KR20220151519A - Haptic feedback providing device and operating method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method, performed by a wearable device, of providing haptic feedback to a user is provided. The method comprises the steps of: obtaining profile data of the user; obtaining biometric data of the user by using one or more biosensors; calculating, based on the profile data and the biometric data of the user, a target contact pressure to be applied to a body of the user by one or more haptic actuators; measuring a current contact pressure applied to the body of the user by the one or more haptic actuators by using one or more pressure sensors; and adjusting the current contact pressure of the one or more haptic actuators based on the current contact pressure and the target contact pressure.

Description

Wearable device providing haptic feedback and its operating method {HAPTIC FEEDBACK PROVIDING DEVICE AND OPERATING METHOD FOR THE SAME}

Disclosed embodiments relate to a wearable device providing haptic feedback and an operation method thereof.

Various types of wearable devices such as smart watches, smart bands, smart clothes, and head-mounted displays are being provided to users. A wearable device may provide a user with an improved device use experience by providing haptic feedback to the user while performing an operation of the wearable device.

When a wearable device provides haptic feedback to a user, each user of the wearable device may have a different degree of perception of the haptic feedback that can feel the haptic feedback. In order to provide appropriate haptic feedback for each user having a different perceived degree of haptic feedback, it is necessary for a haptic actuator generating haptic feedback to obtain an appropriate contact pressure to contact the user.

Accordingly, a specific method for providing haptic feedback to the user is proposed.

Disclosed embodiments are to solve the above problems, and to provide a wearable device that provides haptic feedback to a user and an operation method thereof.

As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical problem, a first aspect of the present disclosure is a wearable device that provides haptic feedback, including a sensing unit that obtains a plurality of types of sensor data, wherein the sensing unit is one or more biosensors to acquire data; and one or more pressure sensors that obtain contact pressure data applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators, and provide haptic feedback to the user; a memory that stores one or more instructions; and one or more processors that execute instructions stored in the memory, wherein the one or more processors obtain profile data of the user, obtain biometric data of the user from the one or more biosensors, and obtain profile data of the user. Calculate a target contact pressure to be applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators based on the data and the biometric data, and apply it to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators using the one or more pressure sensors. Ji may provide a wearable device that measures current contact pressure and adjusts the current contact pressure of the one or more haptic actuators based on the current contact pressure and the target contact pressure.

In addition, a second aspect of the present disclosure is a method for providing haptic feedback by a wearable device, comprising: acquiring profile data of a user; obtaining biometric data of a user by using one or more biosensors; calculating a target contact pressure to be applied to the user's body by one or more haptic actuators based on the user's profile data and the biometric data; measuring, using one or more pressure sensors, a current contact pressure applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators; and adjusting a current contact pressure of the one or more haptic actuators based on the current contact pressure and the target contact pressure.

1 is a diagram for explaining wearable devices providing haptic feedback, according to an exemplary embodiment.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing haptic feedback by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of acquiring a target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
5 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
6 is a diagram for explaining a method of identifying a skin condition change and obtaining a first target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a haptic actuator by analyzing a user's activity state by a wearable device, according to an exemplary embodiment.
8 is a diagram for explaining a method for a wearable device to identify a change in an activity state of a user and acquire a second target contact pressure, according to an exemplary embodiment.
9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of updating a target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
11 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing haptic feedback based on target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
12 is a diagram for explaining an example for causing a haptic actuator to come into contact with a user's body by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.
13 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a distance between a plurality of haptic actuators in order to adjust a current contact pressure of the plurality of haptic actuators by a wearable device according to an embodiment.
14A is a diagram for explaining a structure for adjusting a distance between a haptic actuator and other adjacent haptic actuators in a wearable device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 14B is a diagram for further explanation of FIG. 14A.
15 is a diagram for explaining another structure for adjusting a distance between a haptic actuator and other adjacent haptic actuators in a wearable device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a distance between a plurality of haptic actuators in order to adjust a current contact pressure of the plurality of haptic actuators by a wearable device according to an embodiment.
17A is a diagram for explaining a mounting structure of haptic actuators when a wearable device is a smart garment according to an embodiment.
17B is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator using a fluid pressure when a wearable device is a smart garment according to an embodiment.
FIG. 17C is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by adjusting an interval between haptic actuators when the wearable device is a smart garment according to an embodiment.
18A is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator using a fluid pressure when the wearable device is a smart watch according to an embodiment.
18B is a diagram for explaining another method of adjusting the current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by adjusting the length of a strap when the wearable device is a smart watch according to an embodiment.
19 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by applying pressure to the haptic actuator when the wearable device is a head-mounted display according to an embodiment.
20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server according to an embodiment.

The terms used in this specification will be briefly described, and the present invention will be described in detail.

The terms used in the present invention have been selected from general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the functions in the present invention, but these may vary depending on the intention of a person skilled in the art or precedent, the emergence of new technologies, and the like. In addition, in a specific case, there is also a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Therefore, the term used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the present invention, not simply the name of the term.

Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art described herein. Also, terms including ordinal numbers such as 'first' or 'second' used in this specification may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When it is said that a certain part "includes" a certain component throughout the specification, it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated. In addition, terms such as “unit” and “module” described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. And in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar parts throughout the specification.

In the disclosed embodiment, the contact pressure refers to a pressure value at which a haptic actuator is brought into contact with a user so that the user of the wearable device can feel haptic feedback of the haptic actuator. Since each user has a different sensing ability of a bodily sensory organ, a contact pressure capable of feeling haptic feedback may be different for each user.

In the disclosed embodiment, the target contact pressure refers to a contact pressure value set for a user of the wearable device. The wearable device may determine a target contact pressure value to be set for the user of the wearable device, based on at least some of the user's profile data and data obtained from a sensor in the wearable device. In this case, the target contact pressure refers to a pressure set by the wearable device 2000 to provide haptic feedback to the user of the wearable device 2000 with an appropriate contact pressure.

In the disclosed embodiment, biometric data refers to data obtained by sensing biosignals of a user's body by a biosensor. For example, the biometric data may include at least one of heart rate, skin conductance response (SCR), and skin temperature.

In the disclosed embodiment, user profile data refers to data about parameters related to the user's body. The profile data may include data on at least one of gender, age, skin type (eg, oily, dry, etc.), and body attributes (eg, height, weight, etc.). The wearable device 2000 may receive user profile data from a user or receive user profile data from a server.

In the disclosed embodiment, information about the activity state refers to information indicating what the user's current activity is. The activity state may include, for example, normal, walking, running, etc., but the activity state is not limited thereto.

In the disclosed embodiment, the information on the skin condition refers to information indicating the condition of the skin of a user of the wearable device. The skin condition may include, for example, whether the user is sweating or whether foreign substances are present on the skin. It is not limited to this.

1 is a diagram for explaining wearable devices providing haptic feedback, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may provide haptic feedback to a user.

In one embodiment, wearable device 2000 may include one or more haptic actuators. The type of wearable device 2000 may include, for example, a head-mounted display, a smart watch, a smart band, and smart clothing, but is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the degree of contact of the wearable device 2000 to the user according to the wearable device 2000 worn by the user differs depending on how the user wears the wearable device 2000, the user's body structure, and the like. may be different. The wearable device 2000 may identify a wearing state of the wearable device 2000 by the user and control the wearable device 2000 so that the haptic actuator included in the wearable device 2000 comes into contact with the user's body with a predetermined pressure.

In one embodiment, each user of the wearable device 2000 may have a different degree of perception of haptic feedback according to the contact pressure of the haptic actuator. For example, for each user of the wearable device 2000, the contact pressure of the haptic actuator, the duration of the haptic feedback, the interval between the haptic actuators, etc. may be different for the user to effectively sense the haptic feedback. The wearable device 2000 uses a haptic actuator to allow the user to properly feel the haptic feedback based on sensor data obtained using sensors included in the wearable device 2000 and user profile information representing the user's characteristics. A target contact pressure value can be calculated. For example, the wearable device 2000 may obtain a target contact pressure based on the user's profile information (eg, age, gender, height, weight, etc.), the user's skin condition, and the user's activity condition. .

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 adjusts a haptic actuator included in the wearable device 2000 to come into contact with the user's body based on the personalized target contact pressure, so that the haptic actuator is applied to the user's body. The applied contact pressure can be adjusted.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may update the target contact pressure as the user's condition (eg, skin condition, activity condition) changes while the user is wearing the wearable device 2000 .

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may update the target contact pressure when it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed. The wearable device 2000 may identify a change in the user's skin condition, such as whether the user is sweating or whether foreign substances are on the skin, and update the target contact pressure.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may update the target contact pressure when it is identified that the user's activity state is changed. The wearable device may identify that the user's current activity (eg, a normal state) is changed to another activity (eg, a walking state) and update the target contact pressure.

When the target contact pressure is updated, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the contact pressure applied to the user's body by the haptic actuator by adjusting the haptic actuator included in the wearable device 2000 to come into contact with the user's body.

In one embodiment, a structure in which a haptic actuator is mounted on the wearable device 2000 and a location of the haptic actuator within the wearable device 2000 may differ depending on the type of each wearable device 2000. The wearable device 2000 may adjust the position of the haptic actuator closer to the user's body or adjust the position of the haptic actuator farther from the user's body in order to provide haptic feedback to the user with the aforementioned target contact pressure. may include physical structures.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , a wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may include a sensing unit 2100, a haptic actuator 2200, a memory 2300, and a processor 2400.

The sensing unit 2100 may include one or more biosensors 2110 that acquire user's biometric data and one or more pressure sensors 2120 that sense the contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 .

The biosensor 2110 may include at least one of an electrocardiogram sensor, an electromyogram sensor, a body temperature measurement sensor, a skin resistance sensor, and a skin moisture measurement sensor, but is not limited thereto. One or more biosensors 2110 may be used.

