U.S. patent application number 14/096858 was filed with the patent office on 2015-06-04 for tactile communication apparatus, method, and computer program product.
The applicant listed for this patent is Thieab ALDOSSARY. Invention is credited to Thieab ALDOSSARY.
Application Number | 20150154886 14/096858 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50025842 |
Filed Date | 2015-06-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150154886 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ALDOSSARY; Thieab |
June 4, 2015 |
TACTILE COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM
PRODUCT
Abstract
A tactile communication apparatus that includes a signal
receiver configured decode data received via a wireless signal, a
tactile communication device containing a plurality of pins on one
side, each pin configured to respectively move in both an outward
direction and inward direction to form a plurality of pin
combinations based on a plurality of activation signals, and a
communication processor configured to generate the plurality of pin
activation signals based on the received data so as to convey the
data to a user through the plurality of pin combinations of the
tactile communication device.
Inventors: |
ALDOSSARY; Thieab;
(Washington, DC) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ALDOSSARY; Thieab |
Washington |
DC |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
50025842 |
Appl. No.: |
14/096858 |
Filed: |
December 4, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
434/114 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09B 21/003 20130101;
G09B 21/001 20130101; H04M 1/2476 20130101; G09B 21/004
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G09B 21/00 20060101
G09B021/00 |
Claims
1. A tactile communication apparatus comprising: a signal receiver
configured to decode data received via a wireless signal; a
portable tactile communication device containing a plurality of
pins on one side and configured to be detachably attached over a
wrist of a user such that the one side opposes the wrist of the
user without restriction of hand movement, each pin configured to
reciprocately move in an outward direction and an inward direction
to form a plurality of pin combinations that contact the wrist of
the user in response to a plurality of pin activation signals
activating at least a portion of the plurality of pins; and a
communication processor configured to generate the plurality of pin
activation signals determined from the received data so as to
convey the data tactilly to the user through the plurality of pin
combinations of the portable tactile communication device.
2. The tactile communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein subsets
of the plurality of pins are arranged in tactile communication
components, each subset being contained in a different tactile
communication component, one tactile communication component being
positioned next to another tactile communication component so as to
convey multiple types of information to adjacent locations on the
wrist of the user.
3. The tactile communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one
side of the portable tactile communication device containing the
plurality of pins is ergonomically shaped to match at least an
underside of the wrist of the user such that each of the plurality
of pins, when moved in an outwards direction, comes into contact
with the wrist of the user.
4. The tactile communication apparatus of claim 3, wherein the
communication processor is configured to activate a rise amount of
the pins by variable degrees to form pin combinations to convey one
of a ripple effect and a pulse effect to the wrist of the user.
5. The tactile communication apparatus of claim 3, wherein the
communication processor is configured to activate the pins to raise
by variable degrees to form pin combinations that tactilly relay an
equalizer pattern to the wrist of the user.
6. The tactile communication apparatus of claim 3, wherein the
communication processor is configured to activate the pins to raise
by variable degrees to form pin combinations that tactilly relay
information such as temperature, speed and tuning in a meter
format.
7. The tactile communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the
communication processor is configured to execute a downloadable
application and provide output information from the application
tactilly to the wrist of the user via a plurality of pins.
8. The wearable tactile communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein
the detection processor is included in at least one of a smartphone
and a smartwatch and communicates wirelessly with the signal
receiver.
9. A wearable tactile communication apparatus comprising: a signal
receiver configured to decode data received via a wireless signal;
a portable tactile communication device containing a plurality of
pins on one side and configured to be detachably attached over a
palm or wrist of a user such that the one side that opposes the
palm or wrist of the user without restriction of finger movement,
the plurality of pins configured to controllably and
reciprocatively move in an outward direction and an inward
direction to form a plurality of pin combinations to be received in
the palm or wrist of the user in response to a plurality of pin
activation signals activating at least a portion of the plurality
of pins; and a communication processor configured to generate the
plurality of pin activation signals determined from the received
data so as to convey the data tactilly to the user through the
plurality of pin combinations of the tactile portable communication
device, Said received data includes object movement data, and said
plurality of pin activation signals corresponds with conveying
content of the object movement data to a palm or wrist of the
user.
10. The wearable tactile communication apparatus of claim 9,
wherein said object movement data includes automobile blind spot
sensor data, said communication processor configured to generate
pin activation signals that tactilly inform the user of a presence
of an obstacle in a blind spot of an automobile driven by the
user.
