Use of multiple internal sensors for measurements validation
View Patent ↗A microcontroller-based method and apparatus are described for measuring motions signals ( 301 ) with a plurality of inertial sensors ( 302 - 304 ) contained within a device package housing and validating ( 420 ) a first measured motion signal (e.g., Ω X ) by generating at least a first estimated value Ω X for the first motion signal (e.g., 419 ) based on at least a second measured motion signal (e.g., A Y ) and for comparing the first estimated value for the first motion signal ( 419 ) to the first measured motion signal Ω X in order to validate the first measured motion signal Ω X .
1. A packaged multi-sensor device for measuring and validating one or more inertial signals, comprising:
a plurality of sensors arranged to measure at least first, second, and third inertial signals in different domains, the plurality of sensors comprising a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor device for measuring the first inertial signal in a first domain, a second MEMS sensor device for measuring the second inertial signal in a second different domain, and a third MEMS sensor device for measuring the third inertial signal in a third different domain; and
a processing unit for generating first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal based on, respectively, the second and third inertial signals, and for comparing the first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal to the first inertial signal in order to validate the first inertial signal,
where the processing unit generates the first estimated value by computing a first estimated x-axis linear acceleration value from the second inertial signal which comprises a measured roll angular velocity value Ω X , and
where the processing unit generates the second estimated value by computing a second estimated x-axis linear acceleration value from the third inertial signal which comprises a measured y-axis linear acceleration value.
2. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , where the plurality of sensors comprises a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) gyroscope sensor and an MEMS accelerometer sensor.
3. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , where the plurality of sensors comprises two or more sensors selected from a group comprising a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a motion sensor, a mechanical sensor, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, a magnetic stress sensor, a magnetic field sensor, an optical sensor, and a chemical sensor, all formed on a common integrated circuit substrate.
4. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising an interface integrated circuit coupled between the plurality of sensors and the processing unit which serves as an analog/digital interface between the plurality of sensors and the processing unit.
5. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , where the processing unit validates the first inertial signal, which comprises a first measured x-axis linear acceleration value in a first direction that is transduced by the first MEMS sensor device, by comparing the first measured x-axis linear acceleration value to the first and second estimated x-axis linear acceleration values in the first direction which are derived, respectively, from the second and third MEMS sensor devices.
6. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , where the processing unit validates a first measured signal x that is transduced by the first MEMS sensor device by comparing the first measured signal x to a first estimated signal x′ which is derived from a second measured signal y; from a third measured signal z; from a combination of the second measured signal y and the third measured signal z; from a combination of the measured signal x and the second measured signal y; from a combination of the measured signal x and the third measured signal z; or from a combination of the measured signal x, the second measured signal y, and the third measured signal z.
7. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , where the processing unit validates a first measured signal x that is transduced by a first sensor by comparing the measured signal x to a plurality of estimated signals x′ where each of the estimated signals x′ is derived from at least one or more additional measured signals y transduced from one or more additional sensors.
8. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 1 , where the processing unit is configured to generate the first estimated value for the first inertial signal based on the second inertial signal and platform dynamics modeling information for a platform on which the packaged multi-sensor device is mounted.
9. A packaged multi-sensor device for measuring and validating one or more inertial signals, comprising:
a plurality of sensors arranged to measure at least first, second, and third inertial signals in different domains, the plurality of sensors comprising a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor device for measuring the first inertial signal in a first domain, a second MEMS sensor device for measuring the second inertial signal in a second different domain, and a third MEMS sensor device for measuring the third inertial signal in a third different domain; and
a processing unit for generating first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal based on, respectively, the second and third inertial signals, and for comparing the first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal to the first inertial signal in order to validate the first inertial signal,
where the processing unit generates the first estimated value by computing a first estimated y-axis linear acceleration value from the second inertial signal which comprises a measured roll angular velocity value Ω X , and
where the processing unit generates the second estimated value by computing a second estimated y-axis linear acceleration value from the third inertial signal which comprises a measured x-axis linear acceleration value.
