Detection of location of user-carried device with multiple magnetometers

Abstract

A computer-implemented method (600) for determining a position of a user-carried device (100) includes collecting magnetic field measurements (610) associated with at least one magnetic object (110) coupled to the user-carried device (100) with a plurality of magnetometers (300), wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to create a sensing volume and are associated with a magnetometer plane (310). The user-carried device (100) is operable on an interactive surface (210) defined within the sensing volume. Further, the computer-implemented method (600) includes determining a user-carried device location (630) relative to the interactive surface (210) based on magnetic object location data (620) generated from the collected magnetic field measurements, where the interactive surface (210) includes an interactive surface configuration where at least two interactive surface portions (210a, 210b) are arranged at different portion distances (c1, c2) relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of European Patent Application EP 22306731.5, filed on November 24, 2022, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of passive attachment position tracking, and more particularly to a computer-implemented method for determining the position of a user-carried device, and a system for determining the position of a user-carried device. Background Art

[0003] In the technical field of determining and / or tracking the position of a device held or worn by a user (i.e., a user-carried device), it is known to provide multiple magnetometers to measure the magnetic field associated with a magnetic object disposed in the user-carried device. The magnetometer measurements enable the position of the magnetic object within the sensing volume to be determined and / or tracked. In current applications, the magnetic object may be disposed within a writing device (e.g., a stylus), which may be operated by the user on a writing support during user operation. Based on the magnetic field measurements associated with the magnetic object, the position of the writing device on the writing support can be determined and reproduced on a visual screen.

[0004] Determining and / or tracking the position of a user-carried device by means of a magnetic object requires the definition of an interaction surface, i.e., the surface on which the user-carried device operates. The magnetic object is typically remote from the interaction surface. In current applications of a writing device operated on a writing support, it is assumed that the interaction surface is exactly parallel and directly above the magnetometer plane (e.g., the plane defined by multiple magnetometers). An example may be a writing device operated directly on the display of a tablet computer including multiple magnetometers disposed below the display. However, due to manufacturing tolerances regarding the multiple magnetometers and the interaction surface, specific magnetometer arrangements, uneven interaction surfaces, and / or specific arrangements of the interaction surface, this is mostly not the case. More specifically, the multiple magnetometers may not be precisely arranged in the same magnetometer plane and / or may be arranged inclined with respect to the interaction surface. Assuming that the interaction surface will be exactly parallel can limit the applications of user-carried device position determination and / or tracking. In other examples, the user-carried device may be operated on an uneven interaction surface, e.g., an interaction surface having a different orientation and / or positioning with respect to the magnetometer plane (e.g., a notebook with a spiral that serves as a support for a computer mouse or as a support for a writing and / or drawing device that may include an uneven surface). However, assuming that the interaction surface will be exactly parallel to the magnetometer plane and directly above it can result in inaccurate position determination and / or tracking of the user-carried device with respect to the interaction surface, and thus in an imprecise reproduction on the visual screen.

[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a computer-implemented method and system for determining the location of a user-carried device with increased accuracy and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a computer-implemented method for determining the location of a user-carried device as defined in claim 1, and a system for determining the location of a user-carried device as defined in claim 12. The dependent claims depict embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-implemented method for determining the location of a user-carried device. The computer-implemented method includes collecting magnetic field measurements associated with at least one magnetic object using a plurality of magnetometers. The plurality of magnetometers are configured to create a sensing volume and are associated with a magnetometer plane. At least one magnetic object is coupled to the user-carried device, wherein the user-carried device is capable of operating on an interaction surface defined within the sensing volume. Further, the computer-implemented method includes generating magnetic object location data associated with the at least one magnetic object based on the collected magnetic field measurements. The computer-implemented method includes determining the location of the user-carried device relative to the interaction surface based on the magnetic object location data, wherein the interaction surface includes an interaction surface configuration, wherein at least two interaction surface portions are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane. Since the location of the user-carried device relative to the interaction surface is determined by the computer-implemented method considering the interaction surface configuration in which at least two interaction surface portions are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane, the location of the user-carried device can be determined and / or tracked with increased accuracy. Further, the reproduction of the user-carried device as a virtual object can be provided with increased accuracy and reliability. Any manufacturing tolerances, specific magnetometer arrangements, uneven interaction surfaces, and / or specific arrangements of the interaction surface with respect to the plurality of magnetometers can be considered and / or compensated for.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a system for determining the position of a user-carried device includes a user-carried device operable on an interaction surface, wherein the user-carried device includes at least one magnetic object. Additionally, the system includes a plurality of magnetometers configured to create a sensing volume and associated with a magnetometer plane. The interaction surface is defined within the sensing volume. The plurality of magnetometers are configured to collect magnetic field measurements associated with the at least one magnetic object. The interaction surface includes an interaction surface configuration in which at least two interaction surface portions are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane. Additionally, the system is configured to perform the computer-implemented method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. When determining the position of the user-carried device relative to the interaction surface, the system takes into account the interaction surface configuration in which at least two interaction surface portions are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane. Thereby, the position of the user-carried device relative to the interaction surface can be determined and / or tracked with increased accuracy. Additionally, the reproduction of the user-carried device as a virtual object can be provided with increased accuracy and reliability. Any manufacturing tolerances of the plurality of magnetometers and the interaction surface, specific magnetometer arrangements, uneven interaction surfaces, and / or specific arrangements of the interaction surface can be taken into account and / or compensated for. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Other features will be apparent from the drawings forming a part of the present disclosure. The drawings are intended to further explain the present disclosure and enable a person skilled in the art to practice the present disclosure. However, the drawings are intended as non-limiting examples. Common reference numerals in different figures indicate similar or like features.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a system for determining the position of a user-carried device according to the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 2 is a more detailed schematic diagram of a system for determining the position of a user-carried device according to the present disclosure, wherein the interaction surface includes a first interaction surface configuration;

[0012] Figure 3 is a more detailed schematic diagram of a system for determining the position of a user-carried device according to the present disclosure, wherein the interaction surface includes a second interaction surface configuration;

[0013] Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a more detailed schematic diagram of a system for determining the position of a user-carried device according to the present disclosure, wherein the interaction surface includes a first interaction surface configuration;

[0014] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a system for determining the position of another user-carried device according to the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 6A and Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of a user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object;

[0016] Figure 7A and Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of a user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object, wherein the magnetic object is capable of rotating about a second user-carrying device axis;

[0017] Figure 8A and Figure 8B is a schematic diagram of a user-carrying device including at least one magnetic object, wherein the magnetic object is capable of rotating about a first user-carrying device axis;

[0018] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of magnetometers arranged in rows and columns relative to an interaction support;

[0019] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a user-carrying device moving on an interaction support surface;

[0020] Figure 11 Schematically shows a computer-implemented method for determining the position of a user-carrying device according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0021] Embodiments of a computer-implemented method for determining the position of a user-carrying device according to the present disclosure and a system for determining the position of a user-carrying device will be described with reference to the following drawings.

[0022] Figure 1Schematic diagram of a system 10 for determining the location of a user-carried device 100 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. More specifically, the system 10 may be adapted to determine the location of an electrically passive and / or electronically passive user-carried device 100. In other words, the system 10 may be adapted to determine and / or track the location of the user-carried device 100 within a sensing volume. The system 10 includes a user-carried device 100 that can operate on an interaction surface 210. The user-carried device 100 includes or may be coupled to at least one magnetic object 110. In addition, the system 10 includes a plurality of magnetometers 300 configured to create a sensing volume and associated with a magnetometer plane 310. The interaction surface 210 is defined within the sensing volume. More specifically, the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be configured to create a sensing volume having an ellipsoidal form. In other words, the plurality of magnetometers 300 allows for the measurement and tracking of the magnetic field within the ellipsoidal volume associated with at least one magnetic object 110, and thus allows for the measurement and tracking of the magnetic field in three dimensions. The interaction surface may be disposed within the ellipsoidal sensing / tracking volume. The plurality of magnetometers 300 are configured to collect magnetic field measurement results associated with at least one magnetic object 110. The interaction surface 210 includes an interaction surface configuration in which at least two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane 310. This will be referred to below with reference to Figure 2 and Figure 3Describe a first interaction surface configuration and a second interaction surface configuration. System 10 is configured to perform a computer-implemented method 600 for determining the position of a user-carrying device 100, which is also described in detail below. More specifically, system 10 is configured to collect magnetic field measurements associated with at least one magnetic object 110 using a plurality of magnetometers 300. The plurality of magnetometers 300 may be configured to collect magnetic field measurements associated with at least one magnetic object 110 within a sensing volume up to a maximum measurement distance. In an embodiment, the maximum measurement distance may be 18 cm, more specifically 15 cm. Additionally, system 10 is configured to generate magnetic object position data associated with at least one magnetic object 110 based on the collected magnetic field measurements. Further, system 10 is configured to determine the user-carrying device position relative to the interaction surface 210 based on the magnetic object position data. When determining the position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210, system 10 takes into account and / or considers the interaction surface configuration as described above, wherein at least two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b are arranged at different partial distances c1, c2 relative to the magnetometer plane 310. Thereby, the position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 can be determined and / or tracked with increased accuracy. Additionally, the reproduction of the user-carrying device 100 as a virtual object can be provided with increased accuracy and reliability. Any manufacturing tolerances, specific magnetometer arrangements, uneven interaction surfaces 210, and / or specific arrangements of the interaction surface 210 with respect to the plurality of magnetometers 300 can be taken into account and / or compensated for.

[0023] The plurality of magnetometers 300 may be fixedly arranged in a magnetometer body 320 (see, for example Figure 2 ), thereby defining a fixed positioning and / or orientation of the plurality of magnetometers (300) relative to each other. The magnetometer plane 310 may be defined by a plane extending through most of the magnetometers among the plurality of magnetometers 300. More specifically, the magnetometer plane 310 may extend through the centers (more specifically, geometric centers) of most of the magnetometers among the plurality of magnetometers 300. In other words, most of the magnetometers among the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be arranged in a common plane (i.e., the magnetometer plane 310). However, one or more of the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be away from and / or tilted relative to the common plane, for example, due to manufacturing issues and / or tolerances and / or manufacturing design constraints. The magnetometer plane 310 may additionally or alternatively be defined by a plane in which the magnetometers among the plurality of magnetometers 300 are mainly arranged.

[0024] As Figure 1As shown, the system 10 may include a reference coordinate system XYZ, which includes a first reference axis X, a second reference axis Y, and a vertical reference axis Z. The first reference axis X and the second reference axis Y may be defined on the magnetometer plane 310 and may be orthogonal to each other. The vertical reference axis Z may be orthogonal to the magnetometer plane 310. In addition, the vertical reference axis Z may extend through the centers of the plurality of magnetometers 300. In other words, the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be arranged within the magnetometer body 320 in a specific positioning and / or orientation. The vertical axis Z may extend through the centers of the plurality of magnetometers 300 arranged within the magnetometer body 320, and more specifically, is orthogonal to the magnetometer plane 310.

