Mobile terminal apparatus

• US 20050222802A1
• Filed: 02/24/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vitec Company Limited (Restar Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Vitec Company Limited (Restar Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Masahito, Tamura, Yasuhiro
• Application Number:
  US11/067,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20050222802A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/30 Earth-inductor compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer

Abstract

A mobile terminal apparatus 1 uses an acceleration sensor as a tilt angle sensor 24 and delivers a variety of applications based on a result of detection. A processing unit 10 counts the number of steps that a person takes, based on low-frequency acceleration components detected by the tilt angle sensor 24. Further, the processing unit 10 is capable of turning on or off a power supply or adjusting a screen scroll speed in accordance with the detected acceleration. By taking advantage of the result of detection by the tilt angle sensor 24, it is possible to configure the mobile terminal apparatus 1 as a highly useful apparatus.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a magnetic sensor detecting three-dimensional components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector;

a tilt angle sensor detecting acceleration components in at least two dimensions; and

a processing unit determining an orientation by subjecting the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector components detected by the magnetic sensor to coordinate transformation, based on a result of detection by the tilt angle sensor, wherein

the processing unit counts the number of steps that a user takes, based on acceleration components, detected by the tilt angle sensor, of frequencies within a predetermined range.

2. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a magnetic sensor detecting three-dimensional components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector;

a tilt angle sensor detecting acceleration components in at least two dimensions; and

a processing unit determining an orientation by subjecting the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector components detected by the magnetic sensor to coordinate transformation, based on a result of detection by the tilt angle sensor, wherein

the processing unit performs a predetermined process when any of the acceleration components detected by the tilt angle sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a magnetic sensor detecting three-dimensional components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector;

a tilt angle sensor detecting acceleration components in at least two dimensions; and

a processing unit determining an orientation by subjecting the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector components detected by the magnetic sensor to coordinate transformation, based on a result of detection by the tilt angle sensor, wherein

the processing unit determines a screen scroll speed in accordance with the tilt angle determined from a result of detection by the tilt angle sensor.

4. A mobile terminal apparatus comprising:

a magnetic sensor detecting three-dimensional components of the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector;

a tilt angle sensor detecting acceleration components in at least two dimensions;

a processing unit determining an orientation by subjecting the earth'"'"'s magnetic vector components detected by the magnetic sensor to coordinate transformation, based on a result of detection by the tilt angle sensor; and

a position registering unit receiving a user'"'"'s input designating registration of a position, wherein

the processing unit registers the position, based on the input designating registration of the position and presents information related to the registered position, based on the determined orientation.