Haptics device

Abstract

The haptic device can have a lanyard and a pendant coupled to the lanyard and suspendable to a user's neck via the lanyard in a manner for the pendant to rest against the user's chest, the pendant comprising a haptic actuator and a controller operable to receive a signal from an external device and to control the haptic actuator based on the signal.

Description

HAPTICS DEVICEBACKGROUND

[0001] In recent years, the demand for enhanced sensory experiences in immersive media, such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and high-definition audio-visual content, has increased significantly. For instance, motion generating systems have been introduced in the early 2000’s to the home theater, sim racing, e-sports and PC gaming markets. The movie theater industry has seen the appearance of motion systems which deliver haptic experience to user in additional to the traditional video and sound. In digital cinema, codes for motion control are stored in the digital cinema package for the film, and control data is encoded in a monoaural WAV file on Sound Track channel 13, labelled as “Motion Data”. Gaming companies such as Ubisoft have also licenced haptics technology for video games, and haptic gaming chair manufacturers have become involved. While existing systems and devices have been satisfactory to a certain degree, there always remains room for improvement.SUMMARY

[0002] The present specification relates to wearable sensory devices, and more specifically to a haptic device such as may be designed to amplify emotional and physical sensations through targeted haptic feedback. The haptic device can include a pendant suspended to a user’s neck by a lanyard, and which may convey haptic feedback to the user’s chest and neck areas. The haptic feedback can be synchronized with media, such as to enhance the user's experience of immersive media, such as video and audio content, or used in other ways, such as being controlled by an application, either of which may be played by a user device. The haptic device can be implemented as a wearable device that can effectively convey targeted haptic feedback to the chest and neck areas, thereby providing or amplifying emotional sensations in a way to enhance the user’s overall experience.

[0003] The device is ergonomically designed to rest against the user’s chest, where it delivers targeted haptic feedback that enhances emotional and physical sensations. The device can also convey vibrations indirectly through a lanyard that wraps around the user’s neck, creating a distributed haptic effect that enhances the overall immersive experience. In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a haptic device comprising a lanyard and a pendant coupled tothe lanyard and suspendable to a user’s neck via the lanyard in a manner for the pendant to rest against the user’s chest, the pendant comprising a haptic actuator and a controller operable to receive a signal from an external device and to control the haptic actuator based on the signal.

[0004] In some embodiments, the pendant can be a case for wireless earbuds. Indeed, one sometimes criticized aspect of earbuds are the fact that the diaphragm which is driven to produce the sound waves by the electroacoustic transducer is relatively small, which can limit the representation of lower frequency waves (which have longer wavelengths) that are conveyed to the user’s ears. It was found that in some embodiments, the user experience of users of wireless earbuds could be significantly enhanced by integrating a haptic motor to the case, and by further equipping the case with electronics adapted to receive a signal, and to drive the haptic motor based on the signal. The signal can be received wirelessly via an antenna for instance. To this end, the electronics can include a Bluetooth module, which can be embodied as a Bluetooth chip for instance, which can provide for the function of pairing the case as a peripheral to a host device such as a smartphone, smartwatch, or standalone media player, and addressing auxiliary functions such as communication protocols, unpacking data packets, etc. In some cases, converting data packets to an audio or haptic signal can be performed using an audio processor, for instance. Additional functions may be performed by electronics forming part of the case, such as extracting a haptic signal, or otherwise transforming or adapting an audio signal to a haptic signal. Such functions may be performed by a haptic extraction module which may involve a low pass filter or frequency converter for instance. Accordingly, a user may wear his / her case mechanically coupled to his / her skin, such as by wearing it in a pocket of a closely fitting garment for instance and receive tactile sensations. The tactile sensations may be coordinated with sound emitted by the wireless earbuds for instance. Various use cases are possible.

