公开(公告)号：US20060255795A1

公开(公告)日：2006-11-16

申请号：US11431470

申请日：2006-05-10

申请人： Robert Higgins ,  Allan Rodgers ,  Donald Dickinson

发明人： Robert Higgins ,  Allan Rodgers ,  Donald Dickinson

IPC分类号： G01B7/30

CPC分类号： G01B7/003 ,  G06F3/0346

摘要： The 3-axis field source coils and 3-axis sensor coils derived from off-the-shelf suppliers in a magnetic tracker are integrated with driving and sensing circuitry to provide a complete six-degree-of-freedom tracker in only two modules: a sensor module and a source module plus being able also to track with at least a second sensor of identical design. One or both of the basic tracker modules may be mounted on respective single printed-circuit boards, and the source module may take advantage of digital wave generation and tuned coil drivers for reduced hardware. One or both of the coil sets may be non-concentric, and the output for providing P&O updates to a host computer may take advantage of a connector that receives electrical power from the host computer, such as a USB/USB-2 connector. To further reduce system cost, the circuitry used to amplify the signals received by the sensor coils may be multiplexed under control of the processor on the source board.

摘要翻译： 来自磁性跟踪器中的现成供应商的3轴场源线圈和3轴传感器线圈与驱动和感测电路集成在一起，仅在两个模块中提供完整的六自由度跟踪器： 传感器模块和源模块，还能够跟踪至少具有相同设计的第二传感器。 基本跟踪器模块中的一个或两个可以安装在相应的单个印刷电路板上，并且源模块可以利用数字波生成和调谐线圈驱动器来降低硬件。 线圈组中的一个或两个可以是非同心的，并且用于向主机提供P＆O更新的输出可以利用从主计算机（例如USB / USB-2连接器）接收电力的连接器。 为了进一步降低系统成本，用于放大由传感器线圈接收的信号的电路可以在源板上的处理器的控制下被复用。

公开(公告)号：US20060038555A1

公开(公告)日：2006-02-23

申请号：US11207098

申请日：2005-08-17

申请人： Robert Higgins ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers ,  James Farr ,  Herschell Murry

发明人： Robert Higgins ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers ,  James Farr ,  Herschell Murry

IPC分类号： G01B7/30

CPC分类号： A61B5/1127

摘要： Self-calibrating AC magnetic tracking systems and combination “outside-in” and “inside-out” architectures offer unique motion tracking capabilities. More area is covered with minimal distortion using the tracking system itself to determine overall P&O based on the P&O of an initial, reference marker. The output as anticipated and needed by the user is output without confusion and without costly and time-consuming metrology while covering a large region when distance from the reference may be great. A method according to the invention includes the steps of positioning a plurality of stationary AC magnetic “markers” in a tracking volume and moving a mobile AC magnetic marker proximate to a first one of the stationary markers designated as a reference marker. The position and orientation (P&O) of the mobile marker is determined relative to the reference marker, then moved so as to be proximate to a second one of the stationary markers. The P&O of the second marker is determined relative to the reference marker, allowing the P&O of the mobile marker to be determined relative to the reference marker based upon the P&O of the second marker relative to the reference marker. The stationary markers may be AC magnetic sensors, with the mobile marker being an AC source, or vice-versa.

摘要翻译： 自校准AC磁跟踪系统和“外在”和“内向外”结构的组合提供独特的运动跟踪功能。 使用跟踪系统本身，更小的区域覆盖最小失真，以根据初始参考标记的P＆O来确定总体P＆O。 输出如用户预期和需要的输出输出，而不会混淆，并且在与参考距离可能很大时覆盖大区域时不需要昂贵且耗时的计量。 根据本发明的方法包括以下步骤：将多个固定AC磁性“标记”定位在跟踪体积中，并移动移动AC磁性标记物靠近指定为参考标记的第一个固定标记。 移动标记的位置和取向（P＆O）相对于参考标记确定，然后被移动以接近第二个固定标记。 相对于参考标记确定第二标记的P＆O，基于相对于参考标记的第二标记的P＆O，相对于参考标记确定移动标记的P＆O。 固定标记可以是AC磁传感器，移动标记是AC源，反之亦然。

