Hand-held controller using segmented capacitive touch trigger

A hand-held controller includes a handle extending in a longitudinal direction. The handle is shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user's hand. A trigger protrudes from an outer surface of the handle and moves relative to the handle responsive to pressing of the trigger by a finger of the user's hand. The trigger includes a touch surface that comes into contact with the finger of the user's hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user's hand on the touch surface.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure generally relates to virtual reality (VR) controllers, and specifically to a hand-held controller using a segmented capacitive touch trigger.

Description of the Related Arts

VR systems may include a controller to translate movement of the user's body into tangible action in a virtual world. Some controllers provide vibration feedback to Android or iOS VR headsets for motion-based gaming. A controller may be equipped with a gyroscope, an accelerometer, or terrestrial magnetic field sensor to trace motion back to a game, allowing intuitive gameplay as if the player is within the game.

SUMMARY

Embodiments relate to a hand-held controller to track a user's hand motion, position, natural gestures, and finger movement to create a sense of hand presence for more realistic and tactile VR. The controller may let the user make social gestures like point, wave, and give a thumbs-up or manipulate objects in the virtual space, pick up toys or fire laser guns with intuitive, natural hand movement.

In one embodiment, the hand-held controller includes a handle extending in a longitudinal direction. The handle is shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user's hand. A trigger protrudes from an outer surface of the handle and moves relative to the handle responsive to pressing of the trigger by a finger of the user's hand. The trigger includes a touch surface that comes into contact with the finger of the user's hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user's hand on the touch surface.

In one embodiment, the touch surface includes segmented tracks to generate distinct sensor signals indicating which of the segmented tracks come in contact with the finger.

In one embodiment, the hand-held controller includes a sensor interface circuit to receive the distinct sensor signals from the segmented tracks and process the distinct sensor signals to determine the sliding of the finger based on a sequence in which the distinct sensor signals indicate touching or disengaging of the finger and the segmented tracks.

In one embodiment, each of the segmented tracks is separated from a neighboring track by a spacing distance.

In one embodiment, each of the segmented tracks extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

In one embodiment, the touch surface is a capacitive touch surface.

In one embodiment, the hand-held controller includes a ring attached to an end of the handle. The ring has an annular surface. The annular surface defines a plane that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction.

In one embodiment, the handle has a cylindrical shape.

In one embodiment, the touch surface is made of plastic or glass.

In one embodiment, the handle is made of engineering plastic.

In one embodiment, the trigger detects pressing of the trigger by the finger of the user's hand.

In one embodiment, the hand-held controller includes a magnetic sensor embedded within the handle. The magnetic sensor detects a depth of motion of the trigger when the finger of the user's hand presses the trigger in a direction towards the handle.

In one embodiment, the magnetic sensor is a Hall Effect sensor, a fluxgate magnetometer, or a magnetoresistance sensor.

In one embodiment, the hand-held controller includes a wireless communication interface to transmit wireless signals representing the haptic input received from the touch surface.

The figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide more thorough understanding. However, note that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.

Embodiments are described herein with reference to the figures where like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Also in the figures, the left most digits of each reference number corresponds to the figure in which the reference number is first used.

Embodiments relate to a hand-held controller having a trigger with a touch surface to detect sliding of a finger on the trigger. The hand-held controller includes a handle extending in a longitudinal direction. The trigger protrudes from an outer surface of the handle and moves relative to the handle responsive to pressing of the trigger by the finger of the user's hand. The touch surface on the trigger comes into contact with the finger of the user's hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user's hand on the touch surface. The detected sliding of the finger may signal a computing device (e.g., a VR system) to take certain actions.

FIG. 1is an example schematic perspective view of a hand-held controller100, in accordance with an embodiment. The hand-held controller100may be included in a VR system as a stand-alone controller or as part of a pair of tracked controllers that give a user “hand presence”—the feeling that the user's virtual hands are actually his own. The hand-held controller100may enable the user to manipulate objects in a virtual space with precision and intuitive, natural hand movement.

The hand-held controller100includes a handle104extending in a longitudinal direction108. The handle104may be made of an engineering plastic, such as injection-molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, or polyamide (nylon). In embodiments, the handle104may be made of wood or metal. The handle104may be resistant to impact and abrasion. The material of the handle104may exhibit heat resistance, mechanical strength, or rigidity.

The handle104is shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user's hand for tracking natural gestures and finger movements to create more realistic and tactile VR. For example, the handle may have a cylindrical shape. The handle104of the hand-held controller100may bend or curve to balance the weight of the controller100, such that it rests naturally in the top of the palm of the user or the crook of the user's fingers. The user may therefore comfortably hold the hand-held controller100without dropping it. Even if the user tries to open his hand completely when holding the hand-held controller100normally, the user's fingers may catch on the ring112and support the hand-held controller100's weight. The ring112is attached to an end of the handle104and has an annular surface120. The ring may be made of engineering plastic.

A trigger116made of plastic or rubber protrudes from an outer surface136of the handle104. The trigger116moves relative to the handle104responsive to pressing of the trigger116by a finger of the user's hand. The trigger116includes a touch surface128that comes into contact with the finger of the user's hand to detect sliding of the finger of the user's hand on the touch surface128. The touch surface128receives haptic input from a finger of the user's hand. The trigger116may have a tactile sensor to translate the motion and position of a user's fingers on the touch surface128to a relative position in a VR environment that is output to a computer screen or a head-mounted display (HMD). In an embodiment, the touch surface128is a capacitive touch surface. The touch surface128may operate by capacitive sensing, such as by sensing the capacitive virtual ground effect of the user's finger. The touch surface128may be made of glass, a glass-like polymer, plastic, or metal. In an embodiment, the capacitive touch pad120may be made of a flexible hydrogel embedded in silicone rubber.

