A tactile sensing system and methods of use thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of tactile perception system and its use method, tactile perception system includes: information acquisition module, analysis module and output module.The use method of tactile perception system includes: obtaining information for analysis;According to the information obtained, analysis is carried out, and the information that needs to be output to user is obtained;The information that needs to be output to user is converted into tactile perception signal, and the tactile perception signal is expressed information by contacting the position of user body, and at least one of contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature and pressure;Output tactile perception signal.Through the tactile perception system and its use method of the application, people can better utilize tactile to perceive external information, enhance the effect of perception, and can help blind, deaf-mute or help normal people in the environment that is not conducive to vision and hearing to improve the efficiency of walking, searching, using computer and intelligent device / intelligent system etc..

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of information and communication technology, and in particular to a tactile sensing system and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Touch is an important way for humans to perceive information from the outside world. The sensation produced when tactile receptors in the skin come into contact with mechanical stimuli is called touch. The skin surface is dotted with contact points of varying sizes and irregular distribution. Generally, the fingertips have the most, followed by the head, while the back and lower legs have the fewest. Therefore, the fingertips are the most sensitive to touch, while the lower legs and back are less sensitive. When a fine hair lightly touches the skin surface, a tactile sensation is only triggered when certain specific points are touched. Deep within the skin are tactile corpora, and within the cones are sensitive nerve cells. When these nerve cells sense the pressure from touch, they immediately send a tiny electrical signal. This signal travels along nerve fibers to the brain, allowing the brain to perceive the touch. The brain can then immediately distinguish the degree of touch and the location of the signal.

[0003] Especially for the blind, deaf, or those living in environments with limited visual and auditory perception, using touch to sense the outside world is a crucial way for them to acquire information. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a tactile sensing system that can help people better utilize touch to perceive external information, enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of their perception. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The main objective of this invention is to provide a tactile sensing system and its usage method, which can help people better utilize touch to perceive information from the outside world, enhance the effect of perception, and help blind, deaf and mute people or normal people improve the efficiency of walking, finding objects, etc. in environments that are not conducive to sight and hearing.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a tactile sensing system, the system comprising: an information acquisition module, an analysis module, and an output module.

[0006] The information acquisition module is used to acquire information, and the information is used for analysis and processing by the analysis module.

[0007] The analysis module is used to analyze the acquired information to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user, and then convert the information that needs to be output to the user into tactile sensing signals. The tactile sensing signals represent information by the location of contact with the user's body, as well as at least one of the following: contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, time, and pressure.

[0008] The output module is used to output tactile sensing signals.

[0009] As described above, in the tactile sensing system, the output module is a wearable device, including at least one contact device. The contact device includes a contact head and a moving device. The contact head is used to contact the user's body, and the moving device is connected to the contact head and used to move the contact head to complete the contact action.

[0010] As described above, in the tactile sensing system, the output module is a wearable device, including at least one contact device. The contact device includes two or more contact heads, which are used to contact the user's body. The contact action is completed by different contact heads contacting different positions on the body.

[0011] As described above, in the tactile sensing system, the output module is a wearable device, including at least one contact device. The contact device further includes a pressure regulator and / or a temperature regulator. The pressure regulator is used to adjust the pressure of the contact head in contact with the user's body, and the temperature regulator is used to adjust the temperature of the contact head in contact with the user's body.

[0012] As described above, the information acquisition module of the tactile sensing system includes at least one of the following: an image sensor, an audio acquisition device, a gesture recognition device, an action recognition device, a body posture recognition device, an olfactory recognition device, a radar device, a radio frequency identification device, a positioning device, an infrared device, an ultraviolet device, a laser scanner, a metal detector, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a water pressure sensor, a magnetic field device, a map system, a navigation system, a satellite, and a brain-computer interface device.

[0013] As described above, the tactile sensing system can also provide feedback to the user through non-tactile signals, or through a combination of tactile and non-tactile signals.

[0014] As described above, the tactile sensing system further includes a data transmission module. The data transmission module sends the information acquired by the information acquisition module to the server. The server analyzes the acquired information to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user, converts the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal, and transmits the result to the data transmission module.

[0015] As described above, the tactile sensing system can also acquire information for analysis from the network through the data transmission module.

[0016] The tactile sensing system described above is used for at least one of walking, object finding, person finding, movement, learning, communication, dialogue, early warning, practice, games, computers, and virtual reality technology.

