Device orientation navigation system for mobile electronic device

• US 20080140314A1
• Filed: 12/06/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Kenneth J.
• Application Number:
  US11/634,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140314A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/39 the satellite radio beacon positioning system transmitting time-stamped messages, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System], GLONASS [Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System] or GALILEO

Abstract

A mobile electronic device and methods therefor convey direction to a location through output of audible or tactile signals in response to the spatial orientation of the mobile electronic device. A mobile electronic device in one embodiment comprises an input/output system, a navigation system and a processor operatively coupled with the input/output system and the navigation system, wherein under processor control the input/output system outputs at least one of an audible and tactile directional signal selected based on device orientation information determined using the navigation system.

Claims

1. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

an input/output system;

a navigation system; and

a processor operatively coupled with the input/output system and the navigation system, wherein under control of the processor the input/output system outputs at least one of an audible and tactile directional signal selected based on device orientation information determined using the navigation system.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the navigation system continually monitors the device orientation information for changes and input/output system further outputs at least one of a modified audible and tactile directional signal selected based on modified device orientation information determined using the navigation system.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the device orientation information comprises an actual device bearing determined using a compass and a target device bearing determined using a GPS system.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the target device bearing is further determined based on target location information received on the input/output system as an input.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the target location information is resolved to a target position and wherein the target device bearing is determined based on the target position.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the target location information is resolