Patent ID: 6020876
Filing Date: 2000-02-01
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A force feedback interface device implementing a selective disturbance filter for reporting filtered data to a host computer system, said host computer system implementing and displaying a graphical environment, the interface device comprising:a user manipulatable object physically contacted by a user and movable in physical space in a degree of freedom with respect to a ground;a sensor operative to detect said movement of said user manipulatable object in physical space in said degree of freedom with respect to said ground and output sensor signals representative of said movement;an actuator coupled to said user manipulatable object and operative to apply an output force in said degree of freedom of said user manipulatable object; anda microprocessor, separate from said host computer, coupled to said sensor and to said actuator, said microprocessor operative to receive host commands from said host computer and output force signals to said actuator for controlling said output force on said user manipulatable object, and operative to receive said sensor signals from said sensors and report locative data to said host computer derived from said sensor signals and indicative of said movement of said user manipulatable object, said host computer updating a position of a user-controlled graphical object based on at least a portion of said locative data, wherein said microprocessor implements a selective disturbance filter for modifying said locative data reported to said host computer when said output force would cause a disturbance to said user-controlled graphical object, wherein said modification of said locative data is performed when said output force on said user manipulatable object affects said position of said user manipulatable object such that said host computer would display said user-controlled graphical object in an undesired location on a display screen coupled to said host computer.