[0017] The present invention also provides a method of using the tactile sensing system as described above, the method comprising:

[0018] Obtain information for analysis;

[0019] The information obtained is analyzed to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user.

[0020] The information to be output to the user is converted into tactile sensing signals, which represent information by the location of contact with the user's body and at least one of the following: contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, time and pressure.

[0021] Output tactile sensing signals.

[0022] This invention discloses a tactile sensing system and its usage method. The tactile sensing system includes an information acquisition module, an analysis module, and an output module. The usage method includes: acquiring information for analysis; analyzing the acquired information to obtain information to be output to the user; converting the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal, wherein the tactile sensing signal represents the information through at least one of the following: the location of contact with the user's body, and the type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure of the contact point; and outputting the tactile sensing signal. This tactile sensing system and its usage method can help people better utilize touch to perceive external information, enhance the effect of perception, and can help blind, deaf, or sighted people improve their efficiency in walking, finding objects, using computers, and using smart devices / systems in environments where vision and hearing are limited. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a tactile sensing system according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the method of using a tactile sensing system according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To further illustrate the technical means and effects of the present invention in achieving its intended purpose, the specific implementation methods of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] The first embodiment of the present invention is described below. Figure 1 . Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a tactile sensing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the tactile sensing system of the present invention includes: an information acquisition module 10, an analysis module 20, and an output module 30.

[0027] The information acquisition module 10 is used to acquire information, which is then used by the analysis module for analysis and processing. The analysis module 20 is used to analyze the acquired information to obtain the information to be output to the user, and then convert the information to be output to the user into tactile sensing signals. The output module 30 is used to output the tactile sensing signals.

[0028] In this invention, tactile sensing signals represent information through at least one of the following: the location of contact with the user's body, and the type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure of the contact point. This allows the user to perceive information through the signal. Different information can be represented by contact with different locations on the user's body. For example, different locations such as the user's hands, fingers, palms, backs of hands, forearms, upper arms, chest, back, legs, and feet can represent different locational information or other various types of information. In this invention, tactile sensing signals can represent information not only through the location of contact with the user's body but also through at least one of the following: the type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, time, and pressure of the contact point. The actions of contacting the user's body can include: light touch, sliding, rotating, clicking, pressing, etc. For example, a user is walking on the road listening to music with headphones. A car is approaching from the left, but because the user is wearing headphones and cannot hear the sound, and the user's attention is not focused, the user fails to notice the car approaching from the left. In this case, through the tactile sensing system of this invention, the information acquisition module 10 acquires the information of the car approaching from the left, the analysis module 20 analyzes the information of the car approaching from the left, obtains the information to be output to the user (issue a warning, avoid the car approaching from the left), and then converts the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal. The output module 30 outputs the tactile sensing signal, which can convey the information to the user by means of the location of contact with the user's body, and at least one of the contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure. For example, contact with the user's left arm can represent the left side, and at least one of the contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure can be used to represent the information of the approaching car, which may include: danger, need to avoid, etc. By conveying information to the user through tactile sensing signals, the user can perceive external information in environments that are not conducive to sight and hearing, enhance the perception effect, and avoid adverse consequences caused by the user missing external information.

[0029] Specific tactile sensing signals represent information through the location of contact with the user's body, as well as at least one of the following: touch type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure. A tactile sensing signal database can be established to store the correspondence between tactile sensing signals and information. This correspondence can be manually set, derived by artificial intelligence through big data analysis, and mastered by the user through training.

[0030] The working process of the tactile sensing system of the present invention is as follows:

[0031] First, the information acquisition module 10 acquires information. The information acquisition module 10 may include at least one of the following: an image sensor, an audio acquisition device, a gesture recognition device, an action recognition device, a body posture recognition device, an olfactory recognition device, a radar device, a radio frequency identification device, a positioning device, an infrared device, an ultraviolet device, a laser scanner, a metal detector, a temperature sensor, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a water pressure sensor, a magnetic field device, and a brain-computer interface device; or other suitable devices. The information is used by the analysis module 20 for analysis and processing. Depending on the specific application, the information can be of various types. For example, if the purpose is to assist the user in walking, then it is first necessary to acquire the user's current location and destination location, as well as information on obstacles along the way. Only after acquiring sufficient information can the analysis and processing be performed to derive the information to be output to the user.

