Inertial sensing device

• US 9,664,516 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: Song, Jian yu, Wang, Tao, Shi, Ren li
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US14/390,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20170030715A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 73493
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/00 Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/5783 Mountings or housings not specific to any of the devices covered by groups G01C19/5607 - G01C19/5719
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/02 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/08 with conversion into electric or magnetic values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/0802 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/18 in two or more dimensions

Abstract

Improved sensing devices are provided for determining the spatial disposition of a movable object. In one aspect, an apparatus for determining a spatial disposition of a movable object comprises: a support base configured to be carried by a movable object; one or more accelerometers coupled to the support base via a first damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more accelerometers; and one or more gyroscopes coupled to the support base via a second damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more gyroscopes, wherein an amount of motion damping provided by the first damping element is greater than an amount of motion damping provided by the second damping element.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a spatial disposition of a movable object, the apparatus comprising:

a support base configured to be carried by a movable object;

one or more accelerometers coupled to the support base via a first damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more accelerometers; and

one or more gyroscopes coupled to the support base via a second damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more gyroscopes, wherein an amount of motion damping provided by the first damping element is greater than an amount of motion damping provided by the second damping element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movable object is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more accelerometers are microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers, and wherein the one or more gyroscopes are MEMS gyroscopes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first or second damping elements comprises a sponge, a foam, or a rubber material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stiffness of the first damping element is less than the stiffness of the second damping element.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the stiffness of the first damping element is selected to reduce noise associated with a signal produced by the one or more accelerometers, and the stiffness of the second damping element is selected to reduce noise associated with a signal produced by the one or more gyroscopes.

7. An apparatus for determining a spatial disposition of a movable object, the apparatus comprising:

a support base configured to be carried by a movable object;

a plurality of inertial measurement units each comprising at least one accelerometer and at least one gyroscope; and

a plurality of damping elements each coupling at least one of the plurality of inertial measurement units to the support base so as to damp motion of the at least one of the plurality of inertial measurement units.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least some of the plurality of damping elements provide different amounts of motion damping.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of damping elements comprises a sponge, a foam, or a rubber material.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the plurality of damping elements is coupled to more than one of the plurality of inertial measurement units.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a processing unit configured to receive a signal indicative of an acceleration and/or rotation of the movable object from each of the plurality of inertial measurement units, and process the received signals to determine the acceleration and/or rotation of the movable object.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing unit processes the received signals using a redundancy method.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processing unit processes the received signals by averaging the received signals.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of inertial measurement units includes a first inertial measurement unit and a second inertial measurement unit, and wherein the received signals include a first signal received from the at least one accelerometer of the first inertial measurement unit, and a second signal received from the at least one gyroscope of the second inertial measurement unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first signal is indicative of the acceleration of the movable object with respect to up to three axes of motion and the second signal is indicative of the rotation of the movable object with respect to up to three axes of rotation.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of damping elements includes a first damping element and a second damping element, and wherein the first inertial measurement unit is coupled to the support base via the first damping element and the second inertial measurement unit is coupled to the support base via the second damping element.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first damping element provides a greater amount of motion damping than the second damping element.

18. An apparatus for determining a spatial disposition of a movable object, the apparatus comprising:

a support base configured to be carried by a movable object;

one or more accelerometers coupled to the support base via a damping element configured to damp motion of the one or more accelerometers; and

one or more gyroscopes directly coupled to the support base.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the damping element comprises a sponge, a foam, or a rubber material.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the damping element is configured to damp vibrations of the one or more accelerometers.