U.S. patent application number 15/682154 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-28 for systems and methods for ultrasonic velocity and acceleration detection.
The applicant listed for this patent is ELWHA LLC. Invention is credited to Jesse R. Cheatham, III, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Craig J. Mundie, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Robert C. Petroski, Eric D. Rudder, Desney S. Tan, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Andrew Wilson, Jeannette M. Wing, Lowell L. Wood, Victoria Y.H. Wood.
Application Number | 20170371038 15/682154 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54538330 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-28 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20170371038 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cheatham, III; Jesse R. ; et
al. |
December 28, 2017 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ULTRASONIC VELOCITY AND ACCELERATION
DETECTION
Abstract
The present disclosure provides systems and methods associated
with determining velocity and/or acceleration information using
ultrasound. A system may include one or more ultrasonic
transmitters and/or receivers. An ultrasonic transmitter may be
configured to transmit ultrasound into a region bounded by one or
more surfaces. The ultrasonic receiver may detect a Doppler shift
of reflected ultrasound to determine an acceleration and/or
velocity associated with an object. The velocity and/or
acceleration information may be utilized to modify the state of a
gaming system, entertainment system, infotainment system, and/or
other device. The velocity and/or acceleration date may be used in
combination with a mapping or positioning system that generates
positional data associated with the objects.
Inventors: |
Cheatham, III; Jesse R.;
(Seattle, WA) ; Hyde; Roderick A.; (Redmond,
WA) ; Ishikawa; Muriel Y.; (Livermore, CA) ;
Kare; Jordin T.; (Seattle, WA) ; Mundie; Craig
J.; (Seattle, WA) ; Myhrvold; Nathan P.;
(Bellevue, WA) ; Petroski; Robert C.; (Seattle,
WA) ; Rudder; Eric D.; (Mercer Island, WA) ;
Tan; Desney S.; (Kirkland, WA) ; Tegreene; Clarence
T.; (Mercer Island, WA) ; Whitmer; Charles;
(North Bend, WA) ; Wilson; Andrew; (Seattle,
WA) ; Wing; Jeannette M.; (Bellevue, WA) ;
Wood; Lowell L.; (Bellevue, WA) ; Wood; Victoria
Y.H.; (Livermore, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
ELWHA LLC |
Bellevue |
WA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54538330 |
Appl. No.: |
15/682154 |
Filed: |
August 21, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14280463 |
May 16, 2014 |
9739883 |
|
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15682154 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01S 7/52003 20130101;
G01S 17/08 20130101; G01S 2013/462 20130101; G01S 15/89 20130101;
G01S 13/58 20130101; G01S 15/87 20130101; G01S 13/878 20130101;
G01S 15/74 20130101; G01S 15/86 20200101; G01S 15/46 20130101; G01S
15/06 20130101; G01S 15/003 20130101; G01S 15/58 20130101; G01S
15/88 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01S 15/58 20060101
G01S015/58; G01S 15/00 20060101 G01S015/00; G01S 15/02 20060101
G01S015/02; G01S 15/06 20060101 G01S015/06; G01S 15/89 20060101
G01S015/89; G01S 15/87 20060101 G01S015/87; G01S 15/74 20060101
G01S015/74; G01S 7/52 20060101 G01S007/52; G01S 15/46 20060101
G01S015/46; G01S 15/88 20060101 G01S015/88 |
Claims
1-252. (canceled)
253. A method for determining velocity data of an object within a
region, comprising: determining, via a processor, a relative
position of an object within a region; transmitting, via an
ultrasonic transmitter, ultrasound into the region; receiving, via
an ultrasonic receiver, an ultrasonic reflection of the transmitted
ultrasound from a site on the object within the region; detecting,
via the processor, a shift of the ultrasonic reflection received by
the ultrasonic receiver relative to the transmitted ultrasound;
calculating, via the processor, a first velocity component
associated with the site based on the detected shift of the
received ultrasonic reflection; and modifying, via the processor, a
state of an entertainment device based on the relative position of
the object and the first velocity component of the site.
254. The method of claim 253, wherein a signal from the
entertainment device is used to identify the site on the object at
which to calculate the first velocity component.
255. The method of claim 253, wherein a signal from the
entertainment device is used to identify a time at which to
calculate the first velocity component.
256. The method of claim 253, wherein a signal from the
entertainment device is used to identify a direction in which to
calculate the first velocity component
257. The method of claim 253, wherein determining a relative
position comprises transmitting and receiving electromagnetic
radiation in order to determine a relative position of an object
within a region using electromagnetic reflections.
258. The method of claim 253, wherein determining a relative
position comprises receiving positional data from an external
source.
259. The method of claim 253, wherein the first velocity component
associated with the site comprises a velocity component along a
vector formed by the difference between the vector direction of the
transmitted ultrasound arriving at the site and the vector
direction of the reflected ultrasound departing from the site.
260. The method of claim 253, wherein detecting a shift of the
ultrasonic reflection comprises calculating a frequency shift of
the received ultrasonic reflection relative to a frequency of the
transmitted ultrasound.
261. The method of claim 253, wherein detecting a shift of the
ultrasonic reflection comprises calculating one of a time delay and
a phase shift of the received ultrasonic reflection relative to a
timing or phase of the transmitted ultrasound.
262. The method of claim 253, wherein detecting a shift of the
ultrasonic reflection comprises calculating a wavelength shift of
the received ultrasonic reflection relative to a wavelength of the
transmitted ultrasound.
263. The method of claim 253, wherein the state comprises the state
of a software program used by the entertainment device.
264. The method of claim 263, wherein the software program
comprises an element of a video game.
265. The method of claim 253, wherein transmitting ultrasound into
the region comprises: transmitting a first ultrasonic pulse that is
received as the direct ultrasonic reflection; and transmitting a
second ultrasonic pulse that is received as the rebounded
ultrasonic reflection.
266. The method of claim 253, further comprising: receiving a
direct ultrasonic reflection from an object within the region, and
receiving a rebounded ultrasonic reflection from the object,
wherein the rebounded ultrasonic reflection comprises ultrasound
reflected by the object and the first surface, and then received by
the ultrasonic receiver; generating direct positional data
associated with the object based on the direct ultrasonic
reflection; generating rebounded positional data using the
rebounded ultrasonic reflection of the object from the first
surface; and generating enhanced positional data by combining the
direct positional data and the rebounded positional data.
267. A computer-readable medium comprising program code that, when
executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method
comprising: determining, via a processor, a relative position of an
object within a region; transmitting, via an ultrasonic
transmitter, ultrasound into the region; receiving, via an
ultrasonic receiver, an ultrasonic reflection of the transmitted
ultrasound from a site on the object within the region; detecting,
via the processor, a shift of the ultrasonic reflection received by
the ultrasonic receiver relative to the transmitted ultrasound;
calculating, via the processor, a first velocity component
associated with the site based on the detected shift of the
received ultrasonic reflection; and modifying, via the processor, a
state of an entertainment device based on the relative position of
the object and the first velocity component of the site.
268. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein a signal
from the entertainment device is used to identify the site on the
object at which to calculate the first velocity component.
269. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein a signal
from the entertainment device is used to identify a time at which
to calculate the first velocity component.
270. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein a signal
from the entertainment device is used to identify a direction in
which to calculate the first velocity component
271. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein determining
a relative position comprises transmitting and receiving
electromagnetic radiation in order to determine a relative position
of an object within a region using electromagnetic reflections.
272. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein determining
a relative position comprises receiving positional data from an
external source.
273. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein the first
velocity component associated with the site comprises a velocity
component along a vector formed by the difference between the
vector direction of the transmitted ultrasound arriving at the site
and the vector direction of the reflected ultrasound departing from
the site.
274. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein detecting a
shift of the ultrasonic reflection comprises calculating a
frequency shift of the received ultrasonic reflection relative to a
frequency of the transmitted ultrasound.
275. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein detecting a
shift of the ultrasonic reflection comprises calculating one of a
time delay and a phase shift of the received ultrasonic reflection
relative to a timing or phase of the transmitted ultrasound.
276. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein detecting a
shift of the ultrasonic reflection comprises calculating a
wavelength shift of the received ultrasonic reflection relative to
a wavelength of the transmitted ultrasound.
277. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein the state
comprises the state of a software program used by the entertainment
device.
278. The computer-readable medium of claim 277, wherein the
software program comprises an element of a video game.
279. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, wherein
transmitting ultrasound into the region comprises: transmitting a
first ultrasonic pulse that is received as the direct ultrasonic
reflection; and transmitting a second ultrasonic pulse that is
received as the rebounded ultrasonic reflection.
280. The computer-readable medium of claim 267, the method further
comprising: receiving a direct ultrasonic reflection from an object
within the region, and receiving a rebounded ultrasonic reflection
from the object, wherein the rebounded ultrasonic reflection
comprises ultrasound reflected by the object and the first surface,
and then received by the ultrasonic receiver; generating direct
positional data associated with the object based on the direct
ultrasonic reflection; generating rebounded positional data using
the rebounded ultrasonic reflection of the object from the first
surface; and generating enhanced positional data by combining the
direct positional data and the rebounded positional data.
Description
[0001] If an Application Data Sheet ("ADS") has been filed on the
filing date of this application, it is incorporated by reference
herein. Any applications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn..sctn.119, 120, 121, or 365(c), and any and all
parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc., applications of such
applications, are also incorporated by reference, including any
priority claims made in those applications and any material
incorporated by reference, to the extent such subject matter is not
inconsistent herewith.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] The present application claims the benefit of the earliest
available effective filing date(s) from the following listed
application(s) (the "Priority Applications"), if any, listed below
(e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than
provisional patent applications or claims benefits under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) for provisional patent applications, for any and all
parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc., applications of the
Priority Application(s)).
PRIORITY APPLICATIONS
[0003] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/280,463, filed May 16, 2014, for SYSTEMS
AND METHODS FOR ULTRASONIC VELOCITY AND ACCELERATION DETECTION,
which is incorporated herein by reference.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0004] If the listings of applications provided herein are
inconsistent with the listings provided via an ADS, it is the
intent of the Applicants to claim priority to each application that
appears in the Priority Applications section of the ADS and to each
application that appears in the Priority Applications section of
this application.
[0005] All subject matter of the Priority Applications and the
Related Applications and of any and all parent, grandparent,
great-grandparent, etc., applications of the Priority Applications
and the Related Applications, including any priority claims, is
incorporated herein by reference to the extent such subject matter
is not inconsistent herewith.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0006] This disclosure relates to systems and methods for
determining relative velocity and/or acceleration data of objects.
Specifically, this disclosure provides systems and methods for
using velocity and/or acceleration in combination with, for
example, entertainment devices.
SUMMARY
[0007] A system may include one or more ultrasonic transmitters
and/or receivers. In some embodiments the transmitter(s) and/or
receiver(s) may be embodied as one or more transceivers. An
ultrasonic transmitter may be configured to transmit ultrasound
into a region bounded by one or more surfaces. The ultrasonic
receiver may receive direct ultrasonic reflections from one or more
objects within the region. A Doppler shift may be detected for
ultrasound reflections from the object. Positional data of an
object may be determined using an electromagnetic reflection.
[0008] For example, in various embodiments, a system may be
configured to receive, via an electromagnetic receiver, an
electromagnetic reflection from an object within a region. The
system may then determine a relative position of the object within
the region using the received electromagnetic reflection. An
ultrasonic transmitter may transmit ultrasound into the region. One
or more ultrasonic receivers may receive an ultrasonic reflection
of the transmitted ultrasound from a site on the object within the
region. The system may then detect a shift of the received
ultrasonic reflection relative to the transmitted ultrasound. A
processor of the system may then calculate a first velocity
component associated with the site based on the detected shift of
the received ultrasonic reflection. A state of an entertainment
device may be modified based on the relative position of the object
and the first velocity component of the site.
[0009] In some embodiments, the relative position of the object may
be determined using ultrasound instead of or in addition to
electromagnetic reflections. Moreover, the ultrasonic receiver may
receive rebounded ultrasonic reflections from one or more objects
within the region. For instance, the receiver may receive
ultrasound that reflects off one or more of the surfaces and then
off one or more objects prior to being received by the ultrasonic
receiver. Similarly, the receiver may receive ultrasound that
reflects off one or more objects and then off one or more of the
surfaces prior to being received by the ultrasonic receiver.
[0010] A system may generate positional data associated with one or
more of the object(s) based on the direct ultrasonic reflection.
The mapping or positioning system may also generate positional data
using the rebounded ultrasonic reflection of the object(s) from the
one or more surfaces. It will be appreciated that a rebounded
ultrasonic reflection from a surface may be rebounded off the
surface first and then the object, or off the object first and then
the surface.
[0011] The mapping or positioning system may then generate enhanced
positional data by combining the direct positional data and the
rebounded positional data. The enhanced positional data may be a
concatenation of the direct and rebounded positional data or a
simple or complex function of the direct and rebounded positional
data. The enhanced positional data may be further enhanced or
augmented using additional positional data obtained via direct or
rebounded ultrasonic reflections and/or other positional data, such
as positional data obtained via other means (e.g., laser detection,
cameras, etc.).
[0012] A shift of the received ultrasonic reflection may be
detected. For example, the shift may include: a phase shift, a
frequency shift, and/or a timing delay. The detected Doppler shift
may be used to determine a velocity and/or acceleration of the site
on the object.
[0013] A system may calculate velocity and/or acceleration data
associated with one or more of objects based on a direct ultrasonic
reflection or a rebounded ultrasonic reflection from the one or
more surfaces. It will be appreciated that a rebounded ultrasonic
reflection from a surface may be rebounded off the surface first
and then the object, or off the object first and then the
surface.
[0014] It will also be appreciated that more complex rebound
situations may be possible, e.g., a rebounded ultrasonic reflection
may be rebounded off a first surface, then off an object, and then
again from the first surface and/or from any number of additional
surfaces any number of times before being received by the
positioning system.
[0015] The system may generate enhanced positional data and
calculate velocity data and/or acceleration data by combining
direct positional/velocity/acceleration data and the rebounded
positional/velocity/acceleration data. Positional data may be
enhanced or augmented using additional positional data obtained via
direct or rebounded ultrasonic reflections and/or other positional
data, such as positional data obtained via other systems (e.g.,
laser detection, cameras, etc.). Similarly, velocity and/or
acceleration data may be enhanced or augmented using additional
velocity and/or acceleration data obtained via direct or rebounded
ultrasonic reflections and/or other velocity and/or acceleration
data, such as velocity and/or acceleration data obtained via other
systems (e.g., laser detection, cameras, etc.).
[0016] In various embodiments, one or more local, remote, or
distributed systems and/or system components may transmit
ultrasound via an ultrasonic transmitter into a region. The
received ultrasound may include both direct reflections and
rebounded reflections. Positional, velocity, and/or acceleration
data from one or both of direct reflections and rebounded
reflections may be used to obtain positional data that more
accurately and/or more quickly describes the relative positional
data of one or more objects within the region. As described herein
velocity and/or acceleration data may be calculated using a
detected shift of one or more ultrasonic reflections, such as, for
example, a Doppler frequency shift of the ultrasonic
reflection(s).
