# US 2020/0288277 A1 · Method and system for determining a direction of movement of an object > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2020/0288277 A1 - Document ID: US20200288277A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/884,118 - Filed: 2020-05-27 - Published: 2020-09-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-10-31 - Assignees: Amer Sports Digital Services Oy - Applicants: Amer Sports Digital Services Oy - Inventors: Tuomas Hapola; Heikki Nieminen; Mikko Martikka; Erik Lindman - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20200288277A1 ## CPC - H04W 4/029: Location-based management or tracking services - A63B 24/0021: {Tracking a path or terminating locations} - G01C 17/28: Electromagnetic compasses (with north seeking magnetic elements and having electric pick-offs G01C17/26) - G01C 21/08: involving use of the magnetic field of the earth - G01C 21/1654: {with electromagnetic compass} - G01C 21/18: Stabilised platforms, e.g. by gyroscope - G01C 21/206: {specially adapted for indoor navigation} - G07C 1/22: in connection with sports or games - G16H 20/30: relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising - H04W 4/026: {using orientation information, e.g. compass} - A63B 2024/0025: {Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game} - A63B 2220/40: Acceleration - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H) - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining the direction of movement of an object, the method comprising determining a cyclical motion of a cyclically moving part of the object by recording acceleration data of said cyclically moving part over a plurality of cycles using an accelerometer or inertial sensor attached to said cyclically moving part, integrating said acceleration data over at least one cycle of movement to determine a tilting of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to the horizontal plane, measuring an external magnetic field of said cyclically moving part of the object using a magnetometer to determine an orientation of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to the external magnetic field, determining the direction of movement of the object based on the tilting and the orientation of the cyclically moving part of the object. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for determining a direction of movement of an object, the method comprising: determining a cyclical motion of a cyclically moving part of the object by recording acceleration data of said cyclically moving part over a plurality of cycles using an accelerometer or inertial sensor attached to said cyclically moving part, determining a characteristic position of the cyclically moving part in subsequent cycles, integrating said acceleration data over at least one cycle of movement to determine a tilting of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to a horizontal plane, measuring an external magnetic field of said cyclically moving part of the object in said characteristic position using a magnetometer to determine an orientation of said cyclically moving part relative to the external magnetic field, determining the direction of movement of the object based on the tilting and the orientation of said cyclically moving part of the object, wherein the direction of movement of the object is determined based on a previously determined direction of said object and a measured geomagnetic orientation of the cyclically moving part of the object. ### Claim at position 2 -5. (canceled) ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the previously determined direction of said moving object is determined based on signals received from an external positioning system. ### Claim 7 (canceled) ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein: a first direction of a moving first part of the object is determined based on signals received from an external positioning system, acceleration data of a second part of the object is recorded, which second part is cyclically moving relative to the first part of the object, over a plurality of cycles using an accelerometer or inertial sensor attached to the second part of the object, said acceleration data is integrated over at least one cycle of movement to determine a tilting of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to a horizontal plane, a characteristic position of the cyclically moving second part of the object is determined in subsequent cycles, a geomagnetic first orientation of the second part of the object is measured in said characteristic position using a magnetometer, and a second direction of movement of the first part of the object is determined by measuring a geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object in said characteristic position using a magnetometer, and wherein the determination is based on the tilting and the deviation between the geomagnetic first orientation and the geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first direction, the second direction, an acceleration, a velocity, and a position of the first part of the moving object is tracked. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of a first angle between the geomagnetic first orientation of the second part of the object and the first direction of the first part of the object and a second angle between the geomagnetic first orientation and the geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object is determined. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein a third angle between the geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object and the second direction of the first part of the object is identical with the first angle. ### Claim at position 9 -15. (canceled) ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a position of the moving object is displayed on a display of a system, transmitted from the system to another device, or shown on a map which is available via internet. ### Claim 17 (canceled) ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the position is determined in real time or at a later stage. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic position of each cycle is at a maximum or minimum acceleration value. