for receiving tactile data wirelessly from a mobile device;
an electrical signal synthesizing means for converting tactile data into an electrical signal;
and a tactile device that generates a tactile sensation in response to an electric signal, and imparts a tactile sensation to a person's palm.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
It is also preferred that the device is attached to the back side of the mobile device from which the person obtains visual information so as to be held in the space between the mobile device and the palm of the person.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
It is also preferable that the case can contain earphones.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
A cover case capable of protecting the mobile device itself is also preferable.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
The tactile data is acoustic data or vibration waveform data,
It is also preferred that the haptic device is a vibrator that generates a vibrating force in response to an electrical signal.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
The tactile data is temperature data,
The tactile device is also preferably a Peltier element that heats or cools at a temperature in response to an electrical signal.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
The tactile data is force data in a predetermined direction,
It is also preferable that the tactile device is a motor that generates a haptic sensation in response to an electrical signal.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
The wireless communication means preferably also wirelessly transfers the tactile data to another accessory device.

According to another embodiment of the accessory device of the present invention,
The accessory device is a case that can contain earphones,
The tactile data is acoustic data,
It is also preferred that the wireless communication means transfer the acoustic data to the earphones via radio.

According to the present invention, there is provided a program that causes a computer mounted on an accessory device that can be externally attached to a portable device held in the palm of a person to function,
Receive tactile data wirelessly from a mobile device,
Converts tactile data into electrical signals,
A tactile device is used to cause a computer to generate a tactile sensation corresponding to an electrical signal, thereby imparting a tactile sensation to a person's palm.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of giving a tactile sensation to a person's palm by using an attachment device attachable from the outside to a portable device held by the person's palm, comprising:
Ancillary equipment
Receive tactile data received wirelessly from a mobile device,
Converts tactile data into electrical signals,
A tactile device is used to generate a tactile sensation corresponding to the electrical signal.

According to the accessory device, program, and method of the present invention, it is possible to give tactile sensation stimulation to a person's palm from a portable device.

1 is an external view of an accessory device of the present invention in communication with a mobile device; FIG. FIG. 2 is an external view of a user holding a mobile device and an accessory device; 3 is a functional configuration diagram of an accessory device according to the present invention; FIG. It is an external view which made the case the attachment device.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated in detail using drawing.

FIG. 1 is an external view of an accessory device of the present invention that communicates with a mobile device.

According to FIG. 1, an accessory device 1 of the invention and a mobile device 2 operated by a user are represented.
The mobile device 2 is an information device, such as a smart phone or a mobile terminal, that is held and operated by a person with the palm. The accessory device 1 communicates with the mobile device 2 by short-range wireless communication (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or wireless LAN (Local Area Network)).

The surface of the mobile device 2 becomes a display surface from which people obtain visual information. On the other hand, the back surface of the portable device 2 is close to the palm of the person. The accessory device 1 is attached to the back surface of the mobile device 2 .
According to FIG. 1, the attachment 1 is attached to a matcher (connection) arranged on the back of the mobile device 2 . The matchers may be eg magnets so as to be removable. For example, according to the iPhone (registered trademark), the rear surface thereof is provided with a mounting portion by magnetic force in advance.
Of course, the matcher is not limited to being provided in the mobile device 2 itself, and may be provided in the external case of the mobile device 2 .

FIG. 2 is an external view of a user holding a mobile device and an accessory device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the accessory device 1 is attached to the back surface of the portable device 2, so that it can be gripped between the portable device 2 and the palm of the person's hand. As a result, the palm holding the portable device 2 is inevitably brought into contact with the accessory device 1 .
A tactile sensation (for example, vibration, temperature, force) excited by the attachment 1 is transmitted to the palm touching the attachment 1 itself. Moreover, the tactile sensation is transmitted to the mobile device 2 via the matcher, and is also transmitted to the palm that touches the mobile device 2 . If the tactile sensation is vibration, the mechanical impedance of the contact surface (matcher) between the accessory device 1 and the portable device 2 also changes the tactile sensation transmitted to the palm.

FIG. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of an accessory device according to the present invention.

According to FIG. 3 , the accessory device 1 is for contact with a person's palm, and has a wireless communication section 11 , an electric signal synthesizing section 12 and a tactile device 13 . Functions other than the physical functions of these functional components may be realized by executing a program that causes the computer installed in the accessory device 1 to function. In addition, the processing flow of these functional components can also be understood as a tactile sensation generation method of an accessory device.

[Wireless communication unit 11]
The wireless communication unit 11 wirelessly receives (downloads) the “tactile data” from the mobile device 2 . As tactile data, there are the following.
(1) Acoustic data or vibration waveform data (2) Temperature data (3) Force data in a predetermined direction Tactile data is dedicated data based on tactile sensation. Of course, when the tactile data is audio data, it may be the audio content itself. Composite data including both acoustic data and dedicated data may be used.

[Electrical signal synthesizing unit 12]
The electrical signal synthesizing unit 12 converts the tactile data into an electrical signal.
The tactile data must not only be converted to electrical signals, but synthesized into dedicated electrical signals to present tactile sensations. For example, in the case of acoustic data, frequency components are processed to synthesize an electric signal, or a specific pattern is detected from time-series signals to synthesize an electric signal. For example, in the case of temperature data, it is necessary to convert it into an electric signal corresponding to a Peltier device, which will be described later. For example, in the case of haptic data, it is necessary to convert it into a drive signal corresponding to a motor, which will be described later. Such processing is implemented by, for example, a SoC (System-on-a-chip) such as Snapdragon (registered trademark) or ESP32 (registered trademark).