[0005] Many further features and combinations thereof concerning the present improvements will appear to those skilled in the art following a reading of the instant disclosure.DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0006] In the figures,

[0007] Fig. 1 is a side view of an example haptics device resting against a user’s chest and suspended by a lanyard’s placement around the neck;

[0008] Fig. 2A is a front elevation view of the haptics device of Fig. 1 , and Fig. 2B is a side elevation view thereof;

[0009] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the haptic device’s internal components;

[0010] Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system including a haptic device synchronized with a host device;

[0011] Fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method of operating a haptic device;

[0012] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a haptics device embodied here as a wireless earbud case, shown in an open configuration;

[0013] Fig. 7 is a block diagram of components of the wireless earbud case of Fig. 6;

[0014] Fig. 8A is a schematic, simplified view of an example linear actuator, Fig. 8B presents the force response curve thereof, and Fig. 8C presents the frequency response curve thereof; and

[0015] Fig. 9 is a block diagram of an example computer.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Fig. 1 shows an example of a user wearing a haptic device 10 and holding a host device 12. The haptic device 10 has a pendant 14 that hangs from a lanyard 15 around the user’s neck. The pendant 14 is shaped to rest comfortably on the chest, with a smooth, curved, pebble-like form that conforms to the body’s contours. The pendant 14 has a housing constructed from a lightweight, durable material that houses internal components, including haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c, a controller 18 having a control module 20 and a communications module 22, and a battery 24, such as shown in greater detail in Fig. 2.

[0017] The device 10 features a number of miniaturized haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c embedded within the pendant 14. These motors 16a, 16b, 16c are disposed in a configurationselected in a manner to target specific areas of the chest, where emotional sensations are often physically felt. The motors 16a, 16b, 16c can be linear actuators, and can include one linear actuator 16b which is oriented horizontally when worn on the user’s chest, and two linear actuators 16a, 16b which are oriented in a plane parallel to the chest, and inclined towards one another, when worn on the user’s chest. The motors can produce a range of vibration patterns, from steady pulses to more complex rhythms, which can be synchronized with media content to amplify the user’s emotional experience. The device 10 is equipped with haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c which can be strategically placed to deliver vibrations directly to the chest area, enhancing emotional experiences such as joy, sadness, and fear.

[0018] The lanyard 15 can be designed to serve a dual purpose. It can secure the pendant 14 relative the user’s neck and act as a conduit for haptic feedback. The lanyard 15 can be embedded with thin, flexible actuators 26a, 26b that can transmit vibrations from the pendant 14 to the neck and upper chest areas to create a distributed haptic effect, enhancing the immersive experience by engaging multiple sensory pathways. The thin, flexible actuators 26a, 26b, may be equally interspaced along the entire length (loop) of the lanyard 15, or disposed solely in the vicinity of the chest area. The lanyard 15 can distribute haptic feedback around the neck and chest and can provide direct and / or indirect sensory amplification.

[0019] Referring to Fig. 3, the controller 18 can be equipped with a communication module 22 that can connect wirelessly to host devices hosting various forms of media such as smartphones, tablets, or virtual reality headsets. It can include a wireless radio, such as a Bluetooth unit. The device can be designed to synchronize haptic feedback with various forms of media, including video, audio, and virtual reality content, to create an immersive sensory experience. For instance, the controller 18 can be operable to process audio-visual signals and generate corresponding haptic feedback patterns. The control module 20 can be responsible for receiving the signals from the communications module, adapting / converting the signals when applicable, and driving the haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c, such as via an amplifier 28. All three haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c may be driven with the same haptic signal.

[0020] Referring to Fig. 4, the host device may be provided with media content which may be used as a source signal for the haptic signal. The source signal can be audio-visual signals and / or a haptic track for instance, and can be communicated to the haptic device, such as tothe communications module 22, via any suitable wired or wireless communication channel, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi for instance.