公开(公告)号：US20080120061A1

公开(公告)日：2008-05-22

申请号：US12017392

申请日：2008-01-22

申请人： Robert Higgins ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers

发明人： Robert Higgins ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers

IPC分类号： G06F19/00

CPC分类号： G01B7/004

摘要： In an AC magnetic tracker one or more multi-axis field sources, each operating at a different frequency, or frequency set, are detected and tracked in three-dimensional space, even when wireless or otherwise not physically connected to the tracking system. Multiple sources can be tracked simultaneously as they each operate with their own unique detectable set of parameters. The invention not only provides the ability to uniquely identify one or more sources by their frequencies, but also to synchronize with these frequencies in order to measure signals that then allow tracking the position and orientation (P&O) of the source(s). Further, these sources need not be present at the time of system start-up but can come and go while being detected, discriminated and tracked. It also should be noted that application of such systems in multiples with more sensors not synchronized to a source or sources also could be employed to give the reverse appearance of a known source phase and incoherency with the sensors.

摘要翻译： 在AC磁跟踪器中，即使在无线或以其他方式物理连接到跟踪系统的情况下，也可以在三维空间中检测和跟踪以不同频率或频率设置的一个或多个多轴场源。 可以同时跟踪多个源，因为它们各自以独特的可检测参数进行操作。 本发明不仅提供通过其频率唯一地识别一个或多个源的能力，而且还能够与这些频率同步，以便测量然后允许跟踪源的位置和取向（P＆O）的信号。 此外，这些源不需要在系统启动时存在，而是可以在被检测，区分和跟踪时来回走动。 还应该注意的是，可以采用这样的系统的多个应用，其中更多的传感器不与源或源同步，以使得已知的源相位的反向外观和传感器的不一致性。

公开(公告)号：US20060012571A1

公开(公告)日：2006-01-19

申请号：US11175877

申请日：2005-07-06

申请人： Allan Rodgers ,  Robert Higgins ,  Suzanne Gagnon ,  James Farr

发明人： Allan Rodgers ,  Robert Higgins ,  Suzanne Gagnon ,  James Farr

IPC分类号： G09G5/08

CPC分类号： G06F3/012

摘要： A magnetic tracker system for use on an operator's head makes “mouse”/cursor movements on a screen similar to that of the classic computer “mouse”/track ball/touchpad/joystick. Only head movements are used as opposed to lifting a hand from the keyboard for making such moves. The new “mouse” avoids interrupting the hands from their position on the keyboard and has no moving mechanical parts that become clogged and that need a special surface (mouse pad) or special surface measurements (optical mouse).

摘要翻译： 用于操作人员头部的磁跟踪系统使屏幕上的“鼠标”/光标移动类似于经典计算机“鼠标”/轨迹球/触摸板/操纵杆的移动。 仅使用头部动作，而不是从键盘上提起手来进行这种移动。 新的“鼠标”避免了从键盘上的手中断手，没有移动的机械部件被堵塞，需要特殊的表面（鼠标垫）或特殊的表面测量（光电鼠标）。

公开(公告)号：US20060170417A1

公开(公告)日：2006-08-03

申请号：US11339286

申请日：2006-01-25

申请人： Allan Rodgers ,  Robert Higgins ,  Keith Hanf ,  James Farr

发明人： Allan Rodgers ,  Robert Higgins ,  Keith Hanf ,  James Farr

IPC分类号： G01B7/30

CPC分类号： G01D5/14

摘要： Magnetic tracking systems and methods confine source(s)/sensor(s) to a compact region, thereby facilitating enhanced precision without the need for distortion compensation or mapping. Several sensors placed in accurately known (or determined through algorithms within the tracker processor) locations allow a single small magnetic field source to be tracked by all of them simultaneously. Such a configuration allows an operator's head to be tracked accurately, as in a flight simulator, where coupling between field source and sensors is kept short, thereby eliminating the need for distortion mapping.

