KR102154337B1 - Method for providing customized haptic effects and system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing a customized haptic effect, and a system using the same. According to the present invention, the method for providing a customized haptic effect comprises the steps of: transmitting a sensing signal to a main terminal and determining a pressure level; and receiving a haptic signal from the main terminal and operating a main haptic unit. According to the present invention, various haptic feedback can be provided using a plurality of haptic controllers.

Description

Method of providing customized haptic effects and system using the same {METHOD FOR PROVIDING CUSTOMIZED HAPTIC EFFECTS AND SYSTEM USING THE SAME}

In the present invention, in a method of providing a customized haptic effect, there is a body part providing a place for gripping by a user's hand in a haptic controller, and the user holds the body part and interacts with a virtual object on the screen of the main terminal. In the active state, there is a main haptic part located inside the body part and providing haptic feedback corresponding to the displacement generated according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the main haptic part detects the gripping force of the user's finger When it is said that it includes a pressure sensor for generating a force to push the user's finger according to a displacement generated by the user's gripping force and a haptic actuator, the haptic controller uses the pressure sensor to determine the magnitude of the gripping force. Acquiring a sensing signal corresponding to, and 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 in contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion providing a rectilinear 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 receiving the It relates to a method, characterized in that the contact portion comprises a housing that accommodates a predetermined distance forward and backward within the body portion.

In order to increase the sense of immersion and realism in a virtual reality environment in connection with virtual reality, natural user interface technologies using both hands and various technologies for providing haptic feedback such as tactile sensation and muscle 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 pattern of vibration, such as notifying the start/end or end of an interaction or notifying whether the interface is manipulated. However, this method has a disadvantage in that it is difficult to provide realistic feedback due to the absence of muscle sensory feedback.

A glove or exoskeleton-type user interface has been proposed to provide a sense of gripping an object in virtual reality and a muscular sensation such as grasping or pressing with force, but in this case, due to problems such as complexity of wearing and the size of an external device. There are restrictions on use.

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 only assumed that the user does not hold or hold the finger with a finger. That is, since feedback according to the degree of the user's finger gripping force is not provided, the sense of immersion and the sense of reality may be somewhat deteriorated.

Accordingly, the present inventor intends 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-described problems.

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

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide haptic feedback corresponding to each user in consideration of different pressures (holding forces) for each user.

In addition, 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 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 a state of interacting with the virtual object on the image, there is a main haptic part located inside the body part and providing haptic feedback corresponding to a displacement generated according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the main haptic part Assuming that it includes a pressure sensor for detecting a gripping force of a finger and a haptic actuator that generates a force pushing the user's finger according to a displacement generated by the gripping force of the user, 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 in contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion providing a rectilinear 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 receiving the A method is provided, wherein the contact portion includes a housing that accommodates a predetermined distance forward and backward within the body portion.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, in a haptic system that provides a customized haptic effect, there is a body portion that provides a place for gripping by a user's hand, and the user holds the body portion while holding the screen of the main terminal. In a state of interacting with the virtual object on the image, i) the body portion; It is located inside the body part and provides a 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 gripping force of the user. A main haptic unit including a haptic actuator for generating a force pushing the user's finger accordingly; 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, receives a haptic signal from the main terminal, and operates the main haptic unit, wherein the The haptic actuator includes a contact portion in contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion that provides a straight forward and backward movement force of the contact portion according to the gripping force of the user's finger, and the contact portion while receiving the contact portion and the actuator portion therein. A haptic controller including a housing that accommodates a predetermined distance forward and backward within the body part, ii) determining a pressure level based on the sensing signal, and haptic based on the pressure level and the characteristics of the virtual object A haptic system is provided, comprising the main terminal determining an effect and transmitting a haptic signal corresponding thereto to the haptic controller.

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

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

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

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

1 is a diagram showing 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 showing an operating principle of a haptic actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram showing 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 showing a process until a haptic effect is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram showing 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 INVENTION The detailed description of the present invention to be described later refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in detail sufficient to enable a person skilled in the art to practice the present invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different from each other, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, specific shapes, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention in relation to one embodiment. 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 to be described below is not intended to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention, if properly described, is limited only by the appended claims, along with all scopes equivalent to those claimed by the claims. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same or similar functions over several 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 implement the present invention.

1 is a diagram showing 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. Specifically, in Fig. 2(A), a general gripping state by a user's hand, (B) a state in which the motion sensor unit is in contact with the thumb, and (C) a thumb is positioned at the thumb position of the first haptic unit. Each shows the state.