11. The wearable tactile communication apparatus of claim 9,
wherein said object movement data includes lane departure sensor
data provided by a land departure sensor, said communication
processor configured to generate pin activation signals that
tactilly inform the user of a lane departure of a vehicle driven by
the user.
12. The wearable tactile communication apparatus of claim 8,
wherein said object movement data includes obstacle avoidance
sensor data provided by an obstacle avoidance sensor in an
automobile, said communication processor configured to generate pin
activation signals that tactilly inform the user of a presence of
an obstacle approaching the vehicle driven by the user.
13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with computer
readable instructions stored therein that when executed by a
computer, cause the computer to execute a tactile communication
method using a tactile communications device, the method
comprising: receiving with a signal receiver data in a wireless
signal having; receiving a destination data input by a user;
receiving a predetermined object data input by a user; generating
navigational data based on GPS positional data and the destination
data; matching with the computer the predetermined object data to
sensor data received from a plurality of sensors; generating with a
communications processor a plurality of pin activation signals
based on the received data, the navigational data, and the results
of the matching; and reciprocally moving a plurality of pins of the
portable tactile communication device in an outward direction and
an inward direction to form a plurality of pin combinations
corresponding to output data from a downloadable application
received wirelessly to relay an indication based on the plurality
of activation signals, wherein the portable tactile communication
device contains plurality of pins on one side and is configured to
be detachably attached over a wrist or palm of a user such that the
one side opposes the wrist or palm of the user without restriction
finger movement, each pin configured to reciprocally move in an
outward direction and an inward direction to form a plurality of
pin combinations to be received in the wrist or palm of the user in
response to the plurality of pin activation signals activating at
least a portion of the plurality of pins.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is related to U.S. application Ser.
No. 13/564,395, filed Aug. 1, 2012, the entire contents of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
GRANT OF NON-EXCLUSIVE RIGHT
[0002] This application was prepared with financial support from
the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, and in consideration therefore
the present inventor(s) has granted The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a
non-exclusive right to practice the present invention.
BACKGROUND
Field of the Disclosure
[0003] Embodiments described herein relate generally to an
apparatus, method, and computer program product for tactile
communication. More particularly, the embodiments described relate
to an apparatus that can facilitate data communications for (users
who are occupying the use of their visual and auditory senses) and
the visually impaired.
SUMMARY
[0004] According to an embodiment, there is provided a tactile
communication apparatus that includes a signal receiver configured
decode data received via a wireless signal, a tactile communication
device containing a plurality of pins on one side, each pin
configured to respectively move in both an outward direction and
inward direction to form a plurality of pin combinations based on a
plurality of activation signals, and a communication processor
configured to generate the plurality of pin activation signals
based on the received data so as to convey the data to a user
through the plurality of pin combinations of the tactile
communication device.
[0005] According to another embodiment, there is also provided a
method of tactile communication
[0006] The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of
general introduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of
the following claims. The described embodiments, together with
further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] A more complete appreciation of the present advancements and
many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained
as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following
detailed description when considered in connection with the
accompanying drawings. However, the accompanying drawings and the
exemplary depictions do not in any way limit the scope of the
advancements embraced by the specification. The scope of the
advancements embraced by the specification and drawings are defined
by the words of the accompanying claims.
[0008] FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a front view and a rear view,
respectively, of a tactile communication apparatus according to an
exemplary embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 2 illustrates an ergonomic design of the tactile
communication device according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 3 illustrates a pin of the tactile communication device
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0011] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate Braille code and the
corresponding output of the tactile communication device according
to an exemplary embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 5 illustrates the output of relative directional data
via the tactile communication device according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a tactile communication
apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a tactile communication
apparatus including navigational features according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a tactile communication
apparatus including detection features according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating the communication
features of the tactile communication apparatus according to an
exemplary embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the navigational
features of the tactile communication apparatus according to an
exemplary embodiment.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the detection
features of the tactile communication apparatus according to an
exemplary embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 12 is a hardware block diagram of a target tracking
processor according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0020] FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate a front view and a rear view,
respectively, of a tactile communication apparatus with an
additional tactile wrist communicator according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0021] FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate an individual component with an
internal tactile component rested and suspended, respectively, it
represents one component of several tactile pins for the wrist.