The pressure sensor 2120 may include at least one of a piezoresistive tactile sensor, a piezoelectric tactile sensor, a capacitive tactile sensor, an optical tactile sensor, and an elastoresistive tactile sensor. It may, but is not limited thereto. There may be one or more pressure sensors 2120 . The pressure sensor 2120 may be disposed between, for example, a haptic actuator 2200 to be described later and the user's body to sense a contact pressure applied to the user by the haptic actuator 2200, but the pressure sensor 2120 The position where is disposed is not limited thereto.

In addition, the sensing unit 2100 may include a geomagnetic sensor (not shown), an acceleration sensor (not shown), a temperature/humidity sensor (not shown), an infrared sensor (not shown), and a gyroscope sensor (not shown). It may include at least one of a location sensor (eg, GPS) (not shown), an air pressure sensor (not shown), and a proximity sensor (not shown), but is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, when sensor data is not obtained because the sensor included in the sensing unit 2100 is separated from the user's body by a predetermined distance or more, the wearable device 2000 operates the sensing unit until the sensing unit 2100 can obtain sensor data. The position can be adjusted to be closer to the user's body.

Haptic actuator 2200 can generate haptic feedback. Haptic feedback refers to feedback provided to a user through force, vibration, and motion so that the user can feel tactile sensations such as force and motion. The haptic actuator 2200 may include at least one of a linear resonance type, an eccentric rotating mass type, a piezo type, and a solenoid type, but is not limited thereto. There may be one or more haptic actuators 2200 .

The memory 2300 may store instructions, data structures, and program codes readable by the processor 2400 . In the disclosed embodiments, operations performed by the processor 2400 may be implemented by executing instructions or codes of a program stored in the memory 2300 .

The memory 2300 may include a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory, etc.), and RAM. (RAM, Random Access Memory) SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), magnetic memory, magnetic disk , an optical disk, a non-volatile memory including at least one of, and a volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM) or static random access memory (SRAM).

The memory 2300 according to an embodiment includes various types of devices that can be used to adjust the current contact pressure of the wearable device to be the target contact pressure in order to determine the target contact pressure and provide haptic feedback to the wearable device. data can be stored. For example, the memory 2300 includes a sensor data collection module 2310, a sensor data analysis module 2320, a target contact pressure determination module 2330, a haptic actuator selection module 2340, a contact pressure adjustment module 2350, Data and program instruction codes corresponding to the haptic feedback generation module 2360, the artificial intelligence model 2370, and the user database 2380 may be stored.

In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence model 2370 may be an artificial intelligence model trained on the basis of a training dataset consisting of user profile data and biometric data obtained from a biosensor.

In addition, the artificial intelligence model 2370 uses the haptic actuator 2200 to detect the user's body based on a learning dataset consisting of the user's profile data, the user's skin condition data, and the user's activity state data. It may be an artificial intelligence model learned to output a target contact pressure to be applied.

The artificial intelligence model 2370 may include a plurality of neural network layers. Each of the plurality of neural network layers may include a plurality of nodes. In this case, the value of any one node included in the current layer may be a summation of results obtained by performing a multiplication operation of weight values of nodes included in the previous layer. The artificial intelligence model 2370 may update weight values representing connection strengths between nodes of neural network layers of the artificial intelligence model 2370 by learning the training dataset. In addition, the weight values of the nodes included in the input layer are weight values corresponding to respective parameters (eg, age, gender, body attributes, etc.) included in the user's profile data, and respective weight values included in the biometric data. parameters (eg, heart rate, skin conductance response (SCR), skin temperature, etc.), weight values corresponding to the user's skin condition, and weight values corresponding to the user's activity state. can

The wearable device 2000 may use the artificial intelligence model 2370 to output a target contact pressure value representing the contact pressure to be applied to the user's body by the haptic actuator 2200 of the wearable device 2000.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may apply the user's profile data and biometric data to the artificial intelligence model 2370 and obtain a target contact pressure value output from the artificial intelligence model 2370 .

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 applies the user's profile data, the user's skin condition data, and the user's activity state data to the artificial intelligence model 2370, and outputs from the artificial intelligence model 2370 A target contact pressure value can be obtained.

In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence model 2370 may be generated by learning within the wearable device 2000 .

In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence model 2370 may be generated through learning from a server (not shown), received by the wearable device 2000, and stored therein.

In one embodiment, there may be more than one AI model 2370.

In one embodiment, the user database 2380 may store sensor data obtained from the sensing unit 2100 and profile data obtained from the user.

The processor 2400 may control overall operations of the wearable device 2000 . For example, the processor 2400 may generally control the sensing unit 2100, the haptic actuator 2200, and the like by executing one or more instructions of a program stored in the memory 2300.

The processor 2400 may include, for example, a central processing unit, a microprocessor, a graphic processing unit, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and digital signal processors (DSPDs). Signal Processing Devices), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), APs (Application Processors), Neural Processors (Neural Processing Units), or artificial intelligence dedicated processors designed with hardware structures specialized in processing artificial intelligence models. It may consist of at least one, but is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the processor 2400 may acquire sensor data sensed by the sensing unit 2100 by executing the sensor data collection module 2310 .

In an embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the sensor data collection module 2310 to obtain biometric data that is sensor data sensed by the biosensor 2110 . In this case, the biometric data may include at least one of heart rate, skin conductance response (SCR), and skin temperature.

In an embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the sensor data collection module 2310 to obtain contact pressure data that is sensor data sensed by the pressure sensor 2120 .

Sensor data collected in real time using the sensor data collection module 2310 may be analyzed by the processor 2400 and used by the processor 2400 to determine an operation of the wearable device 2000 . Also, the processor 2400 may store the collected sensor data in the user database 2380 .

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the sensor data analysis module 2320 to analyze collected sensor data.

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the sensor data analysis module 2320 to identify whether the user is wearing the wearable device 2000 . The processor 2400 may analyze biometric data and contact pressure data obtained in real time to identify whether the user is wearing the wearable device 2000 . For example, the processor 2400 may determine that the user wears the wearable device 2000 when at least one of biometric data and contact pressure data is obtained. In another example, the processor 2400 may determine that the user wears the wearable device 2000 based on a combination of at least some of the biometric data and the contact pressure data. In another example, the processor 2400 may determine that the user wears the wearable device 2000 based on sensor data obtained from other sensors, such as an infrared sensor and a proximity sensor.

In an embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the sensor data analysis module 2320 to identify a skin condition of a user wearing the wearable device 2000 . The processor 2000 may identify the user's skin condition based on a skin conductance response (SCR) included in the biometric data, skin temperature, and the like. In this case, the user's skin condition may include various information indicating the user's skin condition, such as skin type (eg, oily skin, dry skin, etc.) and skin moisture level.

In an embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the sensor data analysis module 2320 to identify an activity state of a user wearing the wearable device 2000 . In this case, the activity state of the user may include normal, walking, running, etc., but is not limited thereto.

For example, the processor 2400 may identify the activity state of the user based on a skin conductance response, skin temperature, heart rate, etc. included in biometric data obtained from a biosensor. In another example, the processor 2400 may identify an activity state of the user based on values sensed using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like. In another example, the processor 2400 may identify an activity state of the user based on sensor data obtained from at least one of a biosensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the target contact pressure determination module 2330 to calculate the target contact pressure.

The processor 2400 may execute the target contact pressure determining module 2330 to determine the target contact pressure based on the user's profile data and biometric data. In this case, the activity state of the user identified based on at least a part of the user's skin condition, biometric data, acceleration sensor data, and gyro sensor data identified based on the biometric data according to the above-described embodiments may be used. Also, user profile data may be pre-stored in the user database 2380 .

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 applies the user's profile data, the user's skin condition and activity state to the artificial intelligence model 2370 using the target contact pressure determination module 2330 and the artificial intelligence model 2370. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the target contact pressure. In this case, the artificial intelligence model 2370 may be an artificial intelligence model trained to output a target contact pressure value by receiving the user's profile data and biometric data. In addition, the artificial intelligence model 2370 may be an artificial intelligence model learned to output a target contact pressure value by receiving the user's profile data, the user's skin condition data, and the user's activity state data.

The processor 2400 may contact the haptic actuator 2200 to the user's body based on the target contact pressure and provide haptic feedback.

In an embodiment, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's skin condition is changed, and change the target contact pressure value according to the user's skin condition change. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, target contact pressure values changed by the processor 2400 as the user's skin condition changes will be referred to as first target contact pressure.

The processor 2400 may identify that the user's skin condition is changed based on a skin conductance response (SCR), skin temperature, etc. included in the biometric data obtained from the biosensor. For example, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's skin condition is changed by identifying whether the user is sweating or whether foreign substances are on the skin based on the biometric data. The processor 2400 obtains a first target contact pressure by applying the changed skin condition, the user's profile data, and the user's activity state to the artificial intelligence model 2370, and provides a target contact pressure value of the haptic actuator 2200. 1 Target contact pressure can be changed. The processor 2400 may continuously recalculate and update the first target contact pressure based on the user's biometric data continuously acquired from the biosensor 2110 .

The processor 2400 may contact the haptic actuator 2200 to the user's body based on the first target contact pressure and provide haptic feedback.

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's activity state is changed, and may change the target contact pressure value according to the change of the user's activity state. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, target contact pressure values changed by the processor 2400 as the user's activity state changes will be referred to as second target contact pressure.

The processor 2400 may identify that the activity state of the user is changed based on at least one of biometric data, acceleration sensor data, and gyro sensor data obtained from the biosensor 2110 . In this case, the processor 2400 may identify that the activity state of the user is changed from the first activity state to the second activity state based on at least one of biometric data, acceleration sensor data, and gyro sensor data. For example, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's activity state is changed from 'normal' to 'running'.