10. A packaged multi-sensor device for measuring and validating one or more inertial signals, comprising:
a plurality of sensors arranged to measure at least first, second, and third inertial signals in different domains, the plurality of sensors comprising a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor device for measuring the first inertial signal in a first domain, a second MEMS sensor device for measuring the second inertial signal in a second different domain, and a third MEMS sensor device for measuring the third inertial signal in a third different domain; and
a processing unit for generating first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal based on, respectively, at least the second and third inertial signals, and for comparing the first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal to the first inertial signal in order to validate the first inertial signal, where the processing unit validates the first inertial signal, which comprises a first measured linear acceleration value in a first direction that is transduced by the first MEMS sensor device, by comparing the first measured linear acceleration value to the first and second estimated values which are derived, respectively, from the second and third MEMS sensor device.
11. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 10 , where the processing unit generates the first estimated value by computing a first estimated x-axis linear acceleration value from the second inertial signal which comprises a measured roll angular velocity value Ω X and where the processing unit generates the second estimated value by computing a second estimated x-axis linear acceleration value from the third inertial signal which comprises a measured y-axis linear acceleration value.
12. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 10 , where the processing unit generates the first estimated value by computing a first estimated y-axis linear acceleration value from the second inertial signal which comprises a measured roll angular velocity value Ω X and where the processing unit generates the second estimated value by computing a second estimated y-axis linear acceleration value from the third inertial signal which comprises a measured x-axis linear acceleration value.
13. A packaged multi-sensor device for measuring and validating one or more inertial signals, comprising:
a plurality of sensors arranged to measure at least first, second, and third inertial signals in different domains, the plurality of sensors comprising a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor device for measuring the first inertial signal in a first domain, a second MEMS sensor device for measuring the second inertial signal in a second different domain, and a third MEMS sensor device for measuring the third inertial signal in a third different domain; and
a processing unit for generating first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal based on, respectively, the second and third inertial signals, and for comparing the first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal to the first inertial signal in order to validate the first inertial signal, where the processing unit validates the first inertial signal, which comprises a measured roll angular velocity value Ω X that is transduced by first MEMS sensor device, by comparing the measured roll angular velocity value Ω X to the first estimated value comprising a first estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X1 which is derived from the second MEMS sensor device and to the second estimated value comprising a second estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X2 which is derived from the third MEMS sensor device.
14. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 13 , where the processing unit generates the first estimated value by computing the first estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X1 from the second inertial signal which comprises a measured x-axis linear acceleration value and where the processing unit generates the second estimated value by computing the second estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X2 from the third inertial signal which comprises a measured y-axis linear acceleration value.
15. A packaged multi-sensor device for measuring and validating one or more inertial signals, comprising:
a plurality of sensors arranged to measure at least first, second, and third inertial signals in different domains, the plurality of sensors comprising a first Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor device for measuring the first inertial signal in a first domain, a second MEMS sensor device for measuring the second inertial signal in a second different domain, and a third MEMS sensor device for measuring the third inertial signal in a third different domain; and
a processing unit for generating first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal based on, respectively, at least the second and third inertial signals, and for comparing the first and second estimated values for the first inertial signal to the first inertial signal in order to validate the first inertial signal, where the processing unit generates the first and second estimated values by computing a first estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X1 from the second inertial signal which comprises a measured x-axis linear acceleration value and computing a second estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X2 from the third inertial signal which comprises a measured y-axis linear acceleration value.
16. The packaged multi-sensor device of claim 15 , where the processing unit validates the first inertial signal, which comprises a measured roll angular velocity value Ω X that is transduced by the first MEMS sensor device, by comparing the measured roll angular velocity value Ω X to the first estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X1 which is derived from the second MEMS sensor device and to the second estimated roll angular velocity value Ω X2 which is derived from the third MEMS sensor device.