What are the Application Scenarios of the IMU？

IMU can greatly improve the record accuracy of the running track of the sweeping robot, make up for the deficiency of the odometer sensor, and help construct a high-precision and globally planned sweeping area path. Thanks to IMU, the sweeping robot can not only walk out of complex routes such as bow shape, back shape and spiral shape, but also combine with the guidance of infrared signals to return to the charging socket, which greatly improves the cleaning efficiency on the one hand, and makes the use experience more friendly on the other hand.

In addition to sweeping robots, IMUs are used for a wide range of purposes, whether it is a remote satellite or a TWS headset in front of us. Benefiting from the basic versatility of IMUs, its application functions are constantly enriched.

Ear wearable device human-computer interaction

As a popular application of TWS headset in recent years, IMU can enable ear wearable devices to achieve innovative man-machine interaction, such as wearing detection, head control, tapping detection (accelerometer), etc. More importantly, it can achieve 3D audio effect.

The IMU in the headset can accurately identify head posture and rotation. With the sensor in the mobile phone to obtain the relative position of the ear/head, so as to adjust the audio effect, for users to bring a more real sense of hearing.

Smooth flight of UAV

Drones have become popular with consumers, but did you know that in the beginning, they can't fly smoothly and smoothly, let alone take clear pictures? The "core power" IMU gives drones is the secret of its smooth and smooth flight even in strong winds and gusts.

The high-precision and highly reliable IMUs can greatly improve the flight capability of UAVs. By combining the collaborative work of system hardware, software and algorithms, complex operations such as perfect hovering or sharp turns can be realized, and satellite positioning technology can be combined to create high-precision navigation capabilities. Imus typically contain a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope. The accelerometer is responsible for detecting the acceleration signals of the independent three axes of the UAV coordinate system, while the gyroscope detects the angular velocity signals of the UAV relative to the navigation coordinate system. By further processing these signal data, the attitude of the UAV can be calculated, so as to realize the stable takeoff and air attitude recognition functions.

Professional sports tracking

Professional sports tracking devices are being sought after by sports enthusiasts and professionals, especially in the field of professional sports and rehabilitation treatment gradually emerging demand, mainly through motion capture, marking and tracking of body movements, and convert these information into sports and medical industry research and application data to achieve market value. Therefore, more accurate and cost-effective IMU solutions are becoming a better choice. For example, wearable tights embedded with IMUs are becoming more popular due to their portability and excellent motion capture capabilities, which can be used by athletes doing research or daily training.

IMUs are used to collect motion data to measure and calculate speed, tilt, rotation, and even motion angle. Due to its small size, integration with sports training equipment, and low power consumption, IMUs can continuously collect data and provide real-time feedback without much power. More than 100 companies around the world are now offering IMU motion sensor measurement system solutions, which promises to usher in a new wave of detailed analysis of athletes' movements based on IMUs.

In order to create a more realistic and immersive VR/AR experience, it is critical that users immerse themselves in the virtual environment for long periods of time, which means that the numerous motion sensors that dominate IMUs need to be extremely sensitive, precise, robust and responsive. In particular, the ultra-precise instantaneous detection of the movement of the head, torso, joints, fingers and other body parts, and the reduction of the time delay to an almost imperceptible minimum, can reduce the uncomfortable motion sickness effect or experience of fragmentation. Therefore, compact MEMS IMUs that integrate multiple functions are often preferred for this category of consumer applications. In addition, the application of AR in manufacturing is also rising rapidly. Workers can use AR equipment to access important technical information at any time, and determine the machine in use and the location of dangerous areas, etc. Aircraft manufacturers, for example, use AR glasses to help technicians wire planes, cutting production times and reducing errors. These rigorous applications will also rely heavily on highly accurate and reliable IMUs.

Of course, in addition to the above scenarios, IMU has been widely used in smart phones, such as horizontal and vertical screen switching, anti-shake photography, spatial ranging, etc., all rely on IMU.

Ericco, the manufacturer of FOG IMU and MEMS IMU, provides you with customized high quality inertial measurement unit. If you are interested and want to obtain more technical data, please feel free to contact us.