Pulsed-DC position and orientation measurement system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
- a source having a plurality of field generating elements, wherein said field generating elements generate electromagnetic fields and have spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame;
a driver, wherein said driver applies to said plurality of field generating elements, signals which generate a plurality of electromagnetic fields, wherein said driver generates pulsed-DC Signals that are applied sequentially to said field generating elements, defining a field generation cycle, whereby said electromagnetic fields have steady state components and are time-division multiplexed, said electromagnetic fields being distinguishable from one another;
a remote sensor having a plurality of field sensing elements, wherein said field sensing elements sense each of said generated electromagnetic fields and have spatially independent components; and
a processor, wherein said processor processes the output of said sensor into remote object position and orientation relative to said source reference coordinate frame, said processor including a signal integrator that is adapted to integrating the output of at least one of said sensing elements over a given period of time in order to establish the steady state components of said generated electromagnetic field and a calculator that is adapted to calculate remote object position and orientation from the steady state components.
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Abstract
A remote object position and orientation determining system employs electromagnetic coupling to sense the position and orientation of a remote object. A plurality of electromagnetic fields are generated having steady state components by applying time-division multiplexed pulsed DC signals to a plurality of field generating elements having spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame. In this manner, the fields are distinguishable from one another. The generated electromagnetic fields are sensed with a remote sensor having a plurality of passive field-sensing elements having spatially independent elements in order to detect the rate-of-change of each of the generated electromagnetic fields. The output of the remote sensors are integrated in order to establish the steady state components of the generated electromagnetic fields. The steady state components are resolved into remote object position and orientation relative to the source reference coordinate frame.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. An apparatus for determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
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a source having a plurality of field generating elements, wherein said field generating elements generate electromagnetic fields and have spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame; a driver, wherein said driver applies to said plurality of field generating elements, signals which generate a plurality of electromagnetic fields, wherein said driver generates pulsed-DC Signals that are applied sequentially to said field generating elements, defining a field generation cycle, whereby said electromagnetic fields have steady state components and are time-division multiplexed, said electromagnetic fields being distinguishable from one another; a remote sensor having a plurality of field sensing elements, wherein said field sensing elements sense each of said generated electromagnetic fields and have spatially independent components; and a processor, wherein said processor processes the output of said sensor into remote object position and orientation relative to said source reference coordinate frame, said processor including a signal integrator that is adapted to integrating the output of at least one of said sensing elements over a given period of time in order to establish the steady state components of said generated electromagnetic field and a calculator that is adapted to calculate remote object position and orientation from the steady state components. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
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a source having a plurality of field generating elements, wherein said field generating elements generate electromagnetic fields and have spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame; a driver, wherein said driver applies sequentially to said plurality of field generating elements pulsed-DC signals which are time-division multiplexer, defining a field generation sequence, in order to generate a plurality of electromagnetic fields that have steady state components and are distinguishable from one another; a remote sensor having a plurality of passive field sensing elements that are responsive to the rate-of-change of said generated electromagnetic fields in order to sense each of said generated electromagnetic fields, said sensing elements having spatially independent components; and a processor, wherein said processor processes the output of said sensor into remote object position and orientation relative to said source reference coordinate frame. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus for determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
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a source having a plurality of field generating elements, wherein said field generating elements generate electromagnetic fields and have spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame; a driver, wherein said driver applies sequentially to said plurality of field generating elements pulsed-DC signals which are time-division multiplexed in order to generate a plurality of electromagnetic fields that have steady state components and are distinguishable from one another; a remote sensor having a plurality of passive field sensing elements that are responsive to the rate-of-change of said generated electromagnetic fields in order to sense each of said generated electromagnetic fields, said sensing elements having spatially independent components; and an integrator, wherein said integrator integrates the output of said remote sensor in order to establish the steady state components of said generated electromagnetic fields. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A method of determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
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generating a plurality of electromagnetic fields in a source reference coordinate frame, said fields having spatially independent components and being distinguishable from one another, wherein said generating includes applying pulsed-DC signals sequentially to a plurality of field generator elements having spatially independent components, defining a field generation cycle, whereby said electromagnetic fields have steady state components and are time-division multiplexed; sensing said generated electromagnetic fields with a remote sensor having a plurality of field sensing elements, said sensing elements having spatially independent components in order to detect each of said generated electromagnetic fields; and processing the output of said remote sensor into remote object position and orientation relative to said source reference coordinate frame by integrating the output of said field sensor over a given period of time in order to establish the steady state components of said generated electromagnetic fields and resolving said steady state components into remote object position and orientation. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method of determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
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generating a plurality of electromagnetic fields by applying time-division multiplexed pulsed-DC signals to a plurality of field generating elements, defining a field generation cycle, said field generating elements having spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame, whereby said fields have steady state components and are distinguishable from one another; sensing said generated electromagnetic fields with a remote sensor having a plurality of passive field sensing elements having spatially independent components in order to detect the rate-of-change of each of said generated electromagnetic fields; and resolving the output of said remote sensor into remote object position and orientation relative to said source reference coordinate frame. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of determining the position and orientation of a remote object relative to a reference coordinate frame comprising:
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generating a plurality of electromagnetic fields having steady state components by applying time-division multiplexed pulsed-DC signals to a plurality of field generating elements having spatially independent components defining a source reference coordinate frame, whereby said fields are distinguishable from one another; sensing said generated electromagnetic fields with a remote sensor having a plurality of passive field sensing elements having spatially independent elements in order to detect the rate-of-change of each of said generated electromagnetic fields; and integrating the output of said remote sensor in order to establish the steady state components of said generated electromagnetic fields. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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Specification