[0032] Then, the analysis module 20 analyzes the acquired information to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user. For example, for the purpose of assisting the user in walking, information such as the user's current location, destination location, and obstacles is acquired to build a three-dimensional spatial model. The spatial model may also include information related to the time dimension. In this invention, the model can be a model that maps to physical scenes / objects; it can also be a model that maps to virtual scenes / objects, such as an operating system, user interface, game, virtual system, etc.; or it can be a combination of physical and virtual. After the model is built, relevant information is substituted into the model to plan a suitable travel route for the user. During the user's travel, prompts or guidance are given to the user to walk along the planned route based on the actual situation.

[0033] Finally, the analysis module 20 converts the information to be output to the user into tactile sensing signals, which are then output to the user by the output module 30. For example, the user's walking route and the guidance and reminders given based on the actual situation are converted into tactile sensing signals and fed back to the user. When guiding the user to a certain location, a corresponding tactile sensing signal is emitted. By contacting the user's body, and considering the type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure of the contact point, the user can obtain the location information through the tactile sensing signal and thus reach that location. During the user's actual walking process, the tactile sensing signal is adjusted to guide the user to that location as the distance between the user and the target location changes. This can be achieved by readjusting the tactile sensing signal each time the user moves, based on the change between the user's current position and the target position, allowing the user to continuously perceive the target location during movement and ultimately successfully reach it. If there are obstacles in the route, tactile sensing signals can be used to convey information to the user indicating the obstacle's location, distance, height, and level of danger, allowing the user to perceive the obstacle's location, distance, height, and level of danger through the tactile sensing signal and thus bypass it.

[0034] Tactile sensing signals used to represent different contact points on the user's body, such as position, movement, temperature, and pressure, to indicate destinations and obstacles can be pre-set and trained to be distinguishable and understandable to the user. For example, the tactile sensing system can set and / or train definitions for tactile signals representing different contact points on the user's body, such as definitions of objects, targets, orientations, distances, colors, temperatures, heights, warning / danger signals, operation signals, and operation results. After setting or training, once a user senses a representative tactile sensing signal, they can quickly recognize the meaning represented by that signal or a combination of tactile sensing signals. The tactile sensing system of this invention can also provide feedback to the user through non-tactile signals, or through a combination of tactile and non-tactile signals. For example, feedback can be provided by combining tactile sensing signals with visual signals and / or auditory information, or through a brain-computer interface. In this invention, the object represented by the tactile sensing signal can be a specific person, animal, object, or location, such as a keyhole or door handle; it can also include a wide range of objects, such as a car in front of you or a person next to you.

[0035] The tactile sensing system of this invention can be used for various purposes such as walking, finding objects, games, computers, and virtual reality technology. Blind, deaf, or sighted people can conveniently use the tactile sensing system for walking, finding objects, finding people, exercising, learning, communicating, conversing, receiving warnings, practicing, playing games, drawing, playing music, composing, writing, and working, as well as for drawing, playing music, composing, and working. It also includes action guidance, enhancing the importance of touch in these fields, improving the effectiveness of people using tactile sensing information, and making life more convenient for humans, especially the blind or deaf.

[0036] The following is a detailed explanation using the tactile sensing system of the present invention to help users find objects.

[0037] Step 1: Information acquisition module 10 acquires information. This information is used by analysis module 20 for analysis and processing, and may include information about the sought item, the item's location, the user's current location, and surrounding environmental information. This can be achieved by using multiple image sensors to acquire image data of the search space from different angles for spatial modeling and location calculation. The image sensors can be placed in suitable locations within the room or worn by the user. Alternatively, location information within the space can be acquired through a positioning device, or information such as the location and size of each item can be obtained through the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0038] Step 2: The analysis module 20 analyzes the acquired information to obtain the information to be output to the user. This can be done by building a spatial model based on the acquired information, primarily through multi-angle spatial image data, as well as the location information and dimensions of objects within the space. Alternatively, it can be done by acquiring an existing spatial model through the network or other means, or by modifying an existing spatial model to obtain a new, realistic one. Then, using the spatial model and the location information of the user and objects, a suitable retrieval path is planned.

[0039] The method for retrieving items can be planned based on the storage space / equipment / furniture / device. The item retrieval can also be done in steps. For example: 1. Walk to the door of the storage room; 2. Open the door and enter the storage room; 3. Walk to the storage cabinet; 4. Open the second cabinet door; 5. Retrieve the item you are looking for.

