Calibration apparatus and method for 3D position/direction estimation system

• US 9,557,190 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2012
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sang Hyun, Lee, Hyong Euk, Choi, Chang Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Suglo, Janet
• Application Number:
  US13/666,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20130253869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,552 Days
• Field of Search: 702/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 15/002 Active optical surveying means optical plumbing G01C15/105
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

Provided is a calibration apparatus and method of a three-dimensional (3D) position and direction estimation system. The calibration apparatus may receive inertia information and intensity information during a predetermined period of time, may calculate distances between a transmitter and the respective receivers, and may calibrate a signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver using the distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers.

Claims

1. A calibration apparatus for calibrating a signal attenuation characteristic of receivers in a three-dimensional (3D) position and direction estimation system, the calibration apparatus comprising:

an information selector configured to receive intensity information of a signal transmitted by a directional transmitter, in the 3D position and direction estimation system, being rotated based on a fixed point during a predetermined period of time and measured by each receiver during the predetermined period of time, to receive inertia information from a remote device during the same predetermined period of time, to identify intensity maxima for each receiver, and to establish a correlation between the inertia information and the intensity maxima;

at least one memory and at least one processor programmed to

calculate angles between a vector of the transmitter and vectors of the respective receivers based on the correlated inertia information for each receiver,

calculate a 3D position of the remote device using a triangulation scheme based on the angles between the vector of the transmitter and the vectors of the respective receivers,

calculate distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers, and,

calibrate the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the intensity maxima of each receiver and information about the distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers.

2. The calibration apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal received by each receiver during the predetermined period of time is a signal that is transmitted by the transmitter during the predetermined period of time while the remote device is rotated horizontally or vertically about a fixed point.

3. The calibration apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a posture calculator to calculate an orientation of the remote device when the intensity maxima for each receiver is received, based on inertia information of the remote device when the intensity maxima for each receiver is received,

wherein when calibrating the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver, the calibrator uses a signal attenuation characteristic that varies based on an angle, using the orientation of the remote device.

4. The calibration apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least three receivers are provided.

5. The calibration apparatus of claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises an inertia sensor to measure the inertia information, and comprises either the transmitter or the receivers.

6. The calibration apparatus of claim 1, wherein the intensity information comprises an intensity value of an optical signal that is emitted at a predetermined wavelength, or magnitude of an electromagnetic field.

7. The calibration apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inertia information comprises at least one of motion acceleration of three axes, gravity acceleration of the three axes, and angular speed of the three axes that are measured using an inertia sensor.

8. A calibration apparatus for calibrating a signal attenuation characteristic of receivers in a three-dimensional (3D) position and direction estimation system, the calibration apparatus comprising:

an information selector configured to receive intensity information of a signal transmitted by first and second directional transmitters, in the 3D position and direction estimation system, being rotated based on a fixed point during a predetermined period of time and measured by each receiver during the predetermined period of time, to receive inertia information from a remote device during the same predetermined period of time, to identify intensity maxima for each receiver, and to establish a correlation between inertia information and the intensity maxima;

at least memory and at least one processor programmed to

calculate angles between a vector of the first transmitter and vectors of the respective receivers based on the correlated inertia information for each receiver and between a vector of the second transmitter and vectors of the respective receivers based on the correlated inertia information for each receiver,

calculate a 3D position of the remote device using a triangulation scheme based on the angles between the first vector of the transmitter and the vectors of the respective receivers and the second vector of the transmitter and the vectors of the respective receivers;

calculate distances between the first transmitter and the respective receivers and distances between the second transmitter and the respective receivers; and

,

calibrate the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the intensity maxima of each receiver and information about the distances between the first and second transmitters and the respective receivers.