[0025] Referring Figure 9 , the arrangement of the plurality of magnetometers relative to the interaction surface 210 defined on the interaction support 200 is shown. As outlined above, the plurality of magnetometers 300 are configured to measure the magnetic field associated with at least one magnetic object 110. The system 10 may be configured to determine magnetic object position data based on the collected magnetic field measurements within the sensing volume relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ. The magnetic object position data may indicate the magnetic object positioning and / or magnetic object orientation associated with at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). The magnetic object orientation may be defined by a set of magnetic object orientation angles δ1, δ2, δ3 relative to the reference coordinate axes. More specifically, the corresponding magnetic object orientation angles δ1, δ2, δ3 may be measured between the magnetic moment vector 120 and the respective axes X, Y, Z of the reference coordinate system XYZ. For example, as Figure 3 shown, the first magnetic object orientation angle δ1 may be defined between the first reference axis X and the magnetic moment vector 120, and more specifically in the XZ plane. As outlined above, each of the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be configured to measure the magnetic field associated with at least one magnetic object 110 in the direction along the first reference axis X, the second reference axis Y, and / or the vertical reference axis Z. In other words, each of the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be configured to perform magnetic field measurements in the direction of one axis (i.e., one dimension), two axes (i.e., two dimensions), or three axes (i.e., three dimensions). The number of magnetometers provided may depend on the size of the interaction surface 210 on which the user operates the device 100. In other words, the larger the interaction surface 210, the more magnetometers 300 may be provided. In Figure 9In the illustrated embodiments, multiple magnetometers 300 may be arranged in rows and columns. However, it is also possible that the multiple magnetometers may be arranged in a disorderly manner within the magnetometer body 320. A calibration procedure may be used to determine the exact position (more specifically, the location and / or orientation) and measurement axes of each magnetometer within the magnetometer body 320 relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ. In addition, the sensitivity and / or offset of each magnetometer may also be calibrated. The multiple magnetometers 300 are shown in Figure 9 as being arranged in a magnetometer plane 310 (i.e., in the same plane relative to the vertical reference axis Z). However, as outlined above, one or more of the magnetometers may be away from the magnetometer plane 310, more specifically, away in the direction of the vertical reference axis Z.

[0026] In Figure 9 the arrangement, multiple magnetometers 300 may be arranged in rows k and columns 1 in the magnetometer body 320. Figure 9 Illustrated are some of the magnetometers S among the multiple magnetometers 300 k,1 . Each magnetometer S k，1 may include a vertical magnetometer axis Z M , which may be arranged at the intersection of row k and column 1. Adjacent magnetometers S k，1 , S k，1+1 , S k，1-1 may be spaced along row k by distances d 1，1+1 and d 1，1-1 . Adjacent magnetometers S k,l , S k+1，1 , S k-1，1 may be spaced along column l by distances d k，k+1 and d k，k-1 . As outlined above, the distances d k，1 , d1 between the respective magnetometers S k may be equal or may be different.

[0027] The position of the user-carrying device 100 may include the device location and / or device orientation relative to the interaction surface 210. The term "at least one magnetic object" may refer to an object that may include a component made of a magnetic material (i.e., a material having magnetic properties that can be measured by the multiple magnetometers 300). The user-carrying device 100 and / or the at least one magnetic object 210 may be mobile, i.e., capable of freely moving within the reference coordinate system XYZ. In other words, during user operation (i.e., an operation in which the user operates the user-carrying device 100 and / or the at least one magnetic object 110), the position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 may be manipulated by the user within the sensing volume.

[0028] As Figure 1As indicated in the illustrated embodiment, system 10 may further include a processing unit 400 configured to execute a computer-implemented method 600 for determining the location of the user-carrying device 100. However, in other embodiments, system 10 may be capable of connecting to an external processing unit configured to execute a computer-implemented method 600 for determining the location of the user-carrying device 100.

[0029] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , an interactive surface 210 including an interactive surface configuration is explained in detail, in which at least two interactive surface portions 210a, 210b are arranged at different partial distances c1, c2 with respect to the magnetometer plane 310. The interactive surface 210 may be at an interactive surface distance c from the magnetometer plane 310. The interactive surface 210 may include a first interactive surface portion 210a and at least one second interactive surface portion 210b. The first interactive surface portion 210a and the at least one second interactive surface portion 210b may be spaced apart from each other. The first interactive surface portion 210a may be arranged at a first partial distance c1 from the magnetometer plane 310. The second interactive surface portion 210b may be arranged at a second partial distance 210b from the magnetometer plane 310. More specifically, the interactive surface distance c, the first partial distance c1, and / or the second partial distance c2 may be measured orthogonally to the magnetometer plane 310. In some embodiments, two interactive surface portions 210a, 210b may be provided. In an embodiment, more than two interactive surface portions may be provided.

[0030] As Figure 2 shown in the embodiment of, the interactive surface 210 may include a first interactive surface configuration. In the first interactive surface configuration, the interactive surface 210 may be at least partially inclined with respect to the magnetometer plane 310. Being partially inclined means that at least a portion of the surface of the interactive surface 210 may be inclined with respect to the magnetometer plane 310, while other portions of the interactive surface 210 may be, for example, parallel to the magnetometer plane 310. As Figure 4A and Figure 4BAs shown, the tilt of the interaction surface 210 relative to the magnetometer plane 310 can be measured by the tilt angle β1, more specifically in the XZ plane. The tilt of the interaction surface 210 within the reference coordinate system can be described by a set of interaction surface tilt angles β1, β2, β3. More specifically, the first interaction surface portion 210a and at least one second interaction surface portion 210b can be arranged on the same partial plane p and at different first partial distances c1 and second partial distances c2 from the magnetometer plane 310. In other words, in the first interaction surface configuration, the interaction surface 210 can be defined on a single plane, and the first interaction surface portion 210a and at least one second interaction surface portion 210b are defined on this single plane.

[0031] Figure 3 An interaction surface 210 including a second interaction surface configuration is shown. In this embodiment, the interaction surface 210 can be substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane 310. However, the first interaction surface portion 210a can be arranged on the first partial plane p1 and at the first partial distance c1 from the magnetometer plane 310. At least one second interaction surface portion 210b can be arranged on the second partial plane p2 and at the second partial distance c2 from the magnetometer plane 310. The first partial plane p1 can be away from the second partial plane p2. As Figure 3 shown in the embodiment of, the first partial plane p1 can be substantially parallel to the second partial plane p2. In other words, the interaction surface 210 including the second interaction surface configuration can be in a stepped shape. The user-carrying device 100 can be operated on the first interaction surface portion 210a and / or the second interaction surface portion 210b (e.g., on the first step or the second step of the interaction surface 210). During user operation, the first interaction surface portion 210a can be arranged between the plurality of magnetometers 300 and the user K. At least one second interaction surface portion 210b can be arranged on the side of the plurality of magnetometers 300 and / or the magnetometer plane 310. An example of this arrangement can be an electronic device (e.g., a tablet computer) placed on a table and including a plurality of magnetometers. The first interaction surface portion 210a can be a surface, such as the display of a tablet computer, and the second interaction surface portion 210b can be the surface around the tablet computer within the sensing volume. The user can operate the user-carrying device 100 on the two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b. The system 10 can be configured to determine the position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 including the two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b (more specifically arranged on different planes p1, p2).

[0032] Although not explicitly illustrated in the drawings, a combination of the first interaction surface configuration and the second interaction surface configuration is also possible. In one example, the interaction surface 210 can include asFigure 3 The second interaction surface configuration shown. However, the first interaction surface portion 210a and / or at least one second interaction surface 210b may be at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane 310, as Figure 2 shown in the embodiments of.

[0033] The user-carrying device 100 may be electrically passive and / or electronically passive. Electrically passive means that the user-carrying device 100 may not include a power source (e.g., a battery) for powering the electronic features of the user-carrying device 100 and / or means for receiving electrical power (e.g., wireless power transfer via an induction coil). Electronically passive means that no computing or processing occurs (or takes place) on the user-carrying device 100. At least one magnetic object 110 may be a permanent magnet. In an embodiment, at least one magnetic object 110 may be configured to generate a non-zero magnetic field. It may include paramagnetic or diamagnetic materials. In an embodiment, at least one magnetic object 110 may include ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials.

[0034] The system 10 may be configured to assume contact between the user-carrying device 100 and the interaction surface 210, and more specifically consider the specific interaction surface configuration of the interaction surface 210 as described above. The contact and / or position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 may be determined by the system 10 that performs the computer-implemented method described below. During user operation, the system 10 may be configured to track the movement of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 over a period of time. More specifically, the system 10 may be configured to determine the trajectory of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210. In an embodiment, the user-carrying device 100 may be tracked over a period of time including a plurality of time samples. At each time sample, the position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 may be determined.

[0035] As Figures 1 to 4B and Figure 10As indicated, system 10 may include an interactive support 200 having an interactive support surface 230. The interactive surface 210 may be at least a portion of the interactive support surface 230. The interactive support 200 may not include ferromagnetic properties, such as ferromagnetic particles. In an embodiment, the interactive support 200 may be furniture, a notebook, an electronic device, a screen, a wall, or a mouse pad. In some embodiments, the interactive support may be part of a keyboard, more specifically the lower portion of the keyboard. The interactive surface 210 may be defined based on a first set of geometric parameters associated with the interactive support 200. More specifically, the type of the interactive support 200 may be known, such as a notebook or a mouse pad. Such an interactive support 200 may be defined by a set of predefined geometric parameters. A portion of the interactive support surface 230 may be used as the interactive surface 210. Thus, the set of predefined parameters may include data associated with the interactive surface configuration of the interactive surface 210, more specifically geometric data. As an example, these parameters may indicate the positioning and / or orientation of the interactive surface 210 relative to a reference coordinate system XYZ. In an embodiment, the first set of geometric parameters may be determined by interactive surface identification, which will be described below. In an embodiment, the user-carried device 100 may be a computer mouse, a keyboard, a toy, a stylus, or a dial. In an embodiment, the user-carried device 100 may be an accessory tool, such as a ruler.

[0036] Return reference Figure 1 , system 10 may be configured to track the movement of at least one magnetic object 110 in at least five degrees of freedom. The at least five degrees of freedom may include the translation of the at least one magnetic object 110 along a first reference axis X, a second reference axis Y, and a vertical reference axis Z, a first rotation about the first reference axis X, and a second rotation about the second reference axis Y.

[0037] Such as for example Figure 2 、 Figure 4A and Figure 4BAs indicated, at least one magnetic object 110 may include a magnetic moment vector 120 and / or a magnetic object localization vector associated with the magnetic field of the at least one magnetic object 110. More specifically, the system 10 may be configured to determine the magnetic moment vector 120 and / or the magnetic object localization vector based on magnetic field measurements. The system 10 may be configured to implement a mathematical model that correlates the measurements of each of the plurality of magnetometers 300 with the position (more specifically, the location and / or orientation) of the at least one magnetic object 110 in a reference coordinate system XYZ. The model may typically be constructed from the physical equations of electromagnetics, more specifically from the equations of magnetostatics. To establish the model, the at least one magnetic object 110 may be approximated by a dipole. Each of the plurality of magnetometers 300 may be a vector magnetometer and may be configured to measure the magnetic field in one, two, or three dimensions (as already mentioned above). The magnetic moment vector 120 may define the magnetic object orientation and / or the magnetic object strength (e.g., the magnetic field strength of the magnetic object 110) relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). The magnetic object localization vector may define the magnetic object location and / or the magnetic object distance relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310).

