Wearable device manager

Abstract

A system for managing a plurality of wearable devices on a user receives information to be conveyed using haptic effects and determines an intent of the information. The system then determines, for each of the plurality of wearable haptic devices, a location of the wearable haptic device on the user and a haptic capability. The system then maps the information as a haptic effect to one or more of the wearable haptic devices based at least on the determined locations on the user and the haptic capabilities.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of generating a haptic effect, the method comprising:
 determining a first location on a user of a first haptically enabled wearable device;   determining a second location on the user of a second haptically enabled wearable device;   receiving a haptic event with an associated intended location on the user; and   mapping a haptic signal that corresponds to the haptic event so that the haptic effect is generated by the first haptically enabled wearable device and not by the second haptically enabled wearable device based on the intended location.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first location is a left hand of the user and the second location is a right hand of the user. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device is held by the left hand of the user and the second haptically enabled wearable device is held by the right hand of the user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device is worn on or proximate to the left hand of the user and the second haptically enabled wearable device is worn on or proximate to the right hand of the user. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining a first perceptual human threshold for the first location and determining a second perceptual human threshold for the second location, further comprising modifying the haptic signal before the mapping based on the first perceptual human threshold. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a central haptic effect manager remote from the first haptically enabled wearable device and the second haptically enabled wearable device determines the first location and the second location. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device determines the first location and the second haptically enabled wearable device determines the second location. 
     
     
         8 . A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to generate a haptic effect, the generating comprising:
 determining a first location on a user of a first haptically enabled wearable device;   determining a second location on the user of a second haptically enabled wearable device;   receiving a haptic event with an associated intended location on the user; and   mapping a haptic signal that corresponds to the haptic event so that the haptic effect is generated by the first haptically enabled wearable device and not by the second haptically enabled wearable device based on the intended location.   
     
     
         9 . The computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the first location is a left hand of the user and the second location is a right hand of the user. 
     
     
         10 . The computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device is held by the left hand of the user and the second haptically enabled wearable device is held by the right hand of the user. 
     
     
         11 . The computer readable medium of  claim 9 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device is worn on or proximate to the left hand of the user and the second haptically enabled wearable device is worn on or proximate to the right hand of the user. 
     
     
         12 . The computer readable medium of  claim 8 , the generating further comprising determining a first perceptual human threshold for the first location and determining a second perceptual human threshold for the second location, further comprising modifying the haptic signal before the mapping based on the first perceptual human threshold. 
     
     
         13 . The computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein a central haptic effect manager remote from the first haptically enabled wearable device and the second haptically enabled wearable device determines the first location and the second location. 
     
     
         14 . The computer readable medium of  claim 8 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device determines the first location and the second haptically enabled wearable device determines the second location. 
     
     
         15 . A haptically enabled system comprising:
 a device haptic manager;   a first haptically enabled wearable device adapted to be worn by a user and coupled to the device haptic manager;   a second haptically enabled wearable device adapted to be worn by the user and coupled to the device haptic manager;   wherein the device haptic manager is configured to:
 determine a first location on the user of the first haptically enabled wearable device; 
 determine a second location on the user of the second haptically enabled wearable device; 
 receive a haptic event with an associated intended location on the user; and 
 map a haptic signal that corresponds to the haptic event so that the haptic effect is generated by the first haptically enabled wearable device and not by the second haptically enabled wearable device based on the intended location. 
   
     
     
         16 . The haptically enabled system of  claim 15 , wherein the first location is a left hand of the user and the second location is a right hand of the user. 
     
     
         17 . The haptically enabled system of  claim 16 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device is held by the left hand of the user and the second haptically enabled wearable device is held by the right hand of the user. 
     
     
         18 . The haptically enabled system of  claim 16 , wherein the first haptically enabled wearable device is worn on or proximate to the left hand of the user and the second haptically enabled wearable device is worn on or proximate to the right hand of the user. 
     
     
         19 . The haptically enabled system of  claim 15 , wherein the device haptic manager determines the first location and the second location based at least on receiving a location signal from at least one of the first haptically enabled wearable device or the second haptically enabled wearable device. 
     
     
         20 . The haptically enabled system of  claim 15 , wherein the device haptic manager is further configured to determine a first perceptual human threshold for the first location and determine a second perceptual human threshold for the second location, and further modify the haptic signal before the mapping based on the first perceptual human threshold.