Apparatus and method for displaying direction and position information of portable terminal

• US 20030096623A1
• Filed: 10/02/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hyung-Chul
• Granted Patent: US 7,142,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/047 Displays or indicators G01S1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/12 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial

Abstract

An apparatus and method for displaying direction and position information of a portable terminal, wherein geographic position information of the portable terminal itself is displayed on the basis of a compass direction and a global positioning system (GPS). The portable communication apparatus comprises a base station for detecting and transmitting position information of the portable terminal corresponding to received GPS positioning information thereof, and a portable communication device including a sensor for detecting a true north direction of the portable terminal, the portable communication device transmitting the GPS positioning information of the portable terminal, which is received from at least one GPS satellite, to the base station, correcting an azimuth angle of the position information for display of the portable terminal, based on information of the true north direction of the portable terminal detected by the sensor, and displaying corrected position and direction information of the portable terminal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying direction and position information of a portable communication device having an RF transmission/reception unit for transmitting and receiving data between a base station and the portable communication device, comprising:

a base station having a processor for receiving from the portable communication device and transmitting to the portable communication device position information of the portable communication device corresponding to received GPS positioning information; and

the portable communication device comprising;

a sensor for detecting a compass direction of the portable terminal;

a GPS receiver for receiving the GPS positioning information of the portable terminal which is received from at least one GPS satellite;

a control unit for transmitting the received GPS positioning information to the base station, receiving azimuth angle information from the base station, and correcting the azimuth angle of the position information of the portable terminal based on the information of the specific direction of the portable terminal detected by the sensor; and

a display unit for displaying corrected position and direction information of the portable terminal.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the portable communication device further detects the specific direction of the portable terminal in response to an enable signal.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the GPS receiver operates in response to an active control signal.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the direction senor detects any one direction selected from the group consisting of north, south, east and west directions.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the control unit activates the control signal transferred to the GPS receiver in response to setting of the compass function.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the control unit transfers graphic data of a compass submenu to the display unit in response to a choice of a compass menu, and selectively activates the GPS receiver upon activation of the compass function.

7. A method for displaying direction and position information of a portable terminal, comprising the steps of:

receiving at the portable terminal GPS positioning information of the portable terminal;

transmitting from the portable terminal the received GPS positioning information to a base station and receiving from the base station position information of the portable terminal corresponding to the GPS positioning information;

correcting an azimuth angle of the position information based on information of the specific direction of the portable terminal; and

displaying corrected position and direction information of the portable terminal.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a submenu for setting a compass function in response to a choice of a compass menu; and

activating operation of the GPS receiver upon activation of the compass function.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprising the step of activating operation of the GPS receiver if the compass function is set, and enabling a direction sensor for detecting the specific direction of the portable terminal.

10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein the base station performs the steps of:

analyzing the received GPS positioning information of the portable terminal and calculating position coordinate values thereof;

comparing fixed position coordinate values of the base station with the calculated position coordinate values of the portable terminal for providing the position information of the portable terminal; and

transmitting the position information, to the portable communication device.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the step of displaying the corrected position and direction information includes the step of shifting the position information of the portable terminal to match the virtual specific direction of the position information, which is transmitted from the base station, with the specific direction of the portable terminal, which is detected by the sensor.