[0022] FIG. 15A illustrates a `wave` form of communicating, it
demonstrates the how the pins raise and drop to relay a pulse
feeling in the inside section of the wrist. FIG. 15B shows the
levels the pins can raise.
[0023] FIGS. 16A & 16B shows how wrist tactile pins can relay
tactile information in the form of a musical equalizer.
[0024] FIGS. 17A & 17B illustrate how tactile information
relayed to the wrist can be used to communicate speed of the user
against the speed limit of the road the user is travelling in.
[0025] FIGS. 18A & 18B Show a function of tactile wrist
communication whereby a tuning of an instrument can be determined
by feeling raisable pins in the inside section of the wrist.
[0026] FIG. 19 demonstrates how tactile communication to the wrist
can work alongside relaying tactile messages to the palm by
indicating the number of letters in a word to the inside section of
the wrist while communicating the letters to the palm.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Tremendous developments have occurred with mobile
communication devices in a very short time frame. However they have
been dependant on the users' visual or auditory senses to interact
with them often causing the user to have to pause whatever they are
doing to use the device. Tactile communication allows the users to
feel the information, enabling less disruption to their physical
activities in certain cases.
[0028] The present inventor recognized the need to improve the way
information can be communicated discreetly to individuals without
interruption to their visual and auditory activities and to assist
navigation and communication while they are in motion. With the way
computer technology is advancing and the way it is changing the
lives of people, adequate methods of communication need to be
established to tackle issues especially in a mobility
situation.
[0029] The tactile communication apparatus is designed to
communicate data such as simple text in a physical or tactile
manner. Text can be communicated, for example, in the form of
Braille and directions in the form of directional tactile
indication. The tactile communication apparatus combines both a
hardware unit to work alongside computer software. It is designed
to be versatile in the sense that it can work with several software
programs as well as wired and wireless networks. Along with simple
text, directional communications and frequency levels, the tactile
communication apparatus is able to interact with the surrounding
environment to communicate additional data such as tag detection,
GPS navigation, object recognition and identification, obstacle
detection, etc. And communicate frequency levels such as music
tactile equalizer, heart rates, blood pressure, impact response
(for such applications as video games), etc.
[0030] The tactile communicator has also been ergonomically
designed to tackle many mobility communication issues highlighted
in the user research. It introduces a new way of communication to
mobile Smartphone users in such a way that their visual and
auditory senses are not interrupted. The communication method is
discrete, light, easy to use, unrestrictive and very useful for
navigation in an outside mobile environment.
[0031] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference
numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout
several views.
[0032] FIG. 1A illustrates a front view of a tactile communication
apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment. The tactile
communication apparatus 1 consists of two main parts: a processing
section 20 and a tactile communication device 30. The processing
section 20 receives signals and data from external sources and
generates pin activation signals based on the data to be
communicated to a user 10. The tactile communication device 30
receives pin activation signals and activates a plurality of pin
combinations in a particular sequence to physically communicate
data to the user 10 through a tactile projection and/or haptic
mechanism (e.g., vibration). FIG. 1B illustrates a rear view of the
tactile communication apparatus 1.
[0033] The processing section 20 receives data from any number of
wired or wireless inputs. Such wired inputs may be received via a
network cable, fiber optic cable, USB cable, firewire cable, or the
such. Wireless inputs may be received from any form of wireless
network such a WiFi, cellular, or near field communication type
systems and associated protocols. Once a signal from a wired or
wireless network is received by the processing section 20, it is
processed by the appropriate processing portion to decode the
signal to useful information and/or data. Activation signals for
the tactile communication device 30 are then generated based on the
decoded information and/or data.
[0034] The tactile communication device 30 facilitates
communication with the user 10 through both a receiving data from
the user 10 through a keypad 302 and transmitting data to the user
10 through a set of pins 304. Information received by the
processing section 20 is processed and activation signals for the
set of pins 302 are generated and sent to the tactile communication
device 30. The tactile communication device 30 then activates the
appropriate sequence of pins 304 to convey the information or data
to the user 10 through a tactile indication.
[0035] The tactile communication device 30 is ergonomically
designed, as illustrated in FIG. 2 which show the rear section of
the tactile communication device 30 corresponding to FIG. 1B, so as
to comfortably and completely contour to the shape of the palm of
the user's 10 hand. This allows a more efficient and effective
method of tactile communication with the user 10 because the pins
304 of the tactile communication device 30 are more likely to come
into contact with the user 10 and the user 10 is more likely to
understand and recognize the sequence of pin activations from the
tactile communication device 30.
