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Systems and methods for location, motion, and contact detection and tracking in a portable networked device are disclosed. A portable device may include a motion detection unit including an accelerometer for detecting accelerations in one or more axes. Signals associated with the detected motion are

Systems and methods for location, motion, and contact detection and tracking in a portable networked device are disclosed. A portable device may include a motion detection unit including an accelerometer for detecting accelerations in one or more axes. Signals associated with the detected motion are processed to generate estimates of device acceleration, velocity, and relative and absolute locations. Additional processing may be performed to detect user gestures or other user input relevant to portable device control. Particular motion or vibrational characteristics may be also be detected and used by other processes in the portable device.

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1. A motion module for incorporation in a portable device, comprising: a processor module, including a processor and a processor readable memory disposed to store data and instructions for execution by said processor;a motion sensing module in electrical communication with the processor module, said

1. A motion module for incorporation in a portable device, comprising: a processor module, including a processor and a processor readable memory disposed to store data and instructions for execution by said processor;a motion sensing module in electrical communication with the processor module, said motion sensing module including:an accelerometer disposed to provide an analog acceleration signal associated with one or more axes of motion of said portable electronic device;an analog to digital (A/D) converter disposed to receive said analog acceleration signal and generate a plurality of digital acceleration values; anda signal processing module disposed to:generate, from said plurality of digital acceleration values, a plurality of relative velocity values and a plurality of relative position values, and store, in said memory, said plurality of relative velocity values and said plurality of relative position values,wherein the signal processing module further comprises a matched filter configured to correlate at least one of said acceleration values, velocity values and position values with prestored target values thereof, whereby to detect a preconfigured motion or location of the portable device, the matched filter being capable of operating in a plurality of operating modes, at least one said operating mode comprising a training mode in which the matched filter is configured to store acceleration values generated by the A/D convertor and/or velocity or position values generated therefrom as target values. 2. The module of claim 1 wherein said analog acceleration signal includes signal components associated with each of three orthogonal axes (X, Y, and Z) of motion. 3. The module of claim 1 wherein said motion sensing module further comprises a prefiltering module in electrical communication with said accelerometer and said analog to digital converter, said prefilter module disposed to provide a lowpass filtered analog acceleration signal to the input of said analog to digital converter. 4. The module of claim 1 wherein said signal processing module includes a first integrator module disposed to generate, based at least in part on said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and a second integrator module disposed to generate, based at least in part on said plurality of relative velocity values, said plurality of relative position values. 5. The module of claim 4 wherein said signal processing module includes a heuristic trend analysis module disposed to receive said plurality of digital acceleration values and provide, to said first and second integrator modules, a noise offset suppression signal. 6. The module of claim 4 wherein said signal processing module further includes a Kalman filter module disposed to: receive, at a Kalman filter input, said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values;apply a Kalman filtering process to said plurality of relative acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values, to provide a plurality of interpolated position values; andstore said plurality of interpolated position values in said memory. 7. The module of claim 6 wherein said signal processing module further includes a vector quantization module disposed to: receive position calibration data including a set of predefined positions;receive said plurality of interpolated position values;generate, based at least in part on said position calibration data and said interpolated position values, a first implied position value, said first implied position value based on one of said predefined positions; andstore said first implied position value in said memory. 8. The module of claim 6 wherein said signal processing module further includes a gesture recognition module disposed to: receive a set of gesture data, said gesture data including data sets associated with a plurality of predefined gestures;receive said plurality of interpolated position values;compare said gesture data and said plurality of interpolated position values;generate, responsive to said comparing, gesture match data, said gesture match data including match information associated with one or more of said plurality of predefined gestures; andstore said gesture match data in said memory. 9. The module of claim 8, wherein said gesture recognition module is disposed to generate said gesture match data at least in part based on a trellis algorithm. 10. A portable electronic device comprising: a frame structure;a core electronics unit including a processor and memory disposed to store data and instructions for one or more computer programs configured to be executed by the processor;a motion sensing module in electrical communication with the core electronics unit, said motion sensing module including:an accelerometer disposed to provide an analog acceleration signal associated with one or more axes of motion of said portable electronic device;an analog to digital (A/D) converter disposed to receive said analog acceleration signal and generate a plurality of digital acceleration values;a communications module configured to provide one or more network connections;a signal processing module including machine readable instructions, stored in said memory and configured to be implemented, at least in part, on said processor, to generate, from said plurality of digital acceleration values, a plurality of relative velocity and relative position values, and store, in said memory, said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values; anda housing attached to the frame structure, the housing at least partially defining a compartment containing the core electronics unit and the motion sensing unit,wherein the signal processing module further comprises a matched filter configured to correlate at least one of said acceleration values, velocity values and position values with prestored target values thereof, whereby to detect a preconfigured motion or location of the portable device, the matched filter being capable of operating in a plurality of operating modes, at least one said operating mode comprising a training mode in which the matched filter is configured to store acceleration values generated by the A/D convertor and/or velocity or position values generated therefrom as target values. 