Method and system for obtaining positioning data

• US 9,195,325 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Altman, Nathan, Eliashiv, Oded
• Primary Examiner(s): Bukowski, Kenneth
• Application Number:
  US13/953,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20130314381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/175, 345/177, 345/179, 345182-183, 178 1801- 1902, 178/47
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/02 Hand grip control means handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/06 Control stands, e.g. consoles, switchboards
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/065 comprising joy-sticks
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/026 Acoustical sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1694 characterised by use of sensors other than normal servo-feedback from position, speed or acceleration sensors, perception control, multi-sensor controlled systems, sensor fusion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/043 using propagating acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/228 of three-dimensional handwriting, e.g. writing in the air
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/08 Robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/09 Closed loop, sensor feedback controls arm movement

Abstract

A position detection system for use in association with computing applications, the system comprising: a positional element for attaining a position and comprising a first emitter for emitting a substantially continuous ultrasonic waveform decodable to fix said position, and a detector arrangement for detecting said waveform in a manner permitting fixing of said position and outputting said waveform for computation, in a manner retentive of said position fixing ability.

Claims

1. A system for receiving signals to determine a position of an object, comprising:

a detector arrangement configured to detect at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform having data modulated thereon and a synchronization signal emitted by the object, the detector arrangement comprising;

at least a first acoustic sensor and a second acoustic sensor each configured to receive a version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform; and

a synchronization signal sensor configured to receive the synchronization signal; and

a computing device configured to;

decode the received versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the synchronization signal to measure a time delay between each of the versions of the received continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the received synchronization signal;

convert the measured time delays to at least a first distance and a second distance; and

triangulate the first distance and the second distance to determine the position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first acoustic sensor and the second acoustic sensor are each configured to receive a version of a second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform emitted by the object.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the computing device is further configured to;

measure time delays between each of the versions of the received second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the received synchronization signal;

convert the time delays measured from the received second continuous carrier waveform to at least a third distance and a fourth distance; and

triangulate the third distance and the fourth distance to determine a second position.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the position corresponds to a position of the object in a first dimension and the second position corresponds to a position of the object in a second dimension.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the computing device is further configured to determine an angle of the object from the position and the second position.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the detector arrangement is configured to supply a first version of the first continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and a second version of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform as separate channels for decoding by the computing device.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the separate channels are time multiplexed or frequency multiplexed into a single channel provided to a single analog input of the computing device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the synchronization signal comprises an electromagnetic signal and the synchronization signal sensor comprises an electromagnetic sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform is sampleable at a low sampling rate.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the low sampling rate is at or below a Nyquist sampling rate of sound signals.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the low sampling rate is substantially 6KHz.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is integrated with the detector arrangement.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector arrangement is coupled with a cellular telephony device.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to triangulate the first distance, the second distance, and a known distance between the first acoustic sensor and the second acoustic sensor to determine the position.

15. A method for determining a position of an object, comprising:

receiving, by a detector arrangement, at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform having data modulated thereon and an electromagnetic signal emitted by the object, wherein receiving the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform comprises receiving at least a first version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a first acoustic sensor of the detector arrangement and a second version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a second acoustic sensor of the detector arrangement;

decoding, by a processing unit, the received versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the received electromagnetic signal;

measuring, by the processing unit, a time delay between each of the decoded versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal;

converting, by the processing unit, the measured time delays to at least a first distance and a second distance; and

determining, by the processing unit, the position of the object based on triangulating the first distance and the second distance.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

receiving the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform further comprises receiving a first version of a second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at the first acoustic sensor and a second version of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at the second acoustic sensor;

decoding the received versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform further comprises decoding the received versions of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform;

measuring the time delays between each of the decoded versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal further comprises measuring time delays between each of the versions of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal;

converting the measured time delays further comprises converting the measured time delays from the received versions of the second continuous carrier waveform to at least a third distance and a fourth distance; and

determining the position of the object further comprises determining a second position of the object from triangulating the third distance and the fourth distance.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the position corresponds to a position of the object in a first dimension and the second position corresponds to a position of the object in a second dimension.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining an angle of the object from the position and the second position.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising sampling the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a low sampling rate.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising synchronizing the processing unit with the object using the decoded electromagnetic signal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein synchronizing comprises compensating for a clock drift of the processing unit and a clock associated with the object.

22. A system for determining a position of an object, comprising:

means for receiving at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform having data modulated thereon and an electromagnetic signal emitted by the object, wherein receiving the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform comprises receiving at least a first version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a first sensing means of the means for receiving and a second version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a second sensing means of the means for receiving;

means for decoding the received versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the received electromagnetic signal;

means for measuring a time delay between each of the decoded versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal;

means for converting the measured time delays to at least a first distance and a second distance; and

means for determining the position of the object based on triangulating the first distance and the second distance.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

the means for receiving the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform is configured to receive a first version of a second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at the first sensing means and a second version of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at the second sensing means;

the means for decoding the received versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform is configured to decode the received versions of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform;

the means for measuring the time delay between each of the decoded continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal is configured to measure time delays between each of the versions of the second continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal;

the means for converting the measured time delays is configured to convert time delays from the received second continuous carrier waveform to at least a third distance and a fourth distance; and

the means for determining the position of the object is configured to determine a second position of the object from triangulating the third distance and the fourth distance.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the position corresponds to a position of the object in a first dimension and the second position corresponds to a position of the object in a second dimension.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising means for determining an angle of the object from the position and the second position.

26. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for sampling the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a low sampling rate.

27. The system of claim 22, further comprising means for synchronizing the processing unit with the object using the decoded electromagnetic signal.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the means for synchronizing is configured to compensate for a clock drift of the processing unit and a clock associated with the object.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing unit of a system, causes the system to perform a method for determining a position of an object, comprising:

receiving at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform having data modulated thereon and an electromagnetic signal emitted by the object, wherein receiving the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform comprises receiving at least a first version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a first acoustic sensor and a second version of the at least one continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform at a second acoustic sensor;

decoding the received versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the received electromagnetic signal;

measuring a time delay between each of the decoded versions of the continuous carrier ultrasonic waveform and the decoded electromagnetic signal;

converting the measured time delays to at least a first distance and a second distance; and

determining the position of the object based on triangulating the first distance and the second distance.