[0017] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not
intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative
aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further
aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by
reference to the drawings and the following detailed
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1A illustrates a positioning system transmitting
ultrasound toward three persons within a bounded region.
[0019] FIG. 1B illustrates a direct ultrasonic reflection received
by the positioning system and the resulting "image" generated by
the positioning system.
[0020] FIG. 2A illustrates a positioning system rebounding
ultrasound off the wall and then toward the three persons.
[0021] FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the positioning system
rebounding the ultrasound off the wall and then toward the three
persons.
[0022] FIG. 3A illustrates a plurality of ultrasonic reflectors
configured to facilitate the transmission, reflection, and/or
reception of rebounded ultrasound by the positioning system.
[0023] FIG. 3B illustrates a plurality of active ultrasonic
reflectors configured to facilitate the transmission, reflection,
and/or reception of rebounded ultrasound by the positioning
system.
[0024] FIG. 4A illustrates an actively controlled ultrasonic
reflector in a first position configured to pivot with respect to
the wall on which it is mounted to facilitate the transmission,
reflection, and/or reception of rebounded ultrasound by the
positioning system.
[0025] FIG. 4B illustrates the actively controlled ultrasonic
reflector in a second position.
[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a positioning system,
according to one embodiment.
[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a method for generating
positional data describing a relative position of one or more
objects within a region.
[0028] FIG. 7A illustrates an ultrasonic system transmitting and
receiving reflected ultrasound from a stationary object.
[0029] FIG. 7B illustrates an ultrasonic system transmitting
ultrasound at a first frequency and receiving reflected ultrasound
at a second frequency from an object moving away from the
ultrasound system.
[0030] FIG. 7C illustrates an ultrasound system transmitting
ultrasound at a first frequency and receiving reflected ultrasound
at a second frequency from an object moving toward the ultrasound
system.
[0031] FIG. 7D illustrates an ultrasonic system transmitting and
receiving reflected ultrasound from a stationary object, similar to
FIG. 7A.
[0032] FIG. 7E illustrates a timing delay in a reflected ultrasound
from the object as it moves away from the ultrasound system.
[0033] FIG. 8 illustrates ultrasound rebounded off of a reflector
prior to being reflected by an object moving away from an
ultrasound receiver.
[0034] FIG. 9. Illustrates an electromagnetic position detection
system used in conjunction with an ultrasound velocity and/or
acceleration detection system.
[0035] FIG. 10 illustrates ultrasound reflected and/or rebounded
from one or more auxiliary reflectors.
[0036] FIG. 11 illustrates a plurality of ultrasonic systems for
determining velocity and/or acceleration information from multiple
directions.
[0037] FIG. 12 illustrates a method for determining velocity and/or
acceleration information associated with a moving object.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] A system may include one or more ultrasonic transmitters
and/or receivers. In some embodiments the transmitter(s) and/or
receiver(s) may be embodied as one or more transceivers. An
ultrasonic transmitter may be configured to transmit ultrasound
into a region bounded by one or more surfaces. The ultrasound may
be between 20 kHz and 250 kHz. In one embodiment, the ultrasound is
specifically between 35 kHz and 45 kHz.
[0039] One or more of the ultrasonic transmitters, receivers,
and/or transceivers may comprise an ultrasonic transducer that may
be part of a single transducer system or an array of transducers.
The ultrasonic transducer may comprise a piezoelectric transducer.
The ultrasonic receiver may comprise a first ultrasonic transducer
configured to receive direct ultrasonic reflections and a second
ultrasonic transducer to receive rebounded ultrasonic reflections.
One or more transducers may be configured to transmit and/or
receive directional ultrasound, focused ultrasound, or ultrasound
from a phased array of transducers.
[0040] In some embodiments, the transducers may comprise or be made
from metamaterials. A flat sub-wavelength array of ultrasonic
transducers may be used in conjunction with the embodiments
described herein, such as those utilizing arrays of
metamaterials.
[0041] In some embodiments, the direct ultrasound may be reflected
from a first portion of an object and the rebounded ultrasound may
be reflected from a second, different portion of the object.
Positional data may be determined using the received ultrasonic
reflections. Direct positional data may correspond to a first
directional component of the position of the object and the
rebounded positional data may correspond to a second directional
component of the position of the object. Similarly, one or more
direct and/or rebounded ultrasonic reflections may be used to
determine velocity and/or acceleration. For example, velocity
and/or acceleration information may be determined using a Doppler
shift that corresponds to a motion of the reflecting object.
[0042] In some embodiments, received ultrasonic reflections (direct
or rebounded) may be used to determine positional data. Positional
data sampled at various times may be used to determine and/or
estimate current and/or future velocity and/or acceleration
information associated with an object. For example, a velocity
estimate can be formed by dividing the difference between
positional data at two different times by the time interval between
the two different times. Similarly, an acceleration estimate can be
formed by dividing the difference between velocity data at two
different times by the time interval between the two different
times. Positional data corresponding to a sequence of different
times can be curve fit to develop a velocity estimate (i.e., a
slope of the curve fit) and/or an acceleration estimate (i.e., a
curvature of the curve fit). In other embodiments, as described
herein, velocity information may be calculated based on a detected
shift in ultrasound reflected by an object.
[0043] For example, a system may detect a Doppler shift in
ultrasound reflected by an object relative to the transmitted
ultrasound. A shift to a longer wavelength may indicate that the
object is moving away from the ultrasonic receiver. A shift to a
shorter wavelength may indicate that the object is moving toward
the ultrasonic receiver. The detected shift may be related to a
frequency shift, a wavelength shift, a phase shift, a time-shifted
reflection, and/or other ultrasonic shift. An acceleration estimate
can be formed by comparing such velocity information at different
times, e.g., by dividing the difference between velocities at two
different times by the time interval between the two different
times, or by curve fitting a time sequence of velocity data and
determining the slope of the curve fit.
[0044] Any number of direct and/or rebounded ultrasonic reflections
may be obtained from one or more objects within a region to obtain
velocity and/or acceleration data over a period of time and/or to
obtain more accurate velocity and/or acceleration data with
multiple data points. The transmitted ultrasound may be transmitted
as directional or non-directional ultrasonic pulses, continuously,
in a modulated (frequency, amplitude, phase, etc.) fashion, and/or
other format. The ultrasonic transmissions may be spaced at regular
intervals, on demand, and/or based on the reception of a previously
transmitted ultrasonic transmission. Direct and rebounded
ultrasound pulses may be transmitted at the same time, or either
one can be transmitted before the other.
[0045] Rebounded ultrasonic reflections may be defined as
ultrasonic reflections that, in any order, reflect off at least one
surface in addition to the object. For example, the rebounded
ultrasonic reflections may be reflected off any number of surfaces
and/or objects (in any order) prior to being received by the
ultrasonic receiver.
[0046] A mapping or positioning system may generate positional data
associated with one or more of the object(s) based on the direct
ultrasonic reflection(s) and/or the rebounded ultrasonic
reflection(s). The positional data may comprise a centroid of the
objects, a two-dimensional mapping of the object, an image of the
object, a false-color representation of the object, an information
representation (blocks, squares, shadows, etc.) of the object, a
three-dimensional mapping of the object, one or more features of
the object, and/or other information.
[0047] The velocity and/or acceleration data may be defined with
respect to one or more surfaces of the region, the ultrasonic
velocity/acceleration system, a receiver of the system, and/or a
transmitter of the system. The one or more objects within the
region may comprise machinery, robots, furniture, household
property, people in general, gamers, human controllers of
electronic devices, electronic devices, fixtures, and/or other
human or non-human objects.
