NL1041425B1 - Haptic communication system, method and device for caressing a hand. - Google Patents
Haptic communication system, method and device for caressing a hand. Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- NL1041425B1 NL1041425B1 NL1041425A NL1041425A NL1041425B1 NL 1041425 B1 NL1041425 B1 NL 1041425B1 NL 1041425 A NL1041425 A NL 1041425A NL 1041425 A NL1041425 A NL 1041425A NL 1041425 B1 NL1041425 B1 NL 1041425B1
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- Prior art keywords
- hand
- stroking
- external surface
- touch
- vibration
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Abstract
The invention relates to a social touch communication system for hand stroking. A social touch communication system for stroking is a system that can communicate the sense of touch through interactive surfaces, comprising two devices in communication with each other. Simulation of stroking through the surfaces is achieved by at least one actuator in each device vibrating across said surfaces, and two users, one on each device, holding and/or stroking said surfaces.
Description
Haptic communication system, method and device for caressing a hand
The invention relates to a hand stroking communication system. A hand stroking communication system is a system that can communicate the sense of being stroked through interactive surfaces, comprising two devices in communication with each other (or a device in communication with a virtual reality). Simulation of hand stroking through the surfaces is achieved by at least one actuator in each device actuating across said surfaces, and two users, one on each device, holding and/or stroking said surfaces.
The invention aims at a cost effective and/or reliable system which gives users a hand stroking sensing experience through hand stroking which is as natural as possible.
According to the invention, the system comprises a computer network comprising at least one computer or mobile device (e.g. smartphone or tablet) having a processing unit, and two hand stroking input/output devices connected to said computer network at different locations, and computer software arranged to run on said computer processing unit, said hand stroking input/output devices each comprising: a housing designed to be held comfortably by a human hand; one or more touch sensors, at least one actuator in said housing, wherein said actuators comprise a set of vibration motors, and a touch member having an outer surface, said touch member being arranged to be moved through vibration at different locations, such that a user can feel being stroked by touching said outer surface; said actuator being provided by said touch sensors, with means arranged to determine continuously whether it is touched or stroked by the user, and means arranged to communicate continuously the positions it is being touched on said outer surface to said computer processing unit; wherein said computer software is arranged to use said positions, of two corresponding actuators in said two devices to vibrate the next position on outer surfaces, one for each of said actuators, and to communicate said next positions to the respective actuators; and wherein said actuators are arranged to vibrate said outer surfaces instantly at the corresponding positions.
Preferably said hand stroking input/output devices are substantially identical and each device comprises a multitude of said touch sensors and actuators, wherein said software is arranged to communicate said positions between each one touch sensor in one device and the corresponding actuator in the other device.
Said hand stroking input / output devices can have various dimensions so as to fit a child or adult person's hand, wherein said multitude of sensors and actuators are arranged such that the outer surfaces of said sensors and actuators extend in a substantially curved surface and can simultaneously touch all different parts of said hand, being at least the inner parts of the five fingers and the palm of said hand.
Said outer surfaces of said multitude of actuators are preferably covered by one flexible membrane, for instance a rubber membrane, where said membrane is preferably touch sensitive.
Said computer software is preferably arranged to calculate said two next vibrational positions of said outer surfaces such, that if a position is determined in one of said sensors, the corresponding actuator is brought to vibration, instantly or as quickly as the actuator allows, and the same occurs vice versa, from the corresponding sensor to the first, such that a smooth natural feeling of caressing is experienced by users operating the devices as if their two hands were in mutual physical contact.
Optionally, in order to even further extend the use of the hand stroking communication system, it may be possible to arrange the computer programme such that predetermined vibrational position changes are used, for instance in accordance with a corresponding audio and/or visual recording, or that vibrational position changes occur in accordance with input from a visual reality system, for instance when the user operating one device is not a human but a virtual character.
The invention furthermore relates to a hand stroking input/output device comprising: a housing designed to be held comfortably by a human hand ; one or more touch sensors, at least one actuator in said housing; wherein said actuator comprises at least one vibration motor, and a touch member having an outer surface, said touch member being arranged to be moved through vibration at different positions, such that a user can feel the vibrational position change by touching said outer surface; said touch sensor being provided with means arranged to determine continuously the position being touched on said outer surface, and means arranged to communicate continuously said position to a computer processing unit; and wherein said actuator is arranged to move said outer surface instantly through vibration at the communicated next position.
Furthermore the invention relates to a method for communicating hand stroking between two persons, or between a person and a virtual character, using a hand stroking communication system comprising a computer network comprising at least one computer having a processing unit, and two hand stroking input / output devices connected to said computer network at different locations, and computer software running on said computer processing unit, said hand stroking input / output devices each comprising: a housing designed to be held comfortably by a human hand ; at least one touch sensor, at least one actuator in said housing, wherein said actuator comprises at least one vibration motor; and a touch member having an outer surface, said touch member being arranged to be moved through vibration at different positions, such that a user feels said vibrational position change by touching said outer surface and can touch said touch sensors in order to provide it with the user's own touch positions; said sensor being provided with means which determine continuously the position being touched on said outer surface, and means which communicate continuously said position to said computer processing unit; wherein said computer software uses said position to calculate two next vibrational position of outer surfaces, and communicates said next position to the respective actuator; and wherein said actuators move said outer surface instantly through vibration at the calculated and communicated next position.