[0038] As Figure 2 indicated, the interaction surface 210 may include an interaction surface coordinate system. In this interaction surface coordinate system, the interaction surface 210 may be defined by a first interaction surface axis x s and a second interaction surface axis Y s orthogonal to the first interaction surface axis x s The vertical interaction surface axis z s may be orthogonal to the interaction surface 210.

[0039] A first relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object 110 with respect to the interaction surface 210 may be defined based on a first set of tilt angles θ1, θ2, θ3. More specifically, the first set of tilt angles may be defined between the determined magnetic moment vector 120 and the interaction surface 210. In the example as Figure 2 shown, θ1 may be measured between the first interaction surface axis x s and the magnetic moment vector 120, specifically measured in the XZ plane. More specifically, the orientation of the magnetic moment vector 120 with respect to the first interaction surface axis x s may be defined.

[0040] Referring Figures 6A to 8B , the user-carrying device 100 may include a first device axis x d and a second device axis y d orthogonal to the first device axis x d and a vertical device axis zd 。The vertical device axis z d may be orthogonal to the device contact surface or point 130 and / or orthogonal to the plane defined by the first device axis x d and the second device axis y d The device contact surface or point 130 may be a part of the user-carried device that can contact the interaction surface 210 during user operation. In Figures 6A to 8B the example shown, where the user-carried device 100 may be a computer mouse, the user-carried device 100 may include a contact surface 130 that contacts the interaction surface 210. In Figure 2 the example shown, where the user-carried device 100 may be a writing device, and only the writing tip of the writing device contacts the interaction surface 210 during user operation, the user-carried device 100 may include a contact point 130 that contacts the interaction surface 210. The device coordinate system may be defined within the geometric center of the user-carried device 100.

[0041] Reference Figure 10 , shows the movement of the user-carried device 100 on the interaction surface 10. In this embodiment, the user-carried device 100 may be a computer mouse. The user-carried device 100 may include a first manipulation feature 140a and a second manipulation feature 140b (to be described in more detail below). During user operation, the user-carried device 100 may move on the interaction surface 210 from the position x d , y d to the position dx d , dy d . The system 10 may be configured to track this movement based on the magnetic object position data.

[0042] As Figures 6A to 8B shown, the user-carried device 100 may include a housing 150. At least one magnetic object 110 may be disposed in the housing 150. In other embodiments, at least one magnetic object 110 may be coupled to the housing 150. In the initial state of the user-carried device 100, the second relative positioning and / or second relative orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 with respect to the user-carried device 100 may be defined based on a second set of geometric parameters. The second set of geometric parameters may define the geometric positioning and / or geometric orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 with respect to the user-carried device 100. The second relative orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 with respect to the user-carried device 210 may be defined based on a second set of tilt angles γ1, γ2, γ3. More specifically, the second set of tilt angles γ1, γ2, γ3 may be measured between the magnetic moment vector 120 and the respective axes of the device coordinate system 210. In the examples shown in Figure 6A and Figure 7A , γ1 may be in the vertical device axis z dMeasured with respect to the magnetic moment vector 120. In the initial state where the user carries the device 100, the magnetic moment vector 120 can be relative to the vertical device axis z d tilted.

[0043] However, in other embodiments, for example, as Figure 6B shown, in the initial state where the user carries the device 100, the magnetic moment vector 120 can be parallel to the vertical device axis z d extend. In one embodiment, in the initial state where the user carries the device 100, at least one magnetic object 100 can be arranged in the housing 150 such that the vertical device axis z d extends through the magnetic moment vector 120. However, in other embodiments, in the initial state where the user carries the device 100, at least one magnetic object 110 can be arranged in the housing 150 such that the magnetic moment vector 120 is parallel to the vertical device axis z d but away from the vertical device axis z d (e.g., see Figure 6B ).

[0044] Referring to Figures 6A to 8B , at least one magnetic object 110 can be movable relative to the user-carrying device 100, and more specifically, at least one magnetic object 110 can be rotatable and / or translatable relative to the user-carrying device 100 (and / or the housing 150). When at least one magnetic object 110 is in the initial position relative to the user-carrying device 100 (more specifically relative to the housing 150), the user-carrying device 100 can be in the initial state. In other words, when at least one magnetic object 110 is not rotated and / or translated relative to the user-carrying device 100, the user-carrying device 100 can be in the initial state. As mentioned above, the device coordinate system can be defined within the geometric center of the user-carrying device 100. In the initial state, at least one magnetic object 110 can be tilted and / or away from the device coordinate system and / or the geometric center of the user-carrying device 100. When at least one magnetic object 110 is in the actuated position relative to the initial position (and / or relative to the user-carrying device 100 and / or relative to the housing 150), the user-carrying device 100 can be in the actuated state. In other words, when at least one magnetic object 110 is rotated and / or translated relative to the user-carrying device 100, more specifically rotated and / or translated from the initial position, the user-carrying device 100 can be in the actuated state. In the actuated state, compared with the initial state, the magnetic object orientation and / or magnetic object positioning of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the device coordinate system can be different.

[0045] Figure 6BIllustrates a translation 160 of at least one magnetic object from an initial position to an actuated position with respect to a device coordinate system. In Figure 6B the example of, the second magnetic object 110b may be arranged in the housing 150 and is translated from an initial position to an actuated position. The second magnetic object 110b is translated in the direction of the first device axis x d and in the direction of the vertical device axis z d . Such a translation 160 from the initial position to the actuated position may be described by dx m and dz m , as indicated in Figure 6B . Although described only for the second magnetic object 110b, the above features may be similarly applied to at least one magnetic object 110. In Figure 2 the embodiment shown, at least one magnetic object 110 may be fixedly arranged in the housing 150. In this case, at least one magnetic object 110 may not be able to translate 160 and / or rotate with respect to the user-carrying device 100 (and / or the housing 150).

[0046] Referring to Figures 7A to 8B , a rotation of at least one magnetic object 110 with respect to the user-carrying device 100 and / or the housing 150 is illustrated. In Figure 7A and Figure 7B , at least one magnetic object 110 may be rotated from an initial position to an actuated position by a first rotation 170 about the second device axis y d . It should be noted that in Figure 7A the embodiment, in the initial state, at least one magnetic object 110 is inclined at an angle γ1 measured between the magnetic moment vector 120 and the vertical device axis z d . In other words, in its initial position, at least one magnetic object 110 may be arranged to be inclined with respect to the vertical device axis z d . As shown in Figure 7A and Figure 7B , the first rotation 170 may be defined by a first rotation angle α1 measured between the initial position (i.e., the initial positioning and / or orientation of the magnetic moment vector in the initial state) and the magnetic moment vector 120. In Figure 7A , the first rotation angle α1 may have a positive value. In Figure 7B , the first rotation angle α1 may have a negative value.

[0047] In Figure 8A and Figure 8B the embodiment shown, in its initial position and / or state, at least one magnetic object 110 may include a magnetic moment vector 120 parallel to the vertical device axis z d . In other words, about the first device axis x dThe tilt angle γ2 can be zero. At least one magnetic object 110 can be rotated 180 degrees about the first device axis x by a second rotation d from an initial position to an actuated position. Such a second rotation of 180 degrees can be defined by a second rotation angle α2 measured between the vertical device axis z d and the magnetic moment vector 120. In Figure 8A the second rotation angle α2 can have a positive value, and in Figure 8B the second rotation angle α2 can have a negative value. Although not explicitly shown in the figures, it should be understood that combinations of the rotations 170, 180 and / or translations 160 as described above are also possible. The translation 160 of at least one magnetic object 110 from the initial position to the actuated position is only in Figure 6B the example of d the first device axis x d and the vertical device axis z d shown in the direction of. However, any combination of translations with respect to the device axes x d y d (more specifically along the first device axis x d the second device axis y d and / or the vertical device axis z d ) is possible.

[0048] The system 10 can be configured to detect the translation 160 and / or rotations 170, 180 of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the user-carrying device 100. Returning to reference Figure 6B , the user-carrying device 100 can include at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b having different relative orientations with respect to each other. The system 10 can be configured to determine magnetic object position data for each of the at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b. More specifically, the system 10 can be configured to determine the magnetic moment vectors 120a, 120b for each of the at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b. In addition, the system 10 can be configured to determine the magnetic object positioning, magnetic object orientation and / or magnetic object distance of each of the at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b with respect to a reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, with respect to the magnetometer plane 310) and / or with respect to the interaction surface 210. As Figure 6B shown, the first magnetic object 110a can include a first magnetic moment vector 120a. The second magnetic object 110b can include a second magnetic moment vector 120b. The first magnetic moment vector 120a can be tilted with respect to the second magnetic moment vector 120b. In Figure 6BIn the example shown, the first magnetic moment vector 120a may be substantially orthogonal to the second magnetic moment vector 120b. The first magnetic object 110a may be fixedly coupled to the user-carrying device 100. This means that the first magnetic object 110a may not be able to rotate and / or translate relative to the user-carrying device 100. The first magnetic object 110b may be disposed in the housing 150. The second magnetic object 110b may be able to rotate and / or translate relative to the user-carrying device 100 and / or the first magnetic object 110a.

[0049] The system 10 may be configured to track the movement of each of at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b in at least five degrees of freedom. The system 10 may be configured to track the movement of at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b in at least six degrees of freedom. In addition to the at least five degrees of freedom defined above, the user-carrying device 100 including at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b allows for determining a third relative positioning and / or a third relative orientation of the at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b relative to each other. Each of the at least two magnetic objects 110a, 110b may be included in a magnetic field whose intensity and / or shape may be different. The system 10 may be configured to distinguish magnetic objects based on the magnetic field intensity and / or the magnetic field shape.

[0050] As Figures 1 to 5As indicated, the user-carryable device 100 may include at least one manipulation feature 140, more specifically coupled to the housing 150. The at least one manipulation feature 140 may be translatable and / or rotatable relative to the user-carryable device 100, more specifically relative to the housing 150. At least one magnetic object 110 may be coupled to the at least one manipulation feature 140. More specifically, the at least one magnetic object 110 may be operatively (e.g., mechanically) coupled to the at least one manipulation feature 140. Translation and / or rotation of the at least one manipulation feature 140 relative to the housing 150 may cause translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the housing 150. The at least one manipulation feature 140 may be actuated by the user. In an initial state of the user-carryable device 100, the at least one manipulation feature 140 and / or the at least one magnetic object 110 may be in an initial position. In an actuated state of the user-carryable device 100, the at least one manipulation feature 140 and / or the at least one magnetic object 110 may be in an actuated position. In other words, in the case where the at least one manipulation feature 140 is not actuated by the user, the user-carryable device may be in an initial state. More specifically, in the initial state, the at least one manipulation feature 140 and / or the at least one magnetic object 110 may be in an initial position. In the case where the at least one manipulation feature 140 is actuated by the user, the user-carryable device 100 may be in an actuated state. More specifically, in the actuated state, the at least one manipulation feature 140 and / or the at least one magnetic object 110 may be in an actuated position. Referring to Figure 7A and Figure 7B the example shown in, actuation of the at least one manipulation feature 140 may cause a first rotation 170 about a second device axis y d as described above. Depending on the actuation direction of the at least one manipulation feature 140, the first rotation angle α1 may have a positive or negative value. Additionally or alternatively, referring to Figure 8A and Figure 8B , actuation of the at least one manipulation feature 140 may result in a second rotation 180 about a first device axis x d as described above. Depending on the actuation direction of the at least one manipulation feature 140, the second rotation angle α2 may have a positive or negative value. Referring to Figure 6B , actuation of the at least one manipulation feature may cause the at least one magnetic object 110 to translate 160 along a first device axis x d , a second device axis y d and / or a vertical device axis z d .

