Wearable Head Tracking Gyro Drift Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head tracking systems, particularly those using MEMS gyroscopes, face challenges in uncontrolled environments like outdoors due to drift issues and require expensive, heavy, and power-hungry hardware for precise tracking, limiting their suitability for use while walking on uneven terrain.
Innovation Solution
A method that augments MEMS gyro output using range finder technology by monitoring forward and rearward looking distances to correct gyro drift, identifying genuine head rotations by ensuring both distances change proportionally, thereby distinguishing between actual and drift-induced rotations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If expensive hardware with optical, ultrasonic, or magnetic techniques is used for head tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using a simplified range finder to measure distance to the ground as a mediator signal. This distance measurement serves as an indirect indicator of head orientation, allowing the system to infer head rotation without requiring complex optical or magnetic sensors. The range finder acts as a mediator that provides sufficient information for drift correction while keeping the system simple and lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and optical sensing systems with a simpler electronic approach using a range finder and signal processing algorithms. Instead of using physical optical sensors, ultrasonic transducers, or magnetic field detectors, the system uses electronic distance measurement and computational logic to determine head orientation and correct gyro drift, thereby reducing hardware complexity.
2Measurement precision
If expensive hardware with optical, ultrasonic, or magnetic techniques is used for head tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using a simplified range finder to measure distance to the ground as a mediator signal. This distance measurement serves as an indirect indicator of head orientation, allowing the system to infer head rotation without requiring complex optical or magnetic sensors. The range finder acts as a mediator that provides sufficient information for drift correction while keeping the system simple and lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and optical sensing systems with a simpler electronic approach using a range finder and signal processing algorithms. Instead of using physical optical sensors, ultrasonic transducers, or magnetic field detectors, the system uses electronic distance measurement and computational logic to determine head orientation and correct gyro drift, thereby reducing hardware complexity.
3Measurement precision
If expensive hardware with optical, ultrasonic, or magnetic techniques is used for head tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary approach by using a simplified range finder to measure distance to the ground as a mediator signal. This distance measurement serves as an indirect indicator of head orientation, allowing the system to infer head rotation without requiring complex optical or magnetic sensors. The range finder acts as a mediator that provides sufficient information for drift correction while keeping the system simple and lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical and optical sensing systems with a simpler electronic approach using a range finder and signal processing algorithms. Instead of using physical optical sensors, ultrasonic transducers, or magnetic field detectors, the system uses electronic distance measurement and computational logic to determine head orientation and correct gyro drift, thereby reducing hardware complexity.
4Device complexity
If MEMS gyro output is used without augmentation, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to drift
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring the distance to the ground via the range finder and using this information to detect and correct gyro drift. The system compares the range finder measurements with the gyro output and adjusts the rotation data accordingly, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that maintains measurement precision while keeping the system relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-service by using the range finder to automatically detect and correct its own drift without requiring external intervention or complex calibration procedures. The feedback loop enables the system to self-correct using its own sensors and processing capabilities, maintaining precision while avoiding the need for additional complex hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a system for removing drift from a head-worn gyro, which utilizes forward and rearward looking IR sensors, which are used to determine if gyro output signals, which indicate downward or upward rotation of the head, are correct.