[0021] Fig. 5 presents an example method 100 of delivering haptics to a user. Media content may be provided 110, e.g., at a host device 12. In some cases, the media content may have a haptics track which may be used to drive 120 the haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c directly, of following modulation 130, whereas in others, one or more audio track may be used or modulated to generate a haptic signal. In still other embodiments, the haptic signal may be entirely constructed based on metadata extracted 140 form the media content, and / or a base haptic signal, such as may be acquired based on a haptic and / or audio track, may be modulated 130 based on based on metadata extracted from the media content. An example of such processes is presented in Fig. 5. In this example, the step of metadata extraction can be considered a pre-processing layer. It can include computer-implemented processes such as audio / text parsing, feature extraction, filtering. For instance, certain words may be extracted from audio or identified in text. In a video signal showing images of one or more persons, face feature detection, such as determining a curvature of mouth, eyebrows, etc, may be performed, or the presence of certain colors, or the dominance of certain colors, or the detection of objects. For instance, a dominant yellow image combined with loud sound may be associated to explosions. Such steps may be performed in different ways. In some cases, traditional algorithms may be used, whereas in others, artificial intelligence solutions such as machine learning I trained engine processes may be used.

[0022] The haptic signal may then be generated or modulated 130 based on metadata. For instance, in some cases, a certain haptic effect may be stored in a library and associated to an explosion. If an explosion is detected in the media, this haptic effect may be retrieved from the library and used to drive the haptic motor(s). To provide another possible example, a base haptic signal may be modulated 130 based on the metadata.

[0023] Indeed, in some cases, an intermediary step of associating 150 metadata to one or more emotion may be performed. A haptic effect corresponding to this emotion may be retrieved from a library and used to drive the haptic motors 16a, 16b, 16c, or a base haptic effect may be modulated 130 based on the emotion. For instance, a base haptic effect may be generated from a haptic track, and the amplitude of this base haptic effect may bemodulated by increasing the amplitude when angriness is detected, or decreasing the amplitude when sadness is detected, for instance.

[0024] Indeed, the metadata extracted from the media content can be associated to one or more emotion. For instance, swear words may be associated to the emotion of angriness. Certain other words may be associated to other emotions, such as joy, sadness, fear, etc. In a relatively simple case, for instance, certain words or certain facial feature curvatures may be pre-associated with specific emotions. In more complex cases, certain words or certain facial features may be assigned weighted emotional factors, such as different probabilities of more than one emotion.

[0025] The software processing associated to extracting metadata from the media content, associating the metadata to one or more emotion, and generating or modulating a haptic signal based on the metadata, may be performed by a computer. This computer may be a controller 18 forming part of the host device 12, or may form part of the haptic device 10, to name two examples. Different ones of these functions may be performed by different computers, or two or more of these functions may be performed by a same computer.

[0026] In some embodiments, a haptic waveform generator can be used to adapt the haptic signal to the type of haptic device and / or to user preferences. Such a haptic waveform generator can allow parametric control of duration, frequency, intensity and other haptic parameters based on emotional input for instance. Alternately, such a haptic waveform generator may allow modulating the haptic signal based on user preferences. The haptic signal from the haptic waveform generator may be used to directly drive the haptic device.

[0027] Referring to Fig. 4, a mobile application may further be provided, and may be embodied in the form of instructions stored in a memory of the host device 12 and executable by a processor of the host device 12 to allow users to customize the haptic feedback. The mobile application can enable functions such as selecting from predefined vibration profiles, creating a personalized vibration profile, or adapting a vibration profile based on a type of media being consumed. The haptic device 10 can allow adjustment of the intensity, frequency, and pattern of haptic feedback through such an accompanying mobile application, or via another interface, such as a user interface integrated to the pendant or lanyard. This customization capabilitycan allow users to tailor the sensory experience to their individual preferences, enhancing the emotional and physical impact of the media they consume.

[0028] Users can customize vibration patterns and intensities based on personal preference or specific types of media, allowing for a tailored sensory experience.

[0029] In an alternate example, the pendant 214 can be embodied as a case for wireless earbuds such as presented in Fig. 6. In this example, a host device is configured for emitting one or more signals which may be received both by the pendant 214 and by wireless earbuds 260. Various means of wireless transmission may be used, including simple radio broadcasting for instance, though it may be preferred in some embodiments to use more advanced means, such as a telecommunications protocol like Bluetooth for instance, which implies pairing of the host device 12 with the peripherals 214, 260 and a specific communication protocol via which transferred data packets can be received and correctly interpreted by the peripherals 214, 260. Depending on the embodiment, the host device 12 may send a same signal, such as an audio signal for instance, to both peripherals, or different signals for the wireless earbuds 260 and for the pendant 214, such as one or more audio channels and one or more haptic channels, respectively. The details of the signals being emitted by the host device 12 can depend on the media being played, or more largely, on one or more software application being run on the host device 12.

