WO2021225241A1

WO2021225241A1 - Method for providing customized haptic effect, and system using same

Info

Publication number: WO2021225241A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/016801
Authority: WO
Inventors: 고기남
Original assignee: 플레이스비 주식회사
Priority date: 2020-05-08
Filing date: 2020-11-25
Publication date: 2021-11-11
Also published as: KR102154337B1

Abstract

According to the present invention, proposed is a method characterized by comprising the steps in which: when assuming that a main haptic unit includes a pressure sensor for detecting a gripping force of a finger of a user and a haptic actuator which generates a force to push the finger of the user according to a displacement generated by the gripping force of the user, the main haptic unit causes a haptic controller to acquire a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force using the pressure sensor so as to transmit the sensing signal to a main terminal, and causes the main terminal to determine a pressure level on the basis of the sensing signal; and the haptic controller receives, from the main terminal, a haptic signal for a haptic effect determined on the basis of the pressure level and the characteristics of a virtual object, and operates the main haptic unit using the haptic signal.

Description

Method for providing customized haptic effect and system using same

The present invention relates to a method for providing a customized haptic effect, wherein a body portion providing a place for gripping by a user's hand is present in a haptic controller, and the user interacts with a virtual object on a screen of a main terminal while holding the body portion In the working state, there is a main haptic unit located inside the body unit and providing haptic feedback corresponding to a displacement generated according to a gripping force of the user's finger, wherein the main haptic unit detects a gripping force of the user's finger. When a haptic actuator for generating a force for pushing the user's finger according to a displacement generated by the user's gripping force is included, the haptic controller uses the pressure sensor to determine the magnitude of the gripping force. obtaining a sensing signal corresponding to , transmitting the sensing signal to the main terminal, and allowing the main terminal to determine a pressure level based on the sensing signal; and receiving, by the haptic controller, a haptic signal for a haptic effect determined based on the pressure level and characteristics of the virtual object from the main terminal, and operating the main haptic unit using the haptic signal, The haptic actuator includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion that provides linear movement force of the contact portion backward and forward according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the contact portion and the actuator portion while accommodating the contact portion therein. It relates to a method characterized in that the contact portion comprises a housing for accommodating the inside and outside of the body portion to advance and backward a predetermined distance possible.

In order to increase the sense of immersion and presence in the virtual reality environment in connection with virtual reality, natural user interface technology using both hands and various technologies to provide haptic feedback such as tactile sensation and kinesthetic sensation are being researched and developed. .

In the case of a user interface equipped with a vibration element, haptic feedback is provided by modulating a vibration pattern, such as notifying the start/end or end of an interaction or whether an interface is operated. However, this method has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to provide realistic feedback due to the absence of kinesthetic feedback.

A glove or exoskeleton type user interface has been proposed to provide a sense of gripping an object in virtual reality, and a kinesthetic sense such as gripping or pressing with force. Use restrictions apply.

In addition, there is a technology that provides tactile and vibration feedback according to the movement of the interaction controller through a haptic actuator and a vibration actuator, but here, it is assumed that the user simply grips with his or her fingers or does not grip. That is, feedback according to the degree of the user's finger gripping force is not provided, and thus immersion and a sense of reality may be somewhat reduced.

Accordingly, the present inventors intend to provide a method for providing a customized haptic effect and a system using the same.

An object of the present invention is to solve all of the above problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide different haptic feedbacks according to a user's finger gripping force.

Another object of the present invention is to provide haptic feedback corresponding to each user in consideration of different pressures (holding force) for each user.

Another object of the present invention is to provide various haptic feedbacks using a plurality of haptic controllers.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention as described above and to realize the characteristic effects of the present invention to be described later, the characteristic configuration of the present invention is as follows.

