- Number
- 10399327
- Published
- 2019-09-03
- Filed
- 2016-04-22
- Assignee
- Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors
- Bächer; Moritz Niklaus, Hepp; Benjamin, Pece; Fabrizio, Kry; Paul Gregory, Bickel; Bernd, Thomaszewski; Bernhard Steffen, Hilliges; Otmar
- CPC
- B33Y50/00; B33Y10/00; B33Y70/00; B29C64/393; B29C64/386; B33Y50/02; B29C64/118; B33Y80/00
- Verdict
- Medium Hardware
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
The keeper's note
Designing deformable input devices via piezoelectric sim (Bacher, 3D printed).
Abstract
Embodiments herein describe deformable controllers that rely on piezoelectric material embedded in the controllers to detect when the input device is being manipulated into a particular deformation or gesture. The computing system may perform different actions depending on which deformation is detected. The embodiments herein describe design techniques for optimizing the placement of the piezoelectric material in the controller to improve the accuracy of a mapping function that maps sensor responses of the material to different controller deformations. In one embodiment, the user specifies the different deformations of the controller she wishes to be recognized by the computing system (e.g., raising a leg, twisting a torso, squeezing a hand, etc.). The design optimizer uses the locations of the desired deformations to move the location of the piezoelectric material such that the sensor response of the material can be uniquely mapped to these locations.
Background
BACKGROUNDField of the Invention(1) The embodiments herein are generally directed to designing 3D objects to be used as input devices for a computing system.Description of the Related Art(2) Consumer 3D printers are becoming increasingly powerful and sophisticated, enabling user to create tangible objects with custom shape and appearance. In particular, multi-material 3D printers can fabricate objects with spatially-varying mechanical properties that deform in desired ways.(3) A user can use the 3D printed object as an input device to control a computing system. Sensors attached to the object by the user provide signals to the computing system for determining the particular deformation or manipulation of the object. For example, raising the arm of the 3D object may cause a visual representation of the object displayed on a monitor to also raise its arm. In this manner, the user can create customizable 3D input objects which can be used to interact with a computing system.SUMMARY(4) One embodiment described herein is a method that includes receiving a design of a deformable controller and identifying a desired deformation of the controller where at least a portion of the controller changes from a first pose to a second pose. The method includes determining an initial path of piezoelectric material in the design of the controller and adjusting, using one or more computing processors, the path of the piezoelectric material in the design based on comparing a goal location of the
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving a design of a deformable controller; identifying a desired deformation of the controller where at least a portion of the controller changes from a first pose to a second pose; determining an initial path for each of a plurality of piezoelectric wires in the design of the controller; identifying a plurality of goal locations of the controller by tracking a plurality of markers on a surface of the controller as the controller performs the desired deformation, wherein each of the plurality of goal locations corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; calculating a simulated sensor response for each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires for the desired deformation; calculating, using a plurality of mapping functions, a plurality of calculated locations of the controller based on the simulated sensor response for each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires, wherein each of the plurality of calculated locations corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; calculating an error between respective ones of the plurality of goal locations and the plurality of calculated locations; updating the plurality of mapping functions by successively adjusting, using one or more computing processors, the path of each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires in the design based on the calculated error between respective ones of the plurality of goal locations and the plurality of calculated locations, wherein each of the plurality of updated mapping functions corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; and fabricating a physical controller based on an updated design comprising the adjusted path of each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires.
6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for designing a deformable controller, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising: computer-readable program code, when executed by a processor, operable to: receive a design of the deformable controller; identify a desired deformation of the controller where at least a portion of the controller changes from a first pose to a second pose; determine an initial path of each of a plurality of piezoelectric wires in the design of the controller; identify a plurality of goal locations of the controller by tracking a plurality of markers on a surface of the controller as the controller performs the desired deformation, wherein each of the plurality of goal locations corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; calculate a simulated sensor response for each of the plurality piezoelectric of wires for the desired deformation; calculate, using a plurality of mapping functions, a plurality of calculated locations of the controller based on the simulated sensor response for each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires, wherein each of the plurality of calculated locations corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; calculate an error between respective ones of the plurality of goal locations and the plurality of calculated locations; update the plurality of mapping functions by successively adjusting, using one or more computing processors, the path of each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires in the design based on the calculated error between respective ones of the plurality of goal locations and the plurality of calculated locations, wherein each of the plurality of updated mapping functions corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; and generate instructions to fabricate a physical controller based on an updated design comprising the adjusted path of each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires.
11. A computing system, comprising: one or more computing processors; a memory storing a program, wherein the program, when executed using the one or more processors, performs an operation comprising: receiving a design of a deformable controller; identifying a desired deformation of the controller where at least a portion of the controller changes from a first pose to a second pose; determining an initial path of each of a plurality of piezoelectric wires in the design of the controller; identifying a plurality of goal locations of the controller by tracking a plurality of markers on a surface of the controller as the controller performs the desired deformation, wherein each of the plurality of goal locations corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; calculating a simulated sensor response for each of the plurality piezoelectric of wires for the desired deformation; calculating, using a plurality of mapping functions, a plurality of calculated locations of the controller based on the simulated sensor response for each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires, wherein each of the plurality of calculated locations corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; calculating an error between respective ones of the plurality of goal locations and the plurality of calculated locations; updating the plurality of mapping functions by successively adjusting the path of each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires in the design based on the calculated error between respective ones of the plurality of goal locations and the plurality of calculated locations, wherein each of the plurality of updated mapping functions corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of markers; and generating instructions to fabricate a physical controller based on an updated design comprising the adjusted path of each of the plurality of piezoelectric wires.