[0051] The user-carryable device 100 may include a biasing element (not shown) configured to push at least one actuating feature 140 and / or at least one magnetic object 110 from an actuated position to an initial position, more specifically when at least one actuating feature 140 is not actuated. More specifically, when the user actuates (e.g., applies a force thereto) at least one actuating feature 140, the at least one actuating feature 140 and the at least one magnetic object 110 may be moved from the initial position to the actuated position. In this case, the biasing element may be biased. When the user releases the force on the at least one actuating feature 140, the at least one actuating feature 140 and the at least one magnetic object 140 may be pushed from the actuated position to the initial position.

[0052] In an embodiment, the user-carryable device 100 may include a plurality of actuating features 140a, 140b, 140c, 140d. At least one magnetic object 110 may be coupled to one or more of the plurality of actuating features 140a, 140b, 140c, 140d. The user-carryable device 100 may include an equal or lesser number of magnetic objects 110 than actuating features 140. In an embodiment, at least one magnetic object 110 may be coupled to at least two of the plurality of actuating features 140b, 140c, 140d. In one embodiment, the user-carryable device 100 may include a plurality of magnetic objects 110, and the user-carryable device 100 may include a plurality of actuating features 140a, 140b, 140c, 140d. Each of the plurality of magnetic objects 110 may be coupled to one or more of the plurality of actuating features.

[0053] The at least one manipulation feature 140 may be associated with at least one trigger event. The system 10 may be configured to determine a corresponding trigger event based on the translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the user-carrying device 100 as described above, more specifically caused by the translation of at least one manipulation feature 140 operatively coupled to the at least one magnetic object 110. More specifically, the system 10 may be configured to determine the positioning and / or rotational deviation between the initial position and the actuated position. In other words, a specific translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the user-carrying device 100 may be detected by the system 10. Based on the detected specific translation and / or rotation, the system 10 may be configured to transform the movement into a trigger event associated with the translation and / or rotation. In an example, the system 10 may be coupled to a database. The database may include data associating at least one trigger event with a specific translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object 110 from an initial position to an actuated position. The system 10 may be configured to transmit data to and / or receive data from the database. In Figure 7A and Figure 7B the embodiment shown, the first rotation 170 may be associated with a first trigger event. In Figure 8A and Figure 8B the embodiment shown, the second rotation 180 may be associated with a second trigger event. The corresponding trigger event may be, for example, a click function, a scroll function, a selection function, and / or a keyboard function. In the case where multiple magnetic objects are provided, additional trigger events may be determined based on the rotation and / or translation of the magnetic objects relative to each other and may be detected by the system 10. The at least one trigger event may be initiated by sensing a user manipulation (e.g., actuation and / or release of actuation) of the user-carrying device 100 within the sensing volume M, more specifically, an electrical and / or electronic user-carrying device 100. The at least one trigger event may cause an action in a digital environment (i.e., an environment controlled by a computer or a network of computers), more specifically, a virtual environment, based on a user input and / or may be used to control an action. More specifically, the at least one trigger event may implement a user input on the user-carrying device 100 as an action in a digital environment (e.g., a virtual environment). For example, the at least one user-carrying device 100 may be used with an electronic device 700 (e.g., a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a virtual reality (VR) kit, or a television). The at least one trigger event may cause an action on the electronic device 700 and / or may be used to control an action on the electronic device 700 based on a user input on the user-carrying device 100.

[0054] As described above, at least one trigger event can be a scroll event and / or a click event. The scroll event and / or the click event can be applied to various different application fields. The scroll event can trigger a scrolling action in a digital environment (more specifically, a virtual environment) based on user input (e.g., "scroll up" and "scroll down" on a display). The scroll event can cause or provide control over the rotation and / or translational movement of virtual objects in the virtual environment associated with the user input. For example, the scroll event can trigger a scrolling action including scrolling of files or data, rotation or translational movement of virtual objects associated with the selection of an option from multiple options. The scrolling action can also include rotating a body in the virtual environment and / or changing the perspective in the virtual environment. Additionally, the scrolling action can include one or more of the following: moving the cursor in two opposite directions (e.g., horizontally or vertically on an output device), moving a displayed element (e.g., a page, a cursor) that can be controlled by the user-carrying device 100, stepping in a direction, flipping through a menu, flipping through a selection list, or adjusting (e.g., increasing or decreasing) a parameter (e.g., setting or configuring). The click event can trigger a click action (more specifically, a click action on a virtual object) in a digital environment (more specifically, a virtual environment) based on user input. The click event can include, for example, the selection of an object (such as a button, a file, an icon, or another object), the selection of an item, the selection of a list, the selection of an item on a list. The click event can trigger the following actions. The click event can trigger an action to provide additional information and / or attributes of the selected object, item, or text (e.g., letters, words, phrases). The click event can trigger a single-click action (or a left-click action), a double-click action, a triple-click action, a right-click action, and / or a click-and-drag action within the virtual environment. The single-click action can refer to the selection of an object within the virtual environment. The double-click action can open a file or execute a program in the virtual environment. The click-and-drag action can include clicking, holding, and moving an object, e.g., which can be used to highlight or drag-select text or an object. The triple-click action can be used to select a paragraph of text. The right-click action can execute a special action, e.g., opening a list with additional information and / or attributes of the selected object as described above. The actions triggered by the click event depend on the user input on the user-carrying device 100. For example, when the user provides two quick and consecutive inputs on the user-carrying device 100, the click event can cause a double-click action. The above features enable various new application fields for the user-carrying device 100, such as computer mice, keyboards, dials, mouse scroll elements (e.g., scroll wheels), joysticks, controls for electronic devices (e.g., audio controls or visual controls), controls for software settings or visualization (e.g., graphic software or design software), or controls for computer games.

[0055] In as Figure 4A and Figure 4BIn the example shown, a first manipulation feature 140a can be provided and a second manipulation feature 140b can be provided. Each of the first manipulation feature 140a and the second manipulation feature 140b is operatively coupled to at least one magnetic object 110. In this example, the user-carrying device 100 can be, for example, a computer mouse. The first manipulation feature 140a can be a click manipulation feature, and the second manipulation feature 140b can be a scroll manipulation feature. Actuating the first manipulation feature 140a can cause a first rotation 170 of at least one magnetic object 110 (see, for example Figure 7A ). Depending on the actuation direction, the first rotation angle α1 can have a positive or negative value. The system 10 can be configured to detect the first rotation angle α1 and can convert this rotation into a click event including a first click event or a second click event depending on the first rotation angle value. In other words, the first rotation 170 can be associated with a click event. In the case where the first rotation angle α1 has a positive value, this can be associated with a first click event. In the case where the first rotation angle α1 has a negative value, this can be associated with a second click event. The first click event can trigger a left click action, a double click action, a triple click action, and / or a click and drag action as described above. The second click event can trigger a right click action as described above. Actuating the second manipulation feature 140b can cause a second rotation 180 of at least one magnetic object 110 (see, for example Figure 8A ). Depending on the actuation, the second rotation angle α2 can have a positive or negative value. The system 10 can be configured to detect the second rotation angle α2 and can convert this rotation into a scroll event. The scroll event can include a first scroll event or a second scroll event. The corresponding scroll event can depend on the second rotation angle value. The second rotation 180 can be associated with a scroll event. In the case where the second rotation angle α2 has a positive value, this can be associated with a first scroll event (e.g., “scroll up”). In the case where the second rotation angle α2 has a negative value, this can be associated with a second scroll event (e.g., “scroll down”).

[0056] Referring to Figure 5In the illustrated embodiment, the user-carried device 100 can be a keyboard. The manipulation feature 140 can be coupled to a keyboard button. More specifically, the keyboard can be electrically passive and / or electronically passive. The at least one magnetic object 110 can be coupled to two manipulation features 140. In another embodiment, the at least one magnetic object 110 can be coupled to four manipulation features. As an example, the user-carried device can include 76 manipulation features. In a first embodiment, the user-carried device 100 can include 38 magnetic objects, each magnetic object coupled to two manipulation features. In another embodiment, the user-carried device 100 can include 19 magnetic objects, each magnetic object operatively coupled to four manipulation features. The at least one magnetic object 110 can include a first side and a second side. The first side can be coupled to a first manipulation feature and the second side can be coupled to a second manipulation feature. In an embodiment, the at least one magnetic object 110 can further include a third side and a fourth side. The third side can be coupled to a third manipulation feature, and the fourth side can be coupled to a fourth manipulation feature. In Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the first magnetic object 110a can be coupled to the first manipulation feature 140a. The second magnetic object 110b can be coupled to the second manipulation feature 140b, the third manipulation feature 140c, and the fourth manipulation feature 140d. Based on the respective actuation of the manipulation features 140b, 140c, 140d, the second magnetic object 110b (i.e., the at least one magnetic object 110) can be in a specific magnetic object position, magnetic object positioning, and / or magnetic object distance relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ and / or the interaction surface 210. The system 10 can be configured to determine these parameters and associate the specific magnetic object position, magnetic object positioning, and / or magnetic object distance with a specific trigger event. Such a trigger event can be, for example, the output of a letter associated with the respective manipulation features 140b, 140c, 140d.

[0057] In an embodiment, the user-carried device 100 can include only one magnetic object 110b and a plurality of manipulation features 140b, 140c, 140d, wherein the magnetic object 110b can be coupled to each of the plurality of manipulation features 140b, 140c, 140d. In this embodiment, the rotation and / or translation of each manipulation feature can result in a specific position (including positioning and / or orientation) of only one magnetic object 110b relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ and / or the interaction surface 210. The respective specific position of only one magnetic object 110 can be associated with the respective manipulation feature.

[0058] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, system 10 may include at least one output device 510, where the at least one output device 510 may be configured to reproduce (more specifically, visually reproduce) the user-carrying device 100 as a virtual object. In an embodiment, the output device 510 may be a visual screen or display. System 10 may include an electronic device 500. The output device 510 may be integrated in the electronic device 500. In an embodiment, the electronic device may be a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a laptop computer, a computer, a virtual reality (VR) kit, or a television. In an embodiment, the processing unit 400 may be integrated in the electronic device 500. Additionally, the electronic device 500 may include a user interface configured to interact with and / or receive user input from the user U. In one embodiment, the user interface may be integrated into the output device 510. A plurality of magnetometers 300 may be configured to receive data from and / or transmit data to the processing unit 400 and / or an external processing unit. System 10 may include a data storage device connected to the processing unit 400. The data storage device may include a primary data storage device (e.g., RAM) and a secondary data storage device. The data storage device may be integrated in the electronic device 500 and / or connected to the electronic device 500.

[0059] In an embodiment, the electronic device 500 can be a VR kit, more specifically an XR headset, which can be a device worn on a user's head and configured to allow the user to experience a virtual environment (virtual reality environment or VR environment) in real life. In an embodiment, the user-carrying device 100 can be represented or reproduced (e.g., displayed) as a virtual object in the VR environment, thereby allowing the user U to identify where the user-carrying device 100 is located. A plurality of magnetometers 300 can be provided to create a sensing volume M in which the user-carrying device 100 operates. The magnetic object position data as described herein can indicate the magnetic object positioning and / or magnetic object orientation associated with at least one magnetic object 110 relative to a reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). The user-carrying device position can be determined based on the magnetic object position data and relative to the interaction surface 210. The reference coordinate system XYZ can be fixed in the VR environment. The positioning and / or orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 and / or the user-carrying device 100 can be calculated relative to the VR kit (more specifically relative to the XR headset) and can be represented, in particular via the XR headset, and displayed to the user. In an embodiment, the reference coordinate system XYZ can be dynamically evaluated according to the tracking of the VR environment by the XR headset. In some embodiments, the interaction surface position can be calculated based on XR headset data, more specifically, where the XR headset can generate a first set of geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface 210. In an embodiment, an additional tracking system fixed to the plurality of magnetometers 300 can also be provided, such as IR tracking, electromagnetic tracking, and / or camera-based tracking. A scroll event and / or a click event can generally be represented as a trigger event, and the resulting actions can also be represented in the VR environment, more specifically, can be displayed to the user U via a display arranged in the XR headset. The representation in the VR environment can be accomplished by changing the rendering parameters (e.g., color or light) of the user-carrying device 100 and / or adding specific sounds. In some embodiments, the interaction surface 210 can be modeled in the VR environment, displayed to the user via the XR headset, and / or used as an input for representing the interaction between the user-carrying device 100 and the interaction surface 210 within the VR environment (e.g., representing the user-carrying device 100 operating on the interaction surface 210 within the VR environment). In some embodiments, the user-carrying device position and / or the interaction surface position (more specifically, including the interaction surface 210 including the interaction surface configuration as described) can be represented in the VR environment.More specifically, generating magnetic object location data 620, determining the location of the user-carried device 630 relative to the interaction surface 210, and / or representing 680 the user-carried device 100 on the output device 510 as described can be accomplished relative to the interaction surface 210 (i.e., the interaction surface configuration and / or at least one output device 510 are virtually represented in the VR environment). Accordingly, the interaction of the user-carried device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 and / or at least one output device 510 (i.e., based on user manipulation within the sensing volume) can be represented in the VR environment and can be displayed to the user U via the XR headset.

[0060] The plurality of magnetometers 300 can be connected electronically (e.g., via wires or a data bus) or wirelessly to the processing unit 400, an external processing unit, and / or the electronic device 500. In an embodiment, the plurality of magnetometers 300 can be integrated in a wall, furniture, a notebook, the electronic device 500, a screen, and / or a mouse pad. In some embodiments, the plurality of magnetometers 300 can also be integrated in a keyboard. In the case where the plurality of magnetometers 300 are arranged in a wall, the interaction surface 210 can be a screen or a display placed in front of the plurality of magnetometers 300.

[0061] As described above, the system 10 is configured to perform a computer-implemented method for determining the location of the user-carried device 100. The computer-implemented method will now be explained in detail. Figure 11 Schematically illustrated is a computer-implemented method 600 for determining the location of the user-carried device 100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. More specifically, a computer-implemented method 600 for determining the location of an electrically passive and / or electronically passive user-carried device can be provided. The computer-implemented method 600 can be adapted to determine and / or track the location of the user-carried device 600 within the sensing volume.

[0062] As Figure 11As shown, the computer-implemented method 600 includes collecting magnetic field measurements 610 associated with at least one magnetic object 110 using a plurality of magnetometers 300. The plurality of magnetometers 300 are configured to create a sensing volume and are associated with a magnetometer plane 310. At least one magnetic object 110 is coupled to a user-carried device 100. More specifically, the user-carried device 100 may include at least one magnetic object 110. The user-carried device 100 is capable of operating on an interaction surface 210 defined within the sensing volume. The computer-implemented method further includes generating magnetic object position data 620 associated with at least one magnetic object 110 based on the collected magnetic field measurements. Additionally, the computer-implemented method 600 includes determining a user-carried device position 630 relative to the interaction surface 210 based on the magnetic object position data, wherein the interaction surface 210 includes an interaction surface configuration in which at least two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b are arranged at different partial distances c1, c2 relative to the magnetometer plane 310. The interaction surface configuration has been described in detail above. Since determining the position of the user-carried device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 by the computer-implemented method takes into account the interaction surface configuration in which at least two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b are arranged at different partial distances c1, c2 relative to the magnetometer plane 310, the position of the user-carried device 100 can be determined and / or tracked with increased accuracy. Additionally, a representation (more specifically, a reproduction) of the user-carried device 100 as a virtual object can be provided with increased accuracy and reliability. Any manufacturing tolerances, specific magnetometer arrangements, uneven interaction surfaces, and / or specific arrangements of the interaction surface with respect to the plurality of magnetometers 300 can be taken into account and / or compensated for.

[0063] The computer-implemented method 600 may further include defining a reference coordinate system XYZ and / or the magnetometer plane 310, as described above. The user-carried device position 630 may include the device positioning and / or device orientation of the user-carried device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210. The collected magnetic field measurements may indicate a magnetic field associated with at least one magnetic object 110.

[0064] Generating the magnetic object position data 620 may include generating magnetic field measurement result data 621 based on the collected magnetic field measurements. The magnetic field measurement result data may indicate the magnetic field positioning, magnetic field orientation, and / or magnetic field strength relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ. The magnetic field strength may be greater than 100 A / m. In an embodiment, the magnetic moment of at least one magnetic object may be greater than 0.01 A·m 2 。

[0065] Generating magnetic object position data 620 may include processing magnetic field measurement result data 622 to correlate the magnetic field measurement result data with the magnetic object position data. The magnetic object position data may indicate the magnetic object positioning and / or magnetic object orientation associated with at least one magnetic object 110 relative to a reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). The processed magnetic field measurement result data may include the magnetic moment vector 120 of at least one magnetic object 110 and / or the magnetic object positioning vector. As described above, the magnetic moment vector 120 may indicate the magnetic object orientation relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). The magnetic object positioning vector may indicate the magnetic object positioning and / or magnetic object distance relative to the reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). The magnetic moment vector 120 and / or the magnetic object positioning vector may be calculated by applying a mathematical model. The model may be constructed from the physical equations of electromagnetism. In this model, at least one magnetic object 120 may be approximated by a dipole. The magnetic moment vector 120 may indicate the strength of the magnetic field, and the strength of the magnetic field may vary based on the distance from and / or the magnetic object orientation relative to a plurality of magnetometers.

[0066] As Figure 11 shown, determining the user-carried device position 630 may include determining the interaction surface position 640. The interaction surface position may indicate the interaction surface positioning, interaction surface orientation, and / or interaction surface distance c relative to a reference coordinate system XYZ (more specifically, relative to the magnetometer plane 310). As mentioned above, the interaction surface position 640 may be defined based on a first set of geometric parameters associated with the interaction support 210. More specifically, the first set of geometric parameters may indicate the geometry of the interaction surface 210. The set of geometric parameters may include points and normal vectors on the interaction surface 210 (thereby defining an infinite surface), at least three coplanar points defining a finite surface, a center point, a radius, and a normal vector in the case of a disk-shaped surface and / or two axes or points defined on the surface (e.g., two dimensions may define a rectangular surface). The interaction surface configuration as described above may be based on the first set of geometric parameters. The interaction surface 210 may include a set of partial surfaces having different orientations and / or positions relative to each other. The computer-implemented method 600 may determine the interaction surface 210 based on the first set of geometric parameters. This allows for determining the user-carried device position even on any surface, even a complex surface (e.g., by the polygonal shape of the surface, a curved surface).

[0067] The first set of geometric parameters may include predefined geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface 210. As outlined above, the interaction support 200 may include an interaction support surface 230. The interaction surface 210 may be at least a portion of the interaction support surface 230. Defining the interaction surface 210 may include receiving input data, more specifically, receiving a particular type of input data from a database regarding the interaction support 200 on which the interaction surface 210 is defined. A particular type of interaction support 200 may include predefined geometric parameters associated with the interaction support 200. The particular predefined geometric parameters may be stored in a database that associates the type of interaction support 200 with the geometric parameters. In an embodiment, receiving the input data may include instructing a user to select an interaction support 200 to be used with the user-carrying device 100. In other embodiments, receiving the input data may include deriving from a database a set of geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface 210.

[0068] In an embodiment, the first set of geometric parameters may be determined based on interaction surface recognition. The interaction surface recognition may be a calibration process or an automatic recognition process. As an example, for calibration, the computer-implemented method 600 may instruct a user via a user interface to set the user-carrying device 100 at at least three different points on the interaction surface 210, where the at least three points may not be aligned (preferably, the three points may form an equilateral triangle). Based on these points, the computer-implemented method 600 may calculate the normal of the interaction surface 210. More specifically, the interaction surface positioning and / or interaction surface orientation may be determined by calculating the average of at least three points. The automatic recognition process may be based on an automatic calculation of the first set of geometric parameters based on a normal vector or a set of normal vectors.

[0069] Determining the location of the user-carried device 630 may include deriving an interaction surface configuration 650 of the interaction surface 210 based on the interaction surface location. The interaction surface is configured to indicate that the interaction surface 210 is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane 210, or to indicate that the interaction surface 210 is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane 310. In an embodiment, determining the location of the user-carried device 630 may include: determining a first interaction surface configuration 651 that indicates that the interaction surface 210 is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane 210, more specifically when at least two interaction surface portions 210a, 210b are on the same partial plane p and are arranged at different distances c1, c2 relative to the magnetometer plane 310. More specifically, the first interaction surface configuration may be defined as described above. The computer-implemented method 600 may include determining that the first interaction surface portion 210a and at least one second interaction surface portion 210b are arranged on the same partial plane p and at different distances c1, c2 from the magnetometer plane 310. In an embodiment, determining the location of the user-carried device 630 may include determining a second interaction surface configuration 652 that indicates that the interaction surface 210 is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane 310, more specifically when the first interaction surface portion 210a of the interaction surface 210 is arranged on a first partial plane p1 and at a first partial distance c1 relative to the magnetometer plane 310, and when at least one second interaction surface portion 210b of the interaction surface 210 is arranged on a second plane p2 and at a second partial distance p2 relative to the magnetometer plane 310. More specifically, the second interaction surface configuration may be defined as described above. More specifically, the computer-implemented method 600 may include determining that the first interaction surface portion 210a is arranged on the first partial plane p1 and at least one second interaction surface portion 210b is arranged on the second partial plane p2. The first partial plane p1 may be substantially parallel to the second partial plane p2, but may be away from the first partial plane p1. In other words, in this embodiment, the interaction surface 210 may be in a stepped shape. The computer-implemented method 600 may include determining that at least one second interaction surface portion 210b may be arranged on the side of the plurality of magnetometers 300 and / or the magnetometer plane 310. The computer-implemented method 600 may include determining that the first interaction surface portion 210a may be arranged above the magnetometer plane, i.e., on the side of the magnetometer plane facing the user during user operation. This means that during user operation, the first interaction surface portion 210a may be arranged between the magnetometer plane 310 and the user. In other embodiments, determining the location of the user-carried device 630 may include determining a combination of the first interaction surface configuration and the second interaction surface configuration as described above.

