Tiltable Controller Actuator Disconnection for Natural Tactile Feedback
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users accustomed to controller devices without actuators experience a strange sense of operation when using devices with actuators due to the difference in tactile feedback.
Innovation Solution
A controller device with a tiltable operation part, a drive unit, and a control unit that manages power transmission to the operation part, prohibiting power transmission when certain conditions are met to mimic the feel of a device without actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an actuator is added to provide returning force to the operation part, then the operation control precision is improved, but the user experiences a strange sense of operation due to different tactile feedback compared to devices without actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the actuator from the power transmission path by using a transmission unit that can interrupt power transmission. When the operation part is within a predetermined angle range from the initial position, the transmission unit disconnects the actuator from the operation part, eliminating the actuator's returning force and elastic body force from affecting the user's tactile feedback in the neutral operating region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the transmission unit dynamically switchable between connected and disconnected states. The transmission unit connects the actuator to the operation part when the operation part exceeds the predetermined angle range, providing actuator control, and disconnects when within the range, providing natural elastic feedback. This dynamic switching resolves the contradiction between precision control and tactile consistency.
2Ease of operation
If a transmission unit is added to control power transmission between the drive unit and operation part, then the tactile feedback consistency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission unit acts as an intermediary component between the actuator and operation part. It mediates the power transmission by switching between connected and disconnected states based on the operation part's position, allowing the system to provide different tactile feedback characteristics without requiring complex control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission unit is designed to automatically switch between connected and disconnected states based on the operation part's position relative to the predetermined angle range. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for additional sensors or complex control systems to manage the power transmission state, reducing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are an operation part that is tiltable, a drive unit that generates power used for tilt control of the operation part, a transmission unit that permits or interrupts transmission of the power generated by the drive unit to the operation part, and a control unit that controls the transmission unit. The control unit controls the transmission unit in such a manner as to prohibit transmission of the power generated by the drive unit to the operation part at least while a tilt direction or a tilt angle of the operation part meets a predetermined condition.