阅读说明：本技术 力感应坐垫 (Force sensing cushion ) 是由 吴明宪 吴松阳 于 2018-09-18 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种力感应坐垫,包括一力感应器矩阵以及一计算单元。力感应器矩阵用以检测坐在力感应坐垫上的使用者所施加的压力分布。计算单元与力感应器矩阵相连,且计算单元是用以计算压力分布的一压力中心,藉此追踪坐在力感应坐垫上的使用者的姿势。(The invention discloses a force sensing cushion, which comprises a force sensor matrix and a computing unit. The force sensor matrix is used for detecting the pressure distribution applied by a user sitting on the force sensing cushion. The computing unit is connected with the force sensor matrix and is used for computing a pressure center of the pressure distribution so as to track the posture of the user sitting on the force sensing cushion.)

1. A force sensitive seat cushion, comprising:

a force sensor matrix for detecting the distribution of pressure exerted by a user sitting on the force sensing cushion; and

and a computing unit connected to the force sensor matrix, wherein the computing unit is used for computing a pressure center of the pressure distribution.

2. The force sensing cushion of claim 1, wherein the computing unit is further configured to compute a change in the center of pressure.

3. The force sensing cushion of claim 2, wherein the change in the center of pressure comprises a change in direction.

4. The force sensing cushion of claim 2, wherein the change in the center of pressure comprises a rate of movement of the center of pressure.

5. The force sensitive cushion of claim 1, further comprising:

a flexible cover, wherein the force sensor matrix is disposed inside the flexible cover.

6. The force-sensing seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the force-sensor matrix comprises a plurality of force-sensor cells arranged in a matrix.

7. The force-sensing cushion of claim 6, wherein each of the force-sensor units comprises a piezoresistive force-sensor unit or a capacitive force-sensor unit.

8. The force-sensing cushion of claim 6, wherein each of said force sensor units is configured to sense pressure in a vertical direction from the user sitting on said force-sensing cushion.

9. The force sensitive cushion of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter module connected to the computing unit, wherein the transmitter module is configured to transmit signals from the computing unit.

10. The force sensing cushion of claim 9, wherein the transmitter module comprises a wireless transmitter module or a wired transmitter module.

11. The force-sensing seat cushion of claim 9, wherein the transmitter module transmits the signal from the computing unit to a virtual reality device.

12. The force-sensing cushion of claim 11, wherein the force-sensing cushion is a manipulator that engages the virtual reality device.

13. The force-sensing seat cushion of claim 1, wherein the matrix of force sensors is further configured to determine whether a user is seated on the force-sensing seat cushion.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a force-sensing cushion, and more particularly, to a force-sensing cushion including a matrix of force sensors.

Background

With the increasing popularity of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and related applications, virtual reality equipment has also grown rapidly. Generally, head-mounted display devices and handheld manipulators are typical virtual reality equipment. However, it may be difficult to detect some gestures of the user using only the hand-held manipulator, and thus the related applications are limited.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a force sensing seat cushion. The pressure distribution applied by the user sitting on the force sensing cushion is detected by a force sensor matrix in the force sensing cushion, and a calculating unit connected with the force sensor matrix is used for calculating a pressure center of the pressure distribution, thereby tracking the posture of the user sitting on the force sensing cushion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a force-sensing cushion includes a force sensor matrix and a computing unit. The force sensor matrix is used for detecting the pressure distribution applied by a user sitting on the force sensing cushion. The calculation unit is connected with the force sensor matrix and is used for calculating a pressure center of the pressure distribution.

In an embodiment of the invention, the calculation unit is further configured to calculate a change of the center of pressure. The change in the center of pressure may include a change in direction or/and a rate of movement of the center of pressure.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the force-sensing cushion may further include a flexible cover, and the force-sensor matrix may be disposed inside the flexible cover.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the force sensor matrix may include a plurality of force sensor units arranged in a matrix.

In an embodiment of the present invention, each of the force sensor units may include a piezoresistive force sensor unit or a capacitive force sensor unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, each of the force sensor units may be configured to detect pressure from the user sitting on the force sensing cushion in a vertical direction.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the force sensing cushion may further include a transmitter module connected to the computing unit, and the transmitter module may be configured to transmit signals from the computing unit.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the transmitter module may include a wireless transmitter module or/and a wired transmitter module.

