© Vincent Hayward, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. You are granted permission for the non-commercial use, reproduction, distribution or display of these documents under the restrictions to giving appropriate credit is given as to its source and authorship.
Haptics Lab Home Publications

Abstracts of patents of Vincent Hayward


R. E. Ellis, V. Hayward, and H.-Y. Yao. 2011 (Sept 13). Tactile Amplification Instrument and Method of Use.
US Patent 8,016,818.

The invention relates to a tool comprising a handle and a tip, which provides amplified tactile feedback to a user regarding the material with which the tip of the tool is in contact. In one embodiment, tactile feedback is provided to the user via the handle of the tool, in the form of movements which correspond at least partially to those experienced by the tip of the tool as it interacts with the material. The tool optionally provides audio and/or visual feedback regarding the material. In a preferred embodiment, the tool is a surgical instrument.
[ Back ]


Cruz-Hernandez, M., Grant, D. and Hayward, V. 2008 (May 6). Haptic devices having multiple operational modes including at least one resonant mode.
US Patent 7,369,115.

An apparatus comprises a signal source, a driver and an electro-mechanical transducer. The signal source is configured to output a haptic feedback signal. The driver is configured to receive the haptic feedback signal and output a drive signal. The electro-mechanical transducer is configured to receive the drive signal. The electro-mechanical transducer is configured to have a set of operational modes. Each operational mode from the set of operational modes has at least one resonant mode from a set of resonant modes.
[ Back ]


Hayward, V., Alarcon, R., Rosenberg, L. B. 2008 (February 26). Haptic pads for use with user-interface devices.
US Patent 7,336,266.

Embodiments of the invention relate to haptic devices for use with a variety of computer/video interface devices. Such haptic devices can work in conjunction with and thereby provide haptic augmentations to otherwise conventional user-interface devices, including a variety of computer mice known in the art, irrespective of their types and manufactures. Such haptic devices can also be used to convey information to a user by way of haptic sensations.
[ Back ]


Hayward, V., Pasquero, J., Levesque, V. 2006 (July 18). Apparatus to reproduce tactile sensations.
US Patent 7,077,015.

A tactile sensing transducer provides as its output a skin deformation signal for storage or transmission to a tactile stimulation display transducer. A skin surface imaging means operating optically, acoustically or otherwise is positioned for viewing and providing an output image signal corresponding to said deformed skin surface. An electronic processing means connected to said imaging means provides an output skin deformation signal corresponding to the deformation of said skin. The display transducer may incorporate a plurality of individually actuatable, bendable cantilevered arms mounted in line on a base support, each of the arms having tip ends which are displaceable, upon actuation, to provide a tactile display.
[ Back ]


Gregorio, P., Hayward, V. and Ramstein C. 2004 (August 24). Hand Controller.
US Patent 6,781,569.

A hand controller arm assembly provides for the sensing of the position of a handle at the end of an arm in the X and Y direction through supporting linkages, and in the Z direction through a hinge which permits the arm to rotate upwardly. The joints of this controller may be actuated to provide haptic feed-back.
[ Back ]


Hayward, V., 2004 (February 17). Electro-mechanical transducer suitable for tactile display and article conveyance.
US Patent 6,693,516.

A tactile transducer is able to provide a tactile display or serve as a tactile input sensor. Paired contactors having contactor tips separated by a gap are connected to transducer means (an actuator or sensor). Variations in the gap distance can create a tactile experience through skin stretch, or provide tactile input in sensor mode.
[ Back ]


Cruz-Hernandez, M., Hayward, V., 2002 (September 3). Electro-mechanical transducer suitable for tactile display and article conveyance.
US Patent 6,445,284.

A tactile transducer is able to provide a tactile display or serve as a tactile input sensor. Paired contactors having contactor tips separated by a gap are connected to transducer means (an actuator or sensor). Variations in the gap distance can create a tactile experience through skin stretch, or provide tactile input in sensor mode. The contactors are resiliently supported to bear against a sensing finger with relatively constant pressure.
[ Back ]


Gregorio, P., Hayward V., Grant, D. 2000 (February 1). Differential displacement optical sensor.
US Patent 6,020,967.

Positional sensors receive light that has been reflected off a pair of complementary geometric patterns carried by a supporting, displaceable carrier surface. The sensors view the patterns through viewing windows as the carrier surface is displaced laterally, presenting differing portions of the patterns to the sensors. The patterns are shaped to produce outputs which, when their difference value is extracted, provide output signals that are a measure of the displacement of the carrier surface and in which common mode errors are minimized.
[ Back ]


Hayward, V. 2000 (September 12). Mechanisms for orienting and placing articles.
US Patent 6,116,844.

A mechanism for orienting an end member utilizes paired five-bar linkages wherein two joints on each five-bar linkage may be actuated. Preferably the actuators are mounted at the base-link of the five bar linkages, such base-links being collinearly aligned. Two or three rotational and one translational degrees of freedom are available. This mechanism in its three or two degrees of rotational freedom variants has exceptional motion range, free of singularities, superior structural properties, and is easy to manufacture. This orienting mechanism can be mounted as an end member on a positioning mechanism having four main links herein three joints are actuated. The diagonally oppose joints of the positioning mechanism are respectively spherical and revolute. This positioning mechanism can operate with two actuators that are grounded and one that is elevated. In all cases sensors may be substituted for, or used in conjunction with, actuators to provide an apparatus useful, interalia, in the telerobotics and virtual reality fields.
[ Back ]


Hayward, V., Grant, D. 1998 (March 17). Deformable structural arrangement.
US Patent 5,727,391.

An actuator develops a displacement from a force; the actuator employs active tension elements which comprise a fiber or fibers which shorten under activation, for example, shape memory alloy fibers; the fiber or fibers are entrained between opposed, spaced apart support members, typically a stack of spaced apart disks; the entrained fiber or fibers define a cage of crossing lengths of fiber in symmetrical array, typically a helicoidal array. Activation of the fibers shortens the fiber lengths producing a relative displacement of the support members which can be translated to a component which is to be displaced, and to which the actuator is operably connected, in another embodiment the active tension elements stretch under stress so that instead of an actuator there is formed a shock absorber which eliminates displacement with a force.
[ Back ]


Hui, R. C.-Y., Hayward, V., Ouellet, A. G., Peruzzini, W. Gregorio, P., Wang, A., Vukovich, G. 1998 (December 8). Mechanism for control of position and orientation in three dimensions.
US Patent 5,847,528

The subject invention provides a parallel or closed loop mechanism for moving and positioning a member in space. The mechanism includes three branches each provided with at least two link members being serially connected together by a spherical elbow joint whereby the first and second link members are rotatable with respect to each other about any axis passing through a center of the first joint. The mechanism is provided with actuators for moving each branch and the first links of each branch are rigidly connected at an end portion thereof to the actuator means. The mechanism includes three revolute joints each defining a longitudinal axis of rotation. Each revolute joint is connected to an associated second link member so that the longitudinal axes of all third joints intersect at a point and the revolute joints are interconnected so that the three branches form three parallel or closed loops.
[ Back ]