US 11,698,680 B2
Methods and systems for decoding and rendering a haptic effect associated with a 3D environment
David Birnbaum, Van Nuys, CA (US); Yeshwant Muthusamy, Allen, TX (US); Jamal Saboune, Montreal (CA); and Christopher Ullrich, Ventura, CA (US)
Assigned to IMMERSION CORPORATION, Aventura, FL (US)
Filed by Immersion Corporation, San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 10, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/343,811.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/042,800, filed on Jun. 23, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0397260 A1, Dec. 23, 2021
Int. Cl. G06F 3/01 (2006.01); G06T 15/04 (2011.01); G06T 15/10 (2011.01); H04N 13/172 (2018.01); H04L 51/046 (2022.01); H04L 51/06 (2022.01); G06F 3/04842 (2022.01)
CPC G06F 3/016 (2013.01) [G06F 3/04842 (2013.01); G06T 15/04 (2013.01); G06T 15/10 (2013.01); H04L 51/046 (2013.01); H04L 51/06 (2013.01); H04N 13/172 (2018.05); G06T 2210/21 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of providing haptic effects for a three-dimensional (3D) environment that is experienced virtually by a user, the method comprising:
receiving, by at least one processor, media data that describes the 3D environment, wherein the media data includes: haptic data which describes a haptic characteristic associated with at least one object, structure, or event in the 3D environment;
performing, by the at least one processor, a haptic decoding operation that includes extracting the haptic data from the media data; and
performing, by the at least one processor, a haptic rendering operation that includes:
(i) generating a drive signal based on the haptic characteristic and based on at least one of a virtual viewpoint location of a user in the 3D environment or a virtual field of view of the user in the 3D environment, wherein the virtual viewpoint location is a location at which the user is virtually located in the 3D environment, or is a location at which a 3D representation of the user is located in the 3D environment, and
(ii) communicating the drive signal to a haptic output device in a user peripheral device in communication with the at least one processor, to cause the haptic output device to generate a haptic effect at the user peripheral device.