[0070] Determining the location of the user-carried device 630 may include determining the location of the first magnetic object 660. The location of the first magnetic object may indicate the first relative positioning and / or the first relative orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the interaction surface 210, as described above. Determining the location of the first magnetic object 660 may be based on the magnetic object location data and the interaction surface location. In an embodiment, determining the location of the first magnetic object 660 may further include determining a first relative distance 661 between at least one magnetic object 110 and the interaction surface 210. The first relative distance may be measured from the interaction surface 210 to the first relative positioning, more specifically, the first relative positioning of at least one magnetic object 110. The first relative distance may be measured orthogonally to the interaction surface 210. This may be done by defining a virtual normal vector for at least one magnetic object 110 on the interaction surface 210.

[0071] In an embodiment, determining the location of the first magnetic object 660 may include determining whether at least one magnetic object 110 is located on the side of the interaction surface 110 that faces the user during operation of the user-carried device 100 or on the side of the interaction surface 110 that faces away from the user during operation of the user-carried device 100, based on the first relative positioning as described above. In other words, it may be determined on which side of the interaction surface 210 at least one magnetic object 110 is being operated during user operation. More specifically, based on the algebraic sign of the virtual normal vector from the interaction surface 210 to the relative positioning of at least one magnetic object 110, it may be determined on which side of the interaction surface 210 at least one magnetic object is being operated.

[0072] Determining the location of the first magnetic object 660 may include deriving the magnetic moment vector 120 from the magnetic object location data and determining a first virtual intersection point I1 of the magnetic moment vector 120 and the interaction surface 210. This may be done by calculating the intersection point of the magnetic moment vector 120 and the interaction surface 210. As described above, the first relative orientation may be defined by a first set of tilt angles θ1, θ2, θ3 measured between the interaction surface 210 and the magnetic moment vector 120, more specifically, measured between the axes of the interaction surface coordinate system and the magnetic moment vector 120. In the case where the user-carried device 100 is a writing device (e.g., a stylus) as shown in Figure 2 the calculation of the first set of tilt angles θ1, θ2, θ3 may be used to assume the contact point 130 of the user-carried device 100 on the interaction surface 210.

[0073] Determining the location 630 of the user-carrying device may further include determining a second magnetic object location 670 indicative of a second relative positioning and / or a second relative orientation of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the user-carrying device 100. Determining the second magnetic object location 670 may be based on the first magnetic object location 660 and the second set of geometric parameters as described above. In an embodiment, the second set of geometric parameters may include predefined geometric parameters indicative of the geometric positioning and geometric orientation of at least one magnetic object 100 relative to the user-carrying device 100 (more specifically, in the initial state of the user-carrying device 100 as described in detail above).

[0074] Determining the second magnetic object location 670 may include detecting a positioning deviation and / or an orientation deviation 671 of the second relative orientation and / or the second relative positioning caused by the translation and / or rotation of at least one magnetic object 110 relative to the user-carrying device 100. More specifically, in this case, the user-carrying device 100 may be in an actuated state. The positioning deviation and / or the orientation deviation may refer to the translation 160 and / or the rotation 170, 180 (e.g., the first rotation and the second rotation) of at least one magnetic object 110 from the initial position to the actuated position as described in detail above. Determining the second magnetic object location 670 may include: in response to detecting the positioning deviation and / or the orientation deviation, determining at least one trigger event associated with the positioning deviation and / or the orientation deviation. In Figures 7A to 8B the example shown, an orientation deviation (i.e., the first rotation and / or the second rotation) may be detected. As an example, based on the orientation deviation indicating the first rotation 170, a first trigger event may be determined. Based on the orientation deviation indicating the second rotation 180, a second trigger event may be determined.

[0075] Determining the location 630 of the user-carrying device may include assuming a user-carrying device contact 631 between the user-carrying device 100 and the interaction surface 210. Assuming the user-carrying device contact 631 between the user-carrying device 100 and the interaction surface 210 may be based on the first magnetic object location 660 and based on the second magnetic object location 660. As outlined above, the user-carrying device 100 may include a vertical device axis z d . Assuming the user-carrying device contact 631 may include determining a second virtual intersection point I2 between the vertical device axis z d and the interaction surface 210, for example, as shown in Figure 3 . More specifically, the distance between the contact surface or point 130 and at least one magnetic object 110 may be known based on the second magnetic object location, more specifically indicative of the magnetic object location relative to the device coordinate system and / or relative to the geometry of the user-carrying device 100.

[0076] The computer-implemented method 600 may further include representing the user-carrying device 100 as a virtual object representation 680 on at least one output device 510, and more specifically, rendering. The movement of the virtual object on the output device 510 may be based on the virtual rendering of the position of the user-carrying device 100 relative to the interaction surface 210 (more specifically, based on the determined user-carrying device position).

[0077] The computer-implemented method 600 may further include initializing a plurality of magnetometers 300 and the user-carrying device 100, and more specifically, when the user starts a user operation. In an embodiment, the user-carrying device 100 may be tracked over a time period including a plurality of time samples. At each time sample, the computer-implemented method 600 may include determining the position of the user-carrying device relative to the interaction surface 210 and may store the determined position for each time sample.

[0078] In an embodiment, the computer-implemented method 600 may further include applying a filter for filtering the determined position of the user-carrying device. Magnetic noise and electronic noise as well as environmental changes may cause the position determination to be non-smooth over time. Based on this filtering, a smooth position trajectory of the user-carrying device relative to the interaction surface may be achieved. The filter may be a low-pass filter or a Kalman filter, and more specifically an extended Kalman filter or an unscented Kalman filter.

[0079] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer system may be configured to execute the computer-implemented method 600 as described above. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program may be configured to execute the computer-implemented method 600 as described above. In addition, a computer-readable medium or signal storing the computer program may be provided.

[0080] More specifically, the computer-implemented method 600 may be implemented by a computer or computer network or may be executed via a computer or computer network, which includes at least one processing unit (processor) and at least one data storage device (i.e., memory). The described process logic may be stored in at least one data storage device in the form of executable code and executed by at least one processing unit. Systems and subsystems may send data to at least one processing unit, and in an example, they may also receive instructions from at least one processing unit. The processing unit may thereby direct user-initiated and / or auto-generated queries to system 10. The system 10 is not limited to a specific hardware environment. Thus, distributed devices coupled via a network may execute the techniques described herein. The present disclosure also encompasses electrical signals and computer-readable media that define instructions which, when executed by a processing unit, implement the techniques described herein. As described above, system 10 may include at least one database. Alternatively, or additionally, system 10 may access a database in the cloud (via a communication interface). System 10 may include (at least one) communication interface to couple to a plurality of magnetometers, processing units, and / or databases. The communication interface may include one or more of a network, the Internet, a local area network, a wireless local area network, a broadband cellular network, and / or a wired network. In an example, system 10 may be coupled to one or more features via a server hosted in the cloud.

[0081] Although the concepts have been described above and defined in the appended claims, it should be understood that the concepts in the embodiments may be defined according to the following embodiments:

[0082] 1. A computer-implemented method (600) for determining the location of a user-carrying device (100), the method comprising:

[0083] - Collecting magnetic field measurements (610) associated with at least one magnetic object (110) using a plurality of magnetometers (300), wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to create a sensing volume and are associated with a magnetometer plane (310),

[0084] wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is coupled to the user-carrying device (100), and

[0085] wherein the user-carrying device (100) is capable of operating on an interaction surface (210) defined within the sensing volume,

[0086] - Generating magnetic object location data (620) associated with the at least one magnetic object (110) based on the collected magnetic field measurements, and

[0087] - determining a user-carried device position (630) relative to the interaction surface (210) based on the magnetic object position data, wherein the interaction surface (210) includes an interaction surface configuration, and wherein at least two interaction surface portions (210a, 210b) are arranged at different partial distances (c1, c2) relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0088] 2. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 1, wherein the magnetometer plane (310) is defined by a plane extending through most of the magnetometers (300) of the plurality of magnetometers.

[0089] 3. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, the method comprising:

[0090] defining a reference coordinate system (XYZ) including a first reference axis (X), a second reference axis (Y), and a vertical reference axis (Z), wherein the first reference axis (X) and the second reference axis (Y) are defined on the magnetometer plane (310) and are orthogonal to each other, and wherein the vertical reference axis (Z) is orthogonal to the magnetometer plane (310) and extends through the center of the plurality of magnetometers (300).

[0091] 4. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the user-carried device position (630) includes the device positioning and / or device orientation of the user-carried device (100) relative to the interaction surface (210).

[0092] 5. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the collected magnetic field measurements indicate a magnetic field associated with the at least one magnetic object (110).

[0093] 6. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 3 to 5, wherein generating the magnetic object position data (620) includes:

[0094] generating magnetic field measurement result data (621) based on the collected magnetic field measurements, wherein the magnetic field measurement result data indicates the magnetic field positioning, magnetic field orientation, and / or magnetic field intensity relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ).

[0095] 7. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 6, wherein generating the magnetic object position data (620) includes:

[0096] Process the magnetic field measurement result data (622) to associate the magnetic field measurement result data with the magnetic object position data, where the magnetic object position data indicates the magnetic object positioning and / or magnetic object orientation associated with the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0097] 8. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 7, wherein the processed magnetic field measurement result data includes the magnetic moment vector (120) and / or the magnetic object positioning vector of the at least one magnetic object (110), where the magnetic moment vector (120) indicates the magnetic object orientation relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0098] 9. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 3 to 8, wherein determining the user-carrying device position (630) includes:

[0099] Determining the interaction surface position (640), where the interaction surface position indicates the interaction surface positioning, interaction surface orientation, and / or interaction surface distance (c) relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0100] 10. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 9, wherein the interaction surface position (640) is defined based on a first set of geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface (210), more specifically, where the first set of geometric parameters indicates the geometric shape of the interaction surface (210).

[0101] 11. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 10, wherein the first set of geometric parameters includes predefined geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface (210).

[0102] 12. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 10, wherein the first set of geometric parameters is determined based on an interaction surface recognition program.