According to an aspect of the present invention, in a method for providing a customized haptic effect, there is a body portion providing a place for gripping by a user's hand in a haptic controller, and the user holds the body portion while holding the screen of the main terminal In the state of interacting with the virtual object on the upper body, there is a main haptic unit located inside the body unit and providing haptic feedback corresponding to a displacement generated according to a gripping force of the user's finger, the main haptic unit comprising: Assuming that it includes a pressure sensor for detecting a gripping force of a finger and a haptic actuator that generates a force to push the user's finger according to a displacement generated by the user's gripping force, the haptic controller uses the pressure sensor obtaining a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force, transmitting the sensing signal to the main terminal, and causing the main terminal to determine a pressure level based on the sensing signal; and receiving, by the haptic controller, a haptic signal for a haptic effect determined based on the pressure level and characteristics of the virtual object from the main terminal, and operating the main haptic unit using the haptic signal, The haptic actuator includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion that provides linear movement force of the contact portion backward and forward according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the contact portion and the actuator portion while accommodating the contact portion therein. There is provided a method, characterized in that the contact portion includes a housing for accommodating the body portion so as to be moved forward and backward a predetermined distance in and out of the body portion.

Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the haptic system for providing a customized haptic effect, there is a body portion that provides a place for gripping by the user's hand, and the user holds the body portion while holding the screen of the main terminal. In a state interacting with the virtual object on the image, i) the body portion; It is located inside the body portion and provides haptic feedback corresponding to the displacement generated according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and a pressure sensor for detecting the gripping force of the user's finger and the displacement generated by the user's gripping force. a main haptic unit including a haptic actuator that generates a force to push the user's finger in response; and a control unit configured to acquire a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force using the pressure sensor, transmit the sensing signal to a main terminal, and receive a haptic signal from the main terminal to operate the main haptic unit, wherein The haptic actuator includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion that provides rectilinear movement force of the contact portion backward and forward according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the contact portion while accommodating the contact portion and the actuator portion therein. a haptic controller including a housing for accommodating the body to move forward and backward by a predetermined distance, ii) determine a pressure level based on the sensing signal, and haptic based on the pressure level and characteristics of the virtual object There is provided a haptic system comprising the main terminal for determining an effect and transmitting a haptic signal to the haptic controller.

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained.

The present invention has an effect of providing different haptic feedbacks according to the user's finger gripping force.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of providing haptic feedback corresponding to each user in consideration of different pressures (holding force) for each user.

In addition, the present invention has an effect of providing various haptic feedback using a plurality of haptic controllers.

1 is a diagram illustrating a haptic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a user grips a haptic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating an operating principle of a haptic actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a haptic system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a state in which the body portion 110 and the auxiliary body portion 120 are coupled according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating a process until a haptic effect is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a diagram illustrating a haptic effect stored according to a gripping force and a virtual object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a diagram illustrating a process of providing a haptic effect related to a downloaded virtual object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0023] Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which show by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein with respect to one embodiment may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, it should be understood that the location or arrangement of individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the detailed description set forth below is not intended to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the invention, if properly described, is limited only by the appended claims, along with all scope equivalents to those claimed. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same or similar functions throughout the various aspects.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to easily practice the present invention.

2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a user grips a haptic controller according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, in Fig. 2(A), a general gripping state by the user's hand, (B) a state in which the thumb is in contact with the motion sensor unit, and (C) a thumb position at the thumb position of the first haptic unit Each state is indicated.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the haptic controller 100 according to the present invention includes a body part 110 that provides a place for gripping by the user's hand, and at one side of the body part 110 . It may include an auxiliary body portion 120 that is combined and separated to form one whole body together with the body portion 110 . The auxiliary body 120 will be described later.

The user may interact with the virtual object on the screen of the main terminal 400 while holding the body portion 110 . The main terminal 400 is a device separate from the haptic controller, and includes a memory means and a microprocessor while performing communication such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a workstation, a PDA, a web pad, a mobile phone, a main device, etc. Thus, any digital device having computational capability may be employed as the main terminal 400 according to the present invention.

In addition, wearable devices such as a head mounted device (HMD) may also correspond to the main terminal 400 , and in this case, haptic feedback may be provided by the HMD and the haptic controller 100 . In some cases, the main terminal and the haptic controller may form a single body.

For reference, the virtual object on the screen of the main terminal 400 may correspond to various objects, such as a gun, a tennis racket, and a baseball, and may vary according to the setting of the background displayed on the screen.

Next, the body unit 110 may include a main haptic unit 112 , an auxiliary haptic unit 113 , a motion sensor unit 111 , and the like. For reference, the motion sensor unit 111 may detect the position and posture of the user's hand while being included in the upper end of the body unit 110 . The motion sensor unit 111 may include an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) as a sensor for detecting the position and posture of the entire body including the body unit 110 and the auxiliary body unit 120 .