When it is identified that the user's activity state is changed, the processor 2400 may calculate the second target contact pressure based on the degree of change in the first target contact pressure until the user's activity state is changed. The processor 2400 may change the first target contact pressure to the second target contact pressure.

In one embodiment, when the user's activity state is changed from the first activity state to the second activity state, the processor 2400 calculates an average of first target contact pressures and a standard deviation of the first target contact pressures changed during a predetermined time. Based on this, it is possible to calculate the second target contact pressure. For example, the processor 2400 may obtain the second target contact pressure by calculating the sum of the average of the first target contact pressure and the standard deviation of the first target contact pressure varied over a predetermined period of time.

The processor 2400 may contact the haptic actuator 2200 to the user's body based on the second target contact pressure and provide haptic feedback.

In one embodiment, when the target contact pressure value is changed to the second target contact pressure as the user's activity is changed from the first activity state to the second activity state, the processor 2400 performs the operation of the user again in the second activity state. A change in skin condition can be identified. The processor 2400 may change the target contact pressure value back to the second target contact pressure value as the user's skin condition changes. Since the method for the processor 2400 to change the target contact pressure value according to the change in the user's skin condition has been described above, the same description will be omitted.

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's activity state is changed to another activity state. For example, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's activity state is changed from the second activity state to the third activity state. The processor 2400 may change the target contact pressure value back to the second target contact pressure value as the user's activity state changes. Since the method for the processor 2400 to change the target contact pressure according to the user's activity state has been described above, the same description will be omitted.

In one embodiment, the number of haptic actuators 2200 may be plural. In this case, each of the target contact pressures may correspond to each of the plurality of haptic actuators 2200 . The processor 2400 may calculate a target contact pressure corresponding to each haptic actuator 2200 for each of the plurality of haptic actuators 2200 . Also, the processor 2400 may identify that the user's skin condition is changed for each of the plurality of haptic actuators 2200 and change a target contact pressure value corresponding to each haptic actuator 2200 . Also, the processor 2400 may identify that the activity state of the user is changed for each of the plurality of haptic actuators 2200 and change a target contact pressure value corresponding to each haptic actuator 2200 .

In one embodiment, processor 2400 may execute haptic actuator selection module 2340 to determine which haptic actuator 2200 will adjust the current contact pressure. In one embodiment, haptic actuators 2200 may be more than one.

In one embodiment, when there is only one haptic actuator 2200, the processor 2400 determines the target contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 and the haptic actuator 2200 to adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200. The current contact pressure can be compared.

In one embodiment, when there are a plurality of haptic actuators 2200, the processor 2400 determines a target contact pressure and a current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators 2200 for each of the plurality of haptic actuators 2200. By comparing, it is possible to select a haptic actuator to adjust the current contact pressure from among the plurality of haptic actuators 2200 .

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the contact pressure adjustment module 2350 to adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 . The processor 2400 may obtain a current contact pressure applied to the body of the user by the haptic actuator 2200 , measured using the pressure sensor 2120 . The processor 2400 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 to be the target contact pressure.

For example, if the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 is less than the target contact pressure, the processor 2400 moves the position of the haptic actuator 2200 closer to the user's body so that the current contact pressure is increased to the target contact pressure. You can adjust it to get closer.

In another example, the processor 2400 may move the position of the haptic actuator 2200 further away from the user's body so that the current contact pressure is reduced to the target contact pressure if the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 is greater than the target contact pressure. It can be adjusted farther away.

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 executes the contact pressure adjustment module 2350 to adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 according to the type of wearable device 2000 (eg, a smart watch). , smart clothing, head-mounted display, etc.). In addition, an operation in which the processor 2400 executes the contact pressure adjusting module 2350 to adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 is performed in a manner in which the haptic actuator 2200 is mounted on the wearable device 2000 (eg, For example, a method of using a fluid pump, a method of using a gear, etc.) may be different.

The processor 2400 executes the contact pressure adjustment module 2350 to adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 2200 to adjust the position of the haptic actuator 2200 closer to the user's body, or A detailed method of adjusting the position of 2200 to be further away from the user's body will be described in the description of FIGS. 17A to 19 .

In one embodiment, the processor 2400 may execute the haptic feedback generation module 2360 to control the haptic actuator 2200 to generate haptic feedback.

In one embodiment, haptic feedback refers to feedback provided to the user through various forms of force, vibration, and motion so that the user can feel tactile sensations such as force and movement. The processor 2400 may convert the target contact pressure value into a value of another measurement unit representing a force capable of delivering a tactile sensation to a user. For example, the processor 2400 may convert the value of the target contact pressure into a unit of measurement such as hertz (Hz) or ampere (A), but is not limited thereto.

The processor 2400 may adjust the strength of the haptic feedback transmitted to the user using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). In this case, the processor 2400 matches the target contact pressure value converted to a value of another unit of measurement (eg, hertz, ampere, etc.) with the minimum output voltage of the wearable device 2000, so that the wearable device 2000 The minimum intensity of the haptic feedback provided in may be the intensity corresponding to the target contact pressure.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing haptic feedback by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

In step S310, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may obtain profile data of the user. The user's profile data is at least one of gender, age, skin type (eg, oily, dry, etc.), and body attributes (eg, height, weight, etc.), which are data corresponding to parameters related to the user's body. can include The wearable device 2000 may receive user profile data from a user or receive user profile data from a server.

In step S320, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may obtain biometric data from the biosensor. The biometric data may include at least one of heart rate, skin conductance response (SCR), and skin temperature, which are data acquired by the biosensor sensing biosignals of the user's body. The wearable device 2000 may use a biosensor to monitor biometric signals of a user's body and continuously acquire biometric data.

In one embodiment, there may be a plurality of biosensors. In this case, the number of biosensors may correspond to the number of haptic actuators. The wearable device 2000 may obtain biometric data by measuring biosignals from different body parts of the user's body using a plurality of biosensors.

In step S330, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may calculate the target contact pressure based on the profile data and biometric data.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may obtain a target contact pressure based on the user's profile information and biometric data. The wearable device 2000 may apply the user's profile data and biometric data to the artificial intelligence model, and obtain a target contact pressure value output from the artificial intelligence model.

In an embodiment, when a plurality of haptic actuators are included in the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 may obtain target contact pressure for each of the plurality of haptic actuators.

In step S340, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may measure the current contact pressure applied to the user's body by the haptic actuator using the pressure sensor. The wearable device 2000 may use a pressure sensor to monitor the pressure applied by the haptic actuator to the user's body and continuously obtain contact pressure data.

In one embodiment, the number of pressure sensors included in the wearable device 2000 may correspond to the number of haptic actuators. For example, when a plurality of haptic actuators are included in the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 may include a plurality of pressure sensors corresponding to each haptic actuator. In this case, each of the plurality of pressure sensors may monitor the pressure applied to the user's body by each of the plurality of haptic actuators and continuously obtain contact pressure data.

In step S350, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator measured in step S340 to be the target contact pressure.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may compare the target contact pressure of the haptic actuator and the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator in order to adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator.

In one embodiment, when the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator included in the wearable device 2000 is smaller than the target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 adjusts the position of the haptic actuator so that the current contact pressure is increased to the target contact pressure. It can be adjusted to be closer to the body of the person. In addition, when the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator included in the wearable device 2000 is greater than the target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 adjusts the position of the haptic actuator from the user's body so that the current contact pressure is reduced to the target contact pressure. It can be adjusted further away.

In one embodiment, the number of haptic actuators included in the wearable device 2000 may be plural. When there are a plurality of haptic actuators, the wearable device 2000 compares the current contact pressure with the target contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators, thereby determining the current contact pressure among the plurality of haptic actuators. You can choose which haptic actuator to adjust. The wearable device 2000 may adjust the position of each haptic actuator so that the current contact pressure of each haptic actuator becomes a target contact pressure corresponding to each haptic actuator.

In step S360, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may provide a haptic feedback to the user by using a haptic actuator contacted to have a target contact pressure value. The wearable device 2000 may generate haptic feedback by controlling the haptic actuator so that the user can feel tactile sensations such as force and motion.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the intensity of haptic feedback delivered to the user using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). In this case, the wearable device may convert the value of the target contact pressure into a value of another measurement unit (eg, hertz, ampere, etc.) representing a force capable of delivering a tactile sensation to the user. The wearable device 2000 matches the target contact pressure value converted into a value of another measurement unit with the minimum output voltage of the wearable device 2000, so that the minimum intensity of the haptic feedback provided from the wearable device 2000 is the target contact pressure It can be set to the intensity corresponding to .

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of acquiring a target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4 , operations of the wearable device in steps S310 and S320 of FIG. 3 will be described in more detail.

In step S410, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may identify whether the user wears the wearable device 2000 or not.

For example, the wearable device 2000 may determine that the user wears the wearable device 2000 when at least one of biometric data obtained from the biosensor and contact pressure data obtained from the pressure sensor is obtained. In another example, the wearable device 2000 may determine that the user wears the wearable device 2000 based on a combination of at least some of biometric data obtained from the biosensor and contact pressure data obtained from the pressure sensor. In another example, the wearable device 2000 may determine that the user is wearing the wearable device 2000 based on sensor data obtained from other sensors such as an infrared sensor and a proximity sensor. In another example, the wearable device 2000 may determine that the user is wearing the wearable device based on at least some of sensor data obtained from a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, a proximity sensor, and the like. Step S410 may be performed after steps S310 and S320 of FIG. 3 are performed.

In step S420, the wearable device 2000 may determine an operation of the wearable device based on whether the wearable device 2000 is worn by the user.

In one embodiment, when the wearable device 2000 is not identified as the user wearing the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 is worn by performing step S410 until the user is identified as wearing the wearable device 2000. can be monitored.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S430 when it is identified that the user is wearing the wearable device 2000 .