摘要翻译： 磁跟踪系统和方法将源/传感器限制在紧凑区域，从而有助于提高精度，而不需要失真补偿或映射。 精确地知道的（或通过跟踪器处理器内的算法确定）的几个传感器允许单个小的磁场源同时跟踪它们。 这样的配置允许操作者的头部被精确跟踪，如在飞行模拟器中，其中场源和传感器之间的耦合保持较短，从而消除对失真映射的需要。

公开(公告)号：US20050285591A1

公开(公告)日：2005-12-29

申请号：US11147977

申请日：2005-06-08

申请人： Robert Higgins ,  Mark Roussel ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers

发明人： Robert Higgins ,  Mark Roussel ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers

IPC分类号： G01B7/004 ,  H01F5/00 ,  H01F7/20

CPC分类号： G01B7/004 ,  H01F7/20

摘要： A small, lightweight field source acts as a “pseudo-sensor” in an AC magnetic tracking system, facilitating wireless operation. Upon activation, the source sends out three continuous low-power magnetic signals, a separate frequency from each of three resonant orthogonal coils, without the need for switching to a receive mode or detecting a synchronizing signal to start the three signals simultaneously. This simple structure allows the source to be kept small and consume little power so that it can operate for over one hour before needing to be re-charged. This design approach thus allows a user or object being tracked to move about freely with no restricting cabling to a base station or even to a body-mounted electronics module and bulky battery. A family of frequencies can be used for each of several such pseudo-sensor sources in order for the base station sensors and electronics to track multiple sources.

摘要翻译： 小型，轻量级的场源在交流磁跟踪系统中充当“伪传感器”，便于无线操作。 在激活时，源发送三个连续的低功率磁信号，来自三个谐振正交线圈中的每一个的单独频率，而不需要切换到接收模式或检测同步信号以同时启动三个信号。 这种简单的结构允许源保持较小并且消耗很少的功率，使得它可以在需要重新充电之前操作超过1小时。 因此，这种设计方法允许被跟踪的用户或物体自由地移动，而不限制到基站的电缆连接，甚至连接到车身安装的电子模块和体积大的电池。 可以为几个这样的伪传感器源中的每​​一个使用频率族，以便基站传感器和电子装置跟踪多个源。

公开(公告)号：US20050285590A1

公开(公告)日：2005-12-29

申请号：US11147888

申请日：2005-06-08

申请人： Robert Higgins ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers

发明人： Robert Higgins ,  Herbert Jones ,  Allan Rodgers

IPC分类号： G01B7/004 ,  G01J1/20

CPC分类号： G01B7/004

摘要： In an AC magnetic tracker one or more multi-axis field sources, each operating at a different frequency, or frequency set, are detected and tracked in three-dimensional space, even when wireless or otherwise not physically connected to the tracking system. Multiple sources can be tracked simultaneously as they each operate with their own unique detectable set of parameters. The invention not only provides the ability to uniquely identify one or more sources by their frequencies, but also to synchronize with these frequencies in order to measure signals that then allow tracking the position and orientation (P&O) of the source(s). Further, these sources need not be present at the time of system start-up but can come and go while being detected, discriminated and tracked. It also should be noted that application of such systems in multiples with more sensors not synchronized to a source or sources also could be employed to give the reverse appearance of a known source phase and incoherency with the sensors.

摘要翻译： 在AC磁跟踪器中，即使在无线或以其他方式物理连接到跟踪系统的情况下，也可以在三维空间中检测和跟踪以不同频率或频率设置的一个或多个多轴场源。 可以同时跟踪多个源，因为它们各自以独特的可检测参数进行操作。 本发明不仅提供通过其频率唯一地识别一个或多个源的能力，而且还能够与这些频率同步，以便测量然后允许跟踪源的位置和取向（P＆O）的信号。 此外，这些源不需要在系统启动时存在，而是可以在被检测，区分和跟踪时来回走动。 还应该注意的是，可以采用这样的系统的多个应用，其中更多的传感器不与源或源同步，以使得已知的源相位的反向外观和传感器的不一致性。