The main haptic unit 112 is located inside the body unit 110 , and may provide haptic feedback corresponding to a displacement generated according to a gripping force of a user's finger.

The main haptic unit 112 may include a pressure sensor for detecting the gripping force of the user's finger and a haptic actuator 300 for generating a force to push the user's finger according to the displacement generated by the user's gripping force. have. In some cases, a displacement sensor for detecting displacement generated according to the gripping force of the user's finger may also be included in the main haptic unit 112 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the haptic actuator 300 includes a contact portion 310 that is in contact with the user's finger portion, and an actuator portion that provides rectilinear movement force of the contact portion 310 according to the gripping force of the user's finger. 320, the contact part 310 and the actuator part 320 are accommodated therein, and the contact part 310 may be configured to include a housing 330 for accommodating it to move forward and backward by a predetermined distance in and out of the body. Here, a displacement sensor or a pressure sensor may be built in the actuator unit 320 .

3(A) shows a state in which the contact part 310 protrudes forward by receiving a repulsive force, and in FIG.

In addition, when the user interacts with an object on the screen of the main terminal 400 while the user holds the body part 110 inside the body part 110 , the vibration of a pattern corresponding to the user's gesture or content There may be an auxiliary haptic unit 113 that provides

The auxiliary haptic unit 113 vibrates the entire body unit 110 in response to the user's gesture or content when the user interacts with an object on the screen of the main terminal 400 while holding the body unit 110 . It may be configured to include a vibrating element that generates In this case, a piezoelectric vibrator or the like may be used as the vibrating element.

First, the haptic system 10 can be broadly divided into a haptic controller 100 and a main terminal 400 . However, if the main terminal 400 does not include a display device, a separate display device that provides virtual reality or the like should be included in the haptic system 10 .

The haptic controller 100 may include a body part 110 , an auxiliary body part 120 , and the like. A fixing band 114 may be further installed in the body portion 110 to cover the back of the user's hand when the user holds the body portion 110 to strengthen the gripping state of the user's hand.

A control unit 121 may be included in the auxiliary body 120 . The control unit 121 corresponds to a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force obtained using the pressure sensor provided in the main haptic unit 112 and the posture and position of the controller obtained using the motion sensor 111. It is possible to operate the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 by transmitting a motion signal to the main terminal 400 and receiving feedback according to the interaction between the user and the virtual object from the main terminal 400 . .

As shown in FIG. 4 , i) the control unit 121 processes the signals obtained from the motion sensor 111 and the pressure sensor and transmits them to the main terminal 400 , and obtains the signals obtained from the main terminal 400 . A controller 121a that outputs a signal for driving the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 according to information, ii) the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 from the controller 121a driver module 121b to receive and drive a signal for driving, iii) receive a signal from the controller 121a and transmit it to the main terminal 400, and receive a signal from the main terminal 400 to receive a signal from the controller 121a communication module 121c, iv) motion sensor 111, pressure sensor, controller 121a, driver module 121b, communication module 121c, haptic actuator located inside the main haptic unit 112 (300), the auxiliary haptic unit 113 may include a power supply unit 121d for respectively supplying driving power to the vibrating element (113). Here, a microcontroller may be used as the controller 121a, and a dry cell, a battery, a rechargeable battery, etc. may be used as the power supply 121d.

In the above, it was assumed that the components (ex controller, driver module, communication module, power supply) of the control unit 121 are included in the auxiliary body unit 120 , but in some cases, it is not the auxiliary body unit 120 . It may be included in the body part 110 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the haptic controller 100 is configured such that the body part 110 and the auxiliary body part 120 can be disassembled/assembled. For such disassembly/assembly, a coupling protrusion 120t is formed in the auxiliary body 120 , and a coupling hole 110h corresponding to the coupling protrusion 120t is formed at the lower end of the body 110 . can be Conversely, in some cases, a coupling protrusion may be formed at the lower end of the body 110 and a coupling hole may be formed in the auxiliary body 120 . Here, when the body portion 110 and the auxiliary body portion 120 are separated, the body portion 110 (or the auxiliary body portion 120 ) may be used in combination with an external game controller or the like.

Up to this point, the haptic system 10 including the haptic controller 100 and the main terminal 400 of the present invention has been described. Hereinafter, a method for providing haptic feedback using the haptic system 10 will be described.

