METHOD FOR CALIBRATING THE PHYSICAL POSITION AND ORIENTATION OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150289113A1
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Published: 10/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMSI Design LLC
• Original Assignee: IMSI Design LLC
• Inventors: Cochran, Douglas R., Chapman, Kevan, Mayer, Robert, Farros, Royal
• Granted Patent: US 9,756,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A system and method for calibrating the location and orientation of an electronic device, including an electronic data device having a processor, permanent memory, temporary memory, program loading means, a visual display and display subsystem, user input devices, a motion detection subsystem, an orientation detection subsystem, and a geolocation subsystem. The electronic device is programmed with instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to visually display a virtual representation of a user-selected physical space on the electronic visual display and to display a position indicator corresponding to an initial location and orientation of the electronic data device in the user-selected physical space, and thereafter to adjust and correct the location according to either user manual inputs or movement of the electronic data device in the physical space.

Claims

1. A method of calibrating the physical location and orientation of an electronic device, comprising:

(a) providing an electronic data device having a core processor, permanent memory for storing a program, temporary memory for loading and running a computer-executable program, program loading means to load a computer-executable program onto the electronic data device, an electronic visual display, a visual display subsystem, at least one user input means for interacting with a computer-executable program, a motion detection subsystem, an orientation detection subsystem, and a geolocation subsystem;

(b) moving the electronic data device in a physical space;

(c) loading a position and orientation calibration program with a device drawing coordinate system onto the electronic data device, the program having instructions which, when executed by the electronic data device, causes the electronic data device to visually display a user interface, a two- or three-dimensional virtual representation of a physical space on the electronic visual display, wherein when data from the geolocation subsystem is available, an initial position indicator signifying an estimated initial location and orientation of the electronic data device in the physical space, and wherein when geolocation data is not available, said program prompts the user to move to one or more locations in the physical space to electronically set and define at least one calibration point;

(d) initiating execution of the position and orientation calibration program;

(e) defining an initial location point in the electronic device drawing coordinate system corresponding to the estimated initial location and orientation obtained from the geolocation subsystem data or from user-provided calibration points;

(f) displaying on the electronic visual display a visual position indicator indicating an initial location and orientation; and

(g) at the user'"'"'s option, and according to whether an initial location is obtained from user-provided calibration points or from geolocation subsystem data, respectively, either,

(1) manually adjusting the placement of the visual position indicator on the device display to correct any observed inaccurate representation of the electronic data device physical location or

(2) proceeding directly to move about in the physical space;

wherein when step (g)(1) is executed, the position and orientation calibration program calculates an offset in drawing coordinates between the initial and corrected position points, and executes one or more transformations to determine the corresponding physical coordinates as well as the offset between the initially estimated location and orientation and the physical coordinates of the corrected location; and

wherein when step (g)(2) is executed, after the calibration points have been marked, the position and orientation calibration program initiates a motion transformation function to display on the electronic visual display a visual position indicator indicating the initial location and orientation based on the set calibration points and thereafter uses the motion transformation function, in conjunction with motion and orientation data from the device motion and orientation subsystems, to calibrate the actual physical location and orientation of the electronic data device in the physical space and to calculate and display an updated location of the electronic data device in the 2D or 3D spatial representation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (g)(1) is executed, and further including adjusting the orientation of the visual position indicator on the electronic data device electronic visual display to correct a user-observed inaccurate representation of the displayed orientation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (g)(1) is executed, and further including using the position and orientation calibration program to calculate the offset in drawing coordinates between the initial location and corrected orientation, and executing one or more transformations to determine the corresponding physical orientation as well as the difference between the initially estimated and corrected physical orientation.

4. The method of claim 3, further including using the adjusted physical orientation as a reference point for further motion and orientation tracking.

5. The method of claim 3, further including storing differences between the initially estimated location and the corrected location for later use in refining the motion tracking algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step (g)(1) is executed, and further including using the position and calibration program to calculate the offset in drawing coordinates between the initially estimated and the corrected location, and executing one or more transformations to determine the corresponding physical location as well as the difference between the initially estimated and corrected physical location.

7. The method of claim 6, further including using the adjusted physical orientation as a reference point for further motion and orientation tracking.

8. The method of claim 6, further including storing differences between the initially estimated location and the corrected location for later use in refining the motion tracking algorithm.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic data device includes at least one geolocation subsystem and the initially estimated location is calculated by data from the at least one geolocation subsystem.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input device includes at least one of a touchscreen, a keyboard, and a voice input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the geolocation subsystem includes at least one or more of a GPS, A-GPS, and WPS system, alone or in any combination.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion and orientation detection subsystems includes at least one of a pedometer, an accelerometer, a compass, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer, alone or in any combination.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein data from the motion and orientation subsystems is used to calculate the estimated initial location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (g)(2) is executed, wherein when the electronic device is physically moved, the position and orientation program will cause the electronic data device to change the position and orientation of the position indicator on the displayed representation so as to show the new location and heading direction of the electronic data device within the physical space.

15. A system, comprising:

an electronic data device having a core processor, a permanent memory for storing a computer-executable program, temporary memory or functional equivalents for loading and running a program, program loading means, an electronic visual display, a display subsystem, at least one user input device for interacting with an executable program, a motion detection subsystem, an orientation detection subsystem, and a geolocation subsystem; and

a computer-readable medium including a position and orientation calibration program with instructions that, when executed by said core processor, cause said electronic data device to visually display a two- or three-dimensional virtual representation of a user-selected physical space on the electronic visual display and to display a position indicator corresponding to an initial location and orientation of the electronic data device in the user-selected physical space, and thereafter to adjust and correct the location according to either user manual inputs or movement of the electronic data device in the physical space.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said computer-readable medium further includes instructions that, when executed by said core processor, causes said electronic data device to define an initial location point in the electronic device drawing coordinate system corresponding to the estimated initial location and orientation of said electronic data device, and further programmed, in response to a user manually adjusting the placement of the position indicator on the device display to correct any observed inaccurate representation of the electronic data device physical location, to calculate an offset in drawing coordinates between estimated initial and user-corrected location points, and execute one or more transformations to determine the corresponding physical coordinates as well as the offset between the initially estimated location and orientation and the physical coordinates of the user-corrected location.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said computer-readable medium further includes instructions that, when executed by said core processor, causes said electronic data device to calculate the offset in drawing coordinates between the initially estimated and corrected orientation, and execute one or more transformations to determine the corresponding physical orientation as well as the difference between the initially estimated and corrected physical orientation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein said at least one user input device includes one or more of a touchscreen, a keyboard, and a voice input.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein said program loading means includes one or more of a physical or wireless network communications subsystem, CD-ROM, memory stick, and portable hard drive.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein said geolocation subsystem includes one or more of GPS, A-GPS, or a WPS system, alone or in any combination.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein said a motion and orientation detection subsystems include one or more motion and rotation sensors.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said motion and rotation sensors include one or more of a pedometer, an accelerometer, a compass, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, alone or in any combination.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein said computer-readable medium further includes instructions that, when executed by said core processor, causes said electronic data device to use a transformation matrix to adjust for changes in the displayed location and/or orientation between actual movements of the electronic data device.

24. The system of claim 15, wherein said computer-readable medium further includes instructions that, when executed by said core processor, causes said electronic data device to display a position indicator on a touchscreen which depicts a user start position on a schematically displayed site plan, and wherein when the user observes an error in the displayed location, he or she can tap the position indicator and move the position indicator from the inaccurate location to a correct location, and wherein said system then applies a transform to recalibrate the position and to display a corrected position indicator.