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Version: 2.4.0

Posture Angle detection

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Cube coordinate system

Using a posture estimation algorithm, the posture angle (estimated value) is calculated based on the output from the cube's motion sensor (6-axis detection system). Because this posture angle is not a raw value from the motion sensor but a value calculated in the cube with the acceleration and angular velocity, it always contains a certain amount of error or drift.

note

This feature is disabled by default. It becomes operational only once enabled in Configuration - Posture angle detection settings.

Posture angle detection can be obtained using the following characteristics. These characteristics are the same for Motion Detection and Magnetic Sensor.

PropertyValue
Characteristic UUID10B20106-5B3B-4571-9508-CF3EFCD7BBAE
PropertiesWrite, Read, Notify
DescriptorSensor Information

Write operations

Requesting posture angle detection

Posture angle information can be requested by writing the following data. Once the cube receives a request, it makes a notification on the posture angle once.

Data locationTypeContentExample
0UInt8Information type0x83 (Request for posture angle detection)
1UInt8Notification type0x01 (Notifications in Euler angles)

The types of notifications are as follows

Type of notification contentDefinition
0x01Notifications in Euler angles
0x02 Notifications in quaternions
0x03 Notifications in high precision Euler angles

Read operations / Notifications

When the posture angle of the cube changes, this characteristic notifies the BLE central of this information. The notified information can also be obtained through read operations.

note

This characteristic is the same for Motion detection and Magnetic sensor. Since this information is also obtained, please also see Motion detection - Read operations / Notifications and Magnetic sensor - Read operations / Notifications when using this characteristic.

Obtaining posture angle information (notifications in Euler angles)

The following data can be obtained when the type of notification content is set to Euler angle notifications.

Data locationTypeContentExample
0UInt8Information type0x03 (Posture angle detection)
1UInt8Notification type0x01 (Notifications in Euler angles)
2Int16Roll (X axis)0x00B4 (180 degree)
4Int16Pitch (Y axis)0x0000 (0 degree)
6Int16Yaw (Z axis)0xFF4E (-178 degree)

Angles

Euler angle format is integer.

The angle range is -179°(0xFF4D) to 180°(0x00B4) for roll and yaw, and -90°(0xFFA6) to 90°(0x005A) for pitch.

The rotation order is yaw (Z axis), pitch (Y axis), roll (X axis). The roll angle and pitch angle are 0° when the cube is placed horizontally on a surface with the wheel side on the bottom. The yaw angle is 0° when the cube is facing the direction it faced when it was turned on.

Errors

Because rotation around the Z axis (yaw angle in Euler angles) cannot be corrected with acceleration sensor, errors will accumulate. The following is a concrete example of this effect.

  • The yaw angle shifts by about 1° every few seconds even though the cube is not moving.
  • The yaw angle shifts by several degrees when the cube rotates by one rotation with the Z axis as the central axis.

Obtaining posture angle information (notifications in quaternions)

When the notification content type is set to notifications in quaternions, the following data can be obtained.

Data locationTypeContentExample
0UInt8Information type0x03 (Posture angle detection)
1UInt8Notification type0x02 (Notifications in quaternions)
2Float32w0x0000803F (1.0)
4Float32x0x00000000 (0.0)
6Float32y0x00000000 (0.0)
8Float32z0x00000000 (0.0)

Value range

The value range is -1.0 to 1.0.

Obtaining posture angle information (notifications in high precision Euler angles)

The following data can be obtained when the type of notification content is set to high precision Euler angle notifications.

Data locationTypeContentExample
0UInt8Information type0x03 (Posture angle detection)
1UInt8Notification type0x01 (Notifications in Euler angles)
2Float32Roll (X axis)0x00003443 (180.0 degree)
4Float32Pitch (Y axis)0x00000000 (0.0 degree)
6Float32Yaw (Z axis)0x00000000 (0.0 degree)

Angles

Euler angle format is float32.

The roll and yaw angle range is greater than -180 and less than or equal to 180 degree.

the pitch angle range is greater than -90 and less than or equal t0 90 degree.

The rotation order is yaw (Z axis), pitch (Y axis), roll (X axis). The roll angle and pitch angle are 0° when the cube is placed horizontally on a surface with the wheel side on the bottom. The yaw angle is 0° when the cube is facing the direction it faced when it was turned on.

Errors

Because rotation around the Z axis (yaw angle in Euler angles) cannot be corrected with acceleration sensor, errors will accumulate. The following is a concrete example of this effect.

  • The yaw angle shifts by about 1° every few seconds even though the cube is not moving.
  • The yaw angle shifts by several degrees when the cube rotates by one rotation with the Z axis as the central axis.