First, the haptic controller 100 may acquire a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the user's finger gripping force by using the pressure sensor. The pressure sensor may be located in the main haptic unit 112 and may detect the magnitude of the force pressed by the finger. The magnitude of the force measured by the pressure sensor may be set as a sensing signal, but as another embodiment, the displacement value moved by the haptic actuator by the finger may be measured through the displacement sensor, and the displacement value may be set as the sensing signal. will be.

The pressure sensor or the displacement sensor may be measured for each finger, may be measured separately from the thumb and the rest of the fingers, and a measurement method may be diversified according to settings.

Next, the haptic controller 100 may transmit a sensing signal to the main terminal 400 ( S610 ), and cause the main terminal 400 to determine a pressure level based on the sensing signal.

Here, the pressure level may include i) a first pressure level corresponding to a pressure above a predetermined threshold, ii) a second pressure level corresponding to a pressure below a predetermined threshold, and iii) a third pressure level at which no pressure is sensed. . That is, the first pressure level considers a strong pressure, the second pressure level considers a soft pressure, and the third pressure level considers a case where no pressure is applied. As described above, it may be divided into three levels, but may be divided into a plurality of more levels depending on the setting.

For reference, a predetermined threshold that is a criterion for classifying the first pressure level and the second pressure level may be different for each user.

Specifically, the haptic controller 100 may allow the user to grip the body portion 110 with the maximum gripping force, and sense the magnitude of the maximum gripping force through the pressure sensor. The haptic controller 100 transmits the sensed magnitude of the maximum gripping force to the main terminal, and the main terminal 400 determines a predetermined threshold for separating the first pressure level and the second pressure level based on the magnitude of the maximum gripping force. have.

For example, if the magnitude of the sensed maximum gripping force is 10 kgf, the predetermined threshold value is 5 kgf, and may be divided into a first pressure level for a pressure of 5 to 10 kgf and a second pressure level for a pressure of 0 to 5 kgf. In addition, if the magnitude of the sensed maximum gripping force is 20 kgf, the predetermined threshold value is 10 kgf, and may be divided into a first pressure level for a pressure of 10 to 20 kgf and a second pressure level for a pressure of 0 to 10 kgf.

Accordingly, even if the users apply the same force, the first user provides the gripping force corresponding to the first pressure level and the second user provides the gripping force corresponding to the second pressure level, and a haptic effect to be described later may be different.

In the memory 410 of the main terminal 400 , the magnitude of the maximum gripping force for each user, each predetermined threshold value, and the pressure level range may be stored in advance before providing the haptic feedback.

After determining the pressure level, the main terminal 400 may determine a haptic effect based on the determined pressure level and characteristics of the virtual object (S620). According to another embodiment, the main terminal 400 may also consider the motion signal detected by the motion sensor 111 to determine the haptic effect.

For reference, the characteristics of the virtual object may include a size, width, length, color, texture, material, trajectory, type, movement, pattern, or position of the virtual object. For example, when the color associated with the virtual object is blue, a haptic effect including vibration may be provided.

In determining the above haptic effect in the main terminal 400 , a lookup table included in the memory 410 may be used. The lookup table may set at least one of a pressure level, a characteristic of a virtual object, and a motion signal as a parameter, and record a haptic effect matching the parameter.

In the lookup table, a matching haptic effect is recorded in advance in consideration of each parameter such as a pressure level, a characteristic of a virtual object, a motion signal, and the like, and the main terminal 400 provides a predetermined pressure level, a characteristic of a predetermined virtual object, and a predetermined motion signal. When such a signal is input from the haptic controller 100 , a matching haptic effect may be found in the lookup table and transmitted as a haptic signal to the haptic controller 100 .

Referring to FIG. 7 , in a state in which the virtual object is a balloon, the main terminal 400 may set a haptic effect of popping the virtual balloon when receiving gripping force information corresponding to the first pressure level, and corresponding to the second pressure level When gripping force information is received, a haptic effect of crushing the balloon can be set, and when gripping force information corresponding to the third pressure level is received, a haptic effect of flying while maintaining the size of the balloon can be set.