[0103] 13. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 9 to 12, wherein determining the user-carrying device position (630) includes:

[0104] Derive an interaction surface configuration (650) of the interaction surface (210) based on the interaction surface position, wherein the interaction surface configuration (650) indicates that the interaction surface (210) is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane (210), or indicates that the interaction surface (210) is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0105] 14. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 13, wherein determining the user-carried device position (630) comprises:

[0106] Determine a first interaction surface configuration (651) indicating that the interaction surface (210) is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane (210), more specifically when the at least two interaction surface portions (210a, 210b) are on the same partial plane (p) and are arranged at different distances (c1, c2) relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0107] 15. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 13 or embodiment 14, wherein determining the user-carried device position (630) comprises:

[0108] Determine a second interaction surface configuration (652) indicating that the interaction surface (210) is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane (310), more specifically when a first interaction surface portion (210a) of the interaction surface (210) is arranged on a first partial plane (p1) and is arranged at a first partial distance (c1) relative to the magnetometer plane (310), and when at least one second interaction surface portion (210b) of the interaction surface (210) is arranged on a second plane (p2) and is arranged at a second partial distance (p2) relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0109] 16. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the foregoing embodiments, wherein determining the user-carried device position (630) comprises:

[0110] Determine a first magnetic object position (660) indicating a first relative positioning and / or a first relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the interaction surface (210).

[0111] 17. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 16, when subordinate to embodiment 9, wherein determining the first magnetic object position (660) is based on the magnetic object position data and the interaction surface position.

[0112] 18. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 15 or embodiment 16, wherein determining the first magnetic object position (660) comprises:

[0113] Determining a first relative distance (661) between the at least one magnetic object (110) and the interaction surface (210), wherein the first relative distance is measured from the interaction surface (210) to the first relative position and orthogonally to the interaction surface (210).

[0114] 19. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 16 to 18, wherein determining the first magnetic object position (660) comprises:

[0115] Based on the first relative position, determining the at least one magnetic object (110)

[0116] is located on the side of the interaction surface (110) that faces the user during operation of the user-carrying device (100) or on the side of the interaction surface (110) that faces away from the user during operation of the user-carrying device (100).

[0117] 20. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 17 to 19, wherein determining the first magnetic object position (660) comprises:

[0118] Deriving a magnetic moment vector (120) from the magnetic object position data, and

[0119] Determining a first virtual intersection point (I1) of the magnetic moment vector (120) and the interaction surface (210).

[0120] 21. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 20, wherein the first relative magnetic object orientation is defined by a first set of tilt angles measured between the interaction surface (210) and the determined magnetic moment vector (120).

[0121] 22. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the foregoing embodiments, wherein determining the user-carrying device position (630) comprises:

[0122] Determining a second magnetic object position (670) indicating a second relative position and / or a second relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carrying device (100).

[0123] 23. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 22, when dependent on embodiment 16, wherein determining the second magnetic object position (670) is based on the first magnetic object position (660) and a second set of geometric parameters.

[0124] 24. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 23, wherein the second set of geometric parameters includes predefined geometric parameters that indicate the geometric positioning and geometric orientation of the at least one magnetic object (100) relative to the user-carrying device (100), more specifically in an initial state of the user-carrying device (100).

[0125] 25. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 22 to 24, wherein determining the second magnetic object position (670) includes:

[0126] detecting a positioning deviation and / or an orientation deviation (671) of a second relative orientation and / or a second relative positioning caused by translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carrying device (100), more specifically wherein the user-carrying device (100) is in an actuated state, and

[0127] in response to detecting the positioning deviation and / or the orientation deviation, determining at least one trigger event associated with the positioning deviation and / or the orientation deviation.

[0128] 26. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 22 to 25, when dependent on embodiment 16, wherein determining the user-carrying device position (630) includes:

[0129] assuming a user-carrying device contact (631) between the user-carrying device (100) and the interaction surface (210) based on the first magnetic object position (660) and based on the second magnetic object position (660).

[0130] 27. The computer-implemented method (600) according to embodiment 26, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes a vertical device axis (z d ), and wherein assuming the user-carrying device contact (631) includes determining a second virtual intersection point (I2) between the vertical device axis (z d ) and the interaction surface (210).

[0131] 28. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the foregoing embodiments, the method comprising:

[0132] Represent the user-carrying device (100) as a virtual object on at least one output device (510), wherein the movement of the virtual object on the at least one output device (510) is a virtual reproduction based on the position of the user-carrying device (100) relative to the interaction surface (210).

[0133] 29. A computer system configured to perform a computer-implemented method according to any one of the foregoing embodiments.

[0134] 30. A computer program configured to perform a computer-implemented method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 28.

[0135] 31. A computer-readable medium or signal storing the computer program of embodiment 30.

[0136] 32. A system (10) for determining the position of a user-carrying device (100), the system comprising:

[0137] A user-carrying device (100) operable on an interaction surface (210), wherein the user-carrying device includes at least one magnetic object (110), and

[0138] A plurality of magnetometers (300) configured to create a sensing volume and associated with a magnetometer plane (310),

[0139] wherein the interaction surface (210) is defined within the sensing volume,

[0140] wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to collect magnetic field measurements associated with the at least one magnetic object (110),

[0141] wherein the interaction surface (210) includes an interaction surface configuration, wherein at least two interaction surface portions (210a, 210b) are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane (310), and

[0142] wherein the system (10) is configured to perform a computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of embodiments 1 to 28.

[0143] 33. The system (10) according to embodiment 32, wherein the system (10) includes a processing unit (400) configured to perform the computer-implemented method (600).

[0144] 34. The system (10) according to embodiment 32 or embodiment 33, wherein the system (10) is capable of being connected to an external processing unit configured to execute the computer-implemented method (600).

[0145] 35. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 34, wherein the interaction surface (210) comprises a first interaction surface portion (210a) and at least one second interaction surface portion (210b).

[0146] 36. The system (10) according to embodiment 35, wherein the first interaction surface portion (210a) is arranged at a first partial distance (c1) from a first portion of the magnetometer plane (310), and wherein the second interaction surface portion (210b) is arranged at a second partial distance (210b) from the magnetometer plane (310), more specifically, wherein the first partial distance (c1) and the second partial distance (c2) are measured orthogonally to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0147] 37. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 36, wherein the interaction surface (210) comprises a first interaction surface configuration, wherein the interaction surface (210) is at least partially inclined with respect to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0148] 38. The system (10) according to embodiment 37, when dependent on embodiments 35 and 36, wherein the first interaction surface portion (210a) and at least one second interaction surface portion (210b) are on the same partial plane (p) and are arranged at different first and second partial distances (c1, c2) with respect to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0149] 39. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 36, wherein the interaction surface (210) comprises a second interaction surface configuration, wherein the interaction surface (210) is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0150] 40. The system (10) according to embodiment 39, when dependent on embodiments 35 and 36, wherein the first interaction surface portion (210a) is arranged on a first partial plane (p1) and at a first partial distance (c1) from the magnetometer plane (310), and wherein the at least one second interaction surface portion (210b) is arranged on a second plane (p2) and at a second partial distance (c2) from the magnetometer plane (310).

[0151] 41. The system (10) according to embodiment 39 or embodiment 40, when dependent on embodiment 35, wherein during user operation, the first interaction surface portion (210a) is arranged between the plurality of magnetometers (300) and the user (K), and wherein the at least one second interaction surface portion (210b) is arranged at a side of the plurality of magnetometers (300) and / or the magnetometer plane (310).

[0152] 42. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 41, wherein the magnetometer plane (310) is defined by a plane extending through most of the plurality of magnetometers (300).

[0153] 43. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 42, the system comprising a reference coordinate system (XYZ), the reference coordinate system including a first reference axis (X), a second reference axis (Y) and a vertical reference axis (Z), wherein the first reference axis (X) and the second reference axis (Y) are defined on the magnetometer plane (310) and are orthogonal to each other, and wherein the vertical reference axis (Z) is orthogonal to the magnetometer plane (310) and extends through the center of the plurality of magnetometers (300).

[0154] 44. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 43, wherein the system (10) is configured to assume contact between the user-carrying device (100) and the interaction surface (210).

[0155] 45. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 44, wherein the user-carrying device (100) is electrically passive and / or electronically passive.

[0156] 46. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 45, wherein during user operation, the system (10) is configured to track the movement of the user-carrying device (100) relative to the interaction surface (210) over a period of time.

[0157] 47. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 46, wherein the interaction surface (210) is at a distance (c) from the magnetometer plane (310).

[0158] 48. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 47, wherein the system (10) includes an interaction support (200) having an interaction support surface (230), and wherein the interaction surface (210) is at least a partial surface of the interaction support surface (230).

[0159] 49. The system (10) according to embodiment 48, wherein the interaction support (200) is furniture, a notebook, an electronic device, a screen, a wall, or a mouse pad.

[0160] 50. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 48 or 49, wherein the interaction surface (210) is defined based on a first set of geometric parameters associated with the interaction support (200).

[0161] 51. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 50, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is a permanent magnet.

[0162] 52. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 51, wherein the user-carrying device (100) is a computer mouse, a keyboard, a toy, a stylus, or a dial.

[0163] 53. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 52, wherein the system (10) is configured to track the movement of the at least one magnetic object (110) in at least five degrees of freedom.

[0164] 54. The system (10) according to embodiment 53, when subordinate to embodiment 43, wherein the at least five degrees of freedom include: translation of the at least one magnetic object (110) along the first reference axis (X), the second reference axis (Y), and the vertical reference axis (Z), a first rotation about the first reference axis (X), and a second rotation about the second reference axis (Y).

[0165] 55. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 54, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is movable relative to the user-carrying device (100), and more specifically, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is rotatable and / or translatable relative to the user-carrying device (100).

[0166] 56. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 43 to 55, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) includes a magnetic moment vector (120) and / or a magnetic object positioning vector associated with the at least one magnetic object (110), wherein the magnetic moment vector (120) defines the orientation of the magnetic object relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310), and wherein the magnetic object positioning vector defines the positioning and / or the distance of the magnetic object relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

[0167] 57. The system (10) according to embodiment 56, wherein a first relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the interaction surface (210) is defined based on a first set of tilt angles, more specifically, wherein the first set of tilt angles is measured between the magnetic moment vector (120) and the interaction surface (210).

[0168] 58. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 57, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes a first device axis (x d ), a second device axis (y d ) orthogonal to the first device axis (x d ), and a vertical device axis (z d ), wherein the vertical device axis (z d ) is orthogonal to the device contact surface or point (130) and / or orthogonal to the plane defined by the first device axis (x d ) and the second device axis (y d ).

[0169] 59. The system (10) according to embodiment 58, when dependent on embodiment 56, wherein, in an initial state of the user-carrying device (100), the magnetic moment vector (120) extends parallel to the vertical device axis (z d ), or wherein the magnetic moment vector is tilted relative to the vertical device axis (z d ).

[0170] 60. The system (10) according to embodiments 32 to 59, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the second relative positioning and / or the second relative orientation of the user-carrying device (100) is defined based on a second set of geometric parameters, and more specifically, wherein the second set of geometric parameters defines the geometric positioning and geometric orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carrying device (100), more specifically in the initial state of the user-carrying device (100).

[0171] 61. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 60, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes at least two magnetic objects (110a, 110b) having different relative orientations with respect to each other, and wherein the system (10) is configured to generate magnetic object position data for each of the at least two magnetic objects (110a, 110b).

[0172] 62. The system (10) according to embodiment 61, wherein the system (10) is configured to track the movement of the at least two magnetic objects (110a, 110b) in at least six degrees of freedom.

[0173] 63. The system (10) according to embodiment 61 or embodiment 62, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes a first magnetic object (110a) fixedly coupled to the user-carrying device (100), and wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes a second magnetic object (110b) that is rotatable and / or translatable relative to the user-carrying device (100) and / or the first magnetic object (110a).