[0036] The front section of the tactile communication device 30, as
illustrated in FIG. 1A, is flat and contains a keypad 302. The
keypad 302 can contain any number of keys in any number of
configurations. The user 10 can use the keypad 302 as an interface
to initiate communication or respond to received communication. For
a non-limiting example, the keypad 302 can be of a similar
configuration to that of a standard or mobile telephone
alpha/numeric keypad where the first key corresponds to 1 or ABC,
the second key corresponds to 2 or DEF, etc. When the user 10 wants
to input a message that starts with the letter "B," the user will
press the first key two times to indicate that the second character
of the first key is desired to be input. In a second non-limiting
example, the tactile communication device 30 or processing section
20 can be equipped with software where the user 10 presses keys
containing the desired letters once and the software will infer the
desired word/phrase based on the keypad 302 combinations pressed by
the user 10.
[0037] The pins 304 of the tactile communication device 30 can be
any form of mechanism that can convey a tactile indication, such as
a solenoid 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. In an exemplary embodiment,
the solenoid 300 contains a plunger 302, a pin 304, a coil 306, an
end stop 308, a frame 310, and a set of permanent magnets 312. A
pin activation signal generated at the processing section 20
actuates the solenoid 300 via the permanents magnets 312 and the
coil 306. This causes the plunger 302 to push the pin 304 in an
outward direction until the pin reaches the end stop 308. When the
pin 304 is moving in an outward direction, it comes into contact
with the user 10 providing a tactile indication. When the
activation signal is no longer present, the plunger 302 returns to
its initial state and the pin 304 moves in an inward direction.
When the pin 304 is moving in an inward direction, it comes out of
contact with the user 10 and no longer provides a tactile
indication. Through the use of multiple solenoids, combinations of
tactile indications can be created by activating the multiple
solenoids through specific sequences so as to physically
communicate data and information.
[0038] The sequence in which the pins 304 are activated can
correspond to any form of code or language understood by the user
10 such as Braille which is commonly used by the blind or people
with limited visual capability.
[0039] FIG. 4A illustrates the letters of the alphabet and the
corresponding Braille code. The user 10 will recognize letters
based on a specific pin 304 combination based on the Braille code
and be able to spell out words over a series of pin 304
combinations. FIG. 4B illustrates the pin 304 combinations
presented to the user 10 based on the tactile communication device
30 as discussed above. It should be noted that in non-limiting
illustration in 4B, that the left most column and the right most
column are used to present characters according to the Braille
code, but any configuration may be used that is easily
understandable by the user 10.
[0040] FIG. 4B also illustrates how direction information is passed
to the user 10 based on cardinal direction indications such as
North, South, East, West, etc. When communicating directional
information, the tactile communication apparatus 1 can guide the
user 10 to any specified target or location using cardinal
directions based on the pin 304 combinations illustrated in 4B.
[0041] Further, FIG. 5 also illustrates how direction information
is passed to the user 10 based on relative direction indication
based on a bearing relative to the users 10 current direction.
[0042] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary tactile
communication apparatus 1. Data and information is sent to the
tactile communication apparatus 1 via a wireless network 40. It
should also be noted that data and information can also be sent to
the tactile communication apparatus 1 via a wired network. The
processing section 20 receives the data signal from the wireless
network 40 at the signal receiver 204. The signal receiver 204
decodes the data signal and sends the data to the communication
processor 202. The communication processor parses the data and
generates pin activation signals that are sent to the tactile
communication device 30 which physically communicates the data to
the user 10 via the pins 304. Data and information can also be
generated by the user 10 at the tactile communication device 30,
via the keypad 302, and sent to the communication processor 202.
The communication processor 202 will process the inputs received
from the tactile communication device 30 and construct a formatted
data or information message. The message will be sent to the signal
receiver 204 which will generate a data packet based on the medium
in which the message will be transmitted and then transmit the data
packet to the wired or wireless network 40.
[0043] In another embodiment, the tactile communication device 30
can also include a vibration unit 306 to provide an additional
means of tactile communication. The vibration unit 306 may be
activated to provide general or non specific indication or
acknowledgement of an event such as confirmation that a message has
been sent, indication that a message has been received, or to
notify the user 10 of an error.