[0048] The object may comprise a specific portion of a person, such
as a hand, finger, arm, leg, foot, toe, torso, neck, head, mouth,
lip, or eye. In some embodiments, rebounded ultrasonic
transmissions may be reflected off an ultrasonic reflector disposed
within the room. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic reflectors may
be mounted and/or otherwise positioned within the region. In other
embodiments, the ultrasonic reflectors may be held, worn, and/or
otherwise in the position of the user or operator of the ultrasonic
positioning system. The ultrasonic reflectors may modify a
characteristic of the reflected ultrasound, facilitating the
identification of the received rebounded ultrasonic
reflections.
[0049] Ultrasonic reflectors may comprise passive, active, and/or
actively moved/pivoted ultrasonic reflectors for controlling the
direction in which ultrasound rebounds and/or otherwise travels
within the region. For example, the ultrasonic reflector may be
configured to modify one or more of the frequency, phase, and/or
amplitude of the rebounded ultrasound. The modified characteristic
may facilitate the differentiation of the direct ultrasonic
reflections and the rebounded ultrasonic reflections. In some
embodiments the direct and rebounded signals can be differentiated
using knowledge of the transmission or reception directions of the
respective beams. In some embodiments, the direct and rebounded
signals can be differentiated using knowledge of the time-of-flight
of the respective beams. In some embodiments, the direction of a
reflected beam (and hence directional characteristics of its
delivered positional information) can be determined by knowledge of
the orientation of the reflecting surface and its reflective
characteristics. For example, ultrasonic reflection from a surface
may be dominated by specular reflection, thereby allowing
straightforward determination of the rebound geometry.
[0050] The mapping or positioning system may generate positional
and/or motion data. The system may also generate velocity and/or
acceleration data using the rebounded ultrasonic reflection of the
object(s) from the one or more surfaces. It will be appreciated
that a rebounded ultrasonic reflection from a surface may be
rebounded off the surface first and then the object, or off the
object first and then the surface.
[0051] The mapping or positioning system may then generate enhanced
positional data by combining the direct positional data and the
rebounded positional data. The enhanced positional data may be a
concatenation of the direct and rebounded positional data or a
simple or complex function of the direct and rebounded positional
data.
[0052] For example, in one embodiment, the direct and rebounded
positional data may comprise only time-of-flight information, which
based upon air sound-speed can be converted to transit distance
information for each beam. In such embodiments, the direct
positional data provides a range from the transceiver to the
object, i.e., leaving the position undefined along a
two-dimensional spherical surface. Each potential object position
along this spherical surface leads, e.g., assuming specular
reflections, to a distinct time-of-flight for the rebounded beam
from one surface (wall, ceiling, floor); this restricts the locus
of possible object positions to a one-dimensional arc along the
spherical surface, thereby improving the positional estimate.
[0053] The mapping or positional system can further refine the
positional data by analyzing rebound data from a second surface. In
the current example, each potential object position along the
spherical surface (obtained by the time-of-flight of the direct
beam) defines a first time-of-flight for ultrasound rebounded from
the first surface and a second time-of-flight for ultrasound
rebounded from the second surface; knowledge of both
times-of-flight determines the object's position. It is clear that
time-of-flight data from other surfaces can, by "over defining" the
problem can improve the positional estimate, e.g., by reducing
sensitivity to measurement errors, to the effects of diffuse
reflections, etc. In other embodiments, the direct and rebounded
positional data may comprise directional information.
[0054] For example, directional information for direct ultrasound
can identify that the object (or a specified portion of it) lies
along a known ray, thereby providing two components of its
position. Information from rebounded ultrasound can then provide
additional positional data sufficient to identify the third
component of the object's position, i.e., its location along the
ray. The rebounded ultrasound may provide time-of-flight
information; each object location along the ray corresponds to a
different time-of-flight for rebounded ultrasound from a surface,
so the measured time-of-flight identifies the object's location.
The rebounded ultrasound may provide directional information
(either for transmission or reception); the intersection of this
rebound ray with the direct ray serves to identify the object's
location.
[0055] The enhanced positional data may be further enhanced or
augmented using additional positional data obtained via direct or
rebounded ultrasonic reflections and/or other positional data, such
as positional data obtained via other means (e.g., laser detection,
cameras, etc.). The direct and the rebounded positional data may
provide positional data for the object at the same or at different
times, depending on the time at which they are reflected from the
object. The enhanced positional data may be analyzed using a
dynamical model, e.g., a Kalman filter, designed to combine
positional data corresponding to different times or directional
components, using them together with, and to improve, estimates of
the object's motion.
[0056] In some embodiments, direct ultrasonic reflections may not
be used. Rather, a first rebounded ultrasonic reflection and a
second rebounded ultrasonic reflection may be used to generate
positional data. It is appreciated that any number of direct or
rebounded ultrasonic reflections may be used to identify a position
and/or movement of an object within a region. In various
embodiments, the positional data gathered using ultrasonic
reflections may be combined with other positional data, such as
infrared, positional data provided by manual input, echo location,
sonar techniques, laser, and/or the like.
[0057] In various embodiments, one or more local, remote, or
distributed systems and/or system components may transmit
ultrasound via an ultrasonic transmitter into a region. The
received ultrasound may include both direct reflections and
rebounded reflections. Positional data from both the direct
reflections and the rebounded reflections may be used to obtain
positional data that more accurately and/or more quickly describes
the relative positional data of one or more objects within the
region.
[0058] As described above, the system may also generate velocity
and/or acceleration data using the rebounded ultrasonic reflection
of the object(s) from the one or more surfaces. It is appreciated
that a rebounded ultrasonic reflection from a surface may be
rebounded off the surface first and then the object, or off the
object first and then the surface.
[0059] The system may then generate enhanced velocity and/or
acceleration data by combining the direct velocity and/or
acceleration data and the rebounded velocity and/or acceleration
data. The enhanced velocity and/or acceleration data may be a
concatenation of the direct and rebounded velocity and/or
acceleration data or a simple or complex function of the direct and
rebounded velocity and/or acceleration data.
[0060] For example, a Doppler frequency shift for direct ultrasound
reflecting from an object can identify the vector component of the
object's velocity along the direction of the direct ultrasound.
Doppler information from rebounded ultrasound can then provide
additional velocity along the rebound direction sufficient to
identify another component of the object's velocity. As discussed
above, velocity data from different times can then be used to
determine acceleration data.
[0061] The enhanced velocity and/or acceleration data may be
further enhanced or augmented using additional velocity and/or
acceleration data obtained via direct or rebounded ultrasonic
reflections and/or other velocity and/or acceleration data, such as
velocity and/or acceleration data obtained via other
means/systems/methods (e.g., laser detection, cameras, etc.). The
direct and the rebounded velocity and/or acceleration data may
provide velocity and/or acceleration data for the object at the
same or different times, depending on the time at which they are
reflected from the object. The enhanced positional data may be
analyzed using a dynamical model, e.g., a Kalman filter, designed
to combine velocity and/or acceleration data corresponding to
different times or directional components, using them together
with, and to improve, estimates of the object's present and/or
future motion.
[0062] In some embodiments, direct ultrasonic reflections may not
be used. Rather, a first rebounded ultrasonic reflection and a
second rebounded ultrasonic reflection may be used to generate
velocity and/or acceleration data. It is appreciated that any
number of direct or rebounded ultrasonic reflections may be used to
identify a position, velocity, acceleration, and/or other movement
information of an object within a region. In various embodiments,
the velocity and/or acceleration data gathered using ultrasonic
reflections may be combined with other velocity and/or acceleration
data, such as infrared, velocity and/or acceleration data provided
by manual input, echo location, sonar techniques, laser, and/or the
like.
[0063] In various embodiments, one or more local, remote, or
distributed systems and/or system components may transmit
ultrasound via an ultrasonic transmitter into a region. The
received ultrasound may include both direct reflections and
rebounded reflections. Velocity and/or acceleration data from both
the direct reflections and the rebounded reflections may be used to
obtain velocity and/or acceleration data that more accurately
and/or more quickly describes the relative velocity and/or
acceleration data of one or more objects within the region.
[0064] The relative position information as well as the velocity
and/or acceleration data can be used to modify the state of an
entertainment device. The position, velocity, and/or acceleration
data can denote position and motion of a user of the entertainment
device, or of parts of the user (e.g., denoting hand motions,
posture, gait, facial expression, etc.). The position, velocity,
and/or acceleration data can denote position and motion of an
object carried or worn by a user of the entertainment device (e.g.,
a device controller, wearable ultrasound reflectors, etc.). The
position, velocity, and/or acceleration data can denote position
and motion of other objects or people in the vicinity of the
entertainment device (e.g., furniture, acquaintances, pets, etc.).
In one embodiment, the entertainment device can comprise a system
for playing video games.
[0065] The position, velocity, and/or acceleration data can be used
to deliver a user response to a game situation, thereby modifying
game action and hence the state of the video game (e.g., of game
software, of game video content displayed on a monitor, of game
audio emitted from speakers or user earphones). In an embodiment,
the entertainment device can comprise a system for providing video
or audio content to a user (e.g., a television, a stereo, a DVD
player, etc.). The position, velocity, and/or acceleration data can
be used to deliver a user command to the system (e.g., to stop
providing a given content, to start providing a given content, to
change an audio volume, to change a display brightness, to fast
forward, to rewind, etc.). The position, velocity, and/or
acceleration data can be used to deliver a user response to content
displayed by the system (e.g., to show approval, disapproval,
etc.).
[0066] The entertainment device can provide a signal which
(partially or completely) controls one or more aspects of the
position and velocity measuring system. In an embodiment, the
signal can be used to cause the measuring system to take or provide
a new position, velocity, or acceleration measurement to the
entertainment device. In this way the entertainment device can
control the timing of measurements, the location of the
measurements (i.e., what part of a user or object is being
measured), and/or the type of measurement (e.g., position,
velocity, acceleration, vector component, etc.).
[0067] For example, an entertainment device may prioritize
measurements of a user's hands. In another example, after a game
system has displayed an action (e.g., swung a sword at a user's
character) it may command increased measurements of the user to
determine his response. In a further example, an entertainment
device may have (based on previous measurements of the user) a
computational model of the user's position or motion. The
entertainment device may determine that some aspects of this model
are less accurate than others, and hence provide a signal to the
measuring system to acquire additional measurements to improve the
accuracy of the less accurate portions of the model. For instance,
it may command Doppler measurements to provide more accurate motion
estimates than available from differential positional measurements,
it may command use of rebounded ultrasound to measure position or
motion of obscured parts of the user, etc.
[0068] The signal from the entertainment device and/or an
associated control device may be used to control ultrasound
transmission by an ultrasound transmitter. This signal can control
the time of the transmission, the direction of the transmission,
the frequency of the transmitted ultrasound, etc. The signal can be
used to control operation of an ultrasound receiver. This signal
can control the time at which to detect ultrasound, the directional
sensitivity of the receiver, the frequency to be detected, etc. The
transmitter or receiver being controlled can be used for
determining relative position (using direct or rebounded
ultrasound) or for measuring one or more velocity components by
detecting shifts in reflected ultrasound. The signal from the
entertainment device can be used to control an electromagnetic
source (e.g., an LED, a laser, a radar transmitter, etc.) and/or an
electromagnetic receiver (e.g., a camera, a radar detector, a
phased array, etc.). The signal can control the timing,
directivity, radiation frequency, radiation polarization, etc.
[0069] Embodiments may include various steps, which may be embodied
in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer
system. A computer system includes one or more general-purpose or
special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The
computer system may include hardware components that include
specific logic for performing the steps or may include a
combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.
[0070] Embodiments may also be provided as a computer program
product including a computer-readable medium having stored thereon
instructions that may be used to program a computer system or other
electronic device to perform the processes described herein. The
computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to: hard
drives, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, ROMs,
RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, solid-state
memory devices, or other types of media/computer-readable media
suitable for storing electronic instructions.
[0071] Computer systems and the computers in a computer system may
be connected via a network. Suitable networks for configuration
and/or use as described herein include one or more local area
networks, wide area networks, metropolitan area networks, and/or
Internet or IP networks, such as the World Wide Web, a private
Internet, a secure Internet, a value-added network, a virtual
private network, an extranet, an intranet, or even standalone
machines which communicate with other machines by physical
transport of media. In particular, a suitable network may be formed
from parts or entireties of two or more other networks, including
networks using disparate hardware and network communication
technologies.
[0072] One suitable network includes a server and several clients;
other suitable networks may contain other combinations of servers,
clients, and/or peer-to-peer nodes, and a given computer system may
function both as a client and as a server. Each network includes at
least two computers or computer systems, such as the server and/or
clients. A computer system may include a workstation, laptop
computer, disconnectable mobile computer, server, mainframe,
cluster, so-called "network computer" or "thin client," tablet,
smart phone, personal digital assistant or other hand-held
computing device, "smart" consumer electronics device or appliance,
medical device, or a combination thereof.
[0073] The network may include communications or networking
software, such as the software available from Novell, Microsoft,
Artisoft, and other vendors, and may operate using TCP/IP, SPX,
IPX, and other protocols over twisted pair, coaxial, or optical
fiber cables, telephone lines, radio waves, satellites, microwave
relays, modulated AC power lines, physical media transfer, and/or
other data transmission "wires" known to those of skill in the art.
The network may encompass smaller networks and/or be connectable to
other networks through a gateway or similar mechanism.
[0074] Each computer system includes at least a processor and a
memory; computer systems may also include various input devices
and/or output devices. The processor may include a general purpose
device, such as an Intel.RTM., AMD.RTM., or other "off-the-shelf"
microprocessor. The processor may include a special purpose
processing device, such as an ASIC, SoC, SiP, FPGA, PAL, PLA, FPLA,
PLD, or other customized or programmable device. The memory may
include static RAM, dynamic RAM, flash memory, one or more
flip-flops, ROM, CD-ROM, disk, tape, magnetic, optical, or other
computer storage medium. The input device(s) may include a
keyboard, mouse, touch screen, light pen, tablet, microphone,
sensor, or other hardware with accompanying firmware and/or
software. The output device(s) may include a monitor or other
display, printer, speech or text synthesizer, switch, signal line,
or other hardware with accompanying firmware and/or software.
[0075] The computer systems may be capable of using a floppy drive,
tape drive, optical drive, magneto-optical drive, or other means to
read a storage medium. A suitable storage medium includes a
magnetic, optical, or other computer-readable storage device having
a specific physical configuration. Suitable storage devices include
floppy disks, hard disks, tape, CD-ROMs, DVDs, PROMs, RAM, flash
memory, and other computer system storage devices. The physical
configuration represents data and instructions which cause the
computer system to operate in a specific and predefined manner as
described herein.
[0076] Suitable software to assist in implementing the invention is
readily provided by those of skill in the pertinent art(s) using
the teachings presented here and programming languages and tools,
such as Java, Pascal, C++, C, database languages, APIs, SDKs,
assembly, firmware, microcode, and/or other languages and tools.
