METHOD FOR OBTAINING DIRECTION OF TARGET LOCATION THROUGH A HANDSET

• US 20070008110A1
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Chengjun, Li, Jilin, Wang, Zhengwei
• Granted Patent: US 7,595,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.110
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for obtaining the direction of a target location through a handset, which includes: the handset obtains geographical information of a current location and that of the target location, determines a geographical meridian line of the current location and a angle of this geographical meridian line displayed on the screen of the handset; the handset determines the direction from the current location to the target location according to geographical information of the current location and that of the target location, determines an included angle between this direction and the geographical meridian line. According to the included angle and that of the geographical meridian line displayed on its screen, the handset determines the direction displayed on the screen of the handset from the current location to the target location, and displays the direction of the target location on the screen according to the displayed direction. The present invention solves the problem that existing handsets cannot provide the direction of the target location for the user. The user can confirm the direction of the target location through the handset.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining the direction of a target location through a handset, comprising:

obtaining geographical information of a current location and that of the target location, and figuring out a geographical meridian line of the current location;

determining a direction from the current location to the target location according to the geographical information of the current location and that of the target location, and determining a first included angle, the first included angle being the included angle between the direction and the geographical meridian line of the current location, and then determining a second angle of the geographical meridian line of the current location displayed on a screen of the handset;

according to the first included angle and the second angle, figuring out a display direction from the current location to the target location, and displaying the display direction on the screen.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step of obtaining geographical information of the current location further comprises any one of the following steps:

receiving geographical information of the current location inputted by the user;

receiving geographical information of the current location transmitted by other handsets;

configuring a GPS module in the handset, and obtaining geographical information of the current location through the GPS module;

getting geographical information of the current location through network'"'"'s positioning function;

or

storing mapping relations between geographical identifications and geographical information inside the handset or at network side, so that the handset can get corresponding geographical information from the mapping relations according to the geological identification of the current location;

wherein the geographical information at least comprises geographical coordinate information.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the handset is a mobile station;

the geographical identifier is signal cell identifier; and

the signal cell identifier is a network equipment or a location area or cell label corresponding to the signal cell.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the handset obtains the corresponding geographical information from the network side by way of short messages or preset service commands.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step of obtaining geographical information of the target location further comprises any one of the following steps:

receiving geographical information of the target location inputted by the user;

receiving geographical information of the target location transmitted by other handsets;

configuring a GPS module in the handset and obtaining geographical information of the target location through the GPS module;

getting geographical information of the target location through network'"'"'s positioning function;

or

storing mapping relations between geographical identifications and geographical information inside the handset or at network side, so that the handset can get a corresponding geographical information from the mapping relations according to the geological identification information of the target location;

wherein the geographical information at least comprises geographical coordinate information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the handset is a mobile station;

the geographical identifier is signal cell identifier; and

the signal cell identifier is a network equipment or a location area or cell label corresponding to the signal cell.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the handset obtains the corresponding geographical information from the network side by way of short messages or preset service commands.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step of obtaining geographical information comprises:

storing mapping relations between geographical identifications and geographical information inside the handset;

storing mapping relation between geographical identifications and geographical information at the network side,

according to the corresponding geographical identification of the handset'"'"'s current location or the corresponding geographical identification of the target location, the handset judging whether corresponding geographical information exists in the stored mapping relations, if the corresponding geographical information exists, obtaining this geographical information;

otherwise, the handset getting the geographical information corresponding to the geographical identification of the current location or the geographical identification of the target location from the mapping relations stored at the network side;

wherein the geographical information at least comprises geographical coordinate information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the handset is a mobile station;

the geographical identifier is signal cell identifier; and

the signal cell identifier is a network equipment or a location area or cell label corresponding to the signal cell.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the handset obtains the corresponding geographical information from the network side by way of short messages or preset service commands.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of figuring out the geographical meridian line of the current location comprises:

determining a circle that goes through both poles of the earth as well as the current location, and

taking the semicircle that goes through both poles of the earth as well as the current location as the geographical meridian line of the current location.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

pre-configuring a digital compass inside the handset;

correspondingly, the step of figuring out the display angle of the geographical meridian line on the screen of the handset comprises;

figuring out the second included angle, the second included angle further being the included angle between the geomagnetism direction of the earth and the screen'"'"'s vertical ordinate,

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the step of figuring out the display direction from the current location to the target location displayed on the screen further comprises:

according to the first included angle as well as the second angle, figuring out a display angle, the display angle being the included angle between the direction from the current location to the target location and the screen'"'"'s vertical ordinate;

accordingly, figuring out a display direction from the current location to the target location according to the display angle.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising:

configuring a direction-indicating pointer for displaying directions;

the step of displaying the direction from the current location to the target location on the screen comprises;

taking the screen'"'"'s vertical ordinate as the reference frame, the direction-indicating pointer displaying the direction from the current location to the target location on the screen.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

configuring a direction identifier used for displaying the geomagnetism direction.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the step of figuring out the direction from the current location to the target location according to the geographical information of the current location and that of the target location comprises:

according to geographical information of the current location and that of the target location as well as the coordinate information of the earth'"'"'s core, uniquely determining a circumference upon the earth,

determining a short circular arc along this circumference from the current location to the target location, and

taking the direction along this short circular art from the current location to the target location as the direction from current location to target location.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the handset is a mobile terminal or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).