Tactile Feedback System Removing Device Waveforms

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies for simulating tactile sensations are limited in their ability to accurately replicate the diverse range of sensations experienced when interacting with various objects, often resulting in unnatural and unrealistic tactile feedback.

Innovation Solution

A tactile feedback system that removes contact-device-specific oscillating waveforms from contact-generated waveforms and superposes finger-pulp-specific oscillating waveforms to simulate the frictional vibrations experienced when touching an object, allowing for the synthesis of a natural and realistic tactile sensation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If contact-generated waveforms are used directly to simulate tactile sensations, then the simulation can be performed with simple processing, but the tactile feedback appears unnatural and unrealistic due to contact-device-specific oscillations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing simplicityVSAvoidtactile sensation naturalness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes contact-device-specific oscillating waveforms from the contact-generated waveforms. This is achieved by identifying and subtracting the periodic components that correspond to the contact device's own vibrations, leaving only the frictional vibration components that represent the actual tactile sensation from the object surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces finger-pulp-specific oscillating waveforms as an intermediary element. These waveforms are superimposed on the cleaned contact-generated waveforms to mediate between the raw sensor data and the final tactile feedback, effectively transforming the signal into a natural finger sensation model.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If contact-device-specific oscillations are included in the feedback, then the system can maintain simple signal processing, but the tactile sensation becomes unrealistic

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal processing complexityVSAvoidtactile sensation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts and removes the contact-device-specific oscillating waveforms from the raw contact-generated waveforms. This extraction process identifies and subtracts the periodic components corresponding to the contact device's own vibrations, isolating only the frictional vibration components that represent accurate tactile sensations from the object surface.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs feedback mechanisms to continuously refine the tactile sensation simulation. By comparing the cleaned waveforms with the original contact-generated waveforms and adjusting the removal of contact-device-specific oscillations based on real-time sensor data, the system maintains high accuracy while managing processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Device complexity

If the system processes only contact-generated waveforms, then the processing path remains simple, but it cannot accurately replicate diverse tactile sensations from different objects

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing path simplicityVSAvoidtactile sensation diversity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces finger-pulp-specific oscillating waveforms as an intermediary that enables the system to adapt to different object surfaces. These intermediary waveforms act as a bridge between the raw contact data and the final tactile feedback, allowing accurate replication of diverse tactile sensations from various materials and surfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes parameters by dynamically adjusting the finger-pulp-specific oscillating waveforms based on the detected contact-generated waveforms. This parameter adjustment allows the same processing framework to adapt to different object characteristics, enabling accurate simulation of diverse tactile sensations without requiring separate processing paths for each object type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8665076B2Tactile feedback method and system, computer program and storage medium that stores the computer program

Publication Date: 2014.03.04 PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYST CO LTD

AI summary

A tactile feedback system includes: a removing section for removing a contact-device-specific oscillating waveform, included in both a first contact-generated waveform representing a frictional vibration produced when a contact device contacts with one object and a second contact-generated waveform representing a frictional vibration produced when the contact device contacts with another object, from the first contact-generated waveform; a superposing section for superposing a finger-pulp-specific oscillating waveform, included in both the first finger-pulp-generated waveform representing a frictional vibration produced when a person's finger pulp contacts with the one object and the second finger-pulp-generated waveform representing a frictional vibration produced when the finger pulp contacts with that another object, on the first contact-generated waveform from which the contact-device-specific oscillating waveform has been removed; and a simulating section for displaying a vibration stimulation based on the first contact-generated waveform on which the finger-pulp-specific oscillating waveform has been superposed.