Systems and methods for providing dynamic haptic playback for an augmented or virtual reality environments

Abstract

One illustrative system disclosed herein includes a computing device that comprises a memory and a processor in communication with the memory. The system also includes an xPC target machine that is capable of achieving sampling rates of at least 100 khz and in communication with the computing device and a user device that includes a sensor and a haptic output device. The processor generates a simulate reality environment and determines a haptic effect based on the simulated reality environment or a sensor signal from the sensor. The processor transmits data about a parameter of the haptic effect or the sensor signal to the xPC target machine, which determines the parameter of the haptic effect and generates, in substantially real time, a haptic signal. The xPC target machine transmits the haptic signal to the haptic output device, which is configured to receive the haptic signal and output the haptic effect.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computing device comprising:
 a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 obtain, at a sampling rate, data from a remote computing device, the data comprising information about a simulated reality environment; 
 determine, using the obtained data, one or more parameters of a haptic effect based on the information about the simulated reality environment; 
 generate, substantially in real time, one or more haptic signals associated with the haptic effect based on the one or more parameters as the processor obtains the data at the sampling rate; and 
 transmit the one or more haptic signals associated with the haptic effect to a haptic output device configured to output the haptic effect. 
   
     
     
         2 . The computing device of  claim 1 , the processor further configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine a frequency at which to generate the one or more haptic signals in substantially real time based on the sampling rate, wherein the frequency is less than or equal to the sampling rate.   
     
     
         3 . The computing device of  claim 1 , wherein the data from the remote computing device is based on sensor data obtained by the remote computing device, the sensor data indicating an interaction in the simulated reality environment. 
     
     
         4 . The computing device of  claim 3 , wherein the sampling rate is a first sampling rate, the sensor data is obtained by the remote computing device at a second sampling rate, and the processor is configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine the first sampling rate based on the second sampling rate, wherein the first sampling rate is equal to or higher than the second sampling rate.   
     
     
         5 . The computing device of  claim 1 , the processor further configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine, based on the information about the simulated reality environment, whether the haptic effect is a static haptic effect or a dynamic haptic effect.   
     
     
         6 . The computing device of  claim 5 , the processor further configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine, based on a determination that the haptic effect is a dynamic haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the dynamic haptic effect is a periodic dynamic haptic effect, wherein the periodic dynamic haptic effect is based on a periodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the periodic waveform.   
     
     
         7 . The computing device of  claim 5 , the processor further configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine, based on a determination that the haptic effect is a dynamic haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the dynamic haptic effect is an aperiodic dynamic haptic effect, wherein the aperiodic dynamic haptic effect is based on an aperiodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the aperiodic waveform.   
     
     
         8 . The computing device of  claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine, based on a determination that the haptic effect is a static haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the static haptic effect is a periodic static haptic effect, wherein the periodic static haptic effect is based on a periodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the periodic waveform.   
     
     
         9 . The computing device of  claim 7 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute processor-executable instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium to:
 determine, based on a determination that the haptic effect is a static haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the static haptic effect is an aperiodic static haptic effect, wherein the aperiodic static haptic effect is based on an aperiodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the aperiodic waveform.   
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 obtaining, by a processor and at a sampling rate, data from a remote computing device, the data comprising information about a simulated reality environment;   determining, by the processor and using the obtained data, one or more parameters of a haptic effect based on the information about the simulated reality environment;   generating, by the processor and substantially in real time, one or more haptic signals associated with the haptic effect as the processor obtains the data at the sampling rate; and   transmitting, by the processor, the one or more haptic signals associated with the haptic effect to a haptic output device configured to output the haptic effect.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processor, a frequency at which to generate the one or more haptic signals in substantially real time based on the sampling rate, wherein the frequency is less than or equal to the sampling rate.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the data from the remote computing device is based on sensor data obtained by the remote computing device, and the sensor data indicates an interaction in the simulated reality environment. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the sampling rate is a first sampling rate, the sensor data is obtained by the remote computing device at a second sampling rate, and the method further comprising:
 determining, by the processor, the first sampling rate based on the second sampling rate, wherein the first sampling rate is equal to or higher than the second sampling rate.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processor and based on the information about the simulated reality environment, whether the haptic effect is a static haptic effect or a dynamic haptic effect.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processor and based on a determination that the haptic effect is a dynamic haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the dynamic haptic effect is a periodic dynamic haptic effect, wherein the periodic dynamic haptic effect is based on a periodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the periodic waveform.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processor and based on a determination that the haptic effect is a dynamic haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the dynamic haptic effect is an aperiodic dynamic haptic effect, wherein the aperiodic dynamic haptic effect is based on an aperiodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the aperiodic waveform.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processor and based on a determination that the haptic effect is a static haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the static haptic effect is a periodic static haptic effect, wherein the periodic static haptic effect is based on a periodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the periodic waveform.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining, by the processor and based on a determination that the haptic effect is a static haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the static haptic effect is an aperiodic static haptic effect, wherein the aperiodic static haptic effect is based on an aperiodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the aperiodic waveform.   
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable program code configured to cause a processor to:
 obtain, at a sampling rate, data from a remote computing device, the data comprising information about a simulated reality environment;   determine, using the obtained data, one or more parameters of a haptic effect based on the information about the simulated reality environment;   generate, substantially in real time, one or more haptic signals associated with the haptic effect based on the one or more parameters as the processor obtains the data at the sampling rate; and   transmit the one or more haptic signals associated with the haptic effect to a haptic output device configured to output the haptic effect.   
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19 , further comprising processor-executable program code configured to cause the processor to:
 determining, based on the information about the simulated reality environment, whether the haptic effect is a static haptic effect or a dynamic haptic effect;   determine, based on a determination that the haptic effect is a dynamic haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the dynamic haptic effect is a periodic dynamic haptic effect or an aperiodic dynamic haptic effect, wherein the periodic dynamic haptic effect is based on a periodic waveform, the aperiodic dynamic haptic effect is based on an aperiodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the periodic waveform or the aperiodic waveform; and   determine, based on a determination that the haptic effect is a static haptic effect and the one or more parameters of the haptic effect, that the static haptic effect is a periodic static haptic effect or an aperiodic static haptic effect, wherein the periodic static haptic effect is based on a periodic waveform, the aperiodic static haptic effect is based on an aperiodic waveform, and the one or more haptic signals are based on the periodic waveform or the aperiodic waveform.