METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACCURATE ACQUISITION OF INERTIAL SENSOR DATA

• US 20100305899A1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bicakci, Ara, Czompo, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 10,054,444 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/152
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices

Abstract

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for receiving a plurality of signals generated by a plurality of sensors adapted to detect physical movement of a mobile device with respect to a plurality of coordinate axes. A time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized is delayed to provide an output of digitized versions of the received plurality of signals synchronized with respect to a common point in time.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a plurality of signals generated by a plurality of sensors adapted to detect physical movement of a mobile device with respect to a plurality of coordinate axes; and

delaying a time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized to provide an output of digitized versions of the received plurality of signals synchronized with respect to a common point in time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising digitizing the plurality of signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the common point in time corresponds to a detection of the physical movement of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coordinate axes comprises three coordinate axes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of signals correspond to at least one of linear acceleration along at least one of the plurality of coordinate axes, or rotational rate along at least one of the plurality of coordinate axes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising delaying a time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized based on predefined processing delays associated with one or more of the plurality of sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising acquiring one or more signals representative of a measured temperature.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device based on the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising modifying the determining at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device based, at least in part, on a measured temperature.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of signals comprises analog signals.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals in a memory buffer.

12. A system, comprising:

a plurality of sensors adapted to detect physical movement of a mobile device with respect to a plurality of coordinate axes and to generate a plurality of signals corresponding to the physical movement; and

one or more delay elements to delay a time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized to provide an output of digitized versions of the received plurality of signals synchronized with respect to a common point in time.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a digitizer to digitize the plurality of signals.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the common point in time corresponds to a detection of the physical movement of the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the digitizer is adapted to implement the one or more delays based on predefined processing delays associated with one or more of the plurality of sensors.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of coordinate axes comprises three coordinate axes.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of signals correspond to at least one of linear acceleration along at least one of the plurality of coordinate axes, or rotational rate along at least one of the plurality of coordinate axes.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising a temperature sensor adapted to detect a temperature.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising a special purpose apparatus to determine at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device based on the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising a special purpose apparatus is adapted to modify a determination of the at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device based, at least in part, on a measured temperature.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of signals comprises analog signals.

22. The system of claim 12, further comprising a memory buffer to store the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of signals generated by a plurality of sensors adapted to detect physical movement of a mobile device with respect to a plurality of coordinate axes; and

means for delaying a time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized to provide an output of digitized versions of the received plurality of signals synchronized with respect to a common point in time.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for digitizing the plurality of signals.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for delaying is adapted to implement the one or more delays based on predefined processing delays associated with one or more of the plurality of sensors.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the common point in time corresponds to a detection of the physical movement of the mobile device.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the plurality of coordinate axes comprises three coordinate axes.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the plurality of signals correspond to at least one of linear acceleration along at least one of the plurality of coordinate axes, or rotational rate along at least one of the plurality of coordinate axes.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for acquiring one or more signals representative of a detected temperature.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for determining at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device based on the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the means for determining at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device is adapted to modify the determining at least one of a position, an orientation, and a velocity of the mobile device based, at least in part, on a measured temperature.

32. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the plurality of signals comprises analog signals.

33. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising means for storing the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals in a memory buffer.

34. An article comprising:

a storage medium comprising machine-readable instructions stored thereon which, if executed by a special purpose apparatus, are adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to;

receive a plurality of signals generated by a plurality of sensors adapted to detect physical movement of a mobile device with respect to a plurality of coordinate axes; and

delay a time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized to provide an output of digitized versions of the received plurality of signals synchronized with respect to a common point in time.

35. The article of claim 34, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to digitize the plurality of signals.

36. The article of claim 34, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to delay the time at which at least one of the received signals is digitized based on predefined processing delays associated with one or more of the plurality of sensors.

37. The article of claim 34, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to acquire one or more signals representative of a detected temperature.

38. The article of claim 34, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to determine at least one of a position, an orientation, and a speed of the mobile device based on the digitized versions of the received plurality of signals.

39. The article of claim 34, wherein the instructions, if executed by the special purpose apparatus, are further adapted to direct the special purpose apparatus to modify a determination at least one of a position, an orientation, and a speed of the mobile device based, at least in part, on a measured temperature.