[0044] In another embodiment, FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a
tactile communication apparatus 1 that can provide position and
navigation functionality. In this embodiment, the processing
section 20 also contains a GPS unit 208 that receives position data
from a satellite network 50. The GPS unit calculates a current
position based on the received position data and then sends the
current position to the navigation processor 206. The navigation
processor 206 can either relay the current position to the user 10
via the pins 304, or update navigation data to a predetermined
location or object and provide directional information to the user
10 via the pins 304 based on a current position. Directional
information, for example, can be provided to the user 10 via
cardinal direction, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, or relative
direction, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The user 10 can input a
desired destination or object to the navigation processor 206, via
the keypad 302, for which the navigation processor 206 will
calculate directional information.
[0045] In another embodiment, FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a
tactile communication apparatus 1 that can provide object
recognition and identification functionality. In this embodiment,
the processing section 20 also contains a detection unit 212 that
receives images or sensor data 60 of the surrounding environment of
the user 10. Images or sensor data 60 can be obtained from an
appropriate sensing mechanism such as a camera, video recorder,
motion detection, or radar or sonar device. Data from one of these
devices is received by the detection unit 212 where objects and
features contained within the data can be identified and stripped
or isolated. Object and feature data is then sent to the detection
processor 210 where they are processed and compared to known or
predetermined objects. If a match is made and an object or feature
is recognized, the detection processor 210 will notify the user 10
via the tactile communication device 30 of the recognition.
[0046] In a non-limiting example of the above described process,
the user 10 may wish to locate a nearby object, such as a digital
camera. The user 10 would enter in an appropriate code into the
keypad 302, such as "DC" for digital camera, to indicate to the
tactile communication apparatus 1 that the user would like to
locate this object. The tactile communication apparatus 1 would
then receive image or sensor data 60 from the surrounding
environment from an appropriate sensor (not shown), which can
either be attached to the tactile communication apparatus 1 or a
separate device. Image and sensor data 60 would then be fed into
the detection unit 212 for image processing. Features and object
located within the image and sensor data would then be sent to the
detection processor 210 which would parse the features and objects
until the digital camera was recognized.
[0047] Further, the detection processor could work in conjunction
with the navigation processor so that once a desired object has
been recognized or found, the navigation processor could guide the
user 10 to the object using the pins 304 of the tactile
communication device 30.
[0048] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram of a tactile communication
apparatus 1 according to an exemplary embodiment. Initially, the
tactile communication apparatus 1 may be standing by at step S100
to receive a wireless signal via the signal receiver 204. When a
signal is received by the signal receiver 104 at S102, the signal
is decoded or demodulated based on the type of network and
protocols which the signal was received. The signal is then
processed at the communication processor 202 to produce the data
which is to be communicated to the user 10 at step S104. The
communication processor 202 generates pin activation signals at
step S106 and transmits the pin activation signals to the tactile
communication device 30.
[0049] Once the tactile communication device 30 receives the pin
activation signals at step 108 the tactile communication device 30
activates the appropriate pins in a specific sequence according to
the pin activation signals so as to communicate the received data
to the user 10. When the data has been communicated to the user 10
via the tactile communication device 30, the user 10 may or may not
provide a response to the data to the tactile communication device
30 via the keypad 302 at step S110. If no user response is detected
at step S110, the tactile communication apparatus 1 returns to a
standby state at step S112. If the user 10 response has been
detected at step S110 via the keypad 306, the communication
processor receives the data from the tactile communication device
30 at step S114. The received data from user 10 is processed at
step S116 so as to transmit the data via a wireless signal. Once
the data has been encoded or modulated via the appropriate means
based on the network, the data is transmitted over the wireless
network at step S118. Finally, the tactile communication apparatus
1 returns to standby state at step S112.
[0050] According to another embodiment, FIG. 10 is a sequence
diagram of a tactile communication apparatus 1 illustrating the
features out of providing navigational data to a user 10.
Initially, the tactile communication apparatus 1 may be standing by
at step S200 to receive a desired destination or location from user
10. Once a desired location or destination has been received from a
user at step S202, the navigation processor 206 processes the
destination data to produce navigation data at step S204. The
navigation processor 206 also receives GPS data from the GPS unit
208. Once the navigational data has been generated by the
navigation processor 206 at step S204 the navigation processor 206
generates pin activation signals at step S206 to communicate the
navigation data to the user 10. Activation signals are received at
the tactile communication device 30 at step S208 which initiates
the tactile communication of the navigation data to the user 10.