Suitable signal formats may be embodied in analog or digital form,
with or without error detection and/or correction bits, packet
headers, network addresses in a specific format, and/or other
supporting data readily provided by those of skill in the pertinent
art(s).
[0077] Several aspects of the embodiments described will be
illustrated as software modules or components. As used herein, a
software module or component may include any type of computer
instruction or computer executable code located within a memory
device. A software module may, for instance, include one or more
physical or logical blocks of computer instructions, which may be
organized as a routine, program, object, component, data structure,
etc., that performs one or more tasks or implements particular
abstract data types.
[0078] In certain embodiments, a particular software module may
include disparate instructions stored in different locations of a
memory device, different memory devices, or different computers,
which together implement the described functionality of the module.
Indeed, a module may include a single instruction or many
instructions, and may be distributed over several different code
segments, among different programs, and across several memory
devices. Some embodiments may be practiced in a distributed
computing environment where tasks are performed by a remote
processing device linked through a communications network. In a
distributed computing environment, software modules may be located
in local and/or remote memory storage devices. In addition, data
being tied or rendered together in a database record may be
resident in the same memory device, or across several memory
devices, and may be linked together in fields of a record in a
database across a network.
[0079] Much of the infrastructure that can be used according to the
present invention is already available, such as: general purpose
computers, computer programming tools and techniques, computer
networks and networking technologies, digital storage media,
authentication, access control, and other security tools and
techniques provided by public keys, encryption, firewalls, and/or
other means.
[0080] The embodiments of the disclosure are described below with
reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by
like numerals throughout. The components of the disclosed
embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures
herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of
different configurations. Furthermore, the features, structures,
and operations associated with one embodiment may be applicable to
or combined with the features, structures, or operations described
in conjunction with another embodiment. In other instances,
well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or
described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of this
disclosure.
[0081] Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments
of the systems and methods of the disclosure is not intended to
limit the scope of the disclosure, as claimed, but is merely
representative of possible embodiments. In addition, the steps of a
method do not necessarily need to be executed in any specific
order, or even sequentially, nor do the steps need to be executed
only once.
[0082] FIG. 1A illustrates a positioning system 110 transmitting
ultrasound 120 toward three persons 151, 152, and 153 in a group
150 within a bounded region 100. As illustrated, the bounded region
100 is bounded by a floor 141, a left wall 142, a back wall 143, a
right wall 144, and a ceiling 145. A front wall (not shown), may
also bound the region 100.
[0083] The positioning system 110 may transmit the ultrasound 120
as directional ultrasonic pulses, continuously, in a modulated
fashion (frequency, amplitude, phase, etc.), and/or in another
format. The ultrasound 120 may be transmitted directly toward the
persons 151, 152, and 153. The ultrasound 120 may be transmitted
indirectly toward the persons 151, 152, and 153.
[0084] In various embodiments, the positioning system 110 may be
any shape or size and/or may comprise a plurality of distributed
components. The illustrated embodiment is merely an example and is
not intended to convey any information regarding shape, size,
configuration, or functionality. In various embodiments, the
positioning system 110 may include an array of transducers, such as
piezoelectric transducers, configured to transmit and/or receive
ultrasound. The positioning system 110 may be configured with a
first plurality of transducers 112 (or a single transducer) for
transmitting ultrasound and a second plurality of transducers 113
(or a single transducer) for receiving ultrasound.
[0085] FIG. 1B illustrates a direct ultrasonic reflection 121
received by the positioning system 110. As illustrated, the direct
ultrasonic reflection 121 may convey information in a relatively
two-dimensional fashion in which the three persons 151, 152, and
153 are viewed as a single object 160, or as three distinct objects
(161, 162, and 163) in substantially the same plane. FIG. 1B
illustrates a visual representation of the received direct
reflection of ultrasound 121. The actual positional data received
may be at a higher or lower resolution depending on the sampling
rates, accuracy, processing bit depth, frequency(ies) of ultrasound
used, etc.
[0086] FIG. 2A illustrates a positioning system 210, similar to
that described in conjunction with FIGS. 1A and 1B, in which
ultrasound 225 is transmitted toward a surface bounding the region
200. In the illustrated embodiment, the rebounding surface is left
wall 242. It is appreciated that ultrasound may be rebounded off
one or more of left wall 242, floor 241, back wall 243, right wall
244, and/or ceiling 245.
[0087] As used herein, the terms rebound and rebounding may include
any type of reflection, refraction, and/or repeating that may or
may not include a phase, frequency, modulation, and/or amplitude
change. Rebounding may be performed by the outer surface of the
surface, an inner portion of the surface, or an object disposed on,
in, or behind the surface (e.g., exterior paint, drywall, internal
metal, studs, interior coatings, mounted panels, etc.).
[0088] The ultrasound may ultimately be rebounded 227 to reflect
off persons 251, 252, and 253 at a different angle than that
obtained in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The illustrated embodiment shows the
rebounded ultrasound 227 reflecting off the left wall 242 prior to
the persons 251-253. However, the ultrasound may reflect off
persons 251-253 prior to the left wall 242 instead. Ultimately,
ultrasound 225 may be rebounded and/or reflected by persons 251-253
and one or more of surfaces/walls 241-245 in any order and then be
received by positioning system 210.
[0089] FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the positioning system
210 described in conjunction with FIG. 2A with the rebounded
ultrasound 226 being received after reflecting off persons 251-253,
at location 228, and rebounding off left wall 242. FIG. 2B also
shows a front wall 246. In some embodiments, all of the ultrasound
may be transmitted against a front wall 246 to more evenly
distribute ultrasound throughout the region (i.e., a wider
effective beam width).
[0090] As illustrated in FIG. 2B, the positional data obtained by
the rebounded ultrasound 226 may provide information not available
via the direct reflections shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, e.g., due to
one object preventing direct ultrasound from reaching a second
object (or another portion of the first object). For instance, the
visual representation of the positional data obtained illustrates
three distinct objects 261, 262, and 263 that are clearly in
distinct planes relative to the positioning system 210. For
instance, the positional data generated based on the rebounded
ultrasound in FIG. 2B shows a distance D between object 262 and
objects 261 and 263. Such a distance D may be difficult to
determine or determined differently if only direct reflections were
available (as in FIGS. 1A and 1B).
[0091] FIG. 3A illustrates a plurality of ultrasonic reflectors
371, 372, 373, and 374 secured to, mounted to, positioned within,
and/or integrally formed with one or more of the surfaces 341, 342,
343, 345, and 346. In some embodiments, a user/subject may hold or
otherwise control a portable ultrasonic reflector 375. The
ultrasonic reflectors 371-375 may facilitate the transmission,
reflection, and/or reception of rebounded ultrasound by the
positioning system 310.
[0092] The ultrasonic reflectors may comprise passive, active,
and/or actively moved/pivoted ultrasonic reflectors for controlling
the direction in which ultrasound rebounds and/or otherwise travels
within the region. For example, the ultrasonic reflector may be
configured to modify one or more of the frequency, phase, and/or
amplitude of the rebounded ultrasound. The modified characteristic
may facilitate the differentiation of the direct ultrasonic
reflections and the rebounded ultrasonic reflections.
[0093] The mapping or positing system 310 may generate positional
data associated with one or more of the object(s) based on the
direct ultrasonic reflection(s) (e.g., FIGS. 1A and 1B) and/or the
rebounded ultrasonic reflection(s) (e.g., FIGS. 2A and 2B). The
positional data may comprise a centroid of the objects, a
two-dimensional mapping of the object, an image of the object, a
false-color representation of the object, an information
representation (blocks, squares, shadows, etc.) of the object, a
three-dimensional mapping of the object, one or more features of
the object, and/or other information.