[0030] Fig. 6 presents the pendant embodied as a wireless earbud case 214 and the wireless earbuds 260 in greater detail. The case 214 has a housing 262 having one or more cavity defined therein. In practice, the case 214 can have a main portion 266 having an opening, and a cover 264 hinged in a manner to allow selective opening and closing of the opening. The main portion 266 can have an outer wall and an inner wall separated by a spacing. The inner wall can be shaped in a manner to define earbud sockets for instance, which can communicate with the opening in a manner for the earbuds to be easily engageable into or out from the earbud sockets via the opening when the cover is open. The earbud sockets can have charging ports which are configured to couple with charging ports of the earbuds when the earbuds are engaged in the sockets.

[0031] The case can have several components, such as a battery 224 (which can be referred to as the case battery by contradistinction with earbud batteries), one or more haptics motor 216, and a controller 218. The haptics motor 216 can be more specifically a linear actuator, an example of which will be presented in greater detail below. The expression “controller” is used here in a broad manner to refer to electronics configured and operable to perform relevant functions. The expression controller is used in the singular as including the plural. Accordingly, different functions of the controller 218 may be performed by distinct electronic chips, or by a same electronic chip depending on the embodiment, as known to person having ordinary skill in the art. The expression “module” is used to refer to any processing hardware and any software instructions stored in non-transitory memory hardware coupled to any processing hardware and which are operable to execute associated functions, independently of the details of the exact hardware implementation (e.g., independently of how the execution of the function is performed by a same chip or shared or distributed amongst more than one chip or other hardware). The battery 224, the one or more haptic motor 216, and one or more hardware elements forming the controller 218 can be housed within the housing 262. In one embodiment, the battery 224, a linear actuator and the controller 218 can be disposed between the internal wall and the external wall of the case 214, for instance. The case 214 can further include a charging port which can be configured for selective connection to a charging cable, for instance, or for capacitive charging.

[0032] The case 214 can be configured to be suspended to a user’s neck by a lanyard 215.

[0033] The haptic motor 216 can be mechanically coupled to a portion of the external wall of the case. For instance, the haptic motor 216 can be mechanically secured against an internal face of a portion of the external wall, for the forces caused by the activation of the linear actuator to be conveyed as directly as possible to the portion of the external wall which can, in turn, be disposed directly or indirectly into contact with the user’s skin, so as to be mechanically coupled thereto.

[0034] Fig. 7 presents a block diagram of some hardware elements of the case 214 in accordance with one example, excluding namely the housing 262.

[0035] The controller 218 can have an earbud charging module. The earbud charging module can perform the function of delivering electrical power from the battery to the earbud charging port to charge the earbuds. An earbud sensor may be integrated to the case 218 and configured in a manner for providing an indication to the earbud charging module of whether earbuds are disposed in the sockets, and the charging of the earbuds can be controlled in a manner to activate only when the earbuds are determined to be disposed in the sockets. A charging sensor may be integrated to the case, which may be distinct or the same as the earbud sensor. The charging sensor may be configured to sense state of charge of the earbud batteries for instance, and / or state of charge of the case battery for instance. The earbud charging module may be configured to interrupt the charging of the earbuds, or to switch to a maintenance charge mode, when the state of charge of the earbud batteries is determined to be at or around 100%.

[0036] The controller 218 can have a wireless receiving module. The wireless receiving module can be adapted to receive or exchange data with a host device via a telecommunications protocol. The telecommunications protocol can be Bluetooth for instance, in which case the wireless receiving module can be adapted to perform functions such as pairing the case with a host device, exchanging data with the host device, unpacking received data packets, etc.

[0037] The controller 218 can have a signal processing module. The signal processing module can be adapted to convert data packets into an audio signal for instance. The signal processing module can involve an audio processor for instance. In some cases, a single chip may perform more than one function, such as a Bluetooth chip which combines the functions of wireless receiving and of signal processing.

