System and method for improving orientation data

• US 9,454,245 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Kulik, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US13/651,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20130106697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/22 for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to computing technologies. In particular, aspects of the disclosure relate to mobile computing device technologies, such as systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for improving orientation data. In one embodiment, the orientation data is generated based on information synchronized to a common sensor input from a plurality of sensor inputs. In one implementation, the common sensor input is from a gyroscope. Furthermore, techniques are provided for improved and novel methods of presenting orientation data to an application layer.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing information at a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of sensor inputs comprising one or more of a gyroscope input, an accelerometer input and a magnetometer input;

synchronizing output for generating orientation data with the gyroscope input, wherein the orientation data comprises a gravity vector and a magnetic vector;

generating the gravity vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the accelerometer input using a gravity vector filter; and

generating the magnetic vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the magnetometer input using a magnetic vector filter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the output for generating the orientation data with the gyroscope input comprises synchronizing the accelerometer input or the magnetometer input to the gyroscope input by averaging the accelerometer input or the magnetometer input, respectively, until arrival of the gyroscope input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing the output for generating the orientation data with the gyroscope input comprises propagating at least one sensor input of the plurality of sensor inputs to the gyroscope input, and wherein the method further comprises generating the orientation data using a plurality of filters based on the gyroscope input and the propagated at least one sensor input.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an operating system framework on the computing device that accepts the orientation data as a unified orientation data point in time, wherein the synchronizing is performed in response to the detecting of the operating system framework.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining components of the orientation data represented in a quaternion system;

determining that an angle component from the components of the orientation data represented in the quaternion system is negative; and

in response to determining that the angle component is negative, adjusting the components of the orientation data represented using the quaternion system so that the angle component is positive.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising detecting an operating system framework on the computing device that passes only three components of the quaternion system to an application layer, wherein the adjusting the components is performed in response to the detecting the operating system framework.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining linear acceleration for the orientation data, wherein determining the linear acceleration comprises:

determining a measured acceleration associated with the computing device;

determining a non-normalized gravity vector associated with the computing device; and

determining the linear acceleration of the computing device by removing the non-normalized gravity component of the gravity vector from the measured acceleration of the computing device.

8. A computing device for synchronizing information, comprising processing logic configured to:

receive a plurality of sensor inputs comprising one or more of a gyroscope input, an accelerometer input and a magnetometer input;

synchronize output for generating orientation data with the gyroscope input, wherein the orientation data comprises a gravity vector and a magnetic vector;

generate the gravity vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the accelerometer input using a gravity vector filter; and

generate the magnetic vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the magnetometer input using a magnetic vector filter.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic is configured to synchronize the output for generating the orientation data with the gyroscope input by synchronizing the accelerometer input or the magnetometer input to the gyroscope input by averaging the accelerometer input or the magnetometer input until arrival of the gyroscope input.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic is configured to synchronize the output for generating the orientation data with the gyroscope input comprises propagating at least one sensor input of the plurality of sensor inputs to the gyroscope input, and wherein the computing device further comprises processing logic configured to generate the orientation data using a plurality of filters based on the gyroscope input and the propagated at least one sensor input.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic is further configured to detect an operating system framework on the computing device that accepts the orientation data as a unified orientation data point in time, wherein the synchronization is performed in response to the detection of the operating system framework.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

determine components of the orientation data represented in a quaternion system;

determine that an angle component from the components of the orientation data represented in the quaternion system is negative; and

in response to determining that the angle component is negative, adjust the components of the orientation data represented using the quaternion system so that the angle component is positive.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the processing logic is further configured to detect an operating system framework on the computing device that passes only three components of the quaternion system to an application layer, wherein the adjusting of the components is performed in response to the detecting of the operating system framework.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the processing logic is further configured to determine linear acceleration for the orientation data, wherein determining the linear acceleration comprises:

determining a measured acceleration associated with the computing device;

determining a non-normalized gravity vector associated with the computing device; and

determining the linear acceleration of the computing device by removing the non-normalized gravity component of the gravity vector from the measured acceleration of the computing device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprises instructions executable by processing logic, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive, at a computing device, a plurality of sensor inputs comprising one or more of a gyroscope input, an accelerometer input and a magnetometer input;

synchronize output for generating orientation data with the gyroscope input, wherein the orientation data comprises a gravity vector and a magnetic vector;

generate the gravity vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the accelerometer input using a gravity vector filter; and

generate the magnetic vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the magnetometer input using a magnetic vector filter.

16. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at a computing device, a plurality of sensor inputs comprising one or more of a gyroscope input, an accelerometer input and a magnetometer input;

means for synchronizing output for generating orientation data with the gyroscope input, wherein the orientation data comprises a gravity vector and a magnetic vector;

means for generating the gravity vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the accelerometer input using a gravity vector filter; and

means for generating the magnetic vector for the computing device by filtering the gyroscope input and the magnetometer input using a magnetic vector filter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for synchronizing the output for generating the orientation data with the gyroscope input comprises means for synchronizing the accelerometer input or the magnetometer input to the gyroscope input by averaging the accelerometer input or the magnetometer input until arrival of the gyroscope input.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for synchronizing the output for generating the orientation data with the gyroscope input comprises means for propagating at least one sensor input of the plurality of sensor inputs to the gyroscope input, and wherein the method further comprises the means for generating the orientation data using a plurality of filters based on the gyroscope input and the propagated at least one sensor input.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for detecting an operating system framework on the apparatus that accepts the orientation data as a unified orientation data point in time, wherein the synchronizing is performed in response to the detecting of the operating system framework.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for determining components of the orientation data represented in a quaternion system;

means for determining that an angle component from the components of the orientation data represented in the quaternion system is negative; and

in response to determining that the angle component is negative, means for adjusting the components of the orientation data represented using the quaternion system so that the angle component is positive.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising means for detecting an operating system framework on the apparatus that passes only three components of the quaternion system to an application layer, wherein the adjusting of the components is performed in response to the detecting of the operating system framework.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for determining linear acceleration for the orientation data, wherein the means for determining the linear acceleration comprises:

means for determining a measured acceleration associated with the apparatus;

means for determining a non-normalized gravity vector associated with the apparatus; and

means for determining the linear acceleration of the apparatus by removing the non-normalized gravity component of the gravity vector from the measured acceleration of the apparatus.