[0094] The positional data may be defined with respect to one or
more surfaces of the region, the positioning system 310, a receiver
of the positioning system 312, and/or a transmitter 313 of the
positioning system. The one or more objects within the region may
comprise machinery, robots, furniture, household property, people
in general, garners, human controllers of electronic devices,
electronic devices, fixtures, and/or other human or non-human
objects.
[0095] The object may comprise a specific portion of a person, such
as a hand, finger, arm, leg, foot, toe, torso, neck, head, mouth,
lip, and/or eye. As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, rebounded
ultrasonic transmissions may be reflected off an ultrasonic
reflector 371-375 disposed within the room. In some embodiments,
the ultrasonic reflectors may modify a characteristic of the
reflected ultrasound, facilitating the identification of the
received rounded ultrasonic reflections.
[0096] FIG. 3B illustrates a plurality of active ultrasonic
reflectors 391-394 configured to facilitate the transmission,
reflection, and/or reception of rebounded ultrasound by the
positioning system. As illustrated, active ultrasonic reflectors
391-394 may be connected to a power source, such as batteries,
solar cells, heat converts, outlets 380, and/or other suitable
power source. In some embodiments, the ultrasound itself may
provide the power source.
[0097] FIG. 4A illustrates an actively controlled ultrasonic
reflector 472 in a first position. A positioning system 410 may be
in communication with the ultrasonic reflector 472, or the
ultrasonic reflector 472 may be autonomous. In various embodiments,
the positioning system 410 may transmit ultrasound 425 toward the
persons 451, 452, and 453 or toward the wall 442, as illustrated.
The ultrasound 425 may then be rebounded off the wall 442 or
reflected by the persons 451-453, respectively.
[0098] FIG. 4B illustrates the actively controlled ultrasonic
reflector 472 in a second position. The ultrasonic reflector 472
may be pivoted and/or controlled by a pivot control 495.
[0099] In some embodiments, pivot control 495 may change other
reflective, absorptive, and/or refractive properties of the
ultrasonic reflector 472, in addition to its direction. For
example, an ultrasonic reflector 472 may have specific ultrasonic
or other acoustic absorptive properties. A pivot control 495 may
adjust the pivoting and/or acoustic and/or electrical
properties.
[0100] FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of a positioning system
500, according to one embodiment. As illustrated, a positioning
system 500 may include a processor 530, a memory 540, and possibly
a network 550 or other data transfer interface. A bus 520 may
interconnect various integrated and/or discrete components. Various
modules may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, and/or
a combination thereof.
[0101] An ultrasonic transmitter module 580 may be configured to
transmit ultrasound in any of the various forms and/or methods
described herein. An ultrasonic receiver module 582 may be
configured to receive a direct ultrasonic reflection from an object
within a region. Additionally, the ultrasonic receiver module 582
may be configured to receive rebounded ultrasonic reflection from
the object. As used herein, direct reflections and rebounded
reflections refer to the various descriptions provided herein as
well as the generally understood and variations of these terms.
[0102] A mapping system module 584 generates direct positional data
associated with the object based on one or more direct ultrasonic
reflections. The mapping system module 584 may also generate direct
positional data associated with the object based on one or more
indirect ultrasonic reflections, as may be understood in the art.
The mapping system module 584 may also generate rebounded
positional data associated with the object based on one or more
indirect ultrasonic reflections, as may be understood in the
art.
[0103] A direct reflection module 586 may be configured to
facilitate, manage, and/or monitor the transmission and/or
reception of direct reflections. The rebounded reflection module
588 may be configured to facilitate, manage, and/or monitor the
transmission and/or reception of rebounded reflections.
[0104] The positional data calculation module 589 may generate
direct positional data associated with the object based on one or
more direct ultrasonic reflections. The positional data calculation
module 589 may also generate rebounded positional data associated
with the object based on one or more rebounded ultrasonic
reflections. The positional data calculation module 589 may also
generate enhanced positional data by combining the direct
positional data and the rebounded positional data.
[0105] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of method 600 for generating
positional data describing a relative position and/or movement of
one or more objects within a region. The method steps are provided
in no particular order and may be rearranged as would be
technically feasible. A positioning system may transmit 605
ultrasound into a region bounded by at least one surface. The
positioning system may receive 610 direct ultrasonic reflections
from at least one object within the region.
[0106] The positioning system may receive 612 rebounded ultrasonic
reflections from at least one object within the region. The
rebounded ultrasonic reflections may reflect off the wall(s) first
and/or off the object(s) first. The positioning system may generate
614 positional data based on the direct reflections from the
object. The positioning system may generate 616 positional data
based on the rebounded reflections from the object.
[0107] The positioning system may generate 618 enhanced positional
data by combining the direct positional data and the rebounded
positional data. In other embodiments, the positioning system may
transmit the direct positional data and the rebounded positional
data to another electronic or other processing device for
usage.
[0108] Any of the various configurations of ultrasonic
transmitters, receivers, reflectors, and/or other components
described in conjunction with the detection of the position of an
object may also be applied to the embodiments described herein with
respect to the detection and/or calculation of velocity and/or
acceleration data associated with an object or objects, including
those embodiments described below with reference to FIGS. 7A-12.
For example, direct and rebounded reflections, multiple reflectors
and/or ultrasonic paths may be used to calculate velocity and/or
acceleration data associated with an object within a region.
[0109] FIG. 7A illustrates an ultrasonic system 710 transmitting
720 and receiving 740 reflected ultrasound from a stationary object
730. The spacing between the arcs representing the ultrasound 720
and 740 is representative of the wavelength and/or frequency of the
ultrasound. With the object 730 in a stationary position, the
reflected ultrasound 740 is not shifted with respect to the
transmitted ultrasound 720.
[0110] FIG. 7B illustrates the ultrasonic system 710 transmitting
ultrasound 720 at a first frequency and receiving reflected
ultrasound 741 at a second frequency from an object moving away
from the ultrasound system 710. The frequency shift can be detected
and used to determine the velocity of the reverse motion of the
object 730. The frequency shift may be composed of two shifts, one
due to the arrival of the ultrasound at the moving object, and the
second due to the departure of the reflected ultrasound from the
moving object. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7B, both
shifts are essentially the same. For example, the velocity of the
object 730, V.sub.o, is equal to half the change in frequency,
.DELTA.f, multiplied by the velocity of the ultrasound, V.sub.us,
divided by the frequency of the transmitted ultrasound,
f.sub.trans, relative to the ultrasonic receiver. Any of a wide
variety Doppler shift velocity and/or acceleration calculation
and/or estimation algorithms may be utilized.
[0111] FIG. 7C illustrates an ultrasound system 710 transmitting
ultrasound 720 at a first frequency and receiving reflected
ultrasound 742 at a second frequency from an object 730 moving
toward the ultrasound system 710. Again, any of a wide variety of
Doppler shift algorithms for calculating, determining, and/or
estimating the relative velocity of the object 730 with respect to
the ultrasonic system 710 may be used. For example, the Doppler
equation:
f r = ( C - V o C + V o ) f t Equation 1 ##EQU00001##
[0112] In equation 1 above it is assumed that a transmission medium
(e.g., air) is relatively stationary, as are the transmitter and
receiver, f.sub.r is the frequency of the received ultrasound, C is
the velocity of the ultrasound in the medium (e.g., air), V.sub.o
is the velocity of the object relative to the medium (and away from
the transmitter and/or receiver), and f.sub.t is the frequency of
the transmitted ultrasound. An acceleration of the object may be
determined using velocity calculations at multiple discrete time
periods and/or by detecting a change in the frequency of the
received ultrasound, f.sub.r, over time.
