Tactile Signal Decoding With Variable Bit Rates at Touch Boundaries

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Solution Overview

Problem

The transmission and reception of tactile signals can be delayed due to increased data requirements as the number of body parts receiving tactile stimuli increases, and widening the frequency range of vibrations also increases data volume.

Innovation Solution

A decoding device that includes a first decoding unit for decoding a first signal section encoded with a high bit rate, and a second decoding unit for decoding a second signal section encoded with a lower bit rate, allowing for efficient decoding of tactile data while reducing data transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the number of body parts receiving tactile stimuli increases, then the coverage of tactile presentation is improved, but the total amount of tactile signal data increases causing transmission delay

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoverage of tactile presentationVSAvoidtransmission delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The tactile signal is divided into multiple channels corresponding to different body parts, with each channel processed and transmitted independently. This segmentation allows parallel transmission of multiple tactile signals, reducing overall transmission delay while maintaining coverage across multiple body parts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different bit rates are applied to different signal sections based on their importance. High bit rate is used for sections containing significant tactile information (e.g., touch state boundaries), while low bit rate is used for less critical sections. This local quality differentiation reduces total data量 while preserving essential tactile sensations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If the frequency range of vibration in tactile signal is widened, then the quality of tactile sensation is improved, but the total amount of tactile signal data increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequality of tactile sensationVSAvoidamount of tactile signal data

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The bit rate parameter is dynamically changed based on the signal section being encoded. High bit rate is applied to sections requiring high fidelity (e.g., transitions between touch states), while low bit rate is applied to sections where quality can be reduced without significantly impacting perception. This parameter variation maintains tactile quality where needed while reducing overall data volume.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If high bit rate encoding is applied to all signal sections, then the reproduction accuracy of tactile sensation is improved, but the amount of data to be transmitted increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereproduction accuracy of tactile sensationVSAvoidamount of data to be transmitted

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

High reproduction accuracy is applied locally only to signal sections where it is most beneficial (e.g., boundaries between touch and non-touch states), while lower accuracy is acceptable for other sections. This localized application of high quality encoding maintains essential tactile perception while significantly reducing total data transmission requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of applying high bit rate encoding to the entire signal, only critical portions are encoded with high bit rate. This partial action approach provides sufficient tactile reproduction accuracy for essential information while avoiding the excessive data generation that would result from uniform high-bit-rate encoding of all signal sections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS20250166635A1Decoding device, decoding method, program, encoding device, and encoding method

Publication Date: 2025.05.22 SONY GROUP CORP

AI summary

An object is to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted while ensuring tactile reproducibility. A decoding device according to the present technology includes: a first decoding unit that decodes first encoded data obtained by encoding a first signal section with a first bit rate, the first signal section being a part of a touch signal section which is a signal section indicating a touch state with an object in a tactile signal, the first signal section being a signal section including a boundary between the touch state and a non-touch state with the object; and a second decoding unit that decodes second encoded data obtained by encoding a second signal section with a bit rate lower than the first bit rate, the second signal section being a signal section except for the first signal section in the touch signal section.