[0038] The controller 218 can have a haptic extraction module. Indeed, in some embodiments, the signal received may not be suitable for driving the haptic motor in its initial state and may need to be transformed for better suitability. For instance, if the signal is an audio signal, it may include frequencies higher than haptic frequencies (e.g. frequencies above 1000Hz, frequencies above 500 Hz, or even frequencies above 300 Hz). It may not be desired to drive the haptic motor with such higher frequencies for various reasons. One example reason is that high frequencies may lead to undesirable noise being emitted by the case. Accordingly, it maybe desired to transform the initial state of the signal into a state which is suitable for driving the haptics motor and which can be referred to as a haptics signal. The haptics signal may have only frequencies between 2 and 1000Hz, only frequencies between 2 and 500Hz, or only frequencies between 5 and 350 Hz for instance. The function of transforming the initial state of the signal for better suitability for haptics can be performed by a portion of an entirety of one or more hardware element which will be referred to herein as a haptic extraction module for simplicity. In one embodiment where in the initial state, the signal is an audio signal, the haptic extraction module may consist of simply a low pass filter which filters out the higher frequencies. In a more elaborate embodiment, the haptic extraction module may perform a more complex transfer function, such as frequency scaling and / or frequency shifting of the audio frequencies onto a haptic frequency band. Various alternate embodiments are possible. In some embodiments, the signal received may be directly suitable for driving the haptic motor in its initial state. This may be the case, for instance, in the case where a haptics channel is specifically communicated to the case. In such embodiments, the haptic extraction module may be omitted.

[0039] The controller 218 can have an actuator control module. The actuator control module can perform the function of driving the haptic motor using energy from the case battery for instance, and based on the signal (which may be in the initial state or in the form of a haptics signal representing a transformation of the initial state depending on the embodiment).

[0040] The field of haptics refers to delivering tactile sensations to users, i.e., sensations which are sensed via tactile receptors of the user’s skin based on solid contact / mechanical coupling. By contrast, sound is conveyed in the form of waves of pressure variations travelling in air, which are sensed by the user’s ears. While the human ear can be sensitive to frequencies between 20 and 20 000 Hz, the sense of touch is typically sensitive to a much narrower band of frequencies, such as between 2 and 1000 Hz for instance (typically 2 and 500 Hz, or even 5 and 300 Hz). While electronic devices configured for emitting sound typically involve one or more electroacoustic transducer (professional audio uses different electroacoustic transducers for different sub-bands of the audible spectrum, commonly referred to as tweeters, mids, woofers and subwoofers), devices configured for emitting haptics involve an actuator. Actuators which are specially configured to produce haptic effectsare typically referred to haptic motors. A consideration in haptics is the strength of the mechanical coupling between the actuator and the user’s skin, and the presence of damping materials between the actuator and the user’s skin can impede user experience.

[0041] While rotary actuators of the type having an eccentric mass have been used to provide haptics, such rotary actuators are typically limited in the extent of sensations, or in the extent of acoustic features, which they can convey. Indeed, rotary actuators are typically used to generate vibrations at a constant or progressively ramping frequency. More recently, linear actuators have been developed which can generate much more complex and rich haptic sensations, including some having acoustic traits such as sharpness, frequency, intensity and duration for instance.

[0042] Fig. 8A shows a relatively simple example of a linear actuator 322 which can be used as a haptics motor for providing haptics feedback. The linear actuator 322 can be said to generally include a mass 312 which can be moved linearly back and forth along a linear path 324. The linear path 324 can be defined by a linear guide, such as by being circumscribed by a guide 326 defining a linear path 324 longer than the mass 312 for instance, in which the mass 312 can be slidingly engaged.

[0043] The linear actuator 322 also includes some form of drive force generator (not shown) which is configured for selectively imparting a drive force, or not, onto the mass 12 to spur its movement along the linear path 324. In the case where the mass 32 has one or more magnetic segment(s), the drive force generator can be an electromagnet which is magnetically coupled to a permanent magnetic field of the mass 312, for instance, but other forms of drive force generator, or ways of driving the movement of the mass, may be preferred in other embodiments.

