Inertial Measurement Device Mode Switching for Distributed Noise Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inertial measurement systems face high computational and communication loads when multiple MEMS acceleration sensors are used due to the large load applied to the calculation unit when their outputs are processed together.
Innovation Solution
An inertial measurement device and system that includes a mode selection unit to switch between a first processing mode for solo operation and a second processing mode for coupled operation, where multiple devices perform synchronized data sampling and averaging to reduce noise, thereby distributing the computational and communication load across devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple MEMS acceleration sensors are processed by one calculation unit, then noise reduction is achieved, but computational load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the calculation unit into multiple independent processing units (first calculation unit, second calculation unit, etc.). Each processing unit handles a subset of acceleration sensor outputs independently. This segmentation distributes the computational load across multiple units while maintaining the noise reduction benefit of processing multiple sensor signals together.
2Measurement precision
If multiple inertial measurement devices are coupled to one host device, then noise reduction is achieved, but communication load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the output signals from multiple inertial measurement devices through addition operations performed by calculation units. Instead of requiring separate processing paths for each device, the signals are combined arithmetically to achieve noise reduction while using a shared communication interface between the coupled devices and the host device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a master-slave configuration where one inertial measurement device (master) handles the calculation processing for both itself and the coupled device (slave). The slave device copies the master's processing capability by having identical hardware architecture, allowing either device to serve as master depending on coupling configuration.
3Power
If multiple inertial measurement devices are coupled together, then processing load on host device is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic role assignment where inertial measurement devices can switch between master and slave roles based on coupling configuration. The mode selection unit dynamically determines whether a device operates in first processing mode (solo) or second processing mode (coupled), allowing the system to adapt its complexity to the operational requirements without permanent structural changes.
Data Source
AI summary
An inertial measurement device includes: an inertial sensor; a first signal processing circuit; a second signal processing circuit; a first communication unit and a second communication unit configured to communicate with an external device; and a mode selection unit configured to select a processing mode from a plurality of modes including a first processing mode and a second processing mode. The first processing mode is a mode in which the inertial measurement device is used alone and outputs a signal processed by the first signal processing circuit from the first communication unit, and the second processing mode is a mode in which the inertial measurement device is used in a state of being coupled to another inertial measurement device, a first signal processed by the first signal processing circuit and a second signal from another inertial measurement device received from the second communication unit are subjected to a calculation process by the second signal processing circuit, and a signal subjected to the calculation process is output from the first communication unit.