Patents by Inventor Brian A. Kappus
Brian A. Kappus has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Publication number: 20220329250Abstract: A digital signal generation assumes that a base frequency (the frequency with which the primitive phase angles are specified relative to) is equal to the carrier frequency for all relevant times. But this causes errors in the digital signals output to each array element transducer. Thus, it is necessary for the development of a signal generation system that is capable of producing a digital signal using the free selection of amplitude and phase. This is used to produce a substantially error-free signal that preserves the amplitude and phase relative to a constant base frequency while allowing the carrier frequency to vary.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 19, 2022Publication date: October 13, 2022Inventors: Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Publication number: 20220300070Abstract: Described herein are techniques for tracking objects (including human body parts such as a hand), namely: 1) two-state transducer interpolation in acoustic phased-arrays; 2) modulation techniques in acoustic phased-arrays; 3) fast acoustic full matrix capture during haptic effects; 4) time-of-flight depth sensor fusion system; 5) phase modulated spherical wave-fronts in acoustic phased-arrays; 6) long wavelength phase modulation of acoustic field for location and tracking; and 7) camera calibration through ultrasonic range sensing.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 8, 2022Publication date: September 22, 2022Inventors: Michele Iodice, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus, Thomas Andrew Carter, Rafel Jibry, Orestis Georgiou
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Publication number: 20220252550Abstract: Two methods for rendering haptic surfaces through spatial modulation of ultrasound are described: Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) with Tikhonov Regularization and Mini-Batch, Stochastic Gradient Descent with Momentum (MSGDM). Further, adjustment in the placement of transducers, arrays can be generated which allow for variable focus points using a limited set of driving signals. This is accomplished by generating a set of mutually-exclusive transducer placement layouts which when driven together produce a set of sufficiently orthogonal fields at various points of interest. Further, using basic transformations on sampling locations a field can be translated or rotated in 3-dimensional space. This enables the creation of spatiotemporal modulated haptics with reduced computation. Further, mid-air haptics using ultrasound can be generated via amplitude modulation or via spatial modulation of control points defined at spatial locations in an acoustic field above a phased array device.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2022Publication date: August 11, 2022Inventors: Salvador Catsis, Jurek Dziewierz, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Patent number: 11374586Abstract: A digital signal generation assumes that a base frequency (the frequency with which the primitive phase angles are specified relative to) is equal to the carrier frequency for all relevant times. But this causes errors in the digital signals output to each array element transducer. Thus, it is necessary for the development of a signal generation system that is capable of producing a digital signal using the free selection of amplitude and phase. This is used to produce a substantially error-free signal that preserves the amplitude and phase relative to a constant base frequency while allowing the carrier frequency to vary.Type: GrantFiled: October 12, 2020Date of Patent: June 28, 2022Assignee: ULTRALEAP LIMITEDInventors: Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Publication number: 20220095068Abstract: Improved algorithm techniques may be used for superior operation of haptic-based systems. An eigensystem may be used to determine for a given spatial distribution of control points with specified output the set of wave phases that are the most efficiently realizable. Reconstructing a modulated pressure field may use emitters firing at different frequencies. An acoustic phased-array device uses a comprehensive reflexive simulation technique. There may be an exchange of information between the users and the transducer control processors having the ability to use that information for optimal haptic generation shadows and the like. Applying mid-air haptic sensations to objects of arbitrary 3D geometry requires that sensation of the object on the users hand is as close as possible to a realistic depiction of that object. Ultrasonic haptics with multiple and/or large aperture arrays have high-frequency update rates required by the spatio-temporal modulation.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2021Publication date: March 24, 2022Inventors: Brian Kappus, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Thomas Andrew Carter
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Publication number: 20210397261Abstract: A method for specifying desired quantities of the energy flux of the combined waves of acoustic radiation pressure to apply producing a mid-air haptic pushing force, which has the effect of simultaneously reducing the harmonic distortion present is described. Further, a method for communicating only the summaries of acoustic field contributions at the required locations in the form of summed portions of the relatively small matrix whose row and column count depend only on the control point count is described. Further, phased arrays of ultrasonic speakers can produce a relatively large amount of acoustic energy which is usually directed in a specific direction or focused to a particular point depending on the application of the array. Further, to allow the system to be driven more strongly than usual, the complex-valued linear system that governs the drive signal to each control point is solved twice.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 22, 2021Publication date: December 23, 2021Inventors: Brian Kappus, Rob Malkin, Salvador Catsis, Benjamin John Oliver Long
