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Motion tracking and analysis apparatus and method and system implementations thereofRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, GolfMotion tracking and analysis apparatus and method and system implementations thereof description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060025229, Motion tracking and analysis apparatus and method and system implementations thereof. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/742,264, filed Dec. 19, 2003, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Determining Orientation and Position of a Moveable Object," now pending, and the present application also claims priority to U.S. Provisional App. No. 60/572,398, filed May 19, 2004, entitled "Teaching Motion to a Group" and to U.S. Provisional App. No. 60/603,967, filed Aug. 24, 2004, entitled "Body Motion Capture and Analysis System," all of which are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for motion tracking and analysis and the implementation thereof into motion systems, including body motion capture and analysis systems and systems for teaching motion to a group. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Technologies are known for determining and analyzing object motion through transmission of position and orientation information of the object to a processing system. Such technologies are utilized today in a variety of industries including navigation and entertainment. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,014 to Ogata, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,228 to Ohgaki, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,257 to Marrin, et al., which are incorporated herein by reference). In particular, wireless transmission of object motion data for analysis is continuing to be developed and utilized, and applications of such technology include the expanding industry of simulated "virtual reality" environments. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,206 to Horton, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference). [0004] Object motion can be measured using sensors for determining motion parameters such as accelerometers and gyroscopes. Gyroscopes and accelerometers are well-known in the automotive and aerospace industries for providing motion information, establishing an inertial space reference, and allowing measurement of pitch and roll relative to a gravitational vector. Historically, the use of these sensors have been limited to large devices due to the weight and bulk of the sensors. However, technology improvements have produced smaller gyroscopes and accelerometers that can be utilized in a wide variety of applications where limited sensor space is available. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,421 to Quinn and RE37,374 to Roston, et al., which are incorporated herein by reference). [0005] Acceleration sensors, including accelerometers and strain gauges, have been utilized in sporting equipment, such as golf clubs, to provide analysis of golf swings. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,340 to Kim and U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,544 to Kobayashi, which are incorporated herein by reference). Such acceleration sensors can provide rotational information about the golf club, but the accuracy of such rotational information can be problematic. [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,493 to Lee, et al., which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses an instrumented golf club system with sensors to measure characteristics of a golf swing, including the use of an angular rate sensor. A distinctive feature of this instrumented golf club is the use of a data storage memory device located within the golf club that eliminates the need for radio transmission hardware. The data from a golf swing is captured internally and stored until the user is ready to download the data for further processing. Swing analysis can only be conducted after the internally stored swing information is downloaded to the external processing device. [0007] Accordingly, there is a need for a motion tracking and analysis apparatus and method which utilizes motion sensors and data transmission of motion information for analysis and display and which may be utilized in a wide variety of applications and systems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] An orientation and position tracking system and method in three-dimensional space and over a period of time utilizing multiple inertial and other sensors for determining motion parameters to measure orientation and position of a moveable object. The sensors, for example vibrational and angular velocity sensors, generate signals characterizing the motion of the moveable object. The information is received by a data acquisition system and processed by a microcontroller. The data is then transmitted to an external data reception system (locally based or a global network), preferably via wireless communication. The information can then be displayed and presented to the user through a variety of means including audio, visual, and tactile. According to various embodiments, the present invention provides for a motion tracking apparatus and method for implementation in motion systems including systems to teach motion to a group and for body motion capture and analysis systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0009] The invention is described with reference to the several figures of the drawing, in which: [0010] FIG. 1 is a functional diagram of an orientation and position tracking system according to one embodiment of the invention; [0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a device utilizing the orientation and position tracking system according to one embodiment of the invention; [0012] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a device utilizing the orientation and position tracking system and including a pressure sensor according to one embodiment of the invention; [0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration showing the utilization of multiple devices in an orientation and position tracking system according to one embodiment of the invention; [0014] FIG. 5 is a detailed data flow model for a device utilizing the orientation and position tracking system according to one embodiment of the invention; [0015] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operational software for a motion and position sensing device installed on or in a moveable object according to one embodiment of the invention; [0016] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the operational software installed on a computer system for analyzing and displaying transmitted orientation and position information according to one embodiment of the invention; [0017] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration showing a motion tracking system using multiple transmitters according to one embodiment of the invention; [0018] FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram of a Pitcher unit suitable for utilization in a motion tracking system having multiple users according to one embodiment of the invention; [0019] FIG. 10 illustrates a transmitter (Pitcher) and receiver (Catcher) timing diagram according to one embodiment of the invention; Continue reading about Motion tracking and analysis apparatus and method and system implementations thereof... 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