When the navigational data is being communicated to the user 10 the
user may respond or continue to follow the navigation data at step
S210. If the user provides no response and continues to follow the
navigation data at step S210, a further determination will be made
based on the continued supply of GPS data from the GPS unit 208 to
determine if the user 10 has reached the desired destination at
step 212. If the desired destination has not yet been reached at
step S212 the tactile communication apparatus 1 continues to
process navigation data at step S204 to continue to guide the user
10 to the desired destination. If a desired destination has been
determined to be reached at step S212 the tactile communication
apparatus returns to a standby state at step S214. Upon receiving
tactile indication at step 208, the user 10 may respond to provide
updated destination information or corrections at step S210. If
user 10 response has been detected at step S210 the navigation
processor 206 receives input from step S216 and then processes that
information at step 218 to update or correct navigational data. The
tactile communication apparatus 1 then determines if the new
destination has been reached at step 212. If the new destination
has not yet been reached at step S212 the tactile communication
apparatus 1 continues to process navigation data at step S204.
Otherwise the tactile communication apparatus 1 enters into a
standby state once the new destination has been reached at step
S214.
[0051] According to another embodiment FIG. 11 is a sequence
diagram of a tactile communication apparatus 1 providing the
additional features of object identification and recognition.
Initially the tactile communication apparatus 1 may be standing by
at step S300 to receive an object identification code from the user
10. When an object identification code is received from the user 10
at step S302, via the keypad 302, the detection processor 210
receives sensor data 60 of a plurality of objects to be identified
via the detection unit 212. Sensor data received by the detection
unit 212 can be any form capable of being processed by the
detection processor 210 such as image information, motion
information, or radar or sonar information. Once the surrounding
objects about the tactile communication apparatus 1 have been
detected at step S304, the detection processor 210 processes and
identifies objects and features contained within the sensor data at
step S306. Once the sensor data has been processed at step S306,
the detection processor 210 determines if an identified object or
feature corresponds to the object identification code received from
the user 10 at step S302. If a recognized object fails to match the
object identification code at step S308, the tactile communication
device 30 may indicate an error or a no match indication at step
S310 via activating a vibration unit 306 in the tactile
communication device 30. Once the user 10 is notified that no
matches have been detected, the tactile communication apparatus 1
will return to a standby state at step S312. If at step S308 a
match has been determined of a recognized object with the object
identification code, the detection processor 210 may work in
conjunction with the navigation processor 206 to generate
directional data from the user to navigate to the recognized object
at step S314. Navigation data to the recognized object will be
communicated to the user via the tactile communication device 30 at
step S316. When the user 10 has been successfully guided to the
desired object at step S318 the tactile communication apparatus
returns to a standby state at step S312.
[0052] Next, a hardware description of the tactile communication
apparatus 1 according to exemplary embodiments is described with
reference to FIG. 12. In FIG. 12, the tactile communication
apparatus 1 includes a CPU 500 which performs the processes
described above. The process data and instructions may be stored in
memory 502. These processes and instructions may also be stored on
a storage medium disk 504 such as a hard drive (HDD) or portable
storage medium or may be stored remotely. Further, the claimed
advancements are not limited by the form of the computer-readable
media on which the instructions of the inventive process are
stored. For example, the instructions may be stored on CDs, DVDs,
in FLASH memory, RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, hard disk or any
other information processing device with which the tactile
communication apparatus 1 communicates, such as a server or
computer.
[0053] Further, the claimed advancements may be provided as a
utility application, background daemon, or component of an
operating system, or combination thereof, executing in conjunction
with CPU 500 and an operating system such as Microsoft Windows 7,
UNIX, Solaris, LINUX, Apple MAC-OS and other systems known to those
skilled in the art.
[0054] CPU 500 may be a Xenon or Core processor from Intel of
America or an Opteron processor from AMD of America, or may be
other processor types that would be recognized by one of ordinary
skill in the art. Alternatively, the CPU 500 may be implemented on
an FPGA, ASIC, PLD or using discrete logic circuits, as one of
ordinary skill in the art would recognize. Further, CPU 500 may be
implemented as multiple processors cooperatively working in
parallel to perform the instructions of the inventive processes
described above.