1 and 2, the haptic controller 100 according to the present invention includes a body portion 110 providing a place for gripping by a user's hand, and on one side of the body portion 110 Combined and separated, it may include an auxiliary body portion 120 to form one overall body together with the body portion 110. The auxiliary body portion 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 part 110. The main terminal 400 is a device separate from the haptic controller, and is equipped with 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, and a main device. Thus, any digital device with computing power may be adopted 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 one 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 a setting of a background displayed on the screen.

Next, the body part 110 may include a main haptic part 112, an auxiliary haptic part 113, a motion sensor part 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 at the upper end of the body unit 110. The motion sensor unit 111 may be configured to include an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) as a sensor for detecting the position and posture of the entire body composed of the body unit 110 and the auxiliary body unit 120.

The main haptic part 112 is located inside the body part 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 a gripping force of the user's finger and a haptic actuator 300 that generates a force pushing the user's finger according to a displacement generated by the gripping force of the user. have. In some cases, a displacement sensor for detecting a displacement generated according to a gripping force of a user's finger may also be included in the main haptic unit 112.

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

As shown in FIG. 3, the haptic actuator 300 includes a contact portion 310 in contact with a user's finger portion, and an actuator portion that provides a linear movement force of backward and forward movement 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, but the contact part 310 may be configured to include a housing 330 that accommodates the contact part 310 forward and backward by a predetermined distance inside and outside the body. Here, a displacement sensor or a pressure sensor may be built into the actuator unit 320.

FIG. 3(A) shows a state in which the contact part 310 advances and protrudes by receiving a repulsive force, and FIG. 3(B) shows a state in which the contact part 310 is moved backward by receiving a pressing force of a finger.

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, vibration of a corresponding pattern according to the user's gesture or content There may be an auxiliary haptic unit 113 that provides a.

The auxiliary haptic part 113 vibrates the entire body part 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 part 110 It may be configured to include a vibration element that generates. In this case, a piezoelectric vibrator or the like may be used as the vibration element.

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

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 providing virtual reality or the like must be included in the haptic system 10.

The haptic controller 100 may include a body portion 110, an auxiliary body portion 120, and the like. The body portion 110 may be further provided with a fixing band 114 for securing a gripping state of the user's hand by covering the back of the user's hand when the user holds the body portion 110.

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

As shown in FIG. 4, the controller 121 processes the signals obtained from i) the motion sensor 111 and the pressure sensor, transmits the processed signals to the main terminal 400, and obtains the signals from the main terminal 400. The controller 121a outputs a signal for driving the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 according to the information, ii) the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 from the controller 121a. The driver module 121b that receives and drives a signal for driving the driver module 121b, iii) receives a signal from the controller 121a and transmits the signal to the main terminal 400, and receives a signal from the main terminal 400, and 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 It may include a power supply device (121d) for supplying driving power to the vibration element 300, respectively located in the auxiliary haptic unit 113. Here, a microcontroller may be used as the controller 121a, and a battery, a battery, a rechargeable battery, or the like may be used as the power supply device 121d.

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

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.

Referring to FIG. 5, the haptic controller 100 is configured such that the body portion 110 and the auxiliary body portion 120 can be disassembled/assembled. For such disassembly/assembly, a coupling protrusion 120t is formed in the auxiliary body part 120, and a coupling hole 110h corresponding to the coupling protrusion 120t is formed in the lower end of the body part 110 Can be. In some cases, on the contrary, a coupling protrusion may be formed at the lower end of the body portion 110 and a coupling hole may be formed in the auxiliary body portion 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 of providing haptic feedback using the haptic system 10 will be described.

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

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

The pressure sensor or the displacement sensor can be measured for each finger, and can be measured by separating the thumb and the remaining fingers, and the measurement method can 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 equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, ii) a second pressure level corresponding to a pressure less than a predetermined threshold, and iii) a third pressure level at which no pressure is detected. . 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 above, it may be divided into three levels, but depending on the setting, it may be divided into more than one level.

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

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

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

Therefore, even if the users apply the same force, the first user provides a 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 vary.

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

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

For reference, the characteristics of the virtual object may include the 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.

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

In determining the haptic effect as described above 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 by considering each parameter such as a pressure level, a characteristic of a virtual object, and a motion signal, and the main terminal 400 includes a predetermined pressure level, a characteristic of a predetermined virtual object, and a predetermined motion signal. When a signal such as, for example, is input from the haptic controller 100, a matching haptic effect may be found in the lookup table and transmitted to the haptic controller 100 as a haptic signal.