In addition, in a state in which the virtual object is a gun, when the main terminal 400 receives gripping force information corresponding to the first pressure level, a haptic effect in which the gun is fired may be set, and gripping force information corresponding to the second pressure level may be set. When received, a haptic effect in which the gun is loaded can be set, and when gripping force information corresponding to the third pressure level is received, a haptic effect in which the gun is placed on the floor can be set.

Although only a virtual object and a pressure level are described in FIG. 7 , a haptic effect may be set for a motion signal as well. For example, when the haptic controller 100 is placed on the floor, no virtual object appears (off state), and when the haptic controller 100 is gripped and moves away from the floor, a virtual object appears (on state) is set. could be

That is, a haptic effect is determined based on a pressure level, a characteristic of a virtual object, a motion signal, and the like, and the haptic effect in terms of a user interface may include deleting, updating, changing, removing, or outputting a virtual object.

For example, assuming that there is a pen as a virtual object, when a gripping force corresponding to a first pressure level is provided, drawing a black line with the pen may be expressed, and a gripping force corresponding to a second pressure level is provided. In this case, the effect of erasing part of the virtual picture may occur.

In addition, as another example, assuming there is a gun as a virtual object, when the haptic controller 100 is placed on the floor, it is in the form of a gift box, and when the haptic controller 100 is simply lifted from the floor, it is changed to a gun shape, When the gripping force corresponding to the second pressure level is provided, the gun is loaded, and when the gripping force corresponding to the first pressure level is provided, the gun is fired.

In addition, the haptic effect of the present invention may also include a negative feedback, that is, a tactile haptic effect.

For example, when the virtual object is a hard ball and the user holds it in a virtual space with the haptic controller 100, when gripping forces corresponding to the second and third pressure levels are provided, the shape of the hard ball does not change, When the actuator unit 320 is fixed so as not to move inward, and a gripping force corresponding to the first pressure level is provided, the shape of the hard ball contracts, and the actuator unit 320 also moves inward.

As another example, when the virtual object is a virtual car, if a gripping force corresponding to the second pressure level is provided to the haptic controller 100, the engine of the car may be started (and the car engine may also be sounded) Accordingly, vibration may be generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 , and when a gripping force corresponding to the first pressure level is provided, the virtual vehicle may be accelerated. Accordingly, vibration is generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 and the main The actuator part 320 of the haptic part 112 may also generate a haptic effect in which displacement movement occurs in and out.

Also, as another example, when the virtual object is a gun, when a gripping force corresponding to the second pressure level is provided to the haptic controller 100, vibration is generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 while the gun is loaded, When a gripping force corresponding to 1 pressure level is provided, vibration is generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 while the gun is fired, and the actuator unit 320 of the main haptic unit 112 is also displaced to the outside corresponding to the repulsive force. A haptic effect may occur where this occurs.

For reference, when the vibration generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 is considered, when the gripping force corresponding to the first pressure level is provided, a high-magnitude vibration having a long duration may occur, and the second pressure level When a corresponding gripping force is provided, a haptic effect with a low amplitude vibration with a short duration can occur.

The main terminal 400 may transmit a haptic signal for the set haptic effect to the haptic controller 100, and the haptic controller 100 uses the haptic signal to the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113. and the like may be operated (S630). Also, the state of the virtual object on the screen of the main terminal 400 may be changed.

Meanwhile, the main haptic unit 112 may include a plurality of haptic actuators for interaction with the user's finger-specific movements. In this case, the plurality of haptic actuators may include at least a haptic actuator corresponding to the movement of the user's thumb.

That is, the main haptic unit 112 may include a region 112b corresponding to the thumb and a region 112a corresponding to the remaining fingers, and may include a haptic actuator for each. Accordingly, the gripping force may be sensed for each of the

regions

112b and 112a, the respective pressure levels may be measured, and the haptic effect may be determined accordingly. That is, the pressure corresponding to the first pressure level is sensed in the region 112b corresponding to the thumb, the pressure corresponding to the second pressure level is sensed in the region 112a corresponding to the remaining fingers, and the corresponding haptic effect is obtained. may be provided.

For example, when a pressure corresponding to a first pressure level is sensed in the area 112b corresponding to the thumb and a pressure corresponding to a second pressure level is detected in the area 112a corresponding to the remaining fingers, , provides a haptic effect in which a large vibration is generated, the pressure corresponding to the second pressure level is sensed in the region 112b corresponding to the thumb, and the first pressure level is applied to the region 112a corresponding to the remaining fingers. When a corresponding pressure is sensed, a haptic effect in which a small vibration is generated may be provided.

