Patent ID: 8718963

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of determining error compensation parameters for a three-axis accelerometer, comprising: receiving, by a computer, a current set of only three acceleration measurements corresponding to, respectively, three (X, Y, Z) orthogonal axes, the current set corresponding to a current time epoch; determining, by the computer, whether the three-axis accelerometer is in a static condition based on the acceleration measurements from the three-axis accelerometer including sets of only three measurements from previous time epochs and the current time epoch; and if it is determined that the three-axis accelerometer is in the static condition: performing, by the computer, the following three steps: determining a pitch angle of the three-axis accelerometer based on the acceleration measurements from the three-axis accelerometer while in the static condition and if the pitch angle is less than a predetermined pitch angle threshold value then calculating a Z-axis bias value as a function of the current set of only three acceleration measurements; calculating a Z-axis bias drift value, as a function of a plurality of sets of only three acceleration measurements taken while the accelerometer remains in the static condition, wherein the plurality of sets of only three acceleration measurements are received corresponding to the current time epoch and subsequent time epochs in which the accelerometer is in the static condition; and storing a plurality of sets of only three acceleration measurements in a database and calculating error source values for at least one of the X, Y, Z axes as a function of a plurality of sets of only three acceleration measurements that are stored in the database for the time epochs during which the three-axis accelerometer is in the static condition.