In an embodiment of the invention, the transmitter module may transmit the signal from the computing unit to a Virtual Reality (VR) device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the force sensing cushion can be a manipulator cooperating with the virtual reality device.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the force sensor matrix can be further used to determine whether a user sits on the force sensing mat.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a force-sensing seat cushion according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a force-sensing cushion according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3A is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and leans forward.

Fig. 3B is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and reclines.

Fig. 3C is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and leans to the left of the user.

Fig. 3D is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and leans to the right of the user.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the center of pressure detected and calculated by the force-sensing seat cushion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a force-sensing cushion according to an embodiment of the invention.

Wherein the reference numerals are as follows:

10 force sensor matrix

10S force sensor unit

20 flexible outer cover

30 Integrated Circuit Module

31 calculation unit

32 transmitter module

100-force sensing seat cushion

200 virtual reality device

CP1 first center of pressure

CP2 second center of pressure

D1 first direction

D2 second direction

Perpendicular direction of D3

MV motion vector

Detailed Description

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments provide sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and practice the invention. Structural modifications may be made to the other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of coverage of this disclosure is defined by the claims that follow. The scope of the invention is to be considered as the same as the scope of the claims. The figures to which embodiments of the invention are referred are schematic and not drawn to scale and identical or similar features are generally described by identical reference numerals.

Please refer to fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 3A, fig. 3B, fig. 3C and fig. 3D. Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a force-sensing seat cushion according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the force-sensing seat cushion of the present embodiment. Fig. 3A is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and leans forward. Fig. 3B is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and reclines. Fig. 3C is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and leans to the left of the user. Fig. 3D is a schematic view showing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion when a user sits on the force-sensing cushion and leans to the right of the user. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the present embodiment provides a force-sensing seat cushion 100. The force-sensing cushion 100 includes a force sensor matrix 10 and a computing unit 31. The force sensor matrix 10 is used to detect the distribution of pressure applied by a user sitting on the force sensing cushion 100. The calculation unit 31 is connected to the force sensor matrix 10, and the calculation unit 31 is used to calculate a pressure center of the pressure distribution. The computing unit 31 may include a microprocessor or other suitable computing device. In some embodiments, the force sensor matrix 10 may include a plurality of force sensor cells 10S arranged in a matrix. A portion of the force sensor units 10S may be disposed along a first direction D1, a portion of the force sensor units 10S may be disposed along a second direction D2, and the second direction D2 is perpendicular to the first direction D1, but not limited thereto. By increasing the number and density of the force sensor units 10S in the force sensor matrix 10, the precision and accuracy of the pressure detection performed by the force sensor matrix 10 can be improved. In some embodiments, each force sensor cell 10S may comprise a piezoresistive (piezo) force sensor cell, a capacitive force sensor cell, or other suitable type of force sensor. Each force sensor unit 10S is operable to sense pressure from a user sitting on the force sensing cushion 100 in a vertical direction D3. The vertical direction D3 may be perpendicular to a plane formed by a vector extending in the first direction D1 and a vector extending in the second direction D2, but is not limited thereto. The pressure detected by the plurality of force sensor cells 10S in the vertical direction D3 may form the above-described pressure distribution.

For example, as shown in fig. 1, 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D, when the posture of the user sitting on the force-sensing seat cushion 100 changes, the pressure distribution detected by the force sensor matrix 10 of the force-sensing seat cushion 100 changes accordingly. Therefore, by detecting and analyzing the pressure distribution on the force-sensitive cushion 100, the posture of the user sitting on the force-sensitive cushion 100 can be tracked. In addition, by detecting and analyzing the pressure distribution on the force-sensing cushion 100, the force sensor matrix 10 can be further used to determine whether a user sits on the force-sensing cushion 100.