In step S430, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may collect biometric data and profile data.

The wearable device 2000 may receive user profile data from a user, receive user profile data from a server, or obtain user profile data stored in the wearable device 2000 .

When it is identified that the user is wearing the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 may monitor biometric signals of the user that change in real time using a biosensor and continuously obtain biometric data.

In step S440, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may identify the user's skin condition based on the biometric data. The wearable device 2000 may identify the user's skin condition based on a skin conductance response (SCR) included in biometric data, skin temperature, and the like. In this case, the user's skin condition may include various information indicating the user's skin condition, such as skin type (eg, oily skin, dry skin, etc.) and skin moisture level.

In step S450, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may identify an activity state of the user based on the sensor data. In this case, the sensor data may include biometric data obtained from a biosensor, acceleration data obtained from an acceleration sensor, and angular velocity data obtained from a gyro sensor, but are not limited thereto. In addition, the user's activity state may include normal, walking, running, etc., but is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may identify the user's activity state based on skin conductance response, skin temperature, heart rate, and the like included in biometric data. For example, the wearable device 2000 may identify whether the user is in a normal state, walking, or running based on skin conductance response, skin temperature, heart rate, and the like.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may identify an activity state of the user based on values sensed using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like. For example, the wearable device 2000 may identify whether the user is in a normal state, walking, or running based on the user's moving acceleration, angular velocity, and the like.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may determine the user's activity state by using a combination of at least some of sensor data obtained from a biosensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

In step S460, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment obtains a target contact pressure based on the user's profile information, the user's skin condition, the user's activity state, and the like. can

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may apply the user's profile data, the user's skin condition and activity state to the artificial intelligence model, and obtain a target contact pressure output from the artificial intelligence model.

After step S460 is performed, steps S340, S350 and S360 of FIG. 3 may be performed.

5 is a diagram for explaining a method of acquiring a target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may obtain the target contact pressure of the haptic actuator using the artificial intelligence model 500 .

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may obtain profile data 510 of the user. The profile data 510 may include at least one of the user's gender, age, skin type (eg, oily, dry, etc.), and body attributes (eg, height, weight, etc.). The wearable device 2000 may receive profile data 510 from a user using a user input interface included in the wearable device 2000 . Also, the wearable device 2000 may obtain profile data 510 of a user previously stored in the wearable device 2000 . In this case, the user's profile data 510 may be received from another electronic device linked with the wearable device or from a server.

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may obtain sensor data 520 . In this case, the sensor data may include at least one of biometric data obtained from a biosensor, acceleration data obtained from an acceleration sensor, and angular velocity data obtained from a gyro sensor. The wearable device may obtain data on the user's skin condition and data on the user's activity state, based on the sensor data. Since this has been described in the foregoing embodiments, the same description will be omitted.

The artificial intelligence model 500 may include a plurality of neural network layers. Each of the plurality of neural network layers may include a plurality of nodes. The artificial intelligence model 500 may receive the user's profile data, the user's skin condition data, and the user's activity state data.

For example, the wearable device 2000 uses age (A) 512, gender (G) 514, and body attributes (B) 516, which are data included in the user's profile data 510, as input data. It can be input to the artificial intelligence model (500).

In addition, the wearable device 2000 uses the skin state (S) 522 and the activity state (O) 524, which are data acquired based on the sensor data 520, as input data to the artificial intelligence model 500. can be entered.

The artificial intelligence model 500 may perform a multiplication operation and a sum operation of multiplying and adding weights to node values of each of a plurality of neural network layers. In this case, the value of any one node included in the current layer may be the sum of results obtained by multiplying weight values of nodes included in the previous layer. In this case, the value of any one node K included in layer N, which is the current layer, may be expressed by Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

는 이전 레이어인 레이어 N-1에 포함되는 노드 i의 값을 말하며,

는 이전 레이어인 '레이어 N-1'에 포함되는 '노드 i'와 현재 레이어인 '레이어 N'에 포함되는 '노드 k'의 연결 강도를 나타내는 가중치를 말한다.here,

is the value of node i included in the previous layer, layer N-1,

denotes a weight representing the connection strength between 'node i' included in the previous layer 'layer N-1' and 'node k' included in the current layer 'layer N'.

In the artificial intelligence model 500, at least some of the plurality of neural network layers may use an activation function to output an operation result. For example, an activation function used in the input layer may be expressed as Equation 2 below.

[Equation 2]

은 A(512)에 대응되는 가중치, G(514)는 성별,

는 G(514)에 대응되는 가중치, B(516)는 신체 속성,

는 B(516)에 대응되는 가중치, S(522)는 피부 상태,

는 S(522)에 대응되는 가중치, O(524)는 액티비티 상태,

는 O(524)에 대응되는 가중치를 말한다.Here, A (512) is the age,

is the weight corresponding to A (512), G (514) is the gender,

is a weight corresponding to G (514), B (516) is a body attribute,

Is the weight corresponding to B (516), S (522) is the skin condition,

is the weight corresponding to S (522), O (524) is the activity state,

denotes a weight corresponding to O (524).

In one embodiment, a sigmoid function, a ReLU function, a hyperbolic tangent (tanh) function, or the like may be used as an activation function used by the artificial intelligence model 500, but is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may output a target contact pressure value by inputting the user's profile data, the user's skin condition data, and the user's activity state data to the artificial intelligence model 500. have.

에 대한 타겟 접촉 압력 값

를 획득할 수 있다. In one embodiment, when there are a plurality of haptic actuators included in the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 obtains a target contact pressure for each of the plurality of haptic actuators using the artificial intelligence model 500. can For example, the wearable device 2000 is an (i, j) haptic actuator

Target contact pressure value for

can be obtained.

6 is a diagram for explaining a method of identifying a skin condition change and obtaining a first target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

In step S610, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may identify whether the user's skin condition has changed based on the biometric data obtained from the biosensor.

For example, the wearable device 2000 changes the user's skin condition from a normal state to a sweating state based on at least a part of skin conductance response (SCR) and skin temperature included in biometric data. can identify. In this case, due to sweat on the user's skin, haptic feedback by the haptic actuator may not be properly provided, and thus target contact pressure may need to be updated.

In operation S620, when it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may update the value of the skin condition parameter 630 corresponding to the skin condition. For example, the wearable device 2000 may identify that the user's skin condition is changed from a normal state to a sweating state, and change the skin condition parameter 630 to values corresponding to the sweating state. In this case, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the value of the skin condition parameter 630 within a predetermined range based on the degree of sweating of the user.

The wearable device 2000 may newly calculate a target contact pressure value of the haptic actuator based on the updated value of the skin condition parameter 630 . Also, the wearable device 2000 may continuously update the target contact pressure value of the haptic actuator whenever the value of the user's skin condition parameter 630 changes. In the disclosed embodiment, target contact pressure values newly calculated by the wearable device 2000 as the user's skin condition changes will be referred to as first target contact pressure.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 inputs the user's profile data, the user's skin condition data, and the user's activity state data to the artificial intelligence model 600, and outputs a first target contact pressure value. can do. In this case, the user's skin condition data may be the updated skin condition parameter 630 value.

에 대한 제1 타겟 접촉 압력 값

를 획득할 수 있다.In one embodiment, when there are a plurality of haptic actuators included in the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 uses the artificial intelligence model 600 to determine the first target contact pressure for each of the plurality of haptic actuators. can be obtained For example, the wearable device 2000 is an (i, j) haptic actuator

First target contact pressure value for

can be obtained.

Since the method of obtaining the first target contact pressure by the wearable device 2000 using the artificial intelligence model 600 corresponds to the method of obtaining the target contact pressure described in FIG. 5 , the same description will be omitted.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a haptic actuator by analyzing a user's activity state by a wearable device, according to an exemplary embodiment.

In step S710, the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may identify the user's current activity state. The wearable device 2000 may identify the user's activity state based on at least some of the user's profile data 702 , current acceleration sensor data 704 , and biometric data 706 obtained from the biosensor. For example, the wearable device 2000 may identify that the user's current activity state is normal 712, walking 714, running 716, etc., but the user's activity state is not limited thereto.

Step S710 may be performed after step S330 of FIG. 3 or step S460 of FIG. 4 is performed and the target contact pressure is obtained by the wearable device 2000 .

For convenience of description, hereinafter, step S330 of FIG. 3 or step S460 of FIG. 4 is performed by the wearable device 2000 to obtain the target contact pressure in advance, and the wearable device 2000 to acquire the target contact pressure. The activity state of the user at that time will be described with an example of a normal state.

The wearable device 2000 determines the user's current activity state (eg, normal activity status) based on at least a portion of the user's profile data 702, the current acceleration sensor data 704, and the biometric data 706 obtained from the biosensor. (712), walking (714), and running (716).

When the current activity state of the user is identified as normal 712 , the wearable device 2000 may perform step S715. In addition, when the current activity state of the user is identified as walking 714 or running 716, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S720.

In step S715, the wearable device 2000 may maintain the previously acquired target contact pressure value without changing it. The wearable device 2000 may maintain the previously acquired target contact pressure value because the current activity state of the identified user, 'normal time 712', is the same as the previous activity state (normal time).

In step S720 , the wearable device 2000 may acquire acceleration sensor data used when the wearable device 2000 previously calculated the target contact pressure and current acceleration sensor data 704 . Since the identified user's current activity state, 'walking 714' or 'running 716', is different from the previous activity state (normal time), the wearable device 2000 makes appropriate target contact suitable for the changed activity state of the user. You can update the target contact pressure value to provide pressure.

In step S730, the wearable device 2000 may identify whether a difference has occurred between the current acceleration sensor data 704 and the acceleration sensor data used in calculating the previous target contact pressure. If there is a difference between the current acceleration sensor data 704 and the acceleration sensor data used in calculating the previous target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S740. If there is no difference, the wearable device 2000 may repeatedly perform step S730.