[0113] As described herein, the ultrasonic system 710 may include
one or more ultrasonic transmitters and/or ultrasonic receivers and
the transmitters and receivers may be physically joined (as
illustrated in FIG. 7C) or they may be separated and even possible
positioned in disparate locations within the region. In some
embodiments, the transmitters and receivers may be embodied in a
single transducer. In other embodiments, each transducer may act as
both an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver.
[0114] FIG. 7D illustrates an ultrasonic system 710 transmitting
and receiving reflected ultrasound 720 and 743 from a stationary
object 730, similar to FIG. 7A. FIG. 7D provides a representative
context for FIG. 7E.
[0115] FIG. 7E illustrates a timing delay and/or phase shift,
illustrated as missing wave arc 757, in reflected ultrasound 743
from the object 730 as it moves away from the ultrasound system
710. As provided herein Doppler shifts may be used to determine
acceleration and/or velocity information associated with a moving
object. It is, however, recognized the various methods of velocity
measurement may be utilized. Including, for example, phase shift
(i.e., when received signals arrive) measurements, similar to those
used in Doppler echocardiography. It is appreciated that various
1D, 2D, and 3D vector Doppler calculations of velocity and/or
acceleration information of an object may be incorporated into the
presently described systems and methods, including, but not limited
to, 2D Doppler Imaging, Vector Doppler, Speckle Tracking, and
others.
[0116] FIG. 8 illustrates ultrasound 820 rebounded, at 821, off of
a reflector 850 (e.g., an auxiliary reflector) prior to being
reflected by an object 830 moving away from an ultrasound receiver
810. A shift in the received ultrasound 840 relative to the
transmitted ultrasound 820 is due to two aspects of the object's
velocity, that relative to the arriving ultrasound from the
auxiliary reflector as well as that relative to the reflected
ultrasound heading back to the receiver 810. The net shift can be
used to determine the a velocity component of the object 810 along
the vector difference of the reflected and incident ultrasound
directions; for specular reflection this component is normal to the
object's surface.
[0117] In one embodiment, the ultrasound may first be reflected by
the object 830, and then rebounded by the reflector 850. In such an
embodiment, it may be possible to determine velocity and/or
acceleration information of the object 830 relative to the
reflector 850.
[0118] FIG. 9 Illustrates an electromagnetic position detection
system 913 used in conjunction with an ultrasound velocity and/or
acceleration detection system 910. The ultrasonic velocity and/or
acceleration detection system 910 may operate and/or be configured
in conjunction with any of the various embodiments described herein
for determining position, velocity, and/or acceleration information
at a current time and/or for estimating such information at a
future time. The electromagnetic position detection system 913 may
detect a three-dimensional position of the object 930 using
stereoscopic imaging. The electromagnetic position detection system
913 may detect a 3-D position of the object 930 using an imager for
two-dimensional direction and time-of-flight for range. For
example, a laser or other electromagnetic radiation source may be
used to measure a time-of-flight between the system 913 and the
object 930. The electromagnetic position detection system 913 may
use ambient electromagnetic radiation or may use an artificial
source (e.g., an LED, a laser, a radar transmitter) of
electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic position detection
system 913 may use electromagnetic radiation of microwave,
terahertz, infrared, visible, or ultraviolet frequencies. The
position information obtained via an electromagnetic system 913 may
be used in conjunction with velocity and/or acceleration data
obtained using the ultrasonic system 910 described herein.
[0119] FIG. 10 illustrates ultrasound 1020 reflected and/or
rebounded from one or more auxiliary reflectors 1030 and 1040. As
described in various embodiments, an ultrasound
receiver/transmitter 1010 may utilize direct reflections from an
object within a region to determine velocity and/or acceleration
information based on a detected frequency shift and/or phase shift.
In some embodiments, rebounded ultrasonic reflections may be
utilized in addition to or instead of direct ultrasonic
reflections. Ultrasound reflectors 1030 and 1040 may be active or
passive and may be integrated into one or more appliances, walls,
or other features of the region. In some embodiments, existing
walls, room features, furniture, people, objects, or the like may
be identified and/or specified as reflectors 1030 and 1040.
[0120] FIG. 11 illustrates a plurality of ultrasonic systems 1120,
1121, 1122, and 1123 for determining velocity and/or acceleration
information from multiple directions relative to the object 1110 or
a site on object 1110 within a region 1100. In various embodiments,
each ultrasonic system 1120-1123 may include one or more ultrasonic
transmitters and one or more ultrasonic receivers. In other
embodiments, one or more of the ultrasonic systems 1120-1123 may
include one or more ultrasonic transmitters or one or more
ultrasonic receivers. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic
transmitters and ultrasonic receivers may be separate components
spaced apart from one another. As illustrated, the ultrasound may
be rebounded off of one or more auxiliary reflectors 141, 142, 143,
and 144.
[0121] FIG. 12 illustrates a method 1200 for determining velocity
and/or acceleration information associated with a moving object.
Ultrasound may be transmitted 1205 into a region bounded by at
least one surface. Some embodiments may utilize direct reflections
from the object to determine velocity and/or acceleration data
based on a detected shift in the ultrasound, as provided in block
1240. A receiver may receive 1210 direct ultrasound reflections
from at least one object or a site on an object within the region.
A shift, such as a wavelength shift, frequency shift, or phase
shift, may be determined 1211 between the transmitted ultrasound
and the received ultrasound. The system may then generate 1214
velocity and/or acceleration data based on the detected shift.
[0122] It is understood that "determining a shift," "detecting a
shift," "calculating a shift," and the like may not necessarily
require an actual determination of the difference between the,
e.g., frequency, of the transmitted and received ultrasound. That
is, "detecting a shift" and similar phrases may be constructively
performed during a Doppler calculation of velocity and/or
acceleration. For example, "detecting a shift" may be
constructively performed if a velocity of an object is determined
using (1) a known/measured frequency of transmitted ultrasound and
(2) a known/measured frequency of ultrasound reflected by the
object. The system may or may not actually calculate the frequency
difference between the transmitted and received ultrasound, as
various derivative and equal algorithms for Doppler-based velocity
calculations may be utilized.
[0123] In some embodiments, rebounded reflections from the object
may be used to determine velocity and/or acceleration data based on
a detected shift in the ultrasound, as provided in block 1250.
Ultrasound may be transmitted 1205 into a region bounded by at
least one surface. A receiver may receive 1212 rebounded ultrasound
reflections from at least one object or a site on an object within
the region. A shift, such as a wavelength shift, frequency shift,
or phase shift, may be determined 1213 between the transmitted
ultrasound and the received ultrasound. The system may then
generate 1216 velocity and/or acceleration data based on the
detected shift. In various embodiments, velocity and/or
acceleration data from direct reflections and rebounded reflections
may be optionally combined 1218. Velocity and/or acceleration data
from direct reflections and rebounded reflections may be used to
determine two-dimensional vectors of velocity and/or acceleration
information related to the object or a site on the object.
[0124] This disclosure has been made with reference to various
exemplary embodiments, including the best mode. However, those
skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications
may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the
scope of the present disclosure. While the principles of this
disclosure have been shown in various embodiments, many
modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, elements,
materials, and components may be adapted for a specific environment
and/or operating requirements without departing from the principles
and scope of this disclosure. These and other changes or
modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the
present disclosure.
[0125] This disclosure is to be regarded in an illustrative rather
than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended
to be included within the scope thereof. Likewise, benefits, other
advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above
with regard to various embodiments. However, benefits, advantages,
solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any
benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced
are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential
feature or element. The scope of the present invention should,
therefore, be determined by the following claims:
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