[0044] The linear actuator 322 is further provided with a reactive force path which, in the example presented in Figs. 8A to 8C, is entirely provided by means of a compression spring 314 which is secured between the mass 312 and the guide 326 at one end 328. In this embodiment, the compression spring 314 has a spring constant k which can remain constant along the entire span of displacement along the linear path 324 and therefore generate a linear force response curve 318 (Fig. 8B). The force response curve 318 of the reactive force path332, represented here by dashed boxes in Fig. 8A, is presented in Fig. 8B. As shown on the left-hand side of the rest position 316 of Fig. 4B, the reactive force path 332 generates a progressively (linearly) increasing return force 330. The farther the mass is moved along the linear path from the rest position 316 towards the left, the more the spring 314 is stretched, following a typical mass / spring behaviour, governed by the equation F = kx (where x is displacement). As shown on the right-hand side of the rest position 316 of Fig. 8B, the reactive force path 332 offers a progressively increasing return force 330 the farther the mass is moved towards the right from the rest position 316, compressing the spring 314.

[0045] In this case, the force response curve 318 is linear, in the sense that it has a constant slope k, and the force response is proportional to the distance from the rest position 316. Since the maximum extent of the linear displacement path 334 and the amplitude of the maximum displacement 334 can vary from one embodiment to another, it may be practical to provide values of slope k in relative units. Indeed, independently of the embodiment, the linear displacement path 324 can have a static rest position 316, also known as an equilibrium position, from which the mass 312 can be moved by the drive force generator in two directions, to corresponding ends 328, 336 of the linear displacement path 324. The ends 328, 336 of the linear displacement path 324 can be defined by the reactive force path, and can even be delimited by hard stops for instance, or can be defined by properties such as the maximum force and frequency of the drive force generator, and friction, which can be translated into a maximum extent of displacement at perfect resonance for instance. The maximum force 338 and the maximum extent / span of displacement 334 are thus properties of a given linear actuator independently of the details of implementation. To define normalized units, let us define units in which half of the full span of the linear displacement path 324 is equal to the maximum return force 338. For example 1 of the maximum extent of displacement 334 can have a value of 1 in units of maximum displacement, and the maximum return force 338 exerted by the reactive force path can have a value of 1 in units of maximum return force 338. The slope can thus be expressed in units of increasing force per units of increasing displacement. In the context of a linear reactive force path, using the definition presented above, the slope remains constantly equal to 1 in these units along the entire extent of displacement, on either side of the rest position 316. The slope is also 1 at the rest position 316, clearly defining the static rest position 316. The force response curve 318 is alsosymmetrical, providing an equal return force 330 independently of the mass position orientation relative to the equilibrium position 316.

[0046] The shape of the force response curve 318 is thus also a property of the linear actuator, and will be defined by the force element(s) of the reactive force path. In this embodiment of FIG. 8A, there is a single force element, the compression spring 314, which entirely defines the force response curve 318 but it is understood that other embodiments (e.g. embodiments in which the force element(s) is / are one or more magnet(s), one or more spring(s), and / or combinations thereof) can be used in alternate embodiments, examples of which will be presented below, which can lead, for instance, to response paths which are not linear or which have a different slope.

[0047] The shape of the force response curve 318 will entrain dynamic effects which can be visualized during operation. In this example, for instance, the force response curve 318 includes a first region 340 of increasing return force 330 extending from the rest position 316 to the first end 28 of the linear displacement path 324, on a first side of the rest position 316, and a second region 342 of increasing return force 330 extending from the equilibrium position 316 to the second end 336 of the linear displacement path 324, on a second side of the equilibrium position 316. The two regions 340, 342 of increasing return force 330 define the entirety of the force response curve 318. The return force 330 always acts in the orientation of the displacement, which can be due to the fact that the linear displacement path 324 constrains the movement within that orientation, but acts in opposite directions depending on the side relative to the rest position 316, and thus always acting in a manner to return the mass 312 to the rest position 316, hence the expression “return” force.

