Multiplexing and demultiplexing haptic signals

Abstract

A system receives a multiplexed signal with two or more different types of haptic signals encoded therein. Each type of haptic signal represents a haptic effect for different types of haptic output devices. The system determines a target haptic output device located on a haptic playback device. The system demultiplexes the multiplexed signal into at least the type of haptic signal corresponding to the target output device. The system provides the demultiplexed haptic signal to the target haptic output device.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A haptic-enabled device, comprising:
 a haptic actuator that is one of a first type of haptic actuator or a second type of haptic actuator different than the first type of haptic actuator; and   a processor configured:
 to receive a multiplexed signal that combines a first haptic signal and a second haptic signal, wherein the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal are generated based on a common input, wherein the first haptic signal is adapted to be rendered using the first type of haptic actuator, and the second haptic signal is adapted to be rendered using the second type of haptic actuator; 
 to de-multiplex the multiplexed signal by extracting a haptic signal from among the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal, wherein extracting of the haptic signal is based on whether the haptic actuator is the first type haptic actuator or is the second type of haptic actuator; and 
 to generate a haptic effect by applying the haptic signal that is extracted to the haptic actuator. 
   
     
     
         3 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the haptic signal that is extracted is the first haptic signal if the haptic actuator is the first type of haptic actuator, and is the second haptic signal if the haptic actuator is the second type of haptic actuator. 
     
     
         4 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the haptic actuator is an eccentric rotating mass (ERM) actuator, and the haptic signal that is extracted is a basic haptic signal that represents a binary on/off state. 
     
     
         5 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the haptic actuator is a linear resonant actuator (LRA), and the haptic signal that is extracted is a standard definition signal, the standard definition signal being a signal representing a range that includes at least 128 non-negative values. 
     
     
         6 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the haptic actuator is a piezoelectric actuator, and the haptic signal that is extracted is a high definition signal, the high definition signal being a signal representing a range that includes negative values and positive values. 
     
     
         7 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 6 , wherein the high definition signal describes a waveform, and is represented by a plurality of signed bytes. 
     
     
         8 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the multiplexed signal includes a plurality of bytes, wherein each byte of the plurality of bytes has a first portion that represents the first haptic signal, and has a second portion that represents the second haptic signal, wherein the processor is configured to de-multiplex the multiplexed signal by extracting the first portion or the second portion of each byte of the plurality of bytes from the multiplexed signal. 
     
     
         9 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 8 , wherein the first portion of each byte of the plurality of bytes consists of one bit of the byte, and wherein the second portion consists of remaining bits of the byte. 
     
     
         10 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the first haptic signal has a higher frequency than the second haptic signal, and wherein the processor is configured to apply a frequency filter to the multiplexed signal to extract the first haptic signal or the second haptic signal. 
     
     
         11 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the multiplexed signal interlaces the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal by representing a plurality of samples of the first haptic signal and having a subset of the plurality of samples substituted with respective samples of the second haptic signal, wherein the first haptic signal has a higher frequency than the second haptic signal, and wherein the processor is configured to extract the second haptic signal from the multiplexed signal by sub-sampling the multiplexed signal to extract the respective samples of the second haptic signal that substituted for the subset of samples of the first haptic signal. 
     
     
         12 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the multiplexed signal further includes a third haptic signal that is adapted to be rendered on a third type of haptic actuator. 
     
     
         13 . The haptic-enabled device of  claim 2 , wherein the multiplexed signal is received as part of a single data stream. 
     
     
         14 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon that, when executed by a processor of a haptic-enabled device, causes the processor:
 to receive a multiplexed signal that combines a first haptic signal and a second haptic signal, wherein the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal are generated based on a common input, wherein the first haptic signal is adapted to be rendered using a first type of haptic actuator, and the second haptic signal is adapted to be rendered using a second type of haptic actuator different than the first type of haptic actuator;   to de-multiplex the multiplexed signal by extracting a haptic signal from among the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal, wherein extracting of the haptic signal is based on whether a haptic actuator of the haptic-enabled device is the first type haptic actuator or is the second type of haptic actuator; and   to generate a haptic effect by applying the haptic signal that is extracted to the haptic actuator.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon for causing a haptic effect on a haptic-enabled device, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor of a server, causes the processor:
 to receive a first haptic signal and a second haptic signal, wherein the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal are generated based on a common input, and wherein the first haptic signal is adapted to be rendered using a first type of haptic actuator, and the second haptic signal is adapted to be rendered using a second type of haptic actuator;   to combine the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal into a multiplexed signal,   to send the multiplexed signal in a single data stream to the haptic-enabled device,   
       wherein the haptic-enabled device includes a haptic actuator that is at least one of the first type of haptic actuator or the second type of haptic actuator. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the first haptic signal is a basic haptic signal that represents a binary on/off state, and wherein the second haptic signal is a standard definition signal or a high definition signal, wherein the standard definition signal is a signal representing a range that includes at least 128 non-negative values, and wherein the high definition signal represents a range that includes negative values and positive values. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to combine a third haptic signal into the multiplexed signal, wherein the third haptic signal is adapted to be rendered on a third type of haptic actuator. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the multiplexed signal includes a plurality of bytes, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to combine the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal by using a first portion of each byte of the plurality of bytes to represent the first haptic signal, and using a second portion of each byte of the plurality of bytes to represent the second haptic signal. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the first haptic signal has a higher frequency than the second haptic signal, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to combine the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal by up-sampling the second haptic signal to generate an up-sampled signal matching the first haptic signal in frequency, and by adding the first haptic signal and the up-sampled signal. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the first haptic signal has a higher frequency than the second haptic signal, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to combine the first haptic signal and the second haptic signal by substituting a subset of samples of the first haptic signal with respective samples of the second haptic signal.