[0055] The tactile communication apparatus 1 in FIG. 12 also
includes a signal receiver 204, such as an Intel Ethernet PRO
network interface card from Intel Corporation of America, for
interfacing with wireless network 40. As can be appreciated, the
wireless network 40 can be a public network, such as the Internet,
or a private network such as an LAN or WAN network, or any
combination thereof and can also include PSTN or ISDN sub-networks.
The wireless network 40 can also be wired, such as an Ethernet
network, or can be wireless such as a cellular network including
EDGE, 3G and 4G wireless cellular systems. The wireless network can
also be WiFi, Bluetooth, or any other wireless form of
communication that is known.
[0056] The mobile tracking and subduing apparatus 20 further
includes a display controller 508, such as a NVIDIA GeForce GTX or
Quadro graphics adaptor from NVIDIA Corporation of America for
interfacing with display 510, such as a Hewlett Packard HPL2445w
LCD monitor. A general purpose I/O interface 512 interfaces with a
keypad 302 as well as a touch screen panel 516 on or separate from
display 510. General purpose I/O interface also connects to a
plurality of pins 304.
[0057] A sound controller 520 is also provided in the tactile
communication apparatus 1, such as Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium from
Creative, to interface with speakers/microphone 522 thereby
providing sounds and/or music. The speakers/microphone 522 can also
be used to accept dictated words as commands for controlling the
tactile communication apparatus 1 or for providing location and/or
property information with respect to the target property.
[0058] The general purpose storage controller 524 connects the
storage medium disk 504 with communication bus 526, which may be an
ISA, EISA, VESA, PCI, or similar, for interconnecting all of the
components of the tactile communication apparatus 1. A description
of the general features and functionality of the display 510, as
well as the display controller 508, storage controller 524, network
controller 506, and sound controller 520 is omitted herein for
brevity as these features are known.
[0059] FIG. 13A illustrates a front view of a tactile communication
apparatus 2 according to an exemplary embodiment. Unlike in FIG. 1A
where the tactile communication apparatus 1 included two main
parts: a processing section 20 and a tactile communication device
30, this embodiment has three: a processing section 20, a tactile
communication device for the palm 30 and, a set of tactile
components for the wrist 35. The processing section 20 receives
wireless signals and data from external sources and generates pin
activation signals based on the data to be communicated to a user
10. In this embodiment 2 the processing section 20 is incorporated
into a visual interface component 50 which resembles a watch face.
The watch face component 50 can also act as a control component for
the wearable apparatuses 30 & 35 as well as perform more
rudimentary functions such as being a wrist watch (e.g.
Smartwatch). In this example the watch component can be a
touchscreen interface for a computer system that enables the user
to adjust the settings on the tactile communicator and operate
various installable applications, this component can also be
operated by push buttons or by voice or by any other means that
enables the user to operate the apparatus. The tactile
communication components 35 receive pin activation signals which
activate a plurality of pin combinations in a particular sequence
to physically communicate data to the user 10 through a tactile
projection and/or haptic.sub.-- mechanism (e.g., vibration). FIG.
13B illustrates a rear view of the tactile communication apparatus
2.
[0060] The tactile communication components 35 are assembled to
communicate information to the user 10 via the wrist, the example
presented in FIG. 13B the components shown to be assembled together
in a row to make contact with the inside section of the user's
wrist as shown in FIG. 13A. FIGS. 14A and 14B depict a single
tactile communicator component 35 and the way it functions. As
illustrated three pins 45 are situated in a solid casing. FIGS. 14A
and 14B illustrate the mechanical pins 45 rested in the casing and
raised out of it respectfully. In the example illustrated in FIGS.
14A and 14B, three pins 45 are depicted in a line, however that
number is non-limiting and more pins can be included in the case
component 35, where every pin in the case can function
independently of the other. Each individual component is attachable
to a strap like component that enables all of the parts of the
apparatus 20, 35, 50 to assemble together.
[0061] In the FIG. 13B there are ten case components 35, each
containing three raisable pins 45 depicted in FIGS. 14A and 14B,
each situated next each other to make contact with the inside
section of the wrist. The assembly of the components 20, 35, 50 are
not limited to the depiction in example in FIGS. 13A and 13B and
are not limited to making contact to just the inside of the wrist
or to ten cases containing raisable pins; the assembly can include
casings containing differing numbers of raisable pins to make
contact with the outside section of the wrist as well as the inside
section for example.