[0048] If moved to one side against the return bias of the spring 314, and suddenly freed from the external force, the spring 314 will pull the mass 312 back past the rest position 316, an the mass 312 will oscillate back and forth around the rest position 316 for a certain amount of time before its energy is dissipated in friction and the mass 312 settles back at the ‘static’ rest position 316 (which can be a region instead of a point in a non-linear system, but a point is typically preferred in haptics). The frequency at which the mass 312 will oscillate back and forth is the natural frequency of the linear actuator and will be denoted herein as Wo. Wo depends, in the simplified case of a force response curve having constant slope presented inFig. 8B, on the slope of the force response curve 318 which, in this embodiment, is directly related to the spring constant k. If the drive force generator is configured to provide drive energy repetitively into the system 310 at a frequency close to the natural frequency Wo, which can be done by operating a coil with alternating current for instance, the repetitively added energy will add up into a “resonance”, and the moving mass 312 will reach greater and greater amplitudes of displacement and acceleration until it meets a dynamic equilibrium oscillation, in which the energy losses due to friction will correspond to the amount of energy introduced into the system at each cycle.

[0049] The expression “provide drive energy repetitively into the system at a frequency close to the natural frequency” may be best understood by referring to Fig. 8C. Fig. 8C presents a graph which shows the force (acceleration) response spectrum 320 of the linear actuator 322 of Fig. 8A as a function of drive frequency, for a given drive energy amplitude. Indeed, if the same amount of energy is provided to the mass 312, but at a different frequency than Wo, the mass 312 will still be driven but some of the energy will not be efficiently transferred into movement since the movement of the spring 314 will not resonate with the drive and as such, the amplitude of acceleration and displacement of the mass 312 driven by the drive force will be lesser. Indeed, the peak shown in the frequency response graph corresponds with the frequency Wo. One can see that the force response generated will diminish progressively as the drive frequency is shifted farther and farther away from the natural frequency Wo.

[0050] In a context where the drive force generator has a maximal drive force generator value (maximum amount of drive energy), which, in the case of an electromagnet (coil) drive can correspond to a maximum voltage for instance, the maximal drive force generator will only produce the maximal acceleration response value Gmax if its maximum voltage input is correctly timed to oscillate between positive and negative at the natural frequency Wo, and the maximal drive force generator value will generate a smaller acceleration response the farther away it is operated from the natural frequency Wo., and in this example of FIG. 8C a shift of 1 / 5thin frequency from Wo will produce only a negligible acceleration response, perhaps below 5% of the maximum acceleration response value. In some alternate embodiment, the frequency response characteristics (e.g. the natural frequency Wo) of a linear actuator 322 can be selected and / or changed by moving a force element from one location to another. Insome embodiments, the frequency response characteristics may include more than one peak frequency.

[0051] Here again, since the frequency response spectrum 320 is defined by the force response curve 318, which in turn in defined by the force element(s) which define the reactive force path, the frequency response spectrum 320 of a linear actuator 322 can be said to be a property of the linear actuator, similarly to how the force response curve 318 can be a property of the linear actuator 322 or the details of the force element(s) are properties of the linear actuator 322.

[0052] A controller can be a computer or have a computer. Referring to Fig. 9, it will be understood that the expression “computer” 400 as used herein is not to be interpreted in a limiting manner. It is rather used in a broad sense to generally refer to the combination of some form of one or more processing units 412 and some form of memory system 414 accessible by the processing unit(s). The memory system can be of the non-transitory type. The use of the expression “computer” in its singular form as used herein includes within its scope the combination of a two or more computers working collaboratively to perform a given function. Moreover, the expression “computer” as used herein includes within its scope the use of partial capabilities of a given processing unit.

[0053] A processing unit can be embodied in the form of a general-purpose micro-processor or microcontroller, a digital signal processing (DSP) processor, an integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a reconfigurable processor, and a programmable read-only memory (PROM, to name a few examples.

[0054] The memory system can include a suitable combination of any suitable type of computer-readable memory located either internally, externally, and accessible by the processor in a wired or wireless manner, either directly or over a network such as the Internet. A computer-readable memory can be embodied in the form of random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), electro-optical memory, magneto-optical memory, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM)to name a few examples.