11. The device of claim 10 wherein said analog acceleration signal includes signal components associated with each of three orthogonal axes (X, Y, and Z) of motion. 12. The device of claim 10 wherein said motion sensing module further comprises a prefiltering module in electrical communication with said accelerometer and said analog to digital converter, said prefilter module disposed to provide a lowpass filtered analog acceleration signal to the input of said analog to digital converter. 13. The device of claim 10 wherein said signal processing module includes a first integrator module disposed to generate, based at least in part on said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and a second integrator module disposed to generate, based at least in part on said plurality of relative velocity values, said plurality of relative position values. 14. The device of claim 13 wherein said signal processing module includes a heuristic trend analysis module disposed to receive said plurality of digital acceleration values and provide, to said first and second integrator modules, an offset suppression signal. 15. The device of claim 13 wherein said signal processing module further includes a Kalman filter module disposed to: receive said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values;apply a Kalman filtering process to said plurality of relative acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values, to provide a plurality of interpolated position values; andstore said plurality of interpolated position values in said memory. 16. The device of claim 15 wherein said signal processing module further includes a vector quantization module disposed to: receive position calibration data including a set of predefined positions;receive said plurality of interpolated position values;generate, based at least in part on said position calibration data and said interpolated position values, a first implied position value, said first implied position value based on one of said predefined positions; andstore said first implied position value in said memory. 17. The device of claim 15 wherein said signal processing module further includes a gesture recognition module disposed to: receive a set of gesture data, said gesture data including data sets associated with a plurality of predefined gestures;receive said plurality of interpolated position values;compare said gesture data and said plurality of interpolated position values;generate, responsive to said comparing, gesture match data, said gesture match data including match information associated with one or more of said plurality of predefined gestures;and store said gesture match data in said memory. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein said gesture recognition module is disposed to determine generate said gesture match data at least in part based on a trellis algorithm. 19. A method of operating a portable device comprising the steps of: generating, at an accelerometer, an analog acceleration signal associated with one or more axes of motion of said portable device;providing, to an A/D converter, said analog acceleration signal;providing, from said A/D converter, a plurality of digital acceleration values based on said analog acceleration signal;generating, based at least in part on said plurality of digital acceleration values, a plurality of relative velocity values and a plurality of relative position values; andstoring, in a processor readable memory, said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values,the method further comprising:using a matched filter to correlate at least one of said acceleration values, velocity values and position values with prestored target values thereof, whereby to detect a preconfigured motion or location of the portable device;configuring the matched filter in one of a plurality of operating modes, at least one said operating mode comprising a training mode in which the matched filter stores acceleration values generated by the A/D convertor and/or velocity or position values generated therefrom as target values. 20. The method of claim 19 wherein said analog acceleration signal includes signal components associated with three orthogonal axes (X, Y, and Z) of motion, and said plurality of digital acceleration values includes a plurality of digital acceleration values associated with each of said X, Y, and Z axes of motion. 21. The method of claim 19 further including the step of lowpass filtering said analog acceleration signal to provide a lowpass filtered analog acceleration signal, and providing said lowpass filtered analog acceleration signal to said A/D converter. 22. The method of claim 19 wherein said plurality of digital acceleration values are integrated in a first integrator module to provide said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative velocity values are integrated in a second integrator module to provide said plurality of relative position values. 23. The method of claim 22 further including the steps of receiving, at a heuristic trend analysis module, said plurality of digital acceleration values, and providing, from said heuristic trend analysis module, an offset suppression signal. 24. The method of claim 22 further including the steps of: receiving, at a Kalman filter, said plurality of digital acceleration values, said plurality of relative velocity values, and said plurality of relative position values;providing, from said Kalman filter, a plurality of interpolated position values; and storing, in said memory, said plurality of interpolated position values. 25. The method of claim 24 further including the steps of: receiving position calibration data, including a set of predefined positions;receiving said plurality of interpolated position values;generating, based at least in part on said position calibration data and said plurality of interpolated position values, a first implied position value, said first implied position value based on one of said predefined positions; andstoring said first implied position value in said memory. 26. The method of claim 24 further including the steps of: receiving a set of gesture data, said gesture data including one or more data sets associated with each of a plurality of predefined gestures;receiving said plurality of interpolated position values;comparing said gesture data and said plurality of interpolated position values;generating, responsive to said comparing, gesture match data, said gesture match data including matching information associated with one or more of said plurality of predefined gestures; andstoring said gesture match data in said memory. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein said gesture match data is generated at least in part based on a trellis algorithm.