Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Exos Corporation

Bin An

Timothy R Osborne

Beth A Marcus

Paul Hornikx

Brian Eberman

Dan Blase

Elaine Y Chen

Aditha May Adams

Christopher G Alviar

Jonathan A Hayes

Manolito E Adan

Allen M Han

Thomas W Brooks

Melissa S Jacobson

William Peter Stiles

Wolfgang Adam Mack, Jr

Daniel J Blase

Michael R Groesch

Matthew L Coill

Paul DiLascia

Vincent Jesus

A nib for a stylus for use with a tablet and stylus computer. The nib provides a desired amount of firmness and friction between the stylus and a writing surface of the tablet and stylus computer. A nib substrate material approximates a desired nib-and-writing-surface firmness and a desired amount of friction between the nib and the writing surface. A secondary material is optionally added to the nib substrate material to alter the amount of friction between the stylus nib and the writing surface.

Stylus nibs for providing a pen-and-paper feel for use with a tablet-and-stylus computer

The present invention provides a dual axis articulated computer input device. Position sensors are configured to provide position information indicative of a position of two handle members relative to one another.

Dual axis articulated electronic input device

Interactive simulation including force feedback. The system includes a computer game display unit programmed with simulation rules. A control unit is connected to the computer and provides information and control signals to the computer to interact with the stored simulation rules and to receive information and control signals from the computer. A movable structure for movement in at least two degrees-of-freedom by an operator is interconnected to the control unit by actuators. A programmable unit processes signals and information from the computer to generate signals to drive the actuators so as to apply forces in the at least two degrees-of-freedom to the movable structure and thereby to the operator. The applied forces are based on internal programming within the programmable unit, events occurring in the simulation and movements of and forces applied to the movable structure by the operator. The system of the invention thereby provides continuous interaction among motion of and forces applied by the movable structure, the events in the simulation and forces applied to and applied by the movable structure.

Interactive simulation including force feedback

A haptic feedback joystick provides input signals for controlling computer programs in response to a pivotal displacement of a joystick control handle about a plurality of orthogonal axes. Haptic feedback force effects are applied to the joystick control handle about &ldquo;X&rdquo; and &ldquo;Y&rdquo; axes in response to haptic feedback command signals generated by the computer program. The control handle is mounted on a control handle shaft that is pivotally coupled to a full-gimbal assembly driven by two electric motors to produce the haptic feedback force. The full-gimbal assembly includes an upper and lower gimbal operatively coupled to a corresponding electric motor. One side of each gimbal includes a support shaft mounted in a corresponding bearing a frame, while the opposite sides of each gimbal include two drive pins that couple with a sector gear. Each sector gear is rotatably mounted on the frame and is coupled to the drive shaft of a different one of the electric motors. Each of the upper and lower gimbals enable the control handle to be displaced about a respective one of said X and Y axes, while the electric motors impart a torque to the control handle about these axes in response to electrical drive currents generated by a motor controller. Potentiometers are coupled to the upper and lower gimbals to produce proportional output signals indicative of the angular displacement of the control handle about the X and Y axes. The output signals are transmitted to a computer running the software program.

Haptic feedback joystick

Steering wheel assembly

Interactive simulation including force feedback. The system includes a computer game display unit programmed with simulation rules. A control unit is connected to the computer and provides information and control signals to the computer to interact with the stored simulation rules and to receive information and control signals from the computer. A movable structure for movement in at least two degrees-of-freedom by an operator is interconnected to the control unit by means of actuators. A programmable unit processes signals and information from the computer to generate signals to drive the actuators so as to apply forces in the at least two degrees-of-freedom to the movable structure and thereby to the operator. The applied forces are based on internal programming within the programmable unit, events occurring in the simulation and movements of and forces applied to the movable structure by the operator. The system of the invention thereby provides continuous interaction among motion of and forces applied by the movable structure, the events in the simulation and forces applied to and applied by the movable structure.

A processor in a haptic joystick renders force effects that are applied to control handle gripped by a user. A plurality of force effects specified by a host computer to the processor are stored in a random access memory (RAM) that is coupled to the processor. Further, a plurality of force effects are stored in a read only memory (ROM) that is coupled to the processor. The processor employs a scheduler to render the force effects in a specified order, for specified time intervals. The scheduler controls how the force effects are rendered, i.e., sequentially, concatenated, and/or superimposed. A play list employed by the scheduler indicates for each increment of a servo clock when each force effect should be rendered by the processor. The scheduler has a round robin queue that can implement at least five types of effects, including: behavioral, synthesized, wave table, variable parameter, and process list.

Offline force effect rendering

Clamp

Apparatus for clamping a device to a work surface. A cam actuated, adjustable clamp provides a connection between the device and the work surface. The clamp includes a handle and a lever pivotally coupled to a housing member; a hand rotated threaded bolt in the end of the lever is used to adjust the position of a shoe to accommodate work surfaces of different thicknesses. The handle and lever pivot about bearings on two rods. Connectors extend between the two rods and they are coupled to the housing member. Cams on the handle ride on a surface of the lever as the handle is moved, applying a force to the lever that controls its position relative the underside of the work surface. The clamp is engaged/disengaged by a single movement (approximately 90 degrees of rotation) of the handle. A spring or linkage may be provided to bias the lever away from the work surface when the clamp is in the open (disengaged) position.

Cam actuated, adjustable clamp

A force feedback joystick unit connected to the serial port of a personal computer applies a variety of force effects to the joystick handle in response to commands from the executing personal computer program. Forces are applied to the joystick, which is mounted on a gimbal support for movement in two degrees of freedom, by a pair of drive motors which operate under the control of a digital signal processor (DSP). The DSP is programmed to respond to predetermined commands issued by a program executing on the personal computer to produce basic force effects including a constant force, a spring force proportional to the displacement of the joystick handle from a reference, a damping force proportional to the velocity of the joystick, and a time varying force effect having a selectable waveform, magnitude and period. More complex forces effects are produced by combining the basic effects. Custom force effects can be defined by the executing application program, the definitions being downloadable from the personal computer into the DSP which thereafter produces the defined custom force effect upon subsequent command from the personal computer. Multiple force effects, including both basic predefined effects and complex custom effects can be simultaneously operative and can be independently initiated and terminated by commands from the personal computer.

Force feedback joystick with digital signal processor controlled by host

An input device for an interactive computer simulation or game is disclosed which includes a structure having at least two degrees-of-freedom which is moveable by a digit of a user to transmit input signal to a computer. At least one actuator connected to the moveable structure receives inputs from a computer and applies forces in the at least two degrees-of-freedom to the movable structure and thereby to the digit of the user. The actuator may include an electric motor and any of a variety of force transmission schemes including direct, cable, gear or belt drives. The applied forces are typically based on internal programming within the computer, events occurring in the simulation and movements of and forces applied to the movable structure by the operator. The input device of the invention thereby provides continuous interaction among motion of and forces applied by the movable structure, the events in the simulation and forces applied to and applied by the movable structure to enhance user enjoyment and performance.

Growing community of inventors

Woodinville, WA, United States of America

Bin An