The touch surface128of the trigger116includes segmented tracks124. Each of the segmented tracks124extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction108. The hand-held controller100receives distinct sensor signals from the segmented tracks124to determine the sliding of the finger based on a sequence in which the distinct sensor signals indicate touching or disengaging of the finger and the segmented tracks124, as illustrated and described in detail with reference toFIGS. 3 and 4.

The trigger116detects pressing of the trigger116by the finger of the user's hand. In an embodiment, the hand-held controller100includes a magnetic sensor132embedded within the handle104. The magnetic sensor132detects a depth of motion of the trigger116when the finger of the user's hand presses the trigger116in a direction towards the handle104. In embodiments, the magnetic sensor132may be a Hall Effect sensor, a fluxgate magnetometer, or a magnetoresistance sensor. A magnetic sensor132is a transducer that varies its voltage output in response to sensing a magnetic field. The depth of motion of the trigger116from the magnetic sensor132may be determined from a voltage output signal of the magnetic sensor132upon sensing a magnet embedded in or on the trigger116.

FIG. 2is an example schematic side view of the hand-held controller100, in accordance with an embodiment. The annular surface120of the ring112, illustrated and described above with reference toFIG. 1, defines a plane224that forms a predetermined angle216with respect to the longitudinal direction108in which the handle104extends. The predetermined angle216may be between 45° to 135°. With the ring geometry illustrated inFIG. 2, if the predetermined angle216is more than 45°, this avoids interference with the thumb movement of the user. If the predetermined angle216is less than 135°, this avoids any affects to the inside-out tracking visibility to a camera mounted on an HMD.

FIG. 3is an example schematic view of the touch surface128of the trigger116, in accordance with an embodiment. The touch surface128of the trigger116may have a circular or elliptical shape, as illustrated inFIG. 3.

Each of the segmented tracks124on the touch surface128is separated from a neighboring track by a spacing distance304. The haptic input sensed by the touch surface128may include the finger of the user's hand touching the touch surface128. The haptic input sensed by the touch surface128of the trigger116may include the finger of the user's hand moving across the touch surface128. The haptic input sensed by the touch surface128may include the finger pressing the trigger116.

In an embodiment, the touch surface128may be a multi-touch surface, meaning that the user may use two or more fingers to activate gesture-based commands via the touch surface128. The touch surface128and its associated device driver software may interpret tapping the touch surface as a “click.” A tap on the touch surface128followed by a continuous pointing motion may indicate dragging.

The touch surface128may have “hotspots,” that are locations on the touch surface128used for advanced functionality. For example, moving the user's finger along the segmented tracks124of the touch surface128in the direction308may act as a scroll wheel, such that a position of the user in a virtual environment moved from left to right. The touch surface128may also support two-finger dragging for scrolling. The touch surface128's driver may support tap zones—regions where a tap will execute a function, for example, pausing a VR game or launching an application.

FIG. 4is an example schematic block diagram of the hand-held controller100, in accordance with an embodiment. The hand-held controller100includes the trigger116, a wireless communication interface412, a sensor interface circuit420, a magnetic sensor132and a bus424. In alternative configurations, different and/or additional components may be included in the hand-held controller100, such as a memory, central processing unit (CPU), battery, Bluetooth component, USB input, etc.

The hand-held controller100may include a wireless communication interface412, which may be a digital, analog, or mixed-signal circuit to transmit wireless signals428indicating haptic input416received from the touch surface128of the trigger116. The wireless communication interface412may send and receive data via a wireless network without the need for connecting cables to the hand-held controller100. In one embodiment, the wireless communication interface412may support the USB 1.1 and 802.11b wireless network standards up to 11 Mbps data transfer rates. In one embodiment, the wireless communication interface412may support the USB 2.0 and 802.11g standards up to 54 Mpbs data transfer rates. In one embodiment, the wireless communication interface412may be a Compact Flash (CF) wireless network adapter use infrared technology for data exchanges between the hand-held controller100and a computer, etc. The wireless signals428may be transmitted to a head-mounted display, a computer, a VR system, etc.

The touch surface128of the trigger116includes segmented tracks124, which generate distinct sensor signals404indicating which of the segmented tracks124come in contact with the finger. The touch surface128may generate the distinct sensor signals404by detecting the electrical current of the user's finger as it comes into contact with a segmented track124. The sensor interface circuit420receives the distinct sensor signals404from the segmented tracks124on the trigger116and processes the distinct sensor signals404to determine the sliding of the finger based on a sequence in which the distinct sensor signals indicate touching or disengaging of the finger and the segmented tracks124.

In an embodiment, the magnetic sensor132generates sensor signals408representing the depth of motion of the trigger116when the finger of the user's hand presses the trigger116in a direction towards the handle104, as illustrated and described above with reference toFIG. 1. In embodiments, the trigger116may be connected to a transducer that converts the mechanical motion of the trigger116into the sensor signals408. The wireless communication interface412, sensor interface circuit420, and the magnetic sensor132may communicate via the bus424.