In step S740, the wearable device 2000 may calculate an acceleration sensor data change value. The wearable device 2000 may calculate the second target contact pressure based on the change value of the acceleration sensor data. Here, the second target contact pressure refers to target contact pressure values newly calculated by the wearable device 2000 as the user's activity state changes. The wearable device 2000 may continuously update the target contact pressure value of the haptic actuator whenever it is identified that the user's activity state is changed. A detailed method of calculating the second target contact pressure by the wearable device 2000 will be further described with reference to FIG. 8 .

In step S750, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the haptic actuator so that the contact pressure of the haptic actuator becomes the second target contact pressure. Also, when there are a plurality of haptic actuators included in the wearable device 2000, the wearable device 2000 may calculate a second target contact pressure value for each haptic actuator. The wearable device 2000 may select haptic actuators determined to require adjustment of current contact pressure among a plurality of haptic actuators. The wearable device may adjust only the selected haptic actuators so that the contact pressure of the selected haptic actuators becomes the second target contact pressure.

Meanwhile, in the description of the method for the wearable device 2000 to identify the user's activity state in FIG. 7 , the use of acceleration sensor data has been described as an example, but is not limited thereto. The wearable device 2000 acquires multiple types of sensor data from multiple types of sensors included in the sensing unit, and identifies whether an activity state of the user has changed based on at least some of the acquired multiple types of sensor data. can For example, the wearable device 2000 may further use various sensors capable of measuring a user's motion, such as angular velocity sensor data obtained from a gyro sensor. Methods in which the wearable device 2000 calculates a difference value based on acquired sensor data and updates the target contact pressure value may be equally applied to various sensor data.

8 is a diagram for explaining a method for a wearable device to identify a change in an activity state of a user and acquire a second target contact pressure, according to an exemplary embodiment.

(800)에 대한 제2 타겟 접촉 압력을 계산하는 경우를 예로 들어 설명하기로 한다.8, for convenience of description, the wearable device 2000 is the (i, j) haptic actuator

A case of calculating the second target contact pressure for 800 will be described as an example.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may identify whether an activity state of a user has changed based on at least some of a plurality of types of sensor data obtained from a sensing unit. When it is identified that the user's activity state is changed, the wearable device 2000 may calculate the second target contact pressure. In this case, the second target contact pressure may be calculated based on a degree of change in the target contact pressure until the activity state of the user is changed.

In one embodiment, the activity state of the user of the wearable device 2000 may be the first activity state 810 . For example, the first activity state 810 may be a 'normal' state in which the user is not exercising. When the user's activity state is the first activity state 810, the wearable device 2000 identifies whether the user's skin state has changed, and obtains a first target contact pressure according to the identification that the user's skin state has changed. can Since the method for acquiring the first target contact pressure by the wearable device 2000 has been described above in the description of FIG. 6 , the same description will be omitted.

(812)을 획득할 수 있다.For example, when the user's activity state is the first activity state 810 , the user's skin state may be changed at time t ₁ . When it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed at time t ₁ , the wearable device 2000 determines the first target contact pressure at time t ₁ based on the user's profile data and the biometric data at time t ₁ .

(812) can be obtained.

(814)을 획득할 수 있다.Also, when the user's activity state is the first activity state 810, the user's skin state may change again at time t ₂ . When it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed at time t ₂ , the wearable device 2000 determines the first target contact pressure at time t ₂ based on the user's profile data and the biometric data at time t ₂ .

(814) can be obtained.

(816)을 획득할 수 있다.Also, when the user's activity state is the first activity state 810, the user's skin state may change again at time t ₃ . When it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed at time t ₃ , the wearable device 2000 determines the first target contact pressure at time t ₃ based on the user's profile data and the biometric data at time t ₃ .

(816) can be obtained.

In the same way, whenever the user's skin condition changes, the wearable device may obtain the first target contact pressure based on the user's profile data and the biometric data at the time the user's skin condition is changed.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may identify that the user's activity state is changed. The wearable device 2000 may identify that the activity state of the user is changed from the first activity state 810 to the second activity state 820 at time t. In this case, the first activity state 810 may be 'normal time' and the second activity state 820 may be 'running'. Since the method of analyzing the user's activity state by the wearable device 2000 has been described above with reference to FIG. 7 , the same description will be omitted.

(816) 을 계산할 수 있다. 이 경우, 제2 타겟 접촉 압력

(816)의 계산은 아래의 수학식 3이 이용될 수 있다.As it is identified that the user's activity state is changed at time t, the wearable device 2000 applies a second target contact pressure at time t.

(816) can be calculated. In this case, the second target contact pressure

For the calculation of 816, Equation 3 below may be used.

[Equation 3]

는 제1 타겟 접촉 압력, T는 사용자의 액티비티 상태가 변경되기 전까지 이전 액티비티 상태가 지속된 시간,

는 시간 T 동안 제1 타겟 접촉 압력

의 평균,

는 시간 T 동안 제1 타겟 접촉 압력

의 표준편차를 말한다.here,

is the first target contact pressure, T is the duration of the previous activity state until the user's activity state is changed,

is the first target contact pressure for a time T

mean of,

is the first target contact pressure for a time T

is the standard deviation of

를 획득할 수 있다.In one embodiment, when the number of haptic actuators included in the wearable device 2000 is plural, the wearable device 2000 selects the plurality of haptic actuators based on the degree of change in the first target contact pressure for each of the plurality of haptic actuators. Second target contact pressure value for each of

can be obtained.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of updating a target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

In step S910, the wearable device 2000 may calculate a target contact pressure for the haptic actuator based on the user's profile data and biometric data. Step S910 of FIG. 9 may correspond to step S330 of FIG. 3 or step S460 of FIG. 4 .

In step S920, the wearable device 2000 may identify whether the user's skin condition has changed. When it is identified that the user's skin condition is not changed, the wearable device 2000 may maintain the target contact pressure (step S925). When the user's skin condition is identified as changed, the wearable device 2000 performs step S930. can be performed.

In operation S930, the wearable device 2000 may update the target contact pressure value by obtaining a first target contact pressure value based on the changed skin condition of the user. Since this has been described above in the description of FIG. 6, the same description will be omitted.

In step S940, the wearable device 2000 may identify whether the activity state of the user has changed. When it is identified that the user's activity state has not changed, the wearable device 2000 may perform the operation of step S920 again to monitor the change in the user's skin state. When it is identified that the user's activity state has changed, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S950.

In operation S950 , the wearable device 2000 may update the target contact pressure value by obtaining a second target contact pressure value based on the changed activity state of the user. Since this has been described above in the description of FIG. 8, the same description will be omitted.

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may continuously update the target contact pressure value of the haptic actuator based on whether the user's skin state changes or the user's activity state changes. The wearable device 2000 may measure a current contact pressure value of the haptic actuator and adjust the haptic actuator so that the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator becomes a target contact pressure.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

In step S1010, the wearable device 2000 may monitor the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator. The wearable device 2000 may monitor the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator by obtaining contact pressure data applied to the user's body by the haptic actuator using a pressure sensor included in the wearable device.

In step S1020, the wearable device 2000 may compare the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator with the target contact pressure of the haptic actuator. Since the method of acquiring the target contact pressure value by the wearable device 2000 has been described in the above-described embodiments, the same description will be omitted.

In an embodiment, when the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator is equal to the target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 may determine that adjustment of the haptic actuator is not necessary. In this case, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S1010 again to monitor the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S1030 when the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator is less than the target contact pressure or the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator is greater than the target contact pressure.

In step S1030, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the haptic actuator so that the contact pressure of the haptic actuator becomes a target contact pressure.

In one embodiment, when the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator is less than the target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 adjusts the position of the haptic actuator to be closer to the user's body, so that the haptic actuator applies the target contact pressure to the user's body. It is possible to provide haptic feedback to the user in a contacted state.

In an embodiment, when the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator is greater than the target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 adjusts the position of the haptic actuator to be farther from the user's body, so that the haptic actuator applies the target contact pressure to the user's body. It is possible to provide haptic feedback to the user in a contacted state.

In step S1040, the wearable device 2000 may identify a distance between the haptic actuator whose position is adjusted and other adjacent haptic actuators. For example, as the position of the haptic actuator is adjusted to reach the target contact pressure in step S1030, the distance between the adjusted haptic actuator and other haptic actuators included in the wearable device 2000 may increase or decrease. With respect to the haptic actuator whose position is adjusted, the wearable device 2000 may identify a distance between the haptic actuator whose position is adjusted and another haptic actuator.

In operation S1050, the wearable device 2000 may compare the distance between the identified haptic actuators with a threshold value. In an embodiment, when the distance between the haptic actuators is less than the threshold value, the wearable device 2000 may perform step S1060.

In operation S1060, the wearable device 2000 may deactivate at least some haptic actuators among haptic actuators adjacent to each other when the distance between the haptic actuators is less than a threshold value.

For example, when haptic feedback is generated from both of two or more haptic actuators adjacent to each other with a distance between the haptic actuators less than a threshold value, the haptic feedback may not be properly provided to the user due to the close distance between the haptic actuators (user When a user feels haptic feedback from two or more adjacent haptic actuators as one). Therefore, even if the distance between the haptic actuators is less than the critical value and both of the two or more haptic actuators adjacent to each other do not generate haptic feedback, sufficient haptic feedback can be provided to the user. Among haptic actuators adjacent to each other by less than the value, at least some haptic actuators may be deactivated.

