Towards Human Motion Tracking Enhanced by Semi-Continuous Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Measurements

Human motion analysis is a valuable tool for assessing disease progression in persons with conditions such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. Human motion tracking is also used extensively for sporting technique and performance analysis as well as for work life ergonomics evaluations. Wearable inertial sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes and/or magnetometers) are frequently employed because they are easy to mount and can be used in real life, out-of-the-lab settings, as opposed to video-based lab setups. These distributed sensors cannot, however, measure relative distances between sensors, and are also cumbersome when it comes to calibration and drift compensation. In this study, we tested an ultrasonic time-of-flight sensor for measuring relative limb-to-limb distance, and we developed a combined inertial sensor and ultrasonic time-of-flight wearable measurement system. The aim was to investigate if ultrasonic time-of-flight sensors can supplement inertial sensor-based motion tracking by providing relative distances between inertial sensor modules. We found that the ultrasonic time-of-flight measurements reflected expected walking motion patterns. The stride length estimates derived from ultrasonic time-of-flight measurements corresponded well with estimates from validated inertial sensors, indicating that the inclusion of ultrasonic time-of flight measurements could be a feasible approach for improving inertial sensor-only systems. Our prototype was able to measure both inertial and time-of-flight measurements simultaneously and continuously, but more work is necessary to merge the complementary approaches to provide more accurate and more detailed human motion tracking.publishedVersio

Automated gait segmentation and tracking using inertial measurement units

Abstract. In this thesis, a methodology is presented to automate the labelling, event detection, segmentation, tracking, and parameter extraction of IMU gait data for sensors placed on the feet and shanks. The algorithms presented were tested using IMU data from three different styles of gait, normal gait, antalgic gait, and limited mobility gait. The algorithms developed were found effective for all of the simulated gait styles without mislabelling or detecting erroneous gait segments. The resultant gait trajectories and parameters were analyzed and were found to accurately depict the differences between each of the different styles of gait. The methodology presented can be used for the rapid and accurate processing of gait data for multiple styles of gait. This quantification of gait data can enable the collection of IMU gait data on a larger scale. This provides an accessible, low-cost option for out-of-laboratory gait data collection

MEMS Accelerometers

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices are widely used for inertia, pressure, and ultrasound sensing applications. Research on integrated MEMS technology has undergone extensive development driven by the requirements of a compact footprint, low cost, and increased functionality. Accelerometers are among the most widely used sensors implemented in MEMS technology. MEMS accelerometers are showing a growing presence in almost all industries ranging from automotive to medical. A traditional MEMS accelerometer employs a proof mass suspended to springs, which displaces in response to an external acceleration. A single proof mass can be used for one- or multi-axis sensing. A variety of transduction mechanisms have been used to detect the displacement. They include capacitive, piezoelectric, thermal, tunneling, and optical mechanisms. Capacitive accelerometers are widely used due to their DC measurement interface, thermal stability, reliability, and low cost. However, they are sensitive to electromagnetic field interferences and have poor performance for high-end applications (e.g., precise attitude control for the satellite). Over the past three decades, steady progress has been made in the area of optical accelerometers for high-performance and high-sensitivity applications but several challenges are still to be tackled by researchers and engineers to fully realize opto-mechanical accelerometers, such as chip-scale integration, scaling, low bandwidth, etc