For reference, since actuators exist for each finger in the region 112a corresponding to the remaining fingers, four actuators may be included, different pressure levels may be sensed for each, and different haptic effects may be set for this. may be

In the following, a method in which haptic feedback is provided to a user will be reviewed together with the haptic system 10 again.

The haptic system 10 includes a haptic controller 100 and a main terminal 400 , and when the user holds the body 110 of the haptic controller 100 , the user It can detect the movement, position, and gripping force of the hand.

Next, the controller 121 of the haptic controller 100 transmits the information sensed by the sensors to the main terminal 400, and the main terminal 400 determines a haptic effect based on the sensed information. have.

The main terminal that has determined the haptic effect may display the movement and change of the virtual object on the screen, calculate the pressure, displacement, vibration, etc. to be provided to the user and transmit it to the controller 121 of the haptic controller 100 .

Here, in calculating the pressure or displacement to be provided to the user by the main terminal 400 , i) When the pressure to grip the main haptic unit 112 is sensed, the haptic controller 100 controls the main haptic unit 112 . The gripping pressure is sensed and transmitted to the main terminal 400, and the main terminal 400 calculates the displacement that occurs when a corresponding pressure is applied to an arbitrary target object in a virtual environment, ii) grips the main haptic unit 112. When detecting the displacement occurring when The pressure or displacement to be provided to the user may be calculated by calculating the repulsive force (pressure) when an arbitrary target object is deformed by the corresponding displacement in the virtual environment.

As described above, when the main terminal 400 calculates the pressure, displacement, or vibration to be provided to the user and transmits it to the controller 121 of the haptic controller 100 , the controller 121 controls the pressure or displacement from the main terminal 400 . , may receive the vibration information, generate a driving signal based on it, and transmit it to the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 through the driver module 121b.

Accordingly, a force (repulsion force) to push the user's finger may be generated by the haptic actuator 300 of the main haptic unit 112 and/or vibration may be generated by the vibration element of the auxiliary haptic unit 113 . Due to the above repulsive force and vibration, the user can feel the same sense of force, gripping, and vibration as when interacting with an actual object.

Meanwhile, there may be a plurality of haptic controllers 100 , and it may be assumed that a first haptic controller and a second haptic controller exist.

At this time, each motion sensor 111 may measure the posture and position of each of the first haptic controller and the second haptic controller, and specifically, the distance between the first haptic controller and the second haptic controller, the first A distance of the haptic controller from the ground and a distance of the second haptic controller from the ground may be measured. A haptic effect may be determined according to the measurement result.

For example, when the virtual reality is a ski resort, the user can hold the two haptic controllers 100 like ski poles in the virtual reality, and move quickly when the distance between the two haptic controllers becomes narrower, and move slowly when the distance increases. can

Also, as another example, when the two haptic controllers are in contact, the screen of the main terminal 400 may be turned off, and when the two haptic controllers are separated, the screen of the main terminal 400 may be turned on.

On the other hand, the virtual object may correspond to various objects, and the range is not determined. Accordingly, from the user's point of view, it is possible to select a part of a plurality of virtual objects uploaded on the web, download the selected virtual object (S810), and record the selected virtual object in the memory 410 of the main terminal 400 .

In this case, the haptic effect of the selected virtual object may also be downloaded together, and the main terminal 400 may search for the associated haptic effect ( S820 ).

After receiving a pressure level, a motion signal, etc., the main terminal 400 may interact with the virtual object to provide a corresponding haptic effect to the haptic controller 100 and generate haptic feedback.

The embodiments according to the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer components and recorded in a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and used by those skilled in the computer software field. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include hard disks, magnetic media such as floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magneto-optical media such as floppy disks. media), and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform processing according to the present invention, and vice versa.