Referring to FIG. 7, when the virtual object is a balloon, when the main terminal 400 receives gripping force information corresponding to the first pressure level, it is possible to set a haptic effect for popping the virtual balloon, corresponding to the second pressure level. When the holding force information is received, a haptic effect in which the balloon is crushed can be set, and when the holding force information corresponding to the third pressure level is received, a haptic effect in which the size of the balloon is maintained and flying 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, it is possible to set a haptic effect at which the gun is fired, and obtain gripping force information corresponding to the second pressure level. When received, a haptic effect in which the gun is loaded may 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 may be set.

In FIG. 7, only virtual objects and pressure levels are described, but a haptic effect can be set for a motion signal. 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 held away from the floor, the virtual object appears (on state). It 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 the first pressure level is provided, drawing a black line with the pen can be expressed, and a gripping force corresponding to the 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 that there is a gun as a virtual object, when the haptic controller 100 is placed on the floor, it is in the shape 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 may be foamed.

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

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

As another example, when the virtual object is a virtual vehicle, when a gripping force corresponding to the second pressure level is provided to the haptic controller 100, the engine of the vehicle can be started (the vehicle engine sound can also be made). 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, and accordingly, vibration is generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 and the main The actuator unit 320 of the haptic unit 112 may also generate a haptic effect in which displacement is moved inside and outside.

In addition, 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. 1 When a gripping force corresponding to the pressure level is provided, vibration is generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113 while the gun is shot, and the actuator unit 320 of the main haptic unit 112 also moves to the outside corresponding to the repulsive force. This haptic effect can occur.

For reference, when considering the vibration generated by the auxiliary haptic unit 113, when a 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 may occur in which a low-sized vibration having a short duration is generated.

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. The etc. can be operated (S630). In addition, 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 movement. In this case, the plurality of haptic actuators may include at least a haptic actuator corresponding to a movement of a user's thumb.

That is, the main haptic unit 112 may include an area 112b corresponding to the thumb and an area 112a corresponding to the other finger, and may include a haptic actuator for each. Accordingly, it is possible to sense a gripping force for each of the regions 112b and 112a, measure each pressure level, and determine a haptic effect accordingly. That is, the pressure corresponding to the first pressure level is sensed in the area 112b corresponding to the thumb, the pressure corresponding to the second pressure level is sensed in the area 112a corresponding to the other finger, and the corresponding haptic effect You can also provide

For example, when a pressure corresponding to the first pressure level is sensed in the area 112b corresponding to the thumb and the pressure corresponding to the second pressure level is sensed in the area 112a corresponding to the other finger, , Provides a haptic effect in which a large vibration occurs, a pressure corresponding to the second pressure level is sensed in the area 112b corresponding to the thumb, and the first pressure level is applied to the area 112a corresponding to the other finger. When the corresponding pressure is sensed, a haptic effect in which a small vibration is generated may be provided.

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

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

The haptic system 10 includes a haptic controller 100 and a main terminal 400, and when a user holds the body portion 110 of the haptic controller 100, the user can use the motion sensor 111 and the pressure sensor. It can detect the movement, position, and gripping force of your hand.

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

The main terminal having determined the haptic effect may display the movement and change of the virtual object on the screen, and may calculate pressure, displacement, vibration, etc. to be provided to the user and transmit it to the control unit 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 detecting the pressure holding the main haptic unit 112, 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 a displacement that occurs when the corresponding pressure is applied to a target object in a virtual environment, and ii) grips the main haptic part 112. When detecting the displacement that occurs during the time, the haptic controller 100 senses the displacement that occurs when the user holds the main haptic unit 112 with a finger and transmits it to the main terminal 400, and the main terminal 400 The pressure or displacement to be provided to the user can be calculated by calculating the repulsive force (pressure) when an arbitrary target object is deformed by the corresponding displacement in the virtual environment.

As above, when the main terminal 400 calculates the pressure, displacement, or vibration to be provided to the user and transmits it to the control unit 121 of the haptic controller 100, the control unit 121 provides the pressure or displacement from the main terminal 400. , Vibration information may be received, a driving signal may be generated based on the vibration information, and transmitted to the main haptic unit 112 and the auxiliary haptic unit 113 through the driver module 121b.

Accordingly, a force (repulsive force) pushing 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 a vibration element of the auxiliary haptic unit 113. The repulsive force and vibration as described above allow the user to feel the same sense of force, grip, 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 The distance from the ground of the haptic controller and the distance from the ground of the second haptic controller 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 Schiphol in the virtual reality, and if the distance between the two haptic controllers decreases, they move quickly, and if the distance increases, they move slowly. I can.

In addition, as another example, when the two haptic controllers come into 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.

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.