CMOS systems and circuits for sub-degree per hour MEMS gyroscopes

The objective of our research is to develop system architectures and CMOS circuits that interface with high-Q silicon microgyroscopes to implement navigation-grade angular rate sensors. The MEMS sensor used in this work is an in-plane bulk-micromachined mode-matched tuning fork gyroscope (M² – TFG ), fabricated on silicon-on-insulator substrate. The use of CMOS transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) as front-ends in high-Q MEMS resonant sensors is explored. A T-network TIA is proposed as the front-end for resonant capacitive detection. The T-TIA provides on-chip transimpedance gains of 25MΩ, has a measured capacitive resolution of 0.02aF /√Hz at 15kHz, a dynamic range of 104dB in a bandwidth of 10Hz and consumes 400μW of power. A second contribution is the development of an automated scheme to adaptively bias the mechanical structure, such that the sensor is operated in the mode-matched condition. Mode-matching leverages the inherently high quality factors of the microgyroscope, resulting in significant improvement in the Brownian noise floor, electronic noise, sensitivity and bias drift of the microsensor. We developed a novel architecture that utilizes the often ignored residual quadrature error in a gyroscope to achieve and maintain perfect mode-matching (i.e.0Hz split between the drive and sense mode frequencies), as well as electronically control the sensor bandwidth. A CMOS implementation is developed that allows mode-matching of the drive and sense frequencies of a gyroscope at a fraction of the time taken by current state of-the-art techniques. Further, this mode-matching technique allows for maintaining a controlled separation between the drive and sense resonant frequencies, providing a means of increasing sensor bandwidth and dynamic range. The mode-matching CMOS IC, implemented in a 0.5μm 2P3M process, and control algorithm have been interfaced with a 60μm thick M2−TFG to implement an angular rate sensor with bias drift as low as 0.1°/hr ℃ the lowest recorded to date for a silicon MEMS gyro.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Farrokh Ayazi; Committee Member: Jennifer Michaels; Committee Member: Levent Degertekin; Committee Member: Paul Hasler; Committee Member: W. Marshall Leac

NASA Tech Briefs, October 2003

Topics covered include: Cryogenic Temperature-Gradient Foam/Substrate Tensile Tester; Flight Test of an Intelligent Flight-Control System; Slat Heater Boxes for Thermal Vacuum Testing; System for Testing Thermal Insulation of Pipes; Electrical-Impedance-Based Ice-Thickness Gauges; Simulation System for Training in Laparoscopic Surgery; Flasher Powered by Photovoltaic Cells and Ultracapacitors; Improved Autoassociative Neural Networks; Toroidal-Core Microinductors Biased by Permanent Magnets; Using Correlated Photons to Suppress Background Noise; Atmospheric-Fade-Tolerant Tracking and Pointing in Wireless Optical Communication; Curved Focal-Plane Arrays Using Back-Illuminated High-Purity Photodetectors; Software for Displaying Data from Planetary Rovers; Software for Refining or Coarsening Computational Grids; Software for Diagnosis of Multiple Coordinated Spacecraft; Software Helps Retrieve Information Relevant to the User; Software for Simulating a Complex Robot; Software for Planning Scientific Activities on Mars; Software for Training in Pre-College Mathematics; Switching and Rectification in Carbon-Nanotube Junctions; Scandia-and-Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia for Thermal Barriers; Environmentally Safer, Less Toxic Fire-Extinguishing Agents; Multiaxial Temperature- and Time-Dependent Failure Model; Cloverleaf Vibratory Microgyroscope with Integrated Post; Single-Vector Calibration of Wind-Tunnel Force Balances; Microgyroscope with Vibrating Post as Rotation Transducer; Continuous Tuning and Calibration of Vibratory Gyroscopes; Compact, Pneumatically Actuated Filter Shuttle; Improved Bearingless Switched-Reluctance Motor; Fluorescent Quantum Dots for Biological Labeling; Growing Three-Dimensional Corneal Tissue in a Bioreactor; Scanning Tunneling Optical Resonance Microscopy; The Micro-Arcsecond Metrology Testbed; Detecting Moving Targets by Use of Soliton Resonances; and Finite-Element Methods for Real-Time Simulation of Surgery

SSTAC/ARTS review of the draft Integrated Technology Plan (ITP). Volume 6: Controls and guidance

Viewgraphs of briefings from the Space Systems and Technology Advisory Committee (SSTAC)/ARTS review of the draft Integrated Technology Plan (ITP) on controls and guidance are included. Topics covered include: strategic avionics technology planning and bridging programs; avionics technology plan; vehicle health management; spacecraft guidance research; autonomous rendezvous and docking; autonomous landing; computational control; fiberoptic rotation sensors; precision instrument and telescope pointing; microsensors and microinstruments; micro guidance and control initiative; and earth-orbiting platforms controls-structures interaction