The invention also relates to a computer software programme arranged to carry out the method, as well as to a hand stroking input / output device in combination with such a computer software programme.
The invention will now be described by means of a preferred embodiment, with reference to the drawings, wherein :
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hand stroking device used in the system of the invention;
Figure 2 is a view on how the device in figure 1 is held by the hand;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of how the device in figure 1 is stroked;
Figure 4 is a perspective explosion view of the device in figure 1;
Figure 5 is a sectional explosion view of the actuating components;
Figure 6 is a schematic view of a system according to the invention.
According to figure 1 and 2 the hand stroking device comprises a housing, which can be placed stably on a table and which can be picked up and held by a hand. The shell is provided with surface areas for the exchange of stroking between the hand and the device.
The shape and dimensions of the housing can vary in size, so as to be held easily by the hand of a person of any age, child or adult. According to figure 3,4 and 5, the primary surface for sensing the stroking effected by the first user is the area on top, and the surface for actuating the stroking to receiving user two is the surface that touches part of the back of the hand. However, the stroking areas, both sensing and actuating, can in principle be any area of the device, and the device can be altered in shape to touch any area of the hand. The device is suited for both left and right handed people.
As shown in figure 4, the device comprises a partial housing 1, for instance compressible to mimic touching a human hand, a touch sensitive surface to register the flow and direction of the stroking, a partial lever 3, vibration motors 4, the remaining part of the lever 5 and the remaining part of the housing 6. Each vibration motor on one device corresponds with part of the touch sensitive surface on the other device. As shown in figure 5, the vibration motors are placed in a row (or in any array if there is more than one row), in distinct places each of them, with partial housing in between. This is to enhance the user's capability of sensing the distinct locations being actuated.
The working principle of the hand stroking communication system is such that once a user holds a device that is in communication with another device, the stroking of that user, as measured by touch sensitive area 2, is communicated to the other device, and the stroking actuators, for instance vibration motors, in the other device are brought to actuate corresponding with the first user's stroking movement, so that the other user can feel the stroking of the first user's hand. The same happens in the other direction, i.e. the first user can feel the stroking of the other user's hand because the vibration motors of the first user's device are actuated according to the stroking movement of the other user's hand.
As mentioned, the actuators, for instance vibration motors, can be placed elsewhere on the device, and can be placed in arrays as well as lines, and the touch sensitive surface can be placed on any part of the device, as long as it can be stroked by the user's hand, and as long as the vibration motors' vibrations can be felt by part of the user's hand.
Figure 6 shows the system of the invention, wherein two smartphones, tablets or personal computers 21 are connected through the internet 20, and each smartphone, tablet or personal computer 21 is connected to a hand stroking device 100 as described hereinbefore.
It is noted explicitly that any one side of figure 6 can be virtual, in the sense that a human hand can stroke or feel stroked by a virtual character, this virtual character being either humanlike or non-humanlike, in which case there would not be two devices communicating between each other, but only one, communicating with a hand or corresponding body part inside a virtual reality.
Also noted is that the processing unit normally found in a computer, tablet or smartphone can also be placed inside the hand stroking input/output device itself, thereby eliminating the need for a wireless connection between the social touch device and a separate computer or mobile device, and schematically creating a direct link between the social touch device and the internet.
The invention has thus been described by means of a preferred embodiment. It is to be understood, however, that this disclosure is merely illustrative, and extends to other embodiments, including gloves. Various details of the structure and function were presented, but changes made therein, to the full extent extended by the general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed, are understood to be within the principle of the present invention. The description and drawings shall be used to interpret the claims. The claims should not be interpreted as meaning that the extent of the protection sought is to be understood as that defined by the strict, literal meaning of the wording used in the claims, the description and drawings being employed only for the purpose of resolving an ambiguity found in the claims. For the purpose of determining the extent of protection sought by the claims, due account shall be taken of any element which is equivalent to an element specified therein.
Claims (13)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL1041425A NL1041425B1 (en) | 2015-08-13 | 2015-08-13 | Haptic communication system, method and device for caressing a hand. |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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NL1041425A NL1041425B1 (en) | 2015-08-13 | 2015-08-13 | Haptic communication system, method and device for caressing a hand. |
Publications (1)
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NL1041425B1 true NL1041425B1 (en) | 2017-02-28 |
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NL1041425A NL1041425B1 (en) | 2015-08-13 | 2015-08-13 | Haptic communication system, method and device for caressing a hand. |
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Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11205329B2 (en) | 2018-03-16 | 2021-12-21 | The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University | Haptic devices to create the sensation of continuous lateral motion |
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2015
- 2015-08-13 NL NL1041425A patent/NL1041425B1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11205329B2 (en) | 2018-03-16 | 2021-12-21 | The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University | Haptic devices to create the sensation of continuous lateral motion |
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Date | Code | Title | Description |
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MM | Lapsed because of non-payment of the annual fee |
Effective date: 20200901 |