Methods, Apparatus, and Article for Force Feedback Based on Tension Control and Tracking Through Cables

Abstract

A haptic interface system includes a cable based haptic interface device and a controller. The controller receives information related to movement of a grip in real-space and generates a stereoscopic output for a display device. The stereoscopic output includes images of a virtual reality tool whose motions mimic motions of the real-space grip.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A haptic based system for controlling a robot, comprising:
 a haptic user interface including a right side set of at least four cable segments, a left side set of at least four cable segments, a right side grip and a left side grip, a structure having a front user side and an opposed rear side separated from the front user side by a longitudinal distance, the structure defining a transverse width extending generally between opposed right and left sides of the structure, wherein the right and left sides of the structure are generally vertically aligned, wherein at least four points of the structure define a set of right side cable feeds and at least four other points of the structure define a set of left side cable feeds, each point of the set of right side cable feeds configured to have a respective cable segment of the right side set of at least four cable segments extending therefrom to the right side grip, each point of the set of left side cable feeds configured to have a respective cable segment of the left side set of at least four cable segments extending therefrom to the left side grip, wherein a first cable feed of the set of right side cable feeds is disposed at the right side of the structure, and wherein a first cable feed of the set of left side cable feeds is disposed at the left side of the structure, wherein the other cable feeds are disposed proximal to a plane that is located at an approximate midpoint of the transverse width; and   a controller that receives signals that are indicative of movement of at least one of the right side and the left side grips, the controller configured to track motion of the right side and the left side grips based at least in part on the received signals and configured to determine robot control signals for controlling movement of a robot such the movement of the robot corresponds to the tracked motion of the right side grip and the left side grip.   
     
     
         3 . The haptic based system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a stereoscopic display system that displays to a user a stereoscopic image of at least a portion of the robot moving in accordance with the tracked motion of the right side grip and the left side grip.   
     
     
         4 . The haptic based system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first plurality of translational effecter devices coupled to the right side set of at least four cable segments that are configured to play out and retract each of the right side set of at least four cable segments; and   a second plurality of translational effecter devices coupled to the left side set of at least four cable segments that are configured to play out and retract each of the left side set of at least four cable segments.   
     
     
         5 . The haptic based system of  claim 3 , wherein the set of right side cable feeds define vertices of a right side tetrahedron, wherein the set of left side cable feeds define vertices of a left side tetrahedron, wherein the first plurality of translational effecter devices are further configured to apply active tension to the right side set of at least four cable segments, which results in a net force applied to the right side grip, such that a direction of the net force applied to the right side grip is in any predetermined first direction when the right side grip is located within the right side tetrahedron, and wherein the second plurality of translational effecter devices are further configured to apply active tension to the left side set of at least four cable segments, which results in a net force applied to the left side grip, such that a direction of the net force applied to the left side grip is in any predetermined second direction when the left side grip is located within the left side tetrahedron. 
     
     
         6 . The haptic based system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is a first controller that is further configured to determine a current position of the right side and the left side grip, and further comprising:
 a second controller, in communication with the first controller, configured to determine content for display by a display device based at least in part on the current positions of the right side and the left side grips.   
     
     
         7 . The haptic based system of  claim 5 , wherein the first controller is further configured to calculates amounts of active tension applied to each of the right side set of at least four cable segments and to each of the left side set of at least four cable segments, which results in a first net force applied to the right side grip and a second net force applied to the left side grip, based at least in part the current positions of the right side and the left side grips, and wherein the first controller and the second controller act in parallel. 
     
     
         8 . The haptic based system of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 a first plurality of translational effecter devices coupled to the right side set of at least four cable segments that are configured to play out and retract, responsive to signals from the first controller, each of the right side set of at least four cable segments such that tension in each of the right side set of at least four cable segments results in the first net force being applied to the right side grip; and   a second plurality of translational effecter devices coupled to the left side set of at least four cable segments that are configured to play out and retract, responsive to signals from the first controller, each of the left side set of at least four cable segments such that tension in each of the left side set of at least four cable segments results in the second net force being applied to the left side grip.   
     
     
         9 . The haptic based system of  claim 7 , wherein the first controller provides refresh signals to the first and the second plurality of translational effecter devices at a first refresh rate, and wherein the second controller provides refresh signals to the display device at a second refresh rate, which is slower than the first refresh rate. 
     
