Miniaturized wireless inertial sensing system

• US 7,672,781 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Issued: 03/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hottinger Bruel & Kjaer Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MicroStrain, Inc. (Spectris PLC)
• Inventors: Townsend, Chris Prvyn, Arms, Steven W., Hamel, Michael John, Churchill, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Application Number:
  US11/446,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 701/220, 473/151, 734/88, 340/970
• US Class Current: 701/220
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/13 Relative positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/62 Time or time measurement used for time reference, time stamp, master time or clock signal
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0024 for hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0026 for ice-hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/36 for golf
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 2203/18 Measuring a physical parameter, e.g. speed, distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 5/06 with special devices thereon, e.g. steering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/36 the separate antennas having differently-oriented directivity characteristics

Abstract

A system includes a moveable body and a first device for mounting on the movable body. The first device includes an orientation sensor, an inertial position sensor, a first processor, a frequency agile RF transceiver, and a memory device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising a moveable body, a first device for mounting on said movable body, an external device, and a display, wherein said first device includes an orientation sensor, an inertial position sensor, a first processor, a first RF transceiver, and a first memory device, wherein said external device and said display are separate from said moveable body, wherein said external device includes a second processor, a second memory device, and a second RF transceiver, wherein at least one from the group consisting of said first memory device and said second memory device includes a program to direct said first RF transceiver to transmit a radio signal that includes at least one from the group consisting of orientation information, inertial position information, and address information to said external device, wherein at least one from the group consisting of said first memory device and said second memory device includes a program for determining a second position measurement of said moveable body from a parameter of said radio signal, wherein at least one from the group consisting of said first memory device and said second memory device includes a program to combine said inertial position information and said second position measurement of said moveable body to provide a combined position measurement of said moveable body for transmission to said display.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said orientation sensor provides 3-axis orientation.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said orientation sensor provides 3-axis orientation over 360 degrees.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said orientation sensor includes a plurality of angular rate sensors and a plurality of accelerometers.

5. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein said orientation sensor includes three orthogonal angular rate sensors and three orthogonal accelerometers.

6. A system as recited in claim 5, wherein said orientation sensor further comprises three orthogonal magnetometers.

7. A system as recited in claim 4, wherein said inertial position sensor includes said plurality of accelerometers.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a wired communication port.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein said wired communication port includes at least one from the group consisting of USB, RS-232, RS-485, and CAN bus.

10. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said RE transceiver includes IEEE 802.15.4.

11. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said moveable body includes at least one from the group consisting of a camera, an antenna, a drill, a vehicle, an item of sports equipment, a surveying apparatus, a platform, and a living being.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein said item of sports equipment includes at least one from the group consisting of a golf club, a racquet, a bat, a stick, a ball, and a puck.

13. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein said living being includes a person and an animal.

14. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein said vehicle includes at least one from the group consisting of an aircraft, a space vehicle, a ground vehicle, and a marine vehicle.

15. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a rechargeable power supply.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, further comprising a non-contacting system for recharging said rechargeable power supply.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein said non-contacting system for recharging said rechargeable power supply includes an energy harvesting system.

18. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein said non-contacting system for recharging said rechargeable power supply includes a coil.

19. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein said non-contacting system for recharging said rechargeable power supply further includes a capacitor.

20. A system as recited in claim 19, wherein said capacitor comprises a tunable capacitor.

21. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a digital filter.

22. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first memory device includes coefficients for temperature compensation.

23. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first memory device includes coefficients for coning and sculling error compensation.

24. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first memory device includes coefficients for sensor orthogonality correction.

25. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a GPS receiver.

26. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first RF transceiver includes an omni-directional antenna.

27. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first device includes signal conditioning electronics.

28. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first memory device includes non-volatile memory.

29. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a strain gauge mounted to said moveable body.

30. A system as recited in claim 29, further comprising a plurality of strain gauges.

31. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said strain gauge is positioned for measuring at least one from the group consisting of bending moment of said moveable body, time of an impact on said moveable body, duration of an impact on said moveable body, location of an impact on said moveable body, force of an impact on said moveable body, impulse of an impact on said moveable body, and energy of an impact on said moveable body.

32. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said first processor is capable of combining information from said strain gauge with information from said orientation sensor to determine orientation at time of impact.

33. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said first processor is capable of combining information from said strain gauge with information from said inertial position sensor to determine position at time of impact.

34. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein said strain gauge includes at least one from the group consisting of a static strain gauge and a dynamic strain gauge.

35. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein said dynamic strain gauge includes a piezoelectric element.

36. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said orientation sensor includes three orthogonal accelerometers, three orthogonal magnetometers, and three orthogonal rate gyroscopes, wherein said inertial position sensor includes said three orthogonal accelerometers, and further comprising a strain gauge.

37. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a housing, wherein said orientation sensor, said inertial position sensor, said first processor, said first RF transceiver, and said first memory device are all within said housing.

38. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a feedback mechanism.

39. A system as recited in claim 38, wherein said feedback mechanism includes at least one from the group consisting of a sound producing device and a display.

40. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a network of said first devices, wherein each said first device in said network is capable of transmitting information to said external device.

41. A system as recited in claim 40, wherein each said first device in said network further comprises an address.

42. A system as recited in claim 41, wherein each said first device in said network is capable of transmitting and recognizing said address.

43. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said external device further comprises a digital filter.

44. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said external device is capable of transmitting a signal to said first device directing said first device to do at least one from the group consisting of enter sleep mode, wake up, start logging data, stop logging data, and transmit data.

46. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said parameter of said radio signal includes at least one from the group consisting of time of arrival, time difference of arrival, received signal strength indication, Doppler effect, and angle of arrival information.

47. A system as recited in claim 46, wherein said external device includes an antenna arrangement for determining angle of arrival.

48. A system as recited in claim 47, wherein said antenna arrangement includes a plurality of antennas.

49. A system as recited in claim 48, wherein said plurality of antennas includes one from the group consisting of a plurality of separated antennas, a plurality of directional antennas, a plurality of sectorized array antennas, a rotating antenna, and an array of electronically switched antennas.

50. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one from the group consisting of said first RF transceiver and said second RF transceiver includes ultra wide band.

51. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first RF transceiver includes a frequency agile transceiver.

52. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein one from the group consisting of said first memory device and said second memory device includes a program to provide said combined position measurement of said movable body for updating position information in said first device.

53. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of said moveable bodies wherein said second transceiver uses addressing.

54. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said program to combine said inertial position information and said second position information of said moveable body also combines said orientation information and provides a combined position and orientation measurement of said moveable body for transmission to said display.

45. A method of operating a system, comprising:

a. providing a moveable body and a first device;

b. mounting said first device on said moveable body, wherein said first device includes an orientation sensor, an inertial position sensor, a first processor, a first RF transceiver, and a first memory device;

c. providing an external device and a display, wherein said external device and said display are separate from said moveable body, wherein said external device includes a second processor, a second memory device, and a second RF transceiver;

d. using said orientation sensor to obtain orientation information;

e. using said inertial position sensor to obtain inertial position information;

f. transmitting a radio signal including at least one from the group consisting of orientation information, inertial position information, and address information to said external device;

g. determining a second position measurement of said moveable body from a parameter of said radio signal; and

h. combining said inertial position information and said second position measurement of said moveable body to provide a combined position measurement of said moveable body for transmission to said display.