Hand Motion Capturing Device with Force Feedback Link Rods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current hand-motion capturing devices face limitations in tracking hand motion outside their monitoring scope, difficulty in implementing force feedback, and inaccuracies in measuring finger positions due to camera-based, IMU, and bending sensor technologies.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical hand-motion capturing device with a force feedback system using a microcontroller, link rods, and sensor modules that track hand motion and provide force feedback through a thumb and four-finger force feedback system, allowing precise tracking and simulation of hand movements and object interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If camera-based optical capturing is used, then hand motion can be tracked within monitoring scope, but tracking is restricted when hand is out of camera scope and force feedback cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the hand tracking function into multiple independent sensor modules (thumb sensor module and four-finger sensor modules) that can independently detect hand position and provide force feedback, eliminating the single-camera monitoring scope limitation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges motion capture and force feedback functions into a single integrated device worn on the hand, combining sensor modules, link rods, and force feedback systems into one unified system that simultaneously provides both tracking and haptic feedback
2Adaptability or versatility
If IMU and bending sensors are installed on the back of hand and glove, then force feedback can be implemented, but recalibration is needed each power-on and measurements are inaccurate due to non-linear relationship
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces bending sensors and IMUs with a mechanical link rod system connected to potentiometers, using pure mechanical geometry to measure finger joint angles, which eliminates the non-linear measurement issues and recalibration requirements of electronic sensors
Solution Approach 2:
The device creates a mechanical replica of the hand's skeletal structure using link rods that mirror the actual finger bone geometry, allowing accurate position measurement through mechanical leverage rather than electronic sensing
3Adaptability or versatility
If CyberGlove system with steel wires and block-and-tackle is used, then force feedback function is achieved, but the system is large in volume and heavy in weight
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the heavy steel wire and block-and-tackle mechanisms from the force feedback system, replacing them with lightweight link rods and miniaturized actuators that provide the same force feedback function with minimal weight and volume
Solution Approach 2:
The device uses flexible printed circuit boards and thin-film components to create a force feedback system that is both lightweight and wearable, replacing the rigid and heavy mechanical systems of previous generations
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure includes a hand motion-capturing device with a force feedback system. In some embodiments the device includes a base, a microcontroller connected to the base, a thumb sensor module and four-finger sensor modules each electrically connected to the microcontroller. In some embodiments, the device may include five-link rods that interconnect the thumb sensor module to the base and each of the four-finger sensor modules to the base. In some embodiments, the device includes a thumb force feedback system adapted and configured to receive a human thumb and a four-finger force feedback system adapted and configured to receive an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger. The thumb force feedback system and the four-finger force feedback system may each be movably connected to respective link rods and the thumb sensor module and four-finger sensor modules, respectively.