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, some of the plurality of virtual objects uploaded on the web may be selected, and the selected virtual object may be downloaded (S810) and recorded 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 a related haptic effect (S820).

After receiving a pressure level, a motion signal, and the like, 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 in the computer-readable recording medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and usable to those skilled in the computer software field. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magnetic-optical media such as floptical disks. media), and a hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of the program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced 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 by specific matters such as specific elements and limited embodiments and drawings, but this is provided only to help a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. , Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations from these descriptions.

Therefore, the spirit of the present invention is limited to the above-described embodiments and should not be defined, and all modifications that are equally or equivalent to the claims as well as the claims to be described later fall within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. I would say.

10: Haptic system
100: haptic controller
110: body
111: motion sensor
112: main haptic unit
113: auxiliary haptic unit
114: fixing band
120: auxiliary body part
120t: coupling protrusion
110h: coupling hole
121: control unit
121a: controller
121b: driver module
121c: communication module
121d: power supply
300: haptic actuator
310: contact
320: actuator part
330: housing
400: main terminal
410: memory

Claims (8)

In the method of providing a customized haptic effect,
In a state in which the haptic controller has 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
There is a main haptic part located inside the body part and providing haptic feedback corresponding to a displacement generated according to a gripping force of the user's finger, and the main haptic part includes a pressure sensor for detecting a gripping force of the user's finger, and Assuming that it includes a haptic actuator that generates a force to push the user's finger according to the displacement generated by the user's gripping force,
(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 generate a pressure level based on the sensing signal. Allowing to determine; And
(b) receiving, by the haptic controller, a haptic signal for a haptic effect determined based on the pressure level and the 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 in contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion providing a rectilinear 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 receiving the It includes a housing that accommodates the contact portion to be able to move forward and backward a predetermined distance inside and outside the body portion,
When the user interacts with the virtual object, an auxiliary haptic part that provides vibration of a corresponding pattern is present inside the body part, and a motion sensor that detects the position and posture of the user's hand is present at the top of the body part. In the state,
It is assumed 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 detected. time,
The haptic controller receives from the main terminal the haptic signal for the haptic effect determined based on the pressure level, the characteristic of the virtual object, and a motion signal detected by the motion sensor, and uses the haptic signal. And operating the main haptic unit and the auxiliary haptic unit, and changing a state of the virtual object on the screen of the main terminal. delete The method of claim 1,
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,
Wherein the main terminal determines the haptic effect based on the lookup table. The method of claim 1,
Assuming that a plurality of haptic controllers exist 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 from the ground of the first haptic controller, and iii) a distance from the ground of the second haptic controller. The method characterized in that the. The method of claim 1,
Before step (a),
The haptic controller allows the user to hold the body part with a maximum gripping force, senses a maximum gripping force level through the pressure sensor, and transmits it to the main terminal, causing the main terminal to hold the maximum gripping force level And determining the predetermined threshold for dividing the first pressure level and the second pressure level based on. The method of claim 1,
The main haptic unit includes a plurality of haptic actuators for interaction with the movement of the user's fingers, and the plurality of haptic actuators include at least a haptic actuator corresponding to the movement of the user's thumb. Way. The method of claim 1,
A method, characterized in that there is an auxiliary body portion coupled and separated on one side of the body portion. In a haptic system that provides a customized haptic effect,
In a state in which 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 portion;
It is located inside the body part and provides a 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 gripping force of the user. A main haptic unit including a haptic actuator for generating a force pushing the user's finger accordingly; And
A control unit for acquiring a sensing signal corresponding to the magnitude of the gripping force using the pressure sensor, transmitting the sensing signal to a main terminal, receiving a haptic signal from the main terminal, and operating the main haptic unit,
The haptic actuator includes a contact portion in contact with the user's finger portion, an actuator portion providing a rectilinear 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 receiving the A haptic controller including a housing for accommodating a contact portion to be moved forward and backward by a predetermined distance inside and outside the body portion,
ii) the main terminal determining a pressure level based on the sensing signal, determining a haptic effect based on the pressure level and the characteristics of the virtual object, and transmitting a haptic signal to the haptic controller
Including,
When the user interacts with the virtual object, an auxiliary haptic part that provides vibration of a corresponding pattern is present inside the body part, and a motion sensor that detects the position and posture of the user's hand is present at the top of the body part. In the state,
It is assumed 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 detected. time,
The haptic controller receives from the main terminal the haptic signal for the haptic effect determined based on the pressure level, the characteristic of the virtual object, and a motion signal detected by the motion sensor, and uses the haptic signal. And operating the main haptic unit and the auxiliary haptic unit, and changing a state of the virtual object on the screen of the main terminal.

Images