[0062] The tactile case components 35 communicate information in a
number of ways; one can be in a `wave` fashion such that the pins
45 on the wrist relay a feeling of a `rippling` effect. FIGS. 15A
and 15B show how a ripple effect would occur. FIG. 15B shows three
different levels the pins 45 raise out from the case 35, the more
the pin rise the greater the intensity of the tactile effect on the
user. In this example, the pins in the center cases e & f of #1
in FIG. 15A fully rise, in #2 they drop to 75% height to raise the
next set of pins d & g in the adjacent cases, then the next set
raise (c & h) while d & g drop to 75% and e & f also
drop to 50%, the process continues through to #6 creating a ripple
feeling as depicted in the FIG. 15A. This effect can be used to
relay such things as a heartbeat when a user is participating in a
sport activity and may want to feel their heart or pulse rate on
their wrist or if a user is playing a computer game and can
synchronize the apparatus to relay such things as `impact` of for
example a hit or the health of a character in the game.
[0063] FIGS. 16A & 16B illustrate a musical equalizer display
in the wrist tactile communicator for a user that listens to music
or sound through a digital music or sound player and may wish to
feel rhythms as depicted in FIG. 16A in their wrist; the tactile
apparatus 35 would work to act as a tactile equalizer for relaying
the beats and melodies of the music to the user in a tactile format
as depicted in #1, #2 and #3 of FIG. 16B.
[0064] Another example of a method for the tactile communicator 35
is to relay information in a `meter` format, so that pins
positioned in a single case raise and hold to indicate a variable
reading, should the variable level change (for example a
temperature or speed) the pins 45 in the cases 35 would then drop
and pins in a second case would raise and hold to indicate the
variable change. Examples for this would be to relay such things as
speed or temperature or tuning, etc. An example of a use for such a
method of communication can be to relay a car speed and compare it
to the speed limit of a road a car is travelling on, FIG. 17
illustrates an application in which the wrist tactile display 35
serves as a speedometer, this embodiment would function by
downloading an application on a portable communication device such
as a Smartphone to synchronize with a GIS mapping system such as
Google Maps to retrieve road speed limit data from an online
database and match the speed of the car to the speed limit and
relay that information in a meter tactile format so that the driver
can know whether the car is surpassing the speed limit or not.
[0065] FIG. 18 demonstrates another example for a `meter`
application; it illustrates a method of using the wrist tactile
display 50 for tuning a string instrument so that the center case
of pins e & f indicate the string is in tune and the other
cases of pins indicate whether the string is either sharp or flat,
etc.
[0066] A feature of the tactile components 40 is the that it can
assist the tactile apparatus 30 relay text to the user. FIG. 19
shows an example where the wrist tactile components 35 clarify the
word being relayed through the palm communicator 30; In this
example the word `HEY` is being relayed to the user. While the
tactile device 30 communicates the letters of the text in the form
of Braille to the palm of the hand, the tactile components 35 can
indicate such information as how many characters are in the word
and possibly how many words are in the paragraph. In FIG. 19 #1 all
of the first case of pins `a` on the wrist communicator 35 raise,
however only the middle pins in case `b` and `c` raise, these
indicate to the user that there are three letters in the word.
Immediately after relaying the first letter of the word #1 the pins
would change to show the second letter of the word the letter `E`
#2. While the tactile communicator in the palm 30 displays the
letter `E` the tactile communication component 35 raises the second
case of pins `b` to indicate that the letter `E` is the second
letter of the three letter word, the process repeats for #3. Using
the tactile communication component 35 enables a better
understanding of the text information being communicated through
30.
[0067] The tactile communication components 35 can also have the
ability to vibrate and change temperature to heat (via resistive
element) or cool (via peltier element) the individual pin cases to
enhance and diversify the alternative applications for the overall
device. An example of an application that could use the process of
the pin cases 35 to heat or cool can be in a compass type
application, a user can search for a location on a GIS application
such as Google maps, when the user points their arm or hand in the
correct direction the wrist tactile components 35 heat and when the
wrist communicator is not pointed in the correct direction it then
cools. The tactile communication components 35 have the ability to
change temperature gradually (as per user setting) to indicate the
level of change or nearly instantly if selected. When for example
the correct direction is located with the aid of the temperature
changing function then the tactile components 35 can vibrate to
indicate to the user that the correct direction is found.
* * * * *