Relative intertial measurement system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018081426-A1
Application number	US-201615271563-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2016
Priority date	Sep 21, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods and systems for relative inertial measurement may include a user device configured to couple with a user's body and measure motion of the user's body or a part of the user's body while the user rides in a vehicle. A second inertial measurement device may be configured to move with the vehicle but to not move with movements of the user's body within the vehicle. One or more processors may receive inertial measurements from the first and second inertial measurement devices and determine movement of the user's body or the part of the user's body relative to the vehicle by comparing the received inertial measurements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a user device configured to be coupled with a body part of a user's body and move with the body part of the user's body; an inertial measurement device mechanically coupled to the user device and configured to measure movement of the user device as the user device moves with the user's body part and as the user's body moves with a vehicle in which the user is riding; an additional inertial measurement device configured to move with the vehicle in which the user is riding without moving with the user's body part, wherein the additional inertial measurement device is configured to measure movement of the vehicle; and one or more processors configured to:
receive inertial measurements from the inertial measurement device mechanically coupled to the user device;
receive inertial measurements from the additional inertial measurement device configured to measure movement of the vehicle; and
determine a relative movement of the user device relative to a reference frame of the movement of the vehicle, wherein the relative movement of the user device is determined based on differences between the received inertial measurements from the inertial measurement device and the additional inertial measurement device.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is a head-mounted device configured to couple with a user's head and move with the user's head.

3 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a display coupled with the head-mounted device, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a view to be displayed in the display based on the determined relative movement of the head-mounted device.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the user device is configured to couple with a user's hand, arm, foot, or leg, and move with the user's hand, arm, foot, or leg.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional inertial measurement device is included in a separate device separate from the user device, wherein the separate device is configured to be coupled with the vehicle by the user.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional inertial measurement device is included in a multi-purpose portable electronic device carried by the user.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional inertial measurement device is a built-in component of the vehicle.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive tracking data for determining a position of the user device,
wherein the relative movement of the user device relative to a reference frame of the movement of the vehicle is further determined based on the tracking data.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the tracking data comprises one or more distances between the user device and a fixed reference point within the vehicle.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the additional inertial measurement device is configured to measure movement of the vehicle at a frequency equal to or greater than a frequency at which the inertial measurement device measures movement of the user device as the user device moves with the user's body part and with the vehicle in which the user is riding.

11 . A user device, comprising:
an inertial measurement device configured to measure movement of the user device:
as the user device moves with a part of a user's body to which the user device is coupled and
as the user's body moves with a vehicle in which the user is riding; and
one or more processors configured to:
receive inertial measurements from the inertial measurement device;
receive inertial measurements from an additional inertial measurement device configured to measure movement of the vehicle in which the user is riding, wherein the additional inertial measurement device is configured to move with the vehicle in which the user is riding without moving with the part of the user's body to which the user device is coupled; and
determine relative movement of the user device relative to a reference frame of the movement of the vehicle, wherein the relative movement of the user device is determined based on differences between the inertial measurements received from the inertial measurement device and the inertial measurements received from the additional inertial measurement device.

12 . The user device of claim 11 , wherein:
the user device is a head-mounted device configured to couple with a user's head and move with the user's head in a direction in which the user is looking; the head-mounted device comprises a display coupled with the head-mounted device; and the one or more processors are further configured to determine a view to be displayed in the display based on the determined relative movement of the head-mounted device.

13 . The user device of claim 12 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
include, in a portion of the view to be displayed in the display, an image that corresponds with the movement of the vehicle, wherein the image that corresponds with the movement of the vehicle is determined based, at least in part, on the received inertial measurements from the additional measurement device.

14 . The user device of claim 13 , wherein the image that corresponds with the movement of the vehicle comprises a view of an environment through which the vehicle is travelling.

15 . The user device of claim 13 , wherein the image that corresponds with the movement of the vehicle appears to the user to move at a speed proportional to the speed of the vehicle.

16 . The user device of claim 11 , wherein the user device is configured to couple with an appendage of a user's body and move with the appendage of the user's body.

17 . A method comprising:
receiving inertial measurements from an inertial measurement device coupled with a part of a user's body, wherein the inertial measurement device is configured to measure movement of the part of the user's body as the user's body moves with a vehicle in which the user is riding; receiving inertial measurements from an additional inertial measurement device configured to measure movement of the vehicle in which the user is riding, wherein the additional inertial measurement device is configured to move with the vehicle in which the user is riding without moving with the part of the user's body to which the inertial measurement device is coupled; and determining a relative movement of the part of the user's body relative to a reference frame of the movement of the vehicle, wherein the relative movement of the part of the user's body is determined based on differences between the inertial measurements received from the inertial measurement device and the inertial measurements received from the additional inertial measurement device.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
receiving tracking data for determining a position of the inertial measurement device within the vehicle; and determining, based on the tracking data, a position of the inertial measurement device within the vehicle, wherein said determining a relative movement of the part of the user's body relative to a reference frame of the movement of the vehicle is determined further based on the position of the inertial measurement device within the vehicle.

19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
prior to said determining, synchronizing, based on respective times of measurement, the inertial measurements from the inertial measurement device and the inertial measurements from th

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Rothkopf Fletcher R

Classifications

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G06F3/012 Primary

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• G06F3/011

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G02B27/0179

  Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed · CPC title