11 is a diagram for explaining a method of providing haptic feedback based on target contact pressure by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

)을 헤르츠(Hz) 단위의 진동 값(

)으로 변환할 수 있다. 웨어러블 디바이스(2000)는 타겟 접촉 압력 값에 대응되는 진동수를 햅틱 피드백의 최소 진동수(

)로 설정할 수 있다. 다만, 다른 측정 단위의 값은 이에 한정되는 것은 아니며, 웨어러블 디바이스(2000)는 타겟 접촉 압력 값에 기초하여 사용자에게 햅틱 피드백을 전달할 수 있는 다른 측정 단위인 암페어(A) 등의 측정 단위의 값으로 변환할 수 있다. In step S1110, the wearable device 1000 may convert the value of the target contact pressure into a value of another measurement unit representing a force capable of delivering a tactile sensation to the user. For example, the wearable device 2000 includes a target contact pressure value (

) to the vibration value in hertz (Hz) (

) can be converted to The wearable device 2000 sets the frequency corresponding to the target contact pressure value to the minimum frequency of haptic feedback (

) can be set. However, the value of the other measurement unit is not limited thereto, and the wearable device 2000 is a value of a measurement unit such as ampere (A), which is another measurement unit capable of delivering haptic feedback to the user based on the target contact pressure value. can be converted

)을 변환하여 획득된, 헤르츠 단위의 진동 값 (

)을 웨어러블 디바이스(2000)의 최소 출력 전압 (

)과 매칭함으로써, 웨어러블 디바이스(2000)에서 제공되는 햅틱 피드백의 최소 세기가 타겟 접촉 압력에 대응되는 세기가 되도록 할 수 있다.In step S1120, the wearable device 2000 may match the target contact pressure value converted in step S1110 with the minimum output voltage of the wearable device 2000. For example, the wearable device 2000 includes a target contact pressure value (

), obtained by converting the vibration value in Hertz (

) to the minimum output voltage of the wearable device 2000 (

), the minimum intensity of the haptic feedback provided from the wearable device 2000 may be the intensity corresponding to the target contact pressure.

The wearable device 2000 may adjust the intensity of haptic feedback delivered to the user by using a pulse width modulation method.

12 is a diagram for explaining an example for causing a haptic actuator to come into contact with a user's body by a wearable device according to an exemplary embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may include a haptic actuator 1200, and a strap a 1210 is connected to one side of the haptic actuator 1200 and a strap b 1220 is connected to the other side. may be connected.

The wearable device may measure the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1200 and compare it with the target contact pressure.

For example, when the current contact pressure is less than the target contact pressure, the wearable device 2000 may shorten the length of the strap to adjust the position of the haptic actuator 1200 closer to the user's body. For example, the wearable device 2000 may use a physical adjustment device (eg, gear, string, etc.) attached to the haptic actuator 1200 . The wearable device 2000 includes a haptic actuator 1200, a strap a 1210, and a strap b 1220 so that the strap a 1210 and the strap b 1220 come closer to the haptic actuator 1200 by using a physical adjustment device. ), the haptic actuator may be adjusted to be closer to the user's body.

In addition, the wearable device 2000 includes the haptic actuator 1200 and the strap a 1210 to adjust the position of the haptic actuator 1200 to be further away from the user's body when the current contact pressure is greater than the target contact pressure. The tightening of the gap between the straps b 1220 may be loosened. A physical structure for the wearable device 2000 to adjust the position of the haptic actuator will be further described in the description of FIGS. 14A to 15 .

13 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a distance between a plurality of haptic actuators in order to adjust a current contact pressure of the plurality of haptic actuators by a wearable device according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may include a haptic actuator a 1310 , a haptic actuator b 1320 , and a haptic actuator c 1330 .

Referring to block 1300, haptic actuator a (1310) and haptic actuator c (1330) may be in contact with the user's skin. In this case, when the current contact pressures of the haptic actuator a (1310) and the haptic actuator c (1330) are measured, the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator a (1310) and the haptic actuator c (1330) is appropriately contacted to become the target contact pressure. It can be confirmed that it is.

However, in the case of the haptic actuator b 1320, the haptic actuator b 1320 may not be in contact with the user's skin. In this case, if the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 is measured, the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 may be measured to be smaller than the target contact pressure value.

The wearable device 2000 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator based on the current contact pressure and the target contact pressure of the haptic actuator. In this case, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator by adjusting the distance between the plurality of haptic actuators.

For example, referring to block 1302, the wearable device 2000 may reduce the distance between the haptic actuator a 1310 and the haptic actuator b 1320 and the distance between the haptic actuator b 1320 and the haptic actuator c 1330 to , the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 can be adjusted. The wearable device 2000 tightens the haptic actuator b 1320 so that the haptic actuator a 1310 and the haptic actuator c 1330 come closer to the haptic actuator b 1320, so that the haptic actuator b 1320 moves on the user's skin. can be brought into contact with In this case, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 until the contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 becomes the target contact pressure.

In another example, referring to block 1304, the wearable device 2000 increases the distance between haptic actuator a 1310 and haptic actuator b 1320 and the distance between haptic actuator b 1320 and haptic actuator c 1330. , the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 can be adjusted. The wearable device 2000 applies haptic actuators a (1310) and haptic actuators c (1330) respectively to haptic actuators b ( By pulling in a direction away from 1320, the haptic actuator b 1320 can be brought into contact with the user's skin. In this case, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 until the contact pressure of the haptic actuator b 1320 becomes the target contact pressure.

A physical structure for the wearable device 2000 to adjust the position of the haptic actuator will be further described in the description of FIGS. 14A to 15 .

14A is a diagram for explaining a structure for adjusting a distance between a haptic actuator and other adjacent haptic actuators in a wearable device according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may include a gear box 1410 connected to the haptic actuator 1400 . Gear box 1410 may include one or more gears. For example, the gearbox 1410 includes an up-move gear 1412, a down-move gear 1414, a left-move gear 1416, and a right A right-move gear 1418 may be included. However, it is not limited thereto, and the gearbox 1410 may further include a front-move gear (not shown) and a back-move gear (not shown).

The wearable device 2000 may move the haptic actuator 1400 connected to the gearbox 1410 by rotating the gear with respect to each gear included in the gearbox 1410 .

For example, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the position of the haptic actuator 1400 to move upward to the right by rotating the upward movement gear 1412 and the rightward movement gear 1418 . In this case, among the other haptic actuators 1401, 1402, 1403, and 1404, the distance between the other haptic actuators 1401 and 1402 and the haptic actuator 1400 decreases, and the other haptic actuators 1403 and 1404 A gap between the haptic actuators 1400 may increase.

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may adjust the distance between the haptic actuators by decreasing or increasing the distance between the haptic actuators so that the haptic actuators are brought into contact with the user's body with a target contact pressure value.

FIG. 14B is a diagram for further explanation of FIG. 14A.

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may adjust a distance between haptic actuators connected to the gearbox by controlling one or more gears included in the gearbox to rotate. The wearable device 2000 may adjust the distance between the haptic actuators so that the haptic actuators come into contact with the user's body. In this case, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the haptic actuator so that the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator becomes the target contact pressure.

For example, referring to FIG. 14B , the wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may control one or more gears among the gears included in the gearbox 1410 to rotate. The wearable device 2000 may tighten the gap between the haptic actuator 1400 and another haptic actuator 1401 positioned above the haptic actuator 1400 by rotating an up-move gear 1412. .

In another example, the wearable device 2000 rotates a right-move gear 1418, thereby increasing the distance between the haptic actuator 1400 and another haptic actuator 1402 positioned to the right of the haptic actuator 1400. can tighten

In another example, the wearable device 2000 rotates a left-move gear 1416, thereby increasing the distance between the haptic actuator 1400 and another haptic actuator 1403 positioned to the left of the haptic actuator 1400. can tighten

In another example, the wearable device 2000 rotates a down-move gear 1414 to increase the distance between the haptic actuator 1400 and another haptic actuator 1404 positioned below the haptic actuator 1400. can tighten

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator until it reaches the target contact pressure by adjusting a distance between the haptic actuator and other adjacent haptic actuators.

15 is a diagram for explaining another structure for adjusting a distance between a haptic actuator and other adjacent haptic actuators in a wearable device according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may include an electromagnet 1510 attached to the haptic actuator 1500 . The electromagnet 1510 may include an S pole 1512 and an N pole 1514 . Depending on the direction of the current flowing through the electromagnet 1510, the positions of the S pole 1512 and the N pole 1514 may change.

The wearable device 2000 may move the haptic actuator 1500 attached to the electromagnet by controlling a current flowing through the electromagnet 1510 .

For example, the wearable device 2000 may control the position of the haptic actuator attached to the electromagnet to move upward to the right by controlling the current flowing through the electromagnet 1510 . In this case, current may flow through the other haptic actuators 1501 and 1502 to have polarities opposite to those of the haptic actuator 1500 . In this case, a distance between the haptic actuator 1500 and the other haptic actuators 1501 and 1502 may decrease.

The wearable device 2000 according to an embodiment may adjust the distance between the haptic actuators by decreasing or increasing the distance between the haptic actuators so that the haptic actuators are brought into contact with the user's body with a target contact pressure value.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a distance between a plurality of haptic actuators in order to adjust a current contact pressure of the plurality of haptic actuators by a wearable device according to an embodiment.

In an embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may measure a current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators by using a pressure sensor corresponding to each of the plurality of haptic actuators.

The wearable device 2000 may select one or more haptic actuators to adjust the current contact pressure from among the plurality of haptic actuators, based on the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators.

For example, as a result of the wearable device 2000 measuring the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators, some haptic actuators may be the haptic actuators 1610 that are incompletely in contact with the user's skin.

In another example, as a result of the wearable device 2000 measuring the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators, some other haptic actuators may be the haptic actuators 1620 that do not come into contact with the user's skin.

The wearable device 2000 may select incompletely contacted haptic actuators 1610 and non-contacted haptic actuators 1620 from among a plurality of haptic actuators.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the contact pressure of the incompletely contacted haptic actuators 1610 and non-contacted haptic actuators 1620 to a target contact pressure.

