Patent ID: 11934588
Assignee: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A controller with a force-sensing thumbstick for controlling an artificial-reality environment, the controller comprising:
a housing configured to house electrical and mechanical components of the controller;
a thumbstick having a stationary default position relative to a top portion of the housing, the thumbstick configured to be moved from the stationary default position by a thumb of a user to cause movement of an object within an artificial-reality environment;
one or more force sensors configured to sense:
a magnitude of a first force applied to the thumbstick in a substantially downward direction relative to a top portion of the housing while the thumbstick is in the stationary default position, and
a magnitude of a second force applied to the thumbstick in the substantially downward direction relative to the top portion of the housing while the thumbstick is in a position other than the stationary default position;

one or more processors configured to:
receive the magnitude of the first force from the one or more force sensors and the magnitude of the second force from the one or more force sensors, and
determine whether the magnitude of the first force satisfies a default-position predefined force value that is associated with the stationary default position of the thumbstick or the magnitude of the second force satisfies a positionally-specific predefined force value that is associated with the position other than the stationary default position of the thumbstick; and

a haptic-feedback generator configured to:
provide first haptic feedback to the user in accordance with a determination, by the one or more processors, that the magnitude of the first force satisfies the default-position predefined force value, and
provide second haptic feedback to the user in accordance with a determination, by the one or more processors, that the magnitude of the second force satisfies the positionally-specific predefined force value.