     
         10 . A haptic based system for controlling a robot, comprising:
 a haptic user interface including a right side set of at least two cable segments, a left side set of at least two cable segments, a right side grip and a left side grip, a structure having a front user side and an opposed rear side separated from the front user side by a longitudinal distance, the structure defining a transverse width extending generally between opposed right and left sides of the structure, wherein the right and left sides of the structure are generally vertically aligned, wherein at least two points of the structure define a set of right side cable feeds and at least two other points of the structure define a set of left side cable feeds, each point of the set of right side cable feeds configured to have a respective cable segment of the right side set of at least two cable segments extending therefrom to the right side grip, each point of the set of left side cable feeds configured to have a respective cable segment of the left side set of at least two cable segments extending therefrom to the left side grip, wherein a first cable feed of the set of right side cable feeds is disposed at the right side of the structure, wherein a second cable feed of the set of right side cable feeds is located proximal to a plane that is located at an approximate midpoint of the transverse width, wherein a first cable feed of the set of left side cable feeds is disposed at the left side of the structure, wherein a second cable feed of the set of left side cable feeds is located proximal to proximal to the plane; and   a first controller that receives signals that are indicative of movement of at least one of the right side and the left side grips, the first controller configured determine current positions of the right side and the left side grips based at least in part on the received signals and configured to determine robot control signals for controlling movement of a robot such the movement of the robot corresponds to the current positions of the right side grip and the left side grip; and   a second controller that receives current grip position information from the first controller and that is configured to determine content for display on a display device based at least in part on the received current grip position information, and wherein the first controller and the second controller act in parallel.   
     
     
         11 . The haptic based system of  claim 9 , wherein the first controller provides the robot control signals at a first refresh rate, and the second controller provides refresh signals to a display device at a second refresh rate, which is slower than the first refresh rate 
     
     
         12 . The haptic based system of  claim 10 , wherein the first controller includes a memory that stores virtual reality primitives and determines the robot control signals based at least in part on the determined current positions of the right side and the left side grips and the virtual reality primitives, and wherein the second controller includes a memory that virtual reality data and determines a virtual reality environment based at least in part on the current grip position information and the virtual reality data, wherein the content for display includes at least a portion of the determined virtual reality environment. 
     
     
         13 . The haptic based system of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 a stereoscopic display system that displays to a user a stereoscopic image of at least a portion of the robot moving in accordance with movement of the right side grip and the left side grip.   
     
     
         14 . The haptic based system of  claim 9 , wherein the first cable feed of the set of right side cable feeds is vertically disposed proximal to a midpoint the right side of the structure, and wherein the first cable feed of the set of left side cable feeds is vertically disposed proximal to a midpoint the left side of the structure. 
     
     
         15 . A method of controlling a robot, comprising:
 providing a dual handed cable-based haptic user interface having generally back-to-back right and left side work space volumes disposed about a plane located at an approximate transverse width of the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface, wherein the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface includes a front user side and an opposed rear side separated from the front user side by a longitudinal distance and defines a transverse width extending generally between opposed right and left sides of the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface, wherein at least four points of the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface define vertices of the right side workspace volume and at least four other points of the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface define vertices of the left side workspace volume, wherein a vertex that defines the right side workspace volume is located at the right side of the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface, and wherein a vertex that defines the left side workspace volume is located at the left side of the dual handed cable-based haptic user interface;   tracking motion of a right side grip and a left side grip, inside of the right side workspace volume and the left side workspace volume, respectively, being manipulated by a user, wherein the right side grip is coupled to a first set of at least four cable segments that extend between the right side grip and the at least four points that define the vertices of the right side workspace volume, and wherein the left side grip is coupled to second set of at least four cable segments that extend between the left side grip and the at least four points that define the vertices of the left side workspace volume;   determining a current position of the right side grip and the left side grip based at least in part on the tracked motion thereof; and   providing robot control signals that control movement of a robot such the movement of the robot corresponds to the tracked motion of the right side grip and the left side grip.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the robot is a virtual robot. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the robot is a real non-virtual robot. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 providing a display device with images of at least a portion of the robot moving in accordance with the tracked motion of the right side grip and the left side grip.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 providing force feedback to the user through active tension applied to the first and the second sets of at least four cable segments.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 providing a display device with images of at least a portion of the robot moving in accordance with the tracked motion of the right side grip and the left side grip; and   providing force feedback to the user through active tension applied to the first and the second sets of at least four cable segments.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 providing, at a first refresh rate, refresh signals to control the active tension applied to the first and the second sets of at least four cable segments; and   providing, at a second refresh rate, refresh signals to the display device, wherein the first refresh rate is in the range of approximately two hundred to seven hundred (200-700) times faster than the second refresh rate.