The wearable device 2000 adjusts the distance between the haptic actuators of the selected incompletely contacted haptic actuators 1610 and the non-contacted haptic actuators 1620, thereby controlling the incompletely contacted haptic actuators 1610 and the non-contacted haptic actuators 1610. The current contact pressure of the haptic actuators 1620 can be adjusted. In this case, the wearable device 2000 may adjust the distance between the haptic actuators using a gear box or an electromagnet according to the above-described embodiments.

17A is a diagram for explaining a mounting structure of haptic actuators when a wearable device is a smart garment according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, wearable device 2000 may be smart garment 1700 .

The smart clothing 1700 according to an embodiment may include at least a battery 1710, a processor 1720, and a haptic actuator 1730. The battery may supply power necessary for the processor 1700 to control the smart clothing 1700. The processor 1700 may control the haptic actuator 1730 to generate haptic feedback. Also, the processor 1700 may adjust intervals between the plurality of haptic actuators so that the haptic actuators may contact the user's body with a target contact pressure.

A sensing unit may be attached to the haptic actuator 1730 to obtain multiple types of sensor data. For example, the sensing unit may include a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor according to the above-described embodiments.

In one embodiment, smart garment 1700 can be comprised of outer skin 1702 and inner skin 1704 . In this case, a plurality of haptic actuators may be mounted on the inner skin 1704 of the smart garment 1700. The smart garment 1700 may provide haptic feedback to a user wearing the smart garment 1700 by using a plurality of haptic actuators disposed on the inner skin 1704 of the smart garment 1700 .

17B is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator using a fluid pressure when a wearable device is a smart garment according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, a sensing unit may be attached to the haptic actuator 1730 . The sensing unit may include multiple types of sensors, and may obtain multiple types of sensor data using the multiple types of sensors. For example, the sensing unit may include a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

In one embodiment, the inner skin 1704 of the smart garment 1700 can include fluid pockets expandable by fluid. In this case, the smart clothing 1700 may further include a fluid pump for injecting fluid into the fluid pocket.

The processor 1720 of the smart garment 1700 may control the fluid pump so that fluid is injected into the fluid pocket or fluid is extracted from the fluid pocket. The processor 1720 may control the haptic actuator 1730 to come into contact with the user's body by injecting fluid into the fluid pocket and expanding the fluid pocket.

When the haptic actuators come into contact with the user's body, the processor 1720 may obtain multiple types of sensor data using multiple types of sensors included in the sensing unit. The processor 1720 may calculate a target contact pressure value according to the above-described embodiments, based on a plurality of types of sensor data. When the target contact pressure value is calculated and updated, the processor 1720 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator so that the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator becomes the updated target contact pressure value. In this case, the processor 1720 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator by injecting fluid into the fluid pocket or extracting fluid from the fluid pocket.

FIG. 17C is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by adjusting an interval between haptic actuators when the wearable device is a smart garment according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, a gear box may be connected to the haptic actuator 1730 included in the smart clothing 1700. Also, a sensing unit may be in contact with the haptic actuator 1730 . The sensing unit may include multiple types of sensors and acquire multiple types of sensor data. For example, the sensing unit may include a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

The processor 1720 may measure the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators by using a pressure sensor corresponding to each of the plurality of haptic actuators.

The processor 1720 may select one or more haptic actuators to adjust the current contact pressure from among the plurality of haptic actuators, based on the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators.

The processor 1720 may adjust the current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators to be the target contact pressure. Since this has been described in the description of FIG. 16, the same description will be omitted.

18A is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator using a fluid pressure when the wearable device is a smart watch according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may be a smart watch 1800.

The smart watch 1800 according to an embodiment may include at least a strap 1810, a fluid pocket 1820, a strap adjusting unit 1830, a sensing unit 1840, and a haptic actuator 1850.

In one embodiment, a plurality of haptic actuators 1850 may be arranged in strap 1810 . In addition, a fluid pocket 1820 expandable by a fluid may be attached to the strap 1810 .

In one embodiment, the strap adjuster 1830 may include a cylinder 1832 for injecting fluid into the fluid pocket 1820 , a fluid pump 1834 and a piston 1836 . The strap adjuster 1830 may inject fluid into the fluid pocket 1820 or extract fluid from the fluid pocket 1820 using the cylinder 1832 , the fluid pump 1834 , and the piston 1836 .

In one embodiment, a sensing unit 1840 may be attached to the haptic actuator 1850 . The sensing unit 1840 may include multiple types of sensors, and may acquire multiple types of sensor data using multiple types of sensors. For example, the sensing unit 1840 may include a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

The smart watch 1800 may control the fluid to be injected into the fluid pocket 1820 or the fluid to be extracted from the fluid pocket 1820 by using the strap adjuster 1830 . The smart watch 1800 may inject fluid into the fluid pocket 1820 to expand the fluid pocket 1820, thereby controlling the haptic actuator 1850 to come into contact with the user's body.

When the haptic actuators come into contact with the user's body, the smart watch 1800 may acquire multiple types of sensor data using multiple types of sensors included in the sensing unit 1840 . The smart watch 1800 may calculate a target contact pressure value according to the above-described embodiments, based on multiple types of sensor data. When the target contact pressure value is calculated and updated, the smart watch 1800 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1850 so that the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1850 becomes the updated target contact pressure value. In this case, the smart watch 1800 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1850 by injecting fluid into the fluid pocket or extracting fluid from the fluid pocket using the strap adjuster 1830 .

18B is a diagram for explaining another method of adjusting the current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by adjusting the length of a strap when the wearable device is a smart watch according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may be a smart watch 1800.

The smart watch 1800 according to an embodiment may include at least a strap 1810, a strap adjusting unit 1860, a sensing unit 1840, and a haptic actuator 1850.

In one embodiment, a plurality of haptic actuators 1850 may be arranged in strap 1810 .

In one embodiment, strap adjuster 1860 may include a gear box 1864 that includes a spring 1862 and one or more gears to adjust the length of strap 1810 . The strap adjusting unit 1860 may adjust the length of the strap 1810 by pulling or loosening the spring 1862 using the gear box 1864 .

In one embodiment, a sensing unit 1840 may be attached to the haptic actuator 1850 . The sensing unit 1840 may include multiple types of sensors, and may acquire multiple types of sensor data using multiple types of sensors. For example, the sensing unit 1840 may include a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

The smart watch 1800 may adjust the length of the strap 1810 using the strap adjusting unit 1860 . The smart watch 1800 rotates one or more gears included in the gearbox 1864 so that the spring 1862 is pulled, thereby adjusting the length of the strap 1810 to be short so that the haptic actuator 1850 is attached to the user's body. contact can be controlled.

When the haptic actuators come into contact with the user's body, the smart watch 1800 may acquire multiple types of sensor data using multiple types of sensors included in the sensing unit 1840 . The smart watch 1800 may calculate a target contact pressure value according to the above-described embodiments, based on multiple types of sensor data. When the target contact pressure value is calculated and updated, the smart watch 1800 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1850 so that the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1850 becomes the updated target contact pressure value. In this case, the smart watch 1800 may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1850 by tightening the length of the strap 1810 or loosening the length of the strap 1810 using the strap adjusting unit 1860. have.

19 is a diagram for explaining a method of adjusting a current contact pressure of a haptic actuator by applying pressure to the haptic actuator when the wearable device is a head-mounted display according to an embodiment.

In one embodiment, the wearable device 2000 may be a head mounted display 1900.

The head mounted display 1900 according to an embodiment may include at least a pad 1910, a pressure unit 1920, a support member 1930, a sensing unit 1940, and a haptic actuator 1950. The head mounted display 1900 according to an embodiment may adjust the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator 1950 by applying pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 included in the head mounted display 1900 .

In one embodiment, the pad 1910 may contact the user's body. Also, a plurality of haptic actuators 1950 may be arranged on a surface opposite to the contact surface on which the pad 1910 comes into contact with the user's body.

In one embodiment, the pressure means 1920 may apply pressure toward the haptic actuator included in the pad to bring the haptic actuator into close contact with the user's body.

The support member 1930 may support the pressure means 1920 for applying pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 .

In one embodiment, a sensing unit 1940 may be attached to the haptic actuator 1950 . The sensing unit 1940 may include multiple types of sensors, and may acquire multiple types of sensor data using multiple types of sensors. For example, the sensing unit 1940 may include a biosensor, a pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor.

The head mounted display 1900 may control the haptic actuator 1950 to come into contact with the user's body by applying pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 using the pressure means 1920 .

For example, referring to block 1902, the head mounted display 1900 may apply pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 using the pressure means 1920 to cause the haptic actuator 1950 to contact the user's forehead. can Also, referring to block 1904, the head mounted display 1900 applies pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 using the pressure means 1920 to bring the haptic actuator 1950 into contact with the user's nose and cheekbones. can

In one embodiment, the pressure means 1920 may include various structures capable of applying pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 . For example, the pressure means 1920 may be a hydraulic type pressure means, a spring, a shape memory alloy spring, etc., but is not limited thereto.

For convenience of description, if the pressure unit 1920 is a shape memory alloy spring as an example, the head mounted display 1900 applies pressure to the haptic actuator 1950 by heating the shape memory alloy spring, thereby causing the haptic actuator ( 1950) can be controlled to come into contact with the user's body.

20 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server according to an embodiment.

The server 3000 according to an embodiment may be interconnected with the wearable device 2000 through wired communication or wireless communication and perform data communication.

The server 3000 according to an embodiment may include at least a communication interface 3100, a DB 3200, a memory 3300, and a processor 3400.

The communication interface 3100 according to an embodiment includes a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a value added network (VAN), a mobile radio communication network, It may include one or more components that enable communication via satellite communications networks and their mutual combinations.

