Apparatus and method for estimating a physical state of a movable object

US11922330B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. · DE

Inventors

• Norbert Franke · Erlangen, DE
• Sebastian KRAM · Erlangen, DE
• Christian NICKEL · Erlangen, DE
• Jochen Seitz · Nuremberg, DE
• Mohammad Alawieh · Erlangen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 11, 2020
• Grant date: Mar 5, 2024
• Expiry date: Sep 17, 2042

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G16H50/20
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus for estimating a physical state of a movable object includes a processor receiving or determining a probability mass function including probabilities for each of a first group of at least two movement classes, wherein the movement models of the first group being determined using sensor data from the inertial measurement unit. The processor receives at least one additional probability mass function associated with a second group of at least two movement classes, wherein the additional probability mass function has been obtained using additional information different from the sensor data. The processor combines the probability mass function and the at least one additional probability mass function to obtain a combined probability mass function over the movement classes of the first group and the second group, selects a movement class having the highest probability from the combined probability mass function, and estimates the physical state of the movable object using a movement model of the selected movement class. Each movement class is either a movement state or a movement model.