Method and system for determining the values of parameters representative of a movement of at least two limbs of an entity represented in the form of an articulated line

• US 9,357,948 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Movea
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission), Movea
• Inventors: Youssef, Joe, Godin, Christelle, Lesecq, Suzanne
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDENBURG, MAX F
• Application Number:
  US13/991,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,650 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6829 Foot or ankle
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

A method determining values of parameters representing a movement of an entity represented by an articulated chain, by a sensor assembly including at least one sensor for a parameter representing an orientation of a first segment of the articulated chain, the method including: reception of an orientation value measured and supplied by the orientation sensor; estimation of a value of at least one first parameter representing a movement of the first segment by processing the orientation value; and, based on a predetermined movement model of the articulated chain, as a time change model, including at least one relationship of time dependency between the at least one first parameter and at least one other parameter representing a movement of another segment of the articulated chain: estimation of a value of the at least one other parameter by application of the time change model to the estimated value of the at least one first parameter.

Claims

1. A method for determining, by a sensor assembly including at least one orientation sensor, values of parameters representing a movement involving at least two limbs of an entity represented in a form of an articulated chain in which each limb is represented by at least one segment and the at least two limbs are connected together by an articulation, the sensor assembly including the at least one orientation sensor being fixed to the entity and configured to measure a parameter representing an orientation of a first segment of the articulated chain, the method comprising:

receiving an orientation value measured and supplied by the orientation sensor;

estimating a value of at least one first parameter representing a movement of the first segment by processing of the supplied orientation value; and

estimating a value of at least one other parameter by executing a time-change model on the basis of a predetermined movement model of the articulated chain, the time-change model including at least one relationship of time dependency between the at least one first parameter and the at least one other parameter representing a movement of another segment of the articulated chain.

2. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein the time-change model further includes a relationship of time dependency, or a relationship of time offset, between movements of at least two distinct limbs of said at least two limbs of the entity, and the at least one other parameter further includes a parameter representing the movement of the another segment of the articulated chain associated with at least part of a limb of said at least two limbs of the entity in the form of the articulated chain other than movement of a limb represented at least by the movement of the first segment.

3. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein the time-change model further includes a relationship of time dependency of orientations of all segments of the at least one segment of the articulated chain relative to that of the first segment.

4. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein said each limb in the articulated chain is represented by two upper or lower limbs of the entity;

wherein each limb is represented by two segments connected together by the articulation, the articulated chain having six degrees of freedom, or

wherein each limb is represented by three segments connected together in pairs by two articulations, the articulated chain having eight degrees of freedom.

7. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one orientation sensor of the sensor assembly fixed to the entity includes a magnetometer having at least one measurement axis and a gyrometer having at least one measurement axis.

8. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one orientation sensor of the sensor assembly fixed to the entity includes plural orientation sensors, with at least one orientation sensor of said plural orientation sensors per limb of the at least two limbs of the entity.

9. The determination method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one orientation sensor of the sensor assembly fixed to the entity includes an acceleration sensor having at least two measurement axes fixed to a part of a limb of the at least two limbs represented by the movement of the first segment, and further comprising estimating, using the acceleration sensor, cartesian position values of a point linked to the first segment.

10. The determination method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

detecting a placing on ground of a foot of the entity represented by the articulated chain,

estimating an inter-foot distance of at least one foot of the entity represented by the articulated chain, and

detecting movement cycles or particular instances characteristic of the movement cycles of at least one foot of the entity represented by the articulated chain.

11. The determination method according to claim 4, wherein the entity is represented in a form of a living or an artificial being.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including computer executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method for determining, by a sensor assembly including at least one orientation sensor, values of parameters representing a movement involving at least two limbs of an entity represented in a form of an articulated chain in which each limb is represented by at least one segment and the at least two limbs are connected together by an articulation, the sensor assembly including the at least one orientation sensor being fixed to the entity and configured to measure a parameter representing an orientation of a first segment of the articulated chain, the method comprising:

receiving an orientation value measured and supplied by the orientation sensor;

estimating, using the processor, a value of at least one first parameter representing a movement of the first segment by processing of the supplied orientation value; and

estimating, using the processor, a value of at least one other parameter by executing a time-change model on the basis of a predetermined movement model of the articulated chain, the time-change model including at least one relationship of time dependency between the at least one first parameter and the at least one other parameter representing a movement of another segment of the articulated chain.

6. A system for determining values of parameters representing a movement involving at least two limbs of an entity represented in a form of an articulated chain in which each limb is represented by at least one segment and the at least two limbs are connected together by an articulation, the system comprising:

at least one orientation sensor configured to measure a parameter representing an orientation of a first segment of the articulated chain, wherein the at least one orientation sensor is further configured to be fixed to a part of the limb of the entity represented by the first segment; and

a processor configured to;

process orientation values measured and supplied by the at least one orientation sensor;

estimate a value of at least one first parameter representing a movement of the first segment using the supplied orientation value; and

estimate a value of at least one other parameter by executing a time-change model on the basis of a predetermined movement model of the articulated chain, the time-change model including at least one relationship of time dependency between the at least one first parameter and the at least one other parameter representing a movement of another segment of the articulated chain.