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a track formed in a first coordinate system is aligned with a second coordinate system. ### Claim 21 A system for determining a direction of movement of an object, the system comprising: a receiver for receiving signals from an external positioning system, at least one of an accelerometer or an inertial sensor, a magnetometer, at least one memory unit, and a processing unit comprising at least one processing core, at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the system at least to: determine a cyclical motion of a cyclically moving part of the object by recording acceleration data of said cyclically moving part over a plurality of cycles using an accelerometer or inertial sensor attached to said cyclically moving part, determine a characteristic position of the cyclically moving part in subsequent cycles, integrate said acceleration data over at least one cycle of movement to determine a tilting of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to a horizontal plane, measure an external magnetic field of said cyclically moving part of the object in said characteristic position using a magnetometer to determine an orientation of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to the external magnetic field, and determine the direction of movement of the object based on the tilting and the orientation of said cyclically moving part of the object, wherein the system is configured to determine the direction of movement of the object based on a previously determined direction of said object and a measured geomagnetic orientation of the cyclically moving part of the object. ### Claim at position 16 -25. (canceled) ### Claim 26 (depends on 21) The system according to claim 21, wherein the system is configured to determine the previously determined direction of said moving object based on signals received from an external positioning system. ### Claim 27 (canceled) ### Claim 28 (depends on 21) The system according to claim 21, wherein the processing unit comprising the at least one processing core, the at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code is further configured to, with the at least one processing core, cause the system at least to: determine a first direction of a moving first part of the object based on signals received from an external positioning system, record acceleration data of a second part of the object, which second part is cyclically moving relative to the first part of the object, over a plurality of cycles using an accelerometer or inertial sensor attached to the second part of the object, integrate said acceleration data over at least one cycle of movement to determine the tilting of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to the horizontal plane, determine a characteristic position in subsequent cycles, measure a geomagnetic first orientation of the second part of the object in a characteristic position of subsequent cycles using a magnetometer, measure a geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object in the characteristic position of each cycle using the magnetometer, and determine a second direction of the first part of the moving object based on the tilting and a deviation between the geomagnetic first orientation and the geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The system according to claim 28, wherein the processing unit is continuously computing and storing at least one of the first direction, the second direction, an acceleration, a velocity, and a position of the first part of the moving object. ### Claim 30 (depends on 28) The system according to claim 28, wherein the system is configured to determine the first direction of the first part of the object based on GPS signals between two separate points of time. ### Claim 31 (depends on 28) The system according to claim 28, wherein the system is configured to track at least one of the first direction, the second direction, an acceleration, a velocity and a position of the first part of the moving object. ### Claim 32 (depends on 28) The system according to claim 28, wherein the system is configured to determine at least one of a first angle between the geomagnetic first orientation of the second part of the object and the first direction of the first part of the object and a second angle between the geomagnetic first orientation and the geomagnetic second orientation of the second part of the object. ### Claim at position 24 -36. (canceled) ### Claim 37 (depends on 21) The system according to claim 21, wherein the system is configured to display a position of the moving object on a display of the system, to transmit the position of the moving object from the system to another device, or to show the position of the moving object on a map which is available via internet. ### Claim 38 (canceled) ### Claim 39 (depends on 37) The system according to claim 37, wherein the system is configured to determine the position in real time or at a later stage. ### Claim 40 (depends on 21) The system according to claim 21, wherein the system further comprises a gyroscope. ### Claim 41 (depends on 21) The system according to claim 21, wherein the system is configured to align a track formed in a first coordinate system with a second coordinate system. ### Claim 42 A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least to: determine a cyclical motion of a cyclically moving part of the object by recording acceleration data of said cyclically moving part over a plurality of cycles using an accelerometer or inertial sensor attached to said cyclically moving part, determine a characteristic position of the cyclically moving part in subsequent cycles, integrate said acceleration data over at least one cycle of movement to determine a tilting of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to the horizontal plane, measure an external magnetic field of said cyclically moving part of the object in said characteristic position using a magnetometer to determine an orientation of said cyclically moving part of the object relative to the external magnetic field, and determine the direction of movement of the object based on the tilting and the orientation of the cyclically moving part of the object, wherein the direction of movement of the object is determined based on a previously determined direction of said object and a measured geomagnetic orientation of the cyclically moving part of the object.