The communication interface 3100 according to an embodiment may transmit an artificial intelligence model for determining a target contact pressure to the wearable device 2000 . In addition, the communication interface 3100 receives the user's profile data and biometric data from the wearable device 2000, and calculates the target contact pressure using an artificial intelligence model for determining the target contact pressure stored in the server 3000. It can be transmitted to the wearable device 2000. Also, the communication interface 3100 may receive an artificial intelligence model for determining a target contact pressure from the wearable device 2000 and transmit the updated artificial intelligence model to the wearable device 2000 .

The DB 3200 may store data received from the wearable device 2000 . The DB 3200 may store an artificial intelligence model generated through learning in the server 3000 and a training data set to be used for learning the artificial intelligence model.

The memory 3300 may store various data, programs, or applications for driving and controlling the server 3000 . A program stored in memory 3300 may include one or more instructions. A program (one or more instructions) or application stored in memory 3300 may be executed by processor 3400 . A module performing the same function as a module stored in the wearable device 2000 may be stored in the memory 3300 . For example, data and program instruction codes corresponding to a sensor data analysis module (not shown) and a target contact pressure determination module (not shown) may be stored in the memory 3300 .

The processor 3400 may control the server 3000 as a whole. The processor 3400 according to an embodiment may execute one or more programs stored in the memory 3300.

The processor 3400 according to an embodiment is designed as an application processor (AP), a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processor, or a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. It may include a processor dedicated to artificial intelligence.

The processor 3400 may perform operations that can be performed by the wearable device 2000 according to the above-described embodiments.

The processor 3400 may calculate a target contact pressure, which is a pressure at which the haptic actuator of the wearable device 2000 is set to contact the user's body. The processor 3400 receives the user's profile data and biometric data from the wearable device 2000, and uses the artificial intelligence model for determining the target contact pressure stored in the DB 3200 to generate the haptic actuator of the wearable device 2000. It is possible to obtain a target contact pressure for Since the method of acquiring the target contact pressure by the server 3000 corresponds to the method of obtaining the target contact pressure by the wearable device 2000, the same description will be omitted.

The processor 3400 may generate an artificial intelligence model for determining the target contact pressure by performing learning using the user's profile data and biometric data stored in the DB 3200 . The generated artificial intelligence model may be transmitted to the wearable device 2000 .

The processor 3400 may receive from the wearable device 2000 a plurality of sensor data data obtained as the user actually uses the wearable device 2000 and update an artificial intelligence model for determining a target contact pressure.

Meanwhile, a block diagram of the wearable device 2000 shown in FIG. 2 and a block diagram of the server 3000 shown in FIG. 24 are block diagrams for one embodiment. Each component of the block diagram may be integrated, added, or omitted according to the specifications of each device actually implemented. That is, if necessary, two or more components may be combined into one component, or one component may be subdivided into two or more components. In addition, the functions performed in each block are for explaining the embodiments, and the specific operation or device does not limit the scope of the present invention.

A method of operating a wearable device according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the present invention or those known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. - includes hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, as well as machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler.

Also, the operating method of the wearable device according to the disclosed embodiments may be included in a computer program product and provided. Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities.

A computer program product may include a S/W program and a computer-readable storage medium in which the S/W program is stored. For example, the computer program product may include a product in the form of a S/W program (eg, a downloadable app) that is distributed electronically through a wearable device manufacturer or an electronic marketplace (eg, Google Play Store, App Store). have. For electronic distribution, at least a part of the S/W program may be stored in a storage medium or temporarily generated. In this case, the storage medium may be a storage medium of a manufacturer's server, an electronic market server, or a relay server temporarily storing SW programs.

A computer program product may include a storage medium of a server or a storage medium of a client device in a system composed of a server and a client device. Alternatively, if there is a third device (eg, a smart phone) that is communicatively connected to the server or the client device, the computer program product may include a storage medium of the third device. Alternatively, the computer program product may include a S/W program itself transmitted from the server to the client device or the third device or from the third device to the client device.

In this case, one of the server, the client device and the third device may execute the computer program product to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments. Alternatively, two or more of the server, the client device, and the third device may execute the computer program product to implement the method according to the disclosed embodiments in a distributed manner.

For example, a server (eg, a cloud server or an artificial intelligence server) may execute a computer program product stored in the server to control a client device communicatively connected to the server to perform a method according to the disclosed embodiments.

Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also within the scope of the present invention. belongs to

Claims (20)

In a wearable device providing haptic feedback,
Including a sensing unit for obtaining a plurality of types of sensor data, wherein the sensing unit,
one or more biosensors that acquire user's biometric data; and
one or more pressure sensors that obtain contact pressure data applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators;
one or more haptic actuators providing haptic feedback to the user;
a memory that stores one or more instructions; and
one or more processors that execute instructions stored in the memory, the one or more processors comprising:
obtaining profile data of the user;
Obtaining biometric data of the user from the one or more biosensors;
Calculate a target contact pressure to be applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators based on the user's profile data and the biometric data;
measuring a current contact pressure applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators using the one or more pressure sensors;
Adjusting the current contact pressure of the one or more haptic actuators based on the current contact pressure and the target contact pressure.
According to claim 1,
The user's biometric data includes sensor data for identifying at least one of the user's skin condition and the user's activity state;
The user profile data includes information on at least one of age, gender, body attributes, and skin type of the user.
According to claim 2,
The one or more processors,
Wherein the wearable device obtains the target contact pressure by applying the profile data of the user, the identified skin condition, and the identified activity state to an artificial intelligence model trained to determine the target contact pressure.
According to claim 1,
the one or more haptic actuators are a plurality of haptic actuators, the one or more pressure sensors are a plurality of pressure sensors, the one or more biosensors are a plurality of biosensors,
The one or more processors,
calculating a target contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators based on the user's profile data and the biometric data;
The wearable device measuring the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators using the plurality of pressure sensors.
According to claim 4,
The one or more processors,
Based on the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators, selecting one or more haptic actuators to adjust the current contact pressure of the plurality of haptic actuators;
A wearable device that adjusts the current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators.
According to claim 5,
The one or more processors,
Based on the biometric data, identifying whether the user's skin condition has changed;
When it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed, target contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators is changed based on the user's profile data and the biometric data;
Readjusting the current contact pressure of at least some of the plurality of haptic actuators, the wearable device.
According to claim 5,
The one or more processors,
Based on at least some of the plurality of types of sensor data acquired from the sensing unit, it is identified whether the activity state of the user has changed;
When it is identified that the activity state of the user is changed, the wearable device changes the target contact pressure based on a degree of change in the target contact pressure until the activity state of the user is changed.
According to claim 7,
The one or more processors,
Readjusting the current contact pressure of at least some of the plurality of haptic actuators based on the updated target contact pressure and the current contact pressure sensed from the pressure sensor, the wearable device.
According to claim 5,
The one or more processors,
A wearable device that adjusts a current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators by adjusting a distance between the selected one or more haptic actuators and other adjacent haptic actuators.
According to claim 5,
The one or more processors,
A wearable device that adjusts a current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators by applying pressure to the selected one or more haptic actuators.
A method for a wearable device to provide haptic feedback,
obtaining user profile data;
obtaining biometric data of a user by using one or more biosensors;
calculating a target contact pressure to be applied to the user's body by one or more haptic actuators based on the user's profile data and the biometric data;
measuring, using one or more pressure sensors, a current contact pressure applied to the user's body by the one or more haptic actuators; and
adjusting a current contact pressure of the one or more haptic actuators based on the current contact pressure and the target contact pressure.
According to claim 11,
The user's biometric data includes sensor data for identifying at least one of the user's skin condition and the user's activity state;
The user profile data includes information on at least one of age, gender, body attributes, and skin type of the user.
According to claim 12,
Calculating the target contact pressure,
obtaining the target contact pressure by applying the user's profile data, the identified skin condition and the identified activity state to an artificial intelligence model trained to determine the target contact pressure.
According to claim 11,
the one or more haptic actuators are a plurality of haptic actuators, the one or more pressure sensors are a plurality of pressure sensors, the one or more biosensors are a plurality of biosensors,
Calculating the target contact pressure,
Calculating a target contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators based on the user's profile data and the biometric data;
The step of measuring the current contact pressure,
measuring a current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators using the plurality of pressure sensors.
According to claim 14,
based on the current contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators, selecting one or more haptic actuators to adjust the current contact pressure of the plurality of haptic actuators;
Adjusting the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator,
adjusting the current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators.
According to claim 15,
Based on the biometric data, further comprising identifying whether the user's skin condition has changed,
Calculating the target contact pressure,
changing a target contact pressure of each of the plurality of haptic actuators based on the user's profile data and the biometric data when it is identified that the user's skin condition is changed;
Adjusting the current contact pressure of the haptic actuator,
readjusting the current contact pressure of at least some of the plurality of haptic actuators.
According to claim 15,
obtaining multiple types of sensors from the sensing unit; and
Further comprising identifying whether an activity state of the user has changed based on at least some of the plurality of types of sensor data obtained from the sensing unit;
Calculating the target contact pressure,
When it is identified that the user's activity state is changed, the target contact pressure is changed based on a degree of change in the target contact pressure until the user's activity state is changed.
According to claim 17,
Adjusting the current contact pressure,
readjusting a current contact pressure of at least some of the plurality of haptic actuators based on the changed target contact pressure and the current contact pressure sensed from the pressure sensor.
According to claim 15,
Adjusting the current contact pressure,
adjusting a current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators by adjusting a distance between the selected one or more haptic actuators and other adjacent haptic actuators.
According to claim 15,
Adjusting the current contact pressure,
adjusting a current contact pressure of the selected one or more haptic actuators by applying pressure against the selected one or more haptic actuators.

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