[0174] 64. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 63, wherein the system (10) includes at least one output device (510), wherein the at least one output device (510) is configured to reproduce the user-carrying device (100) as a virtual object.

[0175] 65. The system (10) according to embodiment 64, wherein the system (10) includes an electronic device (500), and wherein the at least one output device (510) is integrated into the electronic device (500).

[0176] 66. The system (10) according to embodiment 65, when subordinate to embodiment 33, wherein the processing unit (400) is integrated in the electronic device (500).

[0177] 67. The system (10) according to embodiment 65 or embodiment 66, wherein the electronic device (500) includes a user interface configured to interact with a user (U).

[0178] 68. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 64 or 67, wherein the output device (510) is a display or a visual screen.

[0179] 69. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 34 to 68, when dependent on embodiment 33, wherein a plurality of magnetometers in the magnetometer (300) are configured to receive data from and / or transmit data to the processing unit (400) and / or the external processing unit.

[0180] 70. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 69, wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are integrated in a wall, furniture, a notebook, an electronic device, a screen, and / or a mouse pad.

[0181] 71. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 33 to 70, wherein the system (10) includes a data storage device connected to the processing unit (400).

[0182] 72. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 71, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes at least one manipulation feature (140), and wherein the at least one manipulation feature (140) is translatable and / or rotatable relative to the user-carrying device (100).

[0183] 73. The system (10) according to embodiment 72, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is coupled to the at least one manipulation feature (140).

[0184] 74. The system (10) according to embodiment 72 or embodiment 73, wherein the user-carrying device (100) is a keyboard, and wherein the manipulation feature (140) is coupled to a keyboard button, and more specifically, wherein the keyboard is electrically passive and / or electronically passive.

[0185] 75. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 72 to 74, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes a plurality of manipulation features (140a, 140b, 140c, 140d), and wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is coupled to one or more of the plurality of manipulation features (140a, 140b, 140c, 140d).

[0186] 76. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 72 to 75, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes an equal or lesser number of magnetic objects (110) than manipulation features (140).

[0187] 77. The system (10) according to embodiment 75 or embodiment 76, wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is coupled to at least two of the plurality of manipulation features (140a, 140b, 140c, 140d) (140b, 140c, 140d).

[0188] 78. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 72 to 77, wherein the at least one manipulation feature (140) is associated with at least one trigger event, and wherein the system (10) is configured to determine the corresponding trigger event based on the translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carrying device (100).

[0189] 79. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 72 to 78, wherein in an initial state of the user-carrying device (100), the at least one manipulation feature (140) and / or the at least one magnetic object (110) is in an initial position, and wherein in an actuated state of the user-carrying device (100), the at least one interaction feature (140) and / or the at least one magnetic object (110) is in an actuated position.

[0190] 80. The system (10) according to embodiment 79, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes a biasing element configured to push the at least one interaction feature (140) and / or the at least one magnetic object (110) from the actuated position to the initial position.

[0191] 81. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 72 to 80, wherein the user-carrying device (100) includes only one magnetic object (110b) and a plurality of manipulation features (140b, 140c, 140d), and wherein the magnetic object (110b) is coupled to each of the plurality of manipulation features (140b, 140c, 140d).

[0192] 82. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 81, wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are fixedly arranged in a magnetometer body (320), and the magnetometer body defines a fixed positioning and / or orientation of the plurality of magnetometers (300) relative to each other.

[0193] 83. The system (10) according to any one of embodiments 32 to 82, wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to create a sensing volume having an ellipsoidal form.

[0194] 84. The system (10) according to embodiment 83, wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to collect magnetic field measurements associated with the at least one magnetic object (110) within the sensing volume up to a maximum measurement distance (d2), wherein the maximum measurement distance (d2) is 18 cm, more specifically 15 cm, and in particular wherein the maximum measurement distance (d2) is defined between the farthest point on the interaction surface (210) and the nearest magnetometer of the plurality of magnetometers (300).

[0195] Reference numerals of the drawings

[0196] x s First interaction surface axis 310 Magnetometer plane

[0197] y s Second interaction surface axis 320 Magnetometer body

[0198] z s Vertical interaction surface axis 400 Processing unit

[0199] X First reference axis 500 Electronic device

[0200] Y Second reference axis 510 Output device

[0201] Z Vertical reference axis c Distance between the magnetometer plane and the interaction surface

[0202] x d First device axis

[0203] y dThe second device axis c1 from the first interaction surface portion to

[0204] z d the distance of the vertical device axis to the magnetometer plane

[0205] 10 the system c2 from the second interaction surface portion to

[0206] 100 the distance of the user-carrying device to the magnetometer plane

[0207] 110 at least one magnetic object U the user

[0208] 120 the magnetic moment vector p the partial plane

[0209] 130 the contact surface or contact point p1 the first partial plane

[0210] 140 at least one interaction feature p2 the second partial plane

[0211] 150 the housing α1 the first rotation angle

[0212] 160 the translation of the magnetic object α2 the second rotation angle

[0213] 170 the first rotation S k，1 the magnetometer

[0214] 180 the second rotation θ1, θ2, θ3 the first set of tilt angles

[0215] 200 the interaction support γ1, γ2, γ3 the second set of tilt angles

[0216] 210 the interaction surface β1, β2, β3 a set of interaction surface tilt angles

[0217] 230 the interaction support surface δ1, δ2, δ3 the magnetic object orientation angle

[0218] 300 multiple magnetometers

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method (600) for determining the location of a user-carried device (100), the method comprising: - Collecting magnetic field measurement results (610) associated with at least one magnetic object (110) using a plurality of magnetometers (300), wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to create a sensing volume and are associated with a magnetometer plane (310), the magnetometer plane (310) being defined by a plane extending through most of the plurality of magnetometers (300), wherein the at least one magnetic object (110) is coupled to the user-carried device (100), and wherein the user-carried device (100) is capable of operating on an interaction surface (210) defined within the sensing volume, - Generating magnetic object position data (620) associated with the at least one magnetic object (110) based on the collected magnetic field measurement results, and - Determining the user-carried device position relative to the interaction surface (210) based on the magnetic object position data (630), wherein the interaction surface (210) includes an interaction surface configuration, wherein at least two interaction surface portions (210a, 210b) are arranged at different partial distances (c1, c2) relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

2. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 1, wherein generating the magnetic object position data (620) comprises: Generating magnetic field measurement result data (621) based on the collected magnetic field measurement results, wherein the magnetic field measurement result data indicates the magnetic field positioning, magnetic field orientation, and / or magnetic field strength relative to a reference coordinate system (XYZ), and more specifically, Processing the magnetic field measurement result data (622) to associate the magnetic field measurement result data with the magnetic object position data, wherein the magnetic object position data indicates the magnetic object positioning and / or magnetic object orientation associated with the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

3. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein determining the user-carried device position (630) comprises: Determining an interaction surface position (640), wherein the interaction surface position indicates the interaction surface positioning, interaction surface orientation, and / or interaction surface distance (c) relative to a reference coordinate system (XYZ), more specifically relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

4. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 3, wherein the interaction surface position (640) is defined based on a first set of geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface (210), more specifically wherein the first set of geometric parameters indicates the geometric shape of the interaction surface (210), particularly wherein the first set of geometric parameters includes predefined geometric parameters associated with the interaction surface (210).

5. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein determining the location of the user-carried device (630) comprises: Deriving an interaction surface configuration (650) of the interaction surface (210) based on the interaction surface location, wherein the interaction surface configuration (650) indicates that the interaction surface (210) is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane (210), or indicates that the interaction surface (210) is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane (310).

6. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 5, wherein determining the location of the user-carried device (630) comprises: Determining a first interaction surface configuration (651) indicating that the interaction surface (210) is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane (210), and more particularly determining the first interaction surface configuration when the at least two interaction surface portions (210a, 210b) are on the same partial plane (p) and are arranged at different distances (c1, c2) relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

7. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein determining the location of the user-carried device (630) comprises: Determining a first magnetic object location (660) indicating a first relative positioning and / or a first relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the interaction surface (210), and more particularly wherein determining the first magnetic object location (650) comprises: Based on the first relative positioning, determining whether the at least one magnetic object (110) is located on the side of the interaction surface (110) that faces the user during operation of the user-carried device (100) or on the side of the interaction surface (110) that faces away from the user during operation of the user-carried device (100).

8. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein determining the location of the user-carried device (630) comprises: Determining a second magnetic object location (670) indicating a second relative positioning and / or a second relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carried device (100).

9. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 8, wherein determining the second magnetic object location (670) comprises: Detecting a positioning deviation and / or an orientation deviation (671) of a second relative orientation and / or a second relative positioning caused by translation and / or rotation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carried device (100), and more particularly wherein the user-carried device (100) is in an actuated state, and In response to detecting the positioning and / or orientation deviation, determining at least one trigger event associated with the positioning deviation and / or the orientation deviation.

10. The computer-implemented method (600) according to claim 8 or claim 9, when dependent on claim 7, wherein determining the location of the user-carried device (630) comprises: Based on the position of the first magnetic object (650) and based on the position of the second magnetic object (660), a contact (631) of the user-carried device (100) with the interaction surface (210) is assumed.

11. The computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising: Representing (680) the user-carried device (100) as a virtual object on at least one output device (510), wherein the movement of the virtual object on the output device (510) is a virtual reproduction based on the position of the user-carried device (100) relative to the interaction surface (210).

12. A system (10) for determining the position of a user-carried device (100), the system comprising: A user-carried device (100) operable on an interaction surface (210), wherein the user-carried device includes at least one magnetic object (110), and A plurality of magnetometers (300) configured to create a sensing volume and associated with a magnetometer plane (310), Wherein the interaction surface (210) is defined within the sensing volume, Wherein the plurality of magnetometers (300) are configured to collect magnetic field measurements associated with the at least one magnetic object (110), Wherein the interaction surface (210) includes an interaction surface configuration, wherein at least two interaction surface portions (210a, 210b) are arranged at different partial distances relative to the magnetometer plane (310), and Wherein the system (10) is configured to perform the computer-implemented method (600) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The system (10) according to claim 12, wherein the interaction surface (210) includes a first interaction surface configuration, wherein the interaction surface (210) is at least partially inclined relative to the magnetometer plane (310).

14. The system (10) according to claim 12, wherein the interaction surface (210) comprises a first interaction surface portion (210a) and at least one second interaction surface portion (210b), and wherein the interaction surface (210) comprises a second interaction surface configuration, wherein the interaction surface (210) is substantially parallel to the magnetometer plane (310), and more specifically wherein, During user operation, the first interaction surface portion (210a) is arranged between the plurality of magnetometers (300) and the user (K), and wherein the at least one second interaction surface portion (210b) is arranged on the side of the plurality of magnetometers (300) and / or the magnetometer plane (310).

15. The system (10) according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the at least one second relative positioning and / or second relative orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carried device (100) is defined based on a second set of geometric parameters, more specifically wherein the second set of geometric parameters defines the geometric positioning and geometric orientation of the at least one magnetic object (110) relative to the user-carried device (100), more specifically in the initial state of the user-carried device (100).

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