9. A calibration method for calibrating a signal attenuation characteristic of receivers in a calibration apparatus of a three-dimensional (3D) position and direction estimation system, the method comprising:

receiving intensity information of a signal transmitted by a directional transmitter, in the 3D position and direction estimation system, being rotated based on a fixed point during a predetermined period of time and measured by each receiver during the predetermined period of time, and receiving inertia information from a remote device during the same predetermined period of time;

identifying intensity maxima for each receiver;

establishing a correlation between inertia information and the intensity maxima;

calculating, using at least one memory and at least one processor,

angles between a vector of a transmitter and vectors of the respective receivers based on the correlated inertia information for each receiver,

a 3D position of the remote device using a triangulation scheme based on the angles between the vectors, and

distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers; and

,

calibrating, using the at least one memory and the at least one processor, the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the intensity maxima of each receiver and information about the distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the signal received by each receiver during the predetermined period of time is a signal that is transmitted by the transmitter during the predetermined period of time while the remote device is rotated horizontally or vertically about a fixed point.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

calculating an orientation of the remote device when the intensity maxima for each receiver is received, based on inertia information when the intensity maxima for each receiver is received,

wherein the calibrating comprises using a signal attenuation characteristic that varies based on an angle using the orientation of the remote device, when calibrating the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver.

12. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 9.

13. A system for estimating a three-dimensional (3D) position and a direction, the system comprising:

a transmission apparatus comprising at least one directional transmitter configured to transmit a directional signal which varies based on an angle of emission for directional intensity measurement;

a reception apparatus comprising at least three receivers configured to receive the directional signal and to continuously measure intensity of the signal, and to output intensity information;

a remote device comprising an inertia sensor configured to measure inertia information, and comprising one of the transmission apparatus and the reception apparatus; and

a calibration apparatus comprising at least one memory and at least one processor programmed to

receive the inertia information and the intensity information during a predetermined period of time,

correlate the intensity information and the inertia information,

calculate distances between the at least one transmitter and the at least three receivers, and

calibrate a signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the distances between the at least one transmitter and the at least three receivers,

wherein the at least one directional transmitter is rotated based on a fixed point during the predetermined period of time.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the calibration apparatus comprises:

an information selector to receive intensity information of a signal measured by each receiver during a predetermined period of time, to receive inertia information from the remote device during the same period of time, to identify intensity maxima for each receiver, and to correlate inertia information with the intensity maxima;

an angle calculator to calculate angles between a vector of the at least one transmitter and vectors of the at least three receiver based on the correlated inertia information for each receiver;

a position calculator to calculate a 3D position of the remote device using a triangulation scheme based on the angles between the vectors;

a distance calculator to calculate distances between the at least one transmitter and the at least three receivers; and

a calibrator to calibrate the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the intensity maxima of each of the three receivers and the calculated distances between the at least one transmitter and the at least three receivers.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the signal received by each receiver during the predetermined period of time is a signal that is transmitted by the at least one transmitter during the predetermined period of time while the remote device is rotated horizontally or vertically about a fixed point.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the calibrator calibrates the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the intensity maxima of each receiver and information about the distances between the at least one transmitter and the at least three receivers that are measured at least twice at different positions.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a posture calculator to calculate an orientation of the remote device when the intensity maxima for each receiver is received, based on correlated inertia information of the remote device when the intensity maxima for each receiver is received,

wherein when calibrating the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver, the calibrator uses a signal attenuation characteristic that varies based on an angle, using the orientation of the remote device.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least three receivers are disposed in different directions in angularly offset manner.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein at least two transmitters are disposed in different directions.

20. A calibration method for calibrating a signal attenuation characteristic in a calibration apparatus of a three-dimensional (3D) position and direction estimation system, the method comprising:

receiving intensity information of a signal transmitted by a directional transmitter, in the 3D position and direction estimation system, being rotated based on a fixed point during a predetermined period of time and measured by each receiver in the 3D position and direction estimation system during the predetermined period of time, and receiving inertia information from a remote device during the same predetermined period of time;

identifying intensity maxima for each receiver;

correlating inertia information with the intensity maxima;

calculating, using at least one memory and at least one processor,

angles between a vector of a first transmitter and vectors of the respective receivers based on the inertia information verified for each receiver,

angles between a vector of a second transmitter and vectors of the respective receivers based on the inertia information verified for each receiver,

a 3D position of the remote device using a triangulation scheme based on the angles between the vectors, and

distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers; and

calibrating the signal attenuation characteristic of each receiver based on the intensity maxima of each receiver and information about the distances between the transmitter and the respective receivers.

21. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 20.