In the above, the present invention has been described with specific matters such as specific components and limited embodiments and drawings, but these are provided to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations from these descriptions.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the above-described embodiments, and not only the claims described below, but also all modifications equivalently or equivalently to the claims described below belong to the scope of the spirit of the present invention. will do

Claims

A method for providing a customized haptic effect, comprising:

In a state where there is a body part providing a place for gripping by the user's hand in the haptic controller, and the user interacts with a virtual object on the screen of the main terminal while holding the body part,

There is a main haptic unit located inside the body and providing haptic feedback corresponding to a displacement generated according to the gripping force of the user's finger, wherein the main haptic unit includes a pressure sensor for detecting the gripping force of the user's finger and When a haptic actuator that generates a force to push the user's finger according to the displacement generated by the user's gripping force is included,

(a) the haptic controller acquires a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force using the pressure sensor, transmits the sensing signal to the main terminal, and causes the main terminal to obtain a pressure level based on the sensing signal to determine; and

(b) receiving, by the haptic controller, a haptic signal for a haptic effect determined based on the pressure level and characteristics of the virtual object from the main terminal, and operating the main haptic unit using the haptic signal;

including,

The haptic actuator includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion that provides linear movement force of the contact portion backward and forward according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the contact portion and the actuator portion while accommodating the contact portion therein. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact portion includes a housing for accommodating the body to move forward and backward by a predetermined distance.
According to claim 1,

When the user interacts with the virtual object, an auxiliary haptic unit for providing a vibration of a corresponding pattern is present inside the body, and a motion sensor for detecting the position and posture of the user's hand is located at the upper end of the body. in state,

that the pressure level includes i) a first pressure level corresponding to a pressure above a predetermined threshold, ii) a second pressure level corresponding to a pressure below the predetermined threshold, and iii) a third pressure level at which no pressure is sensed at the time,

The haptic controller receives the haptic signal for the haptic effect determined based on the pressure level, the characteristic of the virtual object, and the motion signal detected by the motion sensor from the main terminal, and uses the haptic signal The method of claim 1, wherein the main haptic unit and the auxiliary haptic unit are operated, and the state of the virtual object on the screen of the main terminal is changed.
3. The method of claim 2,

A lookup table is included in the memory of the main terminal, and the lookup table sets at least one of the pressure level, the characteristic of the virtual object, and the motion signal as a parameter, and records a haptic effect matching the parameter. when doing,

The method, characterized in that the main terminal determines the haptic effect based on the lookup table.
3. The method of claim 2,

When there are a plurality of haptic controllers and the plurality of haptic controllers include a first haptic controller and a second haptic controller,

The motion signal is determined based on i) a distance between the first haptic controller and the second haptic controller, ii) a distance of the first haptic controller from the ground, and iii) a distance of the second haptic controller from the ground A method characterized by being.
3. The method of claim 2,

Before step (a),

The haptic controller causes the user to grip the body portion with a maximum gripping force, senses the magnitude of the maximum gripping force through the pressure sensor and transmits it to the main terminal, and causes the main terminal to grip the maximum gripping force and determining the predetermined threshold value that distinguishes the first pressure level and the second pressure level based on .
According to claim 1,

The main haptic unit includes a plurality of haptic actuators for interaction with each finger movement of the user, and the plurality of haptic actuators comprises at least a haptic actuator corresponding to the movement of the user's thumb. Way.
According to claim 1,

Method characterized in that there is an auxiliary body portion coupled to and separated from one side of the body portion.
In the haptic system for providing a customized haptic effect,

In a state where there is a body portion providing a place for gripping by the user's hand, and the user interacts with a virtual object on the screen of the main terminal while holding the body portion,

i) the body part;

It is located inside the body and provides haptic feedback corresponding to the displacement generated according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and a pressure sensor for detecting the gripping force of the user's finger and the displacement generated by the user's gripping force. a main haptic unit including a haptic actuator that generates a force to push the user's finger in response; and

A control unit that acquires a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force using the pressure sensor, transmits the sensing signal to a main terminal, and receives a haptic signal from the main terminal to operate the main haptic unit,

The haptic actuator includes a contact portion that comes into contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion that provides rectilinear movement force of the contact portion in accordance with the gripping force of the user's finger, and the contact portion and the actuator portion while accommodating the contact portion therein. A haptic controller including a housing for accommodating the contact portion so as to move forward and backward by a predetermined distance in and out of the body portion;

ii) the main terminal determines a pressure level based on the sensing signal, determines a haptic effect based on the pressure level and a characteristic of the virtual object, and transmits the haptic signal to the haptic controller

Haptic system comprising a.