Personal navigation device for use with portable device

• US 20060089786A1
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Published: 04/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Philips North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Soehren, Wayne A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,706,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0221 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence

Abstract

A navigation system used by a user includes a navigation unit and a portable device. The navigation unit generates navigation-related output. The navigation unit transmits the navigation-related output to the portable device over a wireless communication link. The portable device receives the navigation-related output and uses at least a portion of the navigation-related output for processing performed thereby. In one embodiment, the portable device includes an input interface to receive user input from a user of the portable device. In such an embodiment, the portable device transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, and the navigation unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

Claims

1. A navigation unit for use by a user, comprising:

at least one sensor;

a processing unit coupled to the sensor, wherein the processing unit generates navigation-related output derived at least in part on information output by the sensor; and

a wireless interface coupled to the processing unit; and

wherein when the navigation-related output is transmitted from the navigation unit to a portable device being used by the user over a wireless communication link, the wireless interface transmits the navigation-related output to the portable device over the wireless communication link.

2. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein when the portable device transmits to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link navigation-related input received at the portable device, the wireless interface receives the navigation-related input.

3. The navigation unit of claim 2, wherein the processing unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

4. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of an inertial sensor, a magnetic sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a radio frequency sensor and a physiological sensor.

5. The navigation unit of claim 1, further comprising a global position system receiver, wherein the processing unit uses information output by the global position system receiver to generate at least a portion of the navigation-related output.

6. The navigation unit of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a time difference of arrival interface and a time of arrival interface, wherein the processing unit uses at least one of time difference of arrival information and time of arrival information to generate at least a portion of the navigation-related output.

7. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link comprises a BLUETOOTH wireless communication link.

8. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a portable game device, a portable audio player, and a portable video player.

9. The navigation unit of claim 1 further comprising an attachment interface to couple the navigation unit to at least one of the user and the portable device.

10. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the navigation-related output comprises at least one of information indicative of a position of the user and information indicative of a motion of the user.

11. A portable device used by a user comprising:

a wireless interface to receive navigation-related output transmitted by a navigation unit used by the user over a wireless communication link; and

a processing unit, coupled to the wireless interface, that uses at least a portion of the navigation-related output received from the navigation unit.

12. The portable device of claim 11, further comprising an output interface to output at least a portion of the navigation-related output received from the navigation unit.

13. The portable device of claim 12, wherein the output interface comprises at least one of a display and a speaker.

14. The portable device of claim 11, further comprising an input interface to receive user input from the user of the portable device, wherein when the user input includes navigation-related input, the wireless interface transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link.

15. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the portable device comprises an input interface to receive user input from a user of the portable device, wherein when the user input includes navigation-related input, the portable device transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link.

16. The portable device of claim 15, wherein the input interface comprises at least one of a keypad, a microphone, and a touchscreen.

17. The portable device of claim 11, wherein portable device comprises a global position system receiver, wherein global position system information output by the global position receiver is transmitted by the wireless interface to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link.

18. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a time difference of arrival interface and a time of arrival interface, wherein at least one of time difference of arrival information and time of arrival information is transmitted by the wireless interface to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link.

19. The portable device of claim 11 further comprising an attachment interface to couple the portable device to at least one of the user and the navigation unit.

20. A navigation system used by a user comprising:

a navigation unit;

a portable device; and

wherein the navigation unit generates navigation-related output;

wherein the navigation unit transmits the navigation-related output to the portable device over a wireless communication link; and

wherein the portable device receives the navigation-related output and uses at least a portion of the navigation-related output for processing performed thereby.

21. The navigation system of claim 20, wherein the portable device outputs at least a portion of the navigation-related output for the user.

22. The navigation system of claim 20, wherein the portable device comprises an input interface to receive user input from a user of the portable device, wherein when the user input includes navigation-related input, the portable device transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link.

23. The navigation system of claim 22, wherein the navigation unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

24. The navigation system of claim 20, wherein portable device comprises a global position system receiver, wherein global position system information output by the global position receiver is transmitted by the portable device to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, wherein the navigation unit receives the global position information and uses at least a portion of the global position information to generate the navigation-related output.

25. The navigation system of claim 20, wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a time difference of arrival interface and a time of arrival interface, wherein at least one of time difference of arrival information and the time of arrival information is transmitted by the wireless interface to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, wherein the navigation unit receives at least one of the time difference of arrival information and the time of arrival information, at least a portion of which is used by the navigation unit to generate the navigation-related output.

26. The navigation system of claim 20, wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a time difference of arrival interface and a time of arrival interface, wherein at least one of time difference of arrival information and time of arrival information is transmitted by the wireless interface to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, wherein the navigation unit receives at least one

27. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a navigation unit from a wireless communication link, navigation-related input received by a portable device and transmitted by the portable device over the wireless communication link; and

generating, at the navigation unit, navigation-related output based on at least a portion of the navigation-related input.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising transmitting, from the navigation to the portable device over the wireless communication link, the navigation-related output.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising receiving at the portable device from the wireless communication link the navigation-related output transmitted by the navigation unit.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising using at the portable device at least a portion of the navigation-related output.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising outputting at the portable device at least a portion of the navigation-related output.

32. A method comprising:

receiving, at a portable device from a wireless communication link, navigation-related output generated by a navigation unit and transmitted by the navigation unit over the wireless communication link; and

using, at the portable device, at least a portion of the navigation-related output in the processing performed by the portable device.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein using, at the portable device, the portion of the navigation-related output includes outputting, at the portable device, the portion of the navigation-related output.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising receiving, at the portable device, navigation-related input.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising transmitting, from the portable device to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, the navigation-related input.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising receiving, at the navigation unit from the wireless communication link, the navigation-related input and generating, at the navigation unit, navigation-related output based on at least a portion of the navigation-related input.

37. A navigation unit, comprising:

means for receiving from a wireless communication link, navigation-related input received by a portable device and transmitted by the portable device over the wireless communication link; and

means for generating navigation-related output based on at least a portion of the navigation-related input.

38. The navigation unit of claim 37, further comprising means for transmitting, from the navigation to the portable device over the wireless communication link, the navigation-related output.

39. A portable device, comprising:

means for receiving, from a wireless communication link, navigation-related output generated by a navigation unit and transmitted by the navigation unit over the wireless communication link; and

means for using at least a portion of the navigation-related output in processing performed by the portable device.

40. The portable device of claim 39, wherein the means for using includes means for outputting the portion of the navigation-related output.

41. The portable device of claim 39, further comprising means for receiving at the portable device navigation-related input and means for transmitting, from the portable device to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, the navigation-related input.