[0040] Step 3: Convert the information to be output to the user into tactile sensing signals. This can be achieved by establishing a correspondence between tactile sensing signals and the information being transmitted. The tactile sensing signals represent information through the location of contact with the user's body, as well as at least one of the following: contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure, allowing the user to perceive the information.

[0041] Fourth, the output module 30 outputs tactile sensing signals to the user. In this invention, the output module 30 is a wearable device, including at least one contact device. The contact device includes a contact head and a moving device. The contact head is used to contact the user's body, and the moving device is connected to the contact head and used to move the contact head to complete the contact action. The contact action to the user's body can include: touching, sliding, rotating, clicking, pressing, etc. The contact device may also include two or more contact heads, with different contact heads corresponding to different body positions. The contact heads are used to contact the user's body, and various contact actions are completed through contact between the contact heads at different positions and different positions on the body. The contact device also includes a pressure regulator and / or a temperature regulator. The pressure regulator is used to adjust the pressure of the contact head contacting the user's body, and the temperature regulator is used to adjust the temperature of the contact head contacting the user's body. In this invention, the contact head of the contact device can also be replaced to provide tactile sensing signals with different contact types, shapes, and contact areas. This invention can output relevant signals by combining contact actions performed by contact heads on multiple contact devices and / or information such as pressure, temperature, type, shape, and area of ​​the contact heads.

[0042] If the planned retrieval path is complex, it can be divided into multiple segments. Then, multiple tactile sensing signals can be used to feed back relevant information from different segments to the user. This prevents the tactile sensing signals from becoming overly complex due to excessive information, which could prevent the user from quickly interpreting the information represented by the tactile signals. Furthermore, based on the user's movement route and the planned route, deviations in direction and elevation, as well as time constraints / urgency, corresponding tactile sensing signals can be set to provide feedback to the user, allowing for continuous correction and reminders.

[0043] The tactile sensing system of this invention can also serve as a tactile-based operating system for operating computers, smart devices, or other suitable devices. Existing computer systems typically use video interfaces, which cannot effectively transmit feedback information from the computer system to blind or visually impaired individuals, or even sighted individuals using the system from a distance. By employing the tactile sensing system of this invention, feedback information is converted into tactile signals and fed back to the user, enabling blind or visually impaired individuals, or sighted individuals, to conveniently obtain feedback information from the computer system from a distance, reducing the difficulty for relevant personnel in using computer systems and operating devices. The computer system of the tactile sensing system can, like existing computer systems, perform operations on location, route, quantity, size, temperature, time, degree, shape, state, and object. It can also include object recognition / differentiation / expansion, movement of virtual object positions, object modification / deletion, generation, and alteration, etc. Furthermore, the tactile sensing system of this invention can be used to control devices to perform operations on target objects, such as operating robotic arms, robots, smart furniture, autonomous vehicles, drones, e-readers, etc.

[0044] The tactile sensing system of the present invention may further include a data transmission module. This data transmission module sends the information acquired by the information acquisition module 10 to a server. The server analyzes the acquired information to obtain the information to be output to the user, then converts the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal, and transmits the result back to the data transmission module. By transmitting data to the server for analysis and calculation via the data transmission module, the data processing capability of the tactile sensing system of the present invention can be increased, the computational load of the analysis module 20 can be reduced, the hardware requirements of the analysis module 20 can be reduced, and the cost and weight of the tactile sensing system of the present invention can be reduced.

[0045] The tactile sensing system of the present invention can also acquire information for analysis from the Internet, the Internet of Things, or other information systems via a data transmission module. Acquiring information through the data transmission module allows for the acquisition of richer and more comprehensive information, and reduces the hardware requirements for the information acquisition module 10, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the tactile sensing system of the present invention.

[0046] The tactile sensing system of this invention can be modeled by a single system building a complete model, or by multiple systems or devices building partial models based on a unified signal / information standard, and then integrating them into a complete model by one or more systems or servers. The information required for model building can be obtained through the Internet, the Internet of Things, satellites, various databases, knowledge graphs, big data mining, artificial intelligence learning, smart appliances, smart furniture, smart homes (homes, wards, hospitals, schools, factories), smart roads, smart cars, smart city systems, image sensors, positioning devices, audio acquisition devices, and other means.