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Publication number: 20210381765Abstract: A phased array of ultrasonic transducers may create arbitrary fields that can be utilized to manipulate fluids. This includes the translation of drops on smooth surfaces as well speeding the evaporation of fluids on wetted hands. Proposed herein is the use airborne ultrasound focused to the surface of the hand. The risk is that coupling directly into the bulk of the hand may cause damage to the cellular material through heating, mechanical stress, or cavitation. Using a phased array, the focus may be moved around, thus preventing acoustic energy from lingering too long on one particular position of the hand. While some signaling may penetrate into the hand, most of the energy (99.9%) is reflected. Also disclosed are methods to couple just to the wetted surface of the hand.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2021Publication date: December 9, 2021Inventors: Brian Kappus, Benjaimin John Oliver Long
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Patent number: 11098951Abstract: A phased array of ultrasonic transducers may create arbitrary fields that can be utilized to manipulate fluids. This includes the translation of drops on smooth surfaces as well speeding the evaporation of fluids on wetted hands. Proposed herein is the use airborne ultrasound focused to the surface of the hand. The risk is that coupling directly into the bulk of the hand may cause damage to the cellular material through heating, mechanical stress, or cavitation. Using a phased array, the focus may be moved around, thus preventing acoustic energy from lingering too long on one particular position of the hand. While some signaling may penetrate into the hand, most of the energy (99.9%) is reflected. Also disclosed are methods to couple just to the wetted surface of the hand.Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 2019Date of Patent: August 24, 2021Assignee: ULTRAHAPTICS IP LTDInventors: Brian Kappus, Benjaimin John Oliver Long
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Publication number: 20210201884Abstract: Defining critical spacing is necessary for steering of parametric audio. Comparing steering measurements both with and without a waveguide leads to a conclusion that the diffuse phyllotactic grating lobe contributes audio and is to blame for poor steering. In addition, the waveguide needs to function with correct phase offsets to achieve the steering required for performance. Arranging tubes so that the array configuration changes from rectilinear to another distribution is useful when the waveguide is short of critical spacing or constrained for space. Array designs may also capitalize on rectilinear transducer design while having the benefits of a transducer tiling that has irrational spacing to promote the spread of grating lobe energy.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2020Publication date: July 1, 2021Inventors: Brian Kappus, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Adam Price
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Publication number: 20210170447Abstract: An acoustic matching structure is used to increase the power radiated from a transducing element with a higher impedance into a surrounding acoustic medium with a lower acoustic impedance. The acoustic matching structure consists of a thin, substantially planar cavity bounded by a two end walls and a side wall. The end walls of the cavity are formed by a blocking plate wall and a transducing element wall separated by a short distance (less than one quarter of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium at the operating frequency). The end walls and side wall bound a cavity with diameter approximately equal to half of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium. In operation, a transducing element generates acoustic oscillations in the fluid in the cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 1, 2021Publication date: June 10, 2021Inventors: Justin Rorke Buckland, Adam John Robert Jackson, Amaru Daniel Araya-Williams, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Publication number: 20210111731Abstract: A digital signal generation assumes that a base frequency (the frequency with which the primitive phase angles are specified relative to) is equal to the carrier frequency for all relevant times. But this causes errors in the digital signals output to each array element transducer. Thus, it is necessary for the development of a signal generation system that is capable of producing a digital signal using the free selection of amplitude and phase. This is used to produce a substantially error-free signal that preserves the amplitude and phase relative to a constant base frequency while allowing the carrier frequency to vary.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 12, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Inventors: Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Publication number: 20210112353Abstract: Estimating the field strength from an ultrasonic phased array can be done by summing the contribution of each transducer to the point of interest. Since this contribution is already calculated when creating a converging spherical wave, it can be reused to add a virtual microphone to the system. By monitoring this microphone and moving it along with new focus points, a robust system of field estimates and regulation may be established.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 13, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Inventors: Brian Kappus, Benjamin John Oliver Long
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Publication number: 20210037332Abstract: Improved algorithm techniques may be used for superior operation of haptic-based systems. An eigensystem may be used to determine for a given spatial distribution of control points with specified output the set of wave phases that are the most efficiently realizable. Reconstructing a modulated pressure field may use emitters firing at different frequencies. An acoustic phased-array device uses a comprehensive reflexive simulation technique. There may be an exchange of information between the users and the transducer control processors having the ability to use that information for optimal haptic generation shadows and the like. Applying mid-air haptic sensations to objects of arbitrary 3D geometry requires that sensation of the object on the user's hand is as close as possible to a realistic depiction of that object. Ultrasonic haptics with multiple and/or large aperture arrays have high-frequency update rates required by the spatio-temporal modulation.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 19, 2020Publication date: February 4, 2021Inventors: Brian Kappus, Jonatan Martínez Muñoz, Robert Blenkinsopp, Adam Harwood, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Thomas Andrew Carter, William Wren
