Haptic Stylus with Rotating Contact Ball for Touch Screen Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch screen devices lack haptic feedback capabilities, limiting user interaction and immersion in computing environments, such as gaming and 3D modeling, compared to conventional input devices.
Innovation Solution
A haptic stylus interface device with a rotating contact ball, sensors, and feedback actuators that provide variable friction and force feedback, enabling enhanced tactile interaction with touch screen displays, and communication with computers for responsive haptic feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a stylus device is used with touch screen, then input functionality is improved, but haptic feedback capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a touch screen interface with a haptic feedback mechanism into a single stylus device. The haptic actuator is integrated within the stylus housing, allowing the device to both interact with the touch screen display and provide tactile feedback to the user through the contact ball, thus merging input functionality with haptic feedback capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact ball serves as an intermediary element between the user's finger and the touch screen display. It transmits user input to the display while also conveying haptic feedback forces generated by the actuator back to the user's finger, enabling bidirectional communication without direct finger-to-screen contact.
2Measurement precision
If friction force is increased for better grip, then control precision is improved, but contact ball rotation is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The friction force between the contact ball and the user's finger is made dynamic rather than static. The haptic actuator continuously adjusts the grip force on the contact ball, increasing friction when precision control is needed and decreasing it when rapid rotation is required, thus adapting to different operational requirements in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the friction parameter by varying the normal force applied by the haptic actuator on the contact ball. By adjusting this force parameter, the system can optimize the balance between grip stability for precision control and rotational freedom for speed, depending on the current operational context.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The haptic stylus enhances user interaction by convincingly simulating object manipulation, providing detailed feedback forces and friction, improving gaming and 3D modeling experiences on touch screen devices, and preventing damage to the screen with pressure warnings.
Implementation Method 1
a contact ball capable of rotating in place
Implementation Method 2
a haptic actuator that generates feedback forces
Implementation Method 3
a contact ball gripping mechanism that produces a variable contact ball friction force
Implementation Method 4
The sensor may include at least one of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a contact pressure sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and computer program product for automatically providing a haptic stylus based interface for enhanced user interaction with touch screen devices are disclosed. The stylus communicates with the touch screen device to report stylus operating information from onboard sensors, and to receive application program instructions defining feedback and friction forces to be applied by onboard actuators. The applied feedback and friction forces may be independently controlled. Friction forces are provided via a rolling contact ball gripping mechanism that mimics varying physical engagement between the contact ball and a touch screen display surface by controlling the relative rotational freedom of the contact ball. Embodiments of the invention enable a haptic stylus to mimic three-dimensional interactions for gaming, object manipulation and sculpting, and non-contact proximity-based stylus operation scenarios.