Please refer to fig. 1, fig. 3A, fig. 3B, fig. 3C, fig. 3D and fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the center of pressure detected and calculated by the force-sensing seat cushion according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 4, the calculating unit 31 is connected to the force sensor matrix 10, and the information related to the pressure distribution obtained by the force sensor matrix 10 can be output to the calculating unit 31 for calculating a pressure center of the pressure distribution. For example, when the user sits on the force-sensing seat 100, a pressure center CP1 can be calculated by the calculating unit 31 according to the pressure distribution information detected by the force sensor matrix 10. When the posture of the user sitting on the force-sensing seat 100 changes, the pressure distribution information detected by the force sensor matrix 10 also becomes different, and the calculating unit 31 can calculate a second pressure center CP2 different from the first pressure center CP 1. In other words, the calculation unit 31 may also be used to calculate the change in the center of pressure. In some embodiments, the change in the center of pressure may include a change in direction (e.g., a motion vector MV as shown in fig. 4) and/or a rate of movement of the center of pressure. For example, when the second direction D2 is directed to the front side of the user sitting on the force-sensing seat cushion 100, the first pressure center CP1 may be the pressure center calculated under the condition that the user sitting on the force-sensing seat cushion 100 is not tilted (which may be regarded as a neutral state), and the second pressure center CP2 may be the pressure center calculated under the condition that the user is tilted to the front right side, so that the movement vector MV shown in fig. 4 can be obtained. In some embodiments, the first direction D1 can be considered as an X-axis, the second direction D2 can be considered as a Y-axis, and the force-sensing seat 100 can obtain a plurality of motion vectors respectively pointing to four quadrants. In other words, in addition to detecting the user's leaning forward, backward, left and right, the force-sensing seat cushion 100 can also be used to detect the user's leaning posture in other directions by the force sensor matrix 10 in the force-sensing seat cushion 100.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 31 can calculate the pressure center according to the pressure distribution information (for example, the conditions shown in fig. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D) detected by the force sensor matrix 10. The force sensing device having some force sensors only at some positions (e.g., four corners of the force sensing device) cannot generate the pressure distribution information shown in fig. 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D, and the center of gravity of the user cannot be accurately calculated. In addition, the shape of the pressure distribution obtained by the force sensor matrix 10 can also be used to identify objects placed on the force sensing cushion 100. For example, the shape of the pressure distribution when a person sits on the force sensitive cushion 100 may be different from the shape of the pressure distribution when a pet (e.g., a dog or cat) sits on the force sensitive cushion 100.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the force-sensing cushion 100 may further include a flexible cover 20, and the force-sensor matrix 10 may be disposed inside the flexible cover 20, but the invention is not limited thereto. The material of flexible cover 20 may include cloth, plastic, or other suitable flexible material. In addition, a part of the computing unit 31 may be disposed outside the flexible housing 20, and the user may only sit on the flexible housing 20 and the force sensor matrix 10, thereby avoiding sitting on the computing unit 31, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the force sensor matrix 10 may be integrated into a flexible membrane without being disposed within a housing.

Please refer to fig. 1 and fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a force-sensing cushion according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1 and 5, in some embodiments, the force-sensing cushion 100 may further include a transmitter module 32 connected to the computing unit 31, and the transmitter module 32 may be used to transmit signals from the computing unit 31, but not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the computing unit 31 and the transmitter module 32 may be disposed or/and integrated in an integrated circuit module 30, and the integrated circuit module 30 may be connected to the force sensor matrix 10, but not limited thereto. The transmitter module 32 may include a wireless transmitter module and/or a wired transmitter module. The wireless transmitter module described above may transmit signals via Wi-Fi, Infrared (IR), bluetooth, or other suitable wireless means. In some embodiments, the transmitter module 32 may transmit the signal from the computing unit 31 to a Virtual Reality (VR) device 200, such as a head-mounted display (head-mounted display) device or/and a computer system, but not limited thereto. The signal transmitted from the computing unit 31 to the metaverse device 200 may include information about the center of pressure of the pressure distribution or/and information about the change in the center of pressure. Therefore, the force-sensing cushion 100 can be a manipulator cooperating with the virtual reality device 200, and the force-sensing cushion 100 can provide the related information about the posture and the motion of the user sitting on the force-sensing cushion 100, but not limited thereto.

In summary, in the force-sensing seat cushion of the present invention, the calculating unit can calculate the pressure center according to the pressure distribution detected by the force sensor matrix. By using the force sensor matrix of the present invention, more detailed pressure distribution information can be obtained, and the pressure center of the pressure distribution and the change of the pressure center can be calculated more accurately.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.