[Tactile device 13]
The tactile device 13 generates a tactile sensation according to the electrical signal. This tactile sensation is transmitted to the human palm.

The tactile device may be, for example, a vibrator, a Peltier element, or a motor as described below, depending on the tactile data.
<Vibrator>
When the tactile data is acoustic data or vibration waveform data (for example, voltage waveform), the tactile device may be a "vibrator" that generates vibration force according to an electrical signal (for example, voltage signal train). Specifically, the vibrator may be a voice coil, a speaker, or a piezo element.
Note that the audio data may be, for example, music content. Also, the vibration waveform data may be, for example, a time-series signal in which sinusoidal waveforms appear in a specific pattern.

<Peltier element>
If the tactile data is temperature data, the tactile device may be a "Peltier device" that generates or cools temperature according to an electrical signal.
It should be noted that humans have different perception mechanisms (sensory receptors and transmitting nervous system) for hot and cold, and cold is perceived faster. In other words, it is preferable to use cooling to make the palm feel the temperature of the content in real time.

<Motor>
If the tactile data is force data in a predetermined direction, the tactile device may be a "motor" that generates a force corresponding to the electrical signal. In this case, the haptic data may be a drive signal such as the applied force or current value of the motor.
According to Non-Patent Document 1 as the above-mentioned conventional technology, a static force can be felt by a person's finger using a motor or the like. According to this technique, the gravity and inertial force of a virtual object can be tactilely expressed to the user. Equipped with a mechanism that winds up the belt with multiple motors and presents shear deformation and pressure deformation on the finger pad. It controls the amount of belt winding according to gravity and inertial force, and presents a tactile sensation to the user.

FIG. 4 is an external view of the case as an accessory device.

FIG. 4(a) shows the appearance of the case as the accessory device 1. FIG. The case can contain earphones.

According to FIG. 4B, when the case as the accessory device 1 is opened, the external appearance of the earphones is shown. From the viewpoint of usability, it is also preferable that the accessory device 1 detects when the earphone is put into the case or taken out of the case, and automatically connects the earphone and wireless communication.

According to FIG. 4(c), the case as the accessory device 1 is attached to the mobile device 2, and the user can attach earphones to the ears to listen to music content.
The earphones taken out of the case are connected to the mobile device 2 or the case by wireless communication (for example, Bluetooth or wireless LAN). Then, the earphone receives the acoustic data from the mobile device 2 or the case and outputs the sound to the user's ear.
In the case of the accessory device 1, the acoustic data received from the mobile device 2 may be implemented as a relay function for transferring to earphones.

As a result, the user wears earphones and holds the mobile device 2 to which the accessory device 1 is attached when experiencing music and video content provided by the mobile device 2 . The user can obtain both auditory stimulation to the ear and synchronous tactile stimulation to the palm.

According to FIG. 4 described above, the accessory device 1 is described as a case capable of storing earphones, but it may be a cover case capable of protecting the portable device 2 itself. With the cover case, it is possible to give tactile stimulation to the palm of the person from the mobile device.

As described in detail above, according to the accessory device, program and method of the present invention, it is possible to apply a tactile sensation stimulation to a person's palm from a portable device. As a result, the user can be more satisfied with the content provided from the mobile device.

In addition, since this will make it possible to "promote the use of content provided by mobile devices," it will be supported by Goal 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations, "Inclusive and sustainable development for all." contribute to 'promoting sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work'.

According to the various embodiments of the present invention described above, those skilled in the art can easily make various changes, modifications and omissions within the scope of the technical ideas and aspects of the present invention. The foregoing description is exemplary only and is not intended to be limiting. The invention is to be limited only as limited by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1 accessory device 11 wireless communication unit 12 electrical signal synthesizing unit 13 tactile device 2 mobile device

Claims (11)

An accessory device that can be externally attached to a portable device held in the palm of a person,
wireless communication means for receiving tactile data wirelessly from a mobile device;
an electrical signal synthesizing means for converting tactile data into an electrical signal;
and a tactile device that generates a tactile sensation in response to an electrical signal, and imparts a tactile sensation to a person's palm. 2. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the accessory device is attached to the back side of the display surface of the portable device from which the person obtains visual information so as to be gripped between the portable device and the palm of the person. 3. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the accessory device is a case capable of containing an earphone. 3. The accessory device according to claim 1, wherein the accessory device is a cover case capable of protecting the portable device itself. The tactile data is acoustic data or vibration waveform data,
5. The attachment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tactile device is a vibrator that generates a vibrating force in response to an electrical signal. The tactile data is temperature data,
5. The accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tactile device is a Peltier element that generates heat or cools at a temperature corresponding to an electrical signal. The tactile data is force data in a predetermined direction,
5. The attachment according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tactile device is a motor that generates a haptic sensation in response to an electrical signal. 8. The accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the wireless communication means wirelessly transfers the tactile data to another accessory. The accessory device is a case that can contain earphones,
The tactile data is acoustic data,
3. An accessory according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wireless communication means transfers the acoustic data to the earphones wirelessly. A program that causes a computer installed in an attachment that can be externally attached to a portable device held in the palm of a person to function,
Receive tactile data wirelessly from a mobile device,
Converts tactile data into electrical signals,
A program for an accessory device characterized by using a tactile device to cause a computer to generate a tactile sensation corresponding to an electrical signal, thereby imparting a tactile sensation to a person's palm. A method of giving a tactile sensation to a person's palm by using an attachment device that can be attached from the outside to a portable device held by the person's palm,
Ancillary equipment
Receive tactile data received wirelessly from a mobile device,
Converts tactile data into electrical signals,
A method comprising using a tactile device to generate a tactile sensation in response to the electrical signal.

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