SYSTEMS AND METHODS DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE SENSING

• US 20180094998A1
• Filed: 12/05/2017
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Invensense Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Invensense Incorporated (TDK Corporation)
• Inventors: Youssef, Joe, Shekhar, Hemabh, Katingari, Karthik, Keal, William Kerry, Mukhtar, Mubbasher
• Granted Patent: US 10,921,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 13/06 using electric or magnetic pressure-sensitive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 27/005 Apparatus for calibrating pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 13/02 Indicating direction only, e.g. by weather vane
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/62 Devices characterised by the determination or the variation of atmospheric pressure with height to measure the vertical components of speed measuring pressure in general G01L

Abstract

A pressure sensor of a mobile device may be corrected by receiving reference pressure information from an associated device. The correction using differential pressure measurements may be influenced by one or more determined condition characteristics.

Claims

1. A method for determining motion of a mobile device, the method comprising:

obtaining sensor data from the mobile device comprising at least pressure sensor data;

obtaining sensor data from at least one additional device comprising at least pressure sensor data, wherein the pressure sensor data from the at least one additional device is used as reference pressure information; and

correcting pressure sensor data from the mobile device based at least in part on the reference pressure information,

wherein a vertical motion of the mobile device is determined based at least in part on the corrected pressure sensor data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a condition characteristic, wherein the determination of vertical motion of the mobile device is further based on the determined condition characteristic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the condition characteristic relates to the at least one additional device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein correcting the pressure sensor data from the mobile device comprises weighting the reference pressure information based at least in part on the condition characteristic.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the condition characteristic comprises an estimated distance between the mobile device and the at least one additional device, wherein correcting the pressure sensor data comprises compensating for the estimated distance.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the condition characteristic comprises a motion characteristic.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the determined condition characteristic is a usage condition characteristic.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the determined condition characteristic is an environmental condition characteristic.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting at least one of the mobile device and the a least one additional device from among a plurality of mobile devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the obtained sensor data from the mobile device includes motion sensor data, wherein the obtained sensor data from the at least one additional device includes motion sensor data, wherein selecting the at least one additional device from among the plurality of mobile device is based at least in part on the motion sensor data for the mobile device and the motion sensor data for the at least one additional device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one additional device is experiencing less motion than the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device sends a request for the reference pressure information to the at least one additional device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional device transmits the second sensor data in a periodic manner.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained sensor data from the mobile device includes motion sensor data, further comprising fusing the motion sensor data with the corrected pressure sensor data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein fusing the motion sensor data with the corrected pressure sensor data is based at least in part on a condition characteristic.

16. A system for determining a motion of a mobile device comprising:

a mobile device having a pressure sensor;

at least one additional device having a pressure sensor providing reference pressure information; and

a correction module configured to;

correct pressure sensor data from the mobile device based at least in part on the reference pressure information from the at least one additional device; and

determine a vertical motion of the mobile device based at least in part on the corrected pressure sensor data.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile device is further configured to generate motion sensor data, wherein the at least one additional device is further configured to output motion sensor data, and wherein the correction module is further configured to select at least one of the mobile device and the at least one additional device from among a plurality of mobile devices based at least in part on the motion sensor data for the at least one additional device and the motion sensor data for the mobile device.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of additional devices, wherein the correction module is configured to select reference pressure information from at least one of the plurality of additional devices when correcting pressure sensor data from the mobile device based at least in part on a condition characteristic.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of additional devices, wherein the correction module is configured to combine reference pressure information from the plurality of additional devices when correcting pressure sensor data from the mobile device.

20. A sensor unit of a mobile device, comprising:

a pressure sensor outputting pressure sensor data;

an input for obtaining reference pressure information from at least one additional device; and

an integrated processor configured to;

receive the pressure sensor data from the pressure sensor;

receive the reference pressure information; and

correct the pressure sensor data.

21. The sensor unit of claim 20, wherein the sensor unit further comprises a motion sensor outputting motion sensor data and wherein the integrated processor is further configured to combine the motion sensor data and the corrected pressure sensor data.

22. The sensor unit of claim 21, wherein the integrated processor is further configured to correct the pressure sensor data based at least in part on a condition characteristic.

23. The sensor unit of claim 22, wherein the condition characteristic is received with the reference pressure information.

24. The sensor unit of claim 20, wherein the integrated processor is further configured to output the corrected pressure sensor data.

25. The sensor unit of claim 21, wherein the integrated processor is further configured to determine a vertical motion of the sensor unit based at least in part on the motion sensor data and the corrected pressure sensor data.