[0047] See the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 . Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for using a tactile sensing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the method for using the tactile sensing system of the present invention includes:

[0048] S1: Obtain information for analysis;

[0049] S2: Analyze the acquired information to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user;

[0050] S3: Convert the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal. The tactile sensing signal represents the information by the location of the contact with the user's body, and at least one of the following: contact type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, time and pressure.

[0051] S4: Output tactile sensing signal.

[0052] The method of using the tactile sensing system of the present invention corresponds one-to-one with the technical features of the tactile sensing system of the present invention. Please refer to the description of the aforementioned tactile sensing system, which will not be repeated here.

[0053] In summary, the present invention provides a tactile sensing system and its method of use. The tactile sensing system includes an information acquisition module, an analysis module, and an output module. The method of using the tactile sensing system includes: acquiring information for analysis; analyzing the acquired information to obtain information to be output to the user; converting the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal, wherein the tactile sensing signal represents the information through at least one of the following: the location of contact with the user's body, and the type, shape, contact area, action, temperature, and pressure of the contact point; and outputting the tactile sensing signal. Through the tactile sensing system and its method of use of the present invention, people can better utilize touch to perceive external information, enhance the effect of perception, and improve the efficiency of walking, finding objects, using computers, and using intelligent devices / systems in environments where vision and hearing are impaired.

[0054] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above description is only a specific embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tactile sensing system, characterized in that, The system includes: an information acquisition module, an analysis module, and an output module. The information acquisition module is used to acquire information, which is then used by the analysis module for analysis and processing; the information includes information fed back by the computer system. The tactile sensing system further includes: a data transmission module, which sends the information acquired by the information acquisition module to the server. The server analyzes the acquired information to obtain the information to be output to the user, converts the information to be output to the user into a tactile sensing signal, and transmits the result to the data transmission module. The tactile sensing system further includes a tactile sensing signal database, which stores the correspondence between tactile sensing signals and information. The correspondence between tactile sensing signals and information is either manually set or derived by artificial intelligence through big data analysis, and is familiarized, mastered, distinguished, and understood by the user after training. After being manually set or trained, the user can quickly realize the meaning represented by the tactile sensing signal or a combination of tactile sensing signals after sensing a representative tactile sensing signal. The analysis module is used to analyze the acquired information to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user, and then convert the information that needs to be output to the user into tactile perception signals. The tactile perception signals are used to represent the information that needs to be output to the user through tactile stimulation, including the position of contact with the user's body and the click action pattern. The output module is used to actively output tactile sensing signals to the user; the output module is a wearable device, including at least one contact device; The tactile sensing system can also be used to operate smart devices or other suitable devices to perform operations on the location, route, quantity, size, temperature, time, shape, and state of objects, including object recognition / differentiation / expansion, movement of virtual object positions, object modification / deletion, creation, and control of devices to complete operations on target objects.

2. The tactile sensing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact device includes a contact head and a moving device. The contact head is used to contact the user's body, and the moving device is connected to the contact head and is used to move the contact head to complete the contact action.

3. The tactile sensing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The contact device includes two or more contact heads, which are used to contact the user's body. The contact action is completed by different contact heads contacting different parts of the body.

4. The tactile sensing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The output module is a wearable device, including at least one contact device. The contact device includes a contact head for contacting a user's body. The contact device also includes a pressure regulator and / or a temperature regulator. The pressure regulator is used to adjust the pressure of the contact head contacting the user's body, and the temperature regulator is used to adjust the temperature of the contact head contacting the user's body.

5. The tactile sensing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The information acquisition module includes at least one of the following: image sensor, audio acquisition device, motion recognition device, olfactory recognition device, radar device, radio frequency identification device, positioning device, infrared device, ultraviolet device, laser scanner, metal detector, temperature sensor, light sensor, tactile sensor, air pressure sensor, water pressure sensor, magnetic field device, and brain-computer interface device.

6. The tactile sensing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tactile sensing system can also provide feedback to the user through non-tactile signals, or through a combination of tactile and non-tactile signals.

7. The tactile sensing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tactile sensing system can also obtain information for analysis from the network through the data transmission module.

8. The tactile sensing system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that: The tactile sensing system is used for at least one of the following: object finding, person finding, movement, learning, communication, early warning, practice, games, computer, and virtual reality technology.

9. A method of using the tactile sensing system as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtain information for analysis; The information obtained is analyzed to obtain the information that needs to be output to the user. The information to be output to the user is converted into tactile sensing signals, which represent the information by the location of contact with the user's body and the click action; Output tactile sensing signals.

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