[0055] A computer can have one or more input / output (I / O) interface to allow communication with a human user and / or with another computer via an associated input, output, or input / output device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, an antenna, a port, etc. Each I / O interface can enable the computer to communicate and / or exchange data with other components, to access and connect to network resources, to serve applications, and / or perform other computing applications by connecting to a network (or multiple networks) capable of carrying data including the Internet, Ethernet, plain old telephone service (POTS) line, public switch telephone network (PSTN), integrated services digital network (ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), coaxial cable, fiber optics, satellite, mobile, wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WiMAX), SS7 signaling network, fixed line, local area network, wide area network, to name a few examples.

[0056] It will be understood that a computer can perform functions or processes via hardware or a combination of both hardware and software. For example, hardware can include logic gates included as part of a silicon chip of a processor. Software (e.g. application, process) can be in the form of data such as computer-readable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory accessible by one or more processing units. With respect to a computer or a processing unit, the expression “operable to” relates to the presence of hardware or a combination of hardware and software which is operable to perform the associated functions. Different elements of a computer, such as processor and / or memory, can be local, or in part or in whole remote and / or distributed and / or virtual.

[0057] As can be understood, the examples described above and illustrated are intended to be exemplary only. The scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A haptic device comprising: a lanyard; and a pendant coupled to the lanyard and suspendable to a user’s neck via the lanyard in a manner for the pendant to rest against a user’s chest, the pendant comprising a haptic actuator and a controller operable to receive a signal from an external device and to control the haptic actuator based on the signal.

2. The haptic device of claim 1 wherein the pendant has pebble shape with a generally rounded cross-section.

3. The haptic device of claim 1 or 2 wherein the haptic actuator is a linear actuator oriented horizontally when the pendant is suspended to the user’s neck.

4. The haptic device of claim 3 wherein the linear actuator is a first linear actuator, further comprising a second linear actuator and a third linear actuator, the second linear actuator and the third linear actuator oriented parallel to a plane of the chest when the pendant is suspended to the user’s neck, and sloping towards one another.

5. The haptic device of claim 4 wherein the second linear actuator and the third linear actuator are positioned above the first linear actuator when the pendant is suspended to the user’s neck.

6. The haptic device of any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the pendant further comprises a wireless radio coupled to the controller to receive the signal from the external device.

7. The haptic device of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the controller is operable to synchronize the control of the haptic actuator with media content associated to the signal.

8. The haptic device of claim 7 wherein the controller is operable to drive the haptic actuator based on a motion data track of the media content.

9. The haptic device of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the lanyard has a plurality of actuators interspaced from one another along a length of the lanyard.

10. A sensory amplification device comprising: a wearable pendant designed to rest against a user’s chest; a plurality of haptic motors embedded within the pendant, configured to deliver targeted haptic feedback to the chest area; a lanyard attached to the pendant, the lanyard embedded with actuators capable of transmitting haptic feedback to the neck and upper chest areas; a control module within the pendant, configured to synchronize haptic feedback with media content.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the device has a housing shaped to conform to the contours of the user’s chest.

12. The device of claim 10 or 11, wherein the haptic motors are operable to produce customizable vibration patterns and intensities.

13. The device of any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising a wireless communication module for connecting the device to external media sources.

14. The device of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the lanyard is configured to distribute haptic feedback evenly around the user’s neck and upper chest.

15. The device of any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the control module includes a processor configured to analyze media content and generate corresponding haptic feedback patterns that are synchronized with the emotional tone of the content.

16. The device of any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the control module is configured to receive the media content from a host device, further comprising a mobile application for controlling the haptic feedback patterns, the mobile application running on the host device.

17. A method of amplifying emotional sensations through targeted haptic feedback, comprising: providing a sensory amplification device as described in claim 10; synchronizing haptic feedback with media content to enhance emotional responses; delivering targeted haptic feedback to the user’s chest and neck through the pendant and lanyard, respectively; and customizing the haptic feedback to match the preferences of the user and / or to the type of media being consumed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the haptic feedback is adjusted based on real-time analysis of the media content, to correspond to an emotional intensity of the content.

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