Determining Heading Using Magnetometer Data and Angular Rate Data

• US 20110241656A1
• Filed: 09/20/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Piemonte, Patrick, King, Brian Michael, Tu, Xiaoyuan, Moore, Christopher, Vieta, William Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,531,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/207.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

A device coupled with a magnetometer and an angular rate sensor can determine a heading of the device using magnetometer data. When the device receives a notification that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate, the device can determine the heading of the device using angular rate data. When the device determines that the magnetometer data are accurate, the device can resume determining the heading of the device using the magnetometer data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by one or more processors of a mobile device, comprising:

determining a heading of the mobile device using magnetometer data;

receiving an indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate;

in response to the received indication, determining the heading of the mobile device using angular rate data;

determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within an accuracy range; and

upon determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within the accuracy range, resuming determining the heading of the mobile device using the magnetometer data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an estimated magnetic field vector in a reference global coordinate system, the estimated magnetic field vector in the reference global coordinate system generated using historical magnetometer data that are determined to be accurate and historical angular rate data that temporally correspond to the accurate historical magnetometer data.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising generating synthetic magnetometer data using the estimated magnetic field vector in the reference global coordinate system and current angular rate data.

4. The method of claim 3, where determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within the accuracy range includes determining that a variance of an angle between a vector of the synthetic magnetometer data and a vector of the magnetometer data satisfies a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 3, where determining the heading of the mobile device using the angular rate data includes determining the heading of the mobile device using the synthetic magnetometer data.

6. The method of claim 1, where receiving the indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate includes receiving a notification that a magnetic interference will occur.

7. The method of claim 6, where the magnetic interference is generated from a component of the mobile device that draws at least a threshold amount of electric current.

8. The method of claim 6, where the magnetic interference is generated from a component of the mobile device, the component including at least one of a speaker, a camera, and a vibrator.

9. The method of claim 1, where receiving the indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate includes:

determining a plurality of magnitudes of magnetic vectors in a sample of the magnetometer data; and

determining that a variance of the magnitudes satisfies a threshold value.

10. The method of claim 1, where receiving the indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate includes:

determining a plurality of inclinations of magnetic vectors in a sample of the magnetometer data; and

determining that a variance of the inclinations satisfies a threshold value.

11. The method of claim 10, where each of the inclinations is determined based on an angle between a magnetic vector and a gravitational acceleration vector.

12. A computer program product tangibly stored on a mobile device, operable to cause the mobile device to perform operations comprising:

determining a heading of the mobile device using magnetometer data;

receiving an indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate;

in response to the received indication, determining the heading of the mobile device using angular rate data;

determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within an accuracy range; and

upon determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within the accuracy range, resuming determining the heading of the mobile device using the magnetometer data.

13. The product of claim 12, the operations further comprising storing an estimated magnetic field vector in a reference global coordinate system, the estimated magnetic field vector in the reference global coordinate system generated using historical magnetometer data that are determined to be accurate and historical angular rate data that temporally correspond to the accurate historical magnetometer data.

14. The product of claim 13, the operations further comprising generating synthetic magnetometer data using the estimated magnetic field vector in the reference global coordinate system and current angular rate data.

15. The product of claim 14, where determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within the accuracy range includes determining that a variance of an angle between a vector of the synthetic magnetometer data and a vector of the magnetometer data satisfies a threshold value.

16. The product of claim 14, where determining the heading of the mobile device using the angular rate data includes determining the heading of the mobile device using the synthetic magnetometer data.

17. The product of claim 12, where receiving the indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate includes receiving a notification that a magnetic interference will occur.

18. A system comprising:

a mobile device configured to perform operations comprising;

determining a heading of the mobile device using magnetometer data;

receiving an indication that the magnetometer data may be inaccurate;

in response to the received indication, determining the heading of the mobile device using angular rate data;

determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within an accuracy range; and

upon determining that the magnetometer data are accurate within the accuracy range, resuming determining the heading of the mobile device using the magnetometer data.

19. The system of claim 18, the operations further comprising storing an estimated magnetic field vector in a reference global coordinate system, the estimated magnetic field vector in the reference global coordinate system generated using historical magnetometer data that are determined to be accurate and historical angular rate data that temporally correspond to the accurate historical magnetometer data.

20. The system of claim 19, the operations further comprising generating synthetic magnetometer data using the estimated magnetic field vector in the reference global coordinate system and current angular rate data.