Advanced sensors technology survey

This project assesses the state-of-the-art in advanced or 'smart' sensors technology for NASA Life Sciences research applications with an emphasis on those sensors with potential applications on the space station freedom (SSF). The objectives are: (1) to conduct literature reviews on relevant advanced sensor technology; (2) to interview various scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government who are knowledgeable on this topic; (3) to provide viewpoints and opinions regarding the potential applications of this technology on the SSF; and (4) to provide summary charts of relevant technologies and centers where these technologies are being developed

MEMS Technology for Biomedical Imaging Applications

Biomedical imaging is the key technique and process to create informative images of the human body or other organic structures for clinical purposes or medical science. Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology has demonstrated enormous potential in biomedical imaging applications due to its outstanding advantages of, for instance, miniaturization, high speed, higher resolution, and convenience of batch fabrication. There are many advancements and breakthroughs developing in the academic community, and there are a few challenges raised accordingly upon the designs, structures, fabrication, integration, and applications of MEMS for all kinds of biomedical imaging. This Special Issue aims to collate and showcase research papers, short commutations, perspectives, and insightful review articles from esteemed colleagues that demonstrate: (1) original works on the topic of MEMS components or devices based on various kinds of mechanisms for biomedical imaging; and (2) new developments and potentials of applying MEMS technology of any kind in biomedical imaging. The objective of this special session is to provide insightful information regarding the technological advancements for the researchers in the community

An Extended Model of a MEMS Gyroscope: Design and Identification

Práce se zabývá metodikou měření parametrů MEMS gyroskopů a stanovením vstupně-výstupního modelu. V úvodu je stručně rozebrán stávající přístup k modelování MEMS gyroskopů a určení jejich parametrů. Druhá část se podrobně věnuje metodice měření a identifikaci zdrojů nejistot, které ovlivňují odhad parametrů. V rámci metodiky měření jsou zdůrazněny kritické body a vliv jednotlivých zdrojů nejistot je ukázán na základě naměřených dat či simulací. Vlastnosti MEMS gyroskopů jsou prakticky demonstrovány na skupině různých typů snímačů. Výsledky ukazují významný vliv napájecího napětí na posun nuly gyroskopu a interního teplotního snímače. Tento jev může způsobit chybu srovnatelnou s teplotní závislostí či stochastickými vlastnostmi, ale není v literatuře popsán. Druhým jevem, který není stávajícími modely uvažován, je závislost širokopásmového šumu (ARW) na teplotě. Na základě těchto poznatků je v poslední části rozšířen běžně používaný model MEMS gyroskopu o závislost parametrů na napájecím napětí a závislost širokopásmového šumu na teplotě. Tvar modelu je zvolen s ohledem na jednoduché porovnání základních parametrů a v případě potřeby na snadné rozšíření o další vlivy.The thesis is aimed on measurement and modeling of MEMS gyroscopes based on input-output characteristics. The first part briefs the state of the art. The second part is dedicated to measurement methodology. Critical points and sources of uncertainty are discussed and evaluated using measurements or simulations. The last part shows key characteristics of MEMS gyroscopes based on the survey of a group of different sensor types. The results have revealed significant influence of supply voltage that causes bias drift of the gyroscope and bias drift of the internal temperature sensor. The error can be comparable to temperature drift; however, this effect is not addressed in the literature. The second observed effect is temperature dependency of angle random walk. In the last part, a general model of a MEMS gyroscope is rewritten to reflect observed effects. Moreover, the structure is selected to be easily extendable and the coefficients are expressed to allow a comparison of nominal parameters of different sensors.

Exploring Indoor Navigation Based on 9-dof Kalman Filter and SLAM Algorithm

Traditional localization techniques rely on triangulation or trilateration, where in a set of three or more stationary known locations is used to estimate a “client” position. For inertial navigation, these techniques can estimate client positions merely using the measured data from tri-axial accelerometers and gyroscopes. However, the use of double integration of the accelerometer data and a single integration of the gyroscope data to determine the client's position are greatly affected by gyro-drift and other noise, causing small errors to explode towards infinity. This process could be improved by applying reasonable algorithms and even deep learning tools such as the Kalman filter and simultaneous localization and mapping. Therefore, this research aims at exploring the possibility of indoor navigation based on inertial sensors that uses the fusion algorithms. Meanwhile, a multitude of formulas involving navigation are refined and corrected. These equations and optimized results provide accurate raw data for future deep learning models