Device driven inertial interference compensation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9880193-B2
Application number	US-201313836452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2013
Priority date	Aug 15, 2012
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

Techniques for compensating for inertial and/or magnetic interference in a mobile device are provided. The mobile device can include a vibration motor to vibrate the device, a processor, and can include an inertial sensor and/or a magnetometer. The processor can be configured to actuate the vibration motor to induce vibration of the mobile device, to measure motion of the mobile device with the inertial sensor of the device to produce sensor output data and/or to measure a magnetic field generated by the vibration motor to produce magnetometer output data, and to compensate for the vibration of the inertial sensor induced by the vibration motor to produce compensated sensor output data and/or to compensate for a magnetic field generated by the vibration motor when the vibration motor is actuated to produce compensated magnetometer output data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device comprising:
a vibration motor configured to vibrate the mobile device;
an inertial sensor configured to sense motion of the mobile device and to provide sensor output data indicative of the motion; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the vibration motor and to the inertial sensor and configured to:
perform a calibration process to generate a response characterization of a test vibration on the mobile device during a test period of time;
after the test period of time, actuate the vibration motor to induce vibration of the mobile device;
measure motion of the mobile device with the inertial sensor of the mobile device to produce the sensor output data;
produce compensated sensor output data based on the sensor output data and the response characterization; and
provide the compensated sensor output data to one or more components of the mobile device configured to utilize inertial sensor data to determine a position of the mobile device, movement of the mobile device, or both.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein to produce the compensated sensor output data the processor is configured to blank the sensor output data during a time period of the test vibration.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein to produce the compensated sensor output data the processor is configured to filter the sensor output data during the test time period of the test vibration.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein to produce the compensated sensor output data the processor is configured to offset the sensor output data, during a time period of the test vibration, based on the response characterization of the test vibration.

5. The mobile device of claim 4 wherein the processor configured to generate the response characterization of the test vibration comprises the processor being configured to:
measure motion of the mobile device during period of no induced vibration to produce baseline sensor output data;
actuate the vibration motor of mobile device to induce the test vibration of the mobile device during the test period of time;
measure motion of mobile device during test period of time to produce test sensor output data; and
generate the response characterization based on comparison of baseline sensor output data and test sensor output data.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the inertial sensor comprises at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine a sensor time synchronization based on actuation of the vibration motor.

8. The mobile device of claim 7 wherein the processor being configured to determine the sensor time synchronization based on actuation of the vibration motor is further configured to determine a timing offset associated with a response time of the inertial sensor by comparing a time at which the vibration motor was actuated with a timestamp associated with the inertial sensor output data.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 further comprising the processor being configured to compensate for the vibration of the inertial sensor induced by the vibration motor comprises the processor configured to compensate for the vibration of the inertial sensor based at least in part on the timing offset associated with a response time of the inertial sensor.

10. The mobile device of claim 8 wherein the mobile device includes a second inertial sensor, and wherein the processor is configured to determine a second timing offset associated with the response time of the second inertial sensor.

11. The mobile device of claim 10 further comprising the processor being configured to compensate for the vibration of the inertial sensor induced by the vibration motor comprises the processor configured to compensate for the vibration of the inertial sensor based at least in part on the timing offset associated with a response time of the inertial sensor and the second timing offset associated with the response time of the second inertial sensor.

12. A method comprising:
performing a calibration process to generate a response characterization of a test vibration on the mobile device during a test period of time;
after the test period of time, actuating a vibration motor of a mobile device to induce vibration of the mobile device;
measuring motion of the mobile device with an inertial sensor of the mobile device to produce sensor output data;
producing compensated sensor output data based on the sensor output data and the response characterization; and
providing the compensated sensor output data to one or more components of the mobile device configured to utilize inertial sensor data to determine a position of the mobile device, movement of the mobile device, or both.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the producing the compensated sensor output data comprises blanking the sensor output data from the inertial sensor during a time period of the test vibration.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the producing the compensated sensor output data comprises filtering the sensor output data from the sensor during a time period of the test vibration.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the producing the compensated sensor output data comprises offsetting the sensor output data, during the test time period of the test vibration, based on response characterization of the test vibration.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising generating the response characterization of the test vibration comprises:
measuring motion of the mobile device during period of no induced vibration to produce baseline sensor output data;
actuating the vibration motor of mobile device to induce vibration of the mobile device during the test period of time;
measuring motion of mobile device during test period of time to produce test sensor output data; and
generating the response characterization based on comparison of baseline sensor output data and test sensor output data and the response characterization.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the measuring comprises measuring sensor output data from at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining a sensor time synchronization based on actuation of the vibration motor.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein determining the sensor time synchronization based on actuation of the vibration motor comprises determining a timing offset associated with a response time of the inertial sensor by comparing a time at which the vibration motor was actuated with a timestamp associated with the inertial sensor output data.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising compensating for the vibration of the inertial sensor induced by the vibration motor by compensating for the vibration of the inertial sensor based at least in part on the timing offset associated with a response time of the inertial sensor.

21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
determining a second timing offset associated with the response time of a second inertial sensor.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising compensating for the vibration of the inertial sensor induced by the vibration motor by compensating for the vibration of the inertial sensor based at least in part on the timing offset associated with a response time of the inertial sensor and the second timing offset associated with the response time of the second inertial sensor.

23. A mobile device compr

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Riley Wyatt Thomas
• Puig Carlos Manuel
• Czompo Joseph

Classifications

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• G01R35/005

  Calibrating; Standards or reference devices, e.g. voltage or resistance standards, "golden" references (G01R33/0035, G01R35/002 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01P21/00 Primary

  Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F3/038

  Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry · CPC title