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Patent number: 10911861Abstract: An acoustic matching structure is used to increase the power radiated from a transducing element with a higher impedance into a surrounding acoustic medium with a lower acoustic impedance. The acoustic matching structure consists of a thin, substantially planar cavity bounded by a two end walls and a side wall. The end walls of the cavity are formed by a blocking plate wall and a transducing element wall separated by a short distance (less than one quarter of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium at the operating frequency). The end walls and side wall bound a cavity with diameter approximately equal to half of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium. In operation, a transducing element generates acoustic oscillations in the fluid in the cavity.Type: GrantFiled: May 2, 2019Date of Patent: February 2, 2021Assignee: ULTRAHAPTICS IP LTDInventors: Justin Rorke Buckland, Adam John Robert Jackson, Amaru Daniel Araya-Williams, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Publication number: 20200082804Abstract: Creating near-instantaneous effects in a phased-array system may occur by splitting the update process of the array state into parts that depend on different update rates. Alternatively, leveraging the uncertainty of physical properties of focusing in a phased-array system may improve the intersection between the body part and the control point. Specifically, by focusing behind or in front of the intended region or at a position with a calculated geometric relationship to the intended interaction region, a larger volume (region) of space is addressed that more certainly contains the body part participating in the interaction. This larger volume is then subjected to the ultrasonic radiative energy flux that encodes the properties desired for the interaction point, which may include haptic and/or audio points.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 9, 2019Publication date: March 12, 2020Inventors: Brian Kappus, Benjaimin John Oliver Long
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Publication number: 20200080776Abstract: A phased array of ultrasonic transducers may create arbitrary fields that can be utilized to manipulate fluids. This includes the translation of drops on smooth surfaces as well speeding the evaporation of fluids on wetted hands. Proposed herein is the use airborne ultrasound focused to the surface of the hand. The risk is that coupling directly into the bulk of the hand may cause damage to the cellular material through heating, mechanical stress, or cavitation. Using a phased array, the focus may be moved around, thus preventing acoustic energy from lingering too long on one particular position of the hand. While some signaling may penetrate into the hand, most of the energy (99.9%) is reflected. Also disclosed are methods to couple just to the wetted surface of the hand.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2019Publication date: March 12, 2020Inventors: Brian Kappus, Benjaimin John Oliver Long
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Patent number: 10531212Abstract: Described is a screen surface layer comprising a plurality of light-emitting pixels including a plurality of red pixels, a plurality of green pixels and a plurality of blue pixels; a transducer layer comprising a plurality of acoustic transducers, wherein the transducer layer is affixed below the screen surface layer; and a cover layer having a plurality of cylinder-shaped perforations, wherein the cover layer is affixed above the screen surface layer. In addition, an average “transducer model” describing a phasor distribution in space may be produced describing the output signal at the carrier frequency in the air at a known spatial offset from an averaged transducer. Further, phased array systems may have numerous individual transducer elements that will likely fail before the product incorporating the transducers reaches end-of-life. By detecting such failed transducers, the transducer array may function at peak performance by working around the missing transducer output.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2017Date of Patent: January 7, 2020Assignee: Ultrahaptics IP Ltd.Inventors: Benjamin John Oliver Long, Thomas Andrew Carter, Brian Kappus
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Publication number: 20190342654Abstract: An acoustic matching structure is used to increase the power radiated from a transducing element with a higher impedance into a surrounding acoustic medium with a lower acoustic impedance. The acoustic matching structure consists of a thin, substantially planar cavity bounded by a two end walls and a side wall. The end walls of the cavity are formed by a blocking plate wall and a transducing element wall separated by a short distance (less than one quarter of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium at the operating frequency). The end walls and side wall bound a cavity with diameter approximately equal to half of the wavelength of acoustic waves in the surrounding medium. In operation, a transducing element generates acoustic oscillations in the fluid in the cavity.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 2, 2019Publication date: November 7, 2019Inventors: Justin Rorke Buckland, Adam John Robert Jackson, Amaru Daniel Araya-Williams, Benjamin John Oliver Long, Brian Kappus
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Patent number: 10397679Abstract: An integrated transparent ultrasonic audio speaker and touchscreen panel, includes a first transparent layer comprising a first base layer and a first conductive layer; and a second transparent layer disposed adjacent the first transparent layer, the second transparent layer comprising a second base layer and a second conductive layer; wherein the second transparent layer is a touchscreen.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2018Date of Patent: August 27, 2019Assignee: TURTLE BEACH CORPORATIONInventors: David Hecht, Brian Kappus, Keith Chipperfield, Mark W. Norris, Elwood Grant Norris
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Publication number: 20190197840Abstract: Producing multiple independent fields from many phased acoustic transducers represents a difficult computational problem. By first dividing up each field to its own group of transducers and then treating each group as an element with adjustable phase, one can minimize the field-to-field interference through a power iteration solution. These solutions can be further refined by including tracking information from users in the space and how they shadow or reflect the acoustic fields.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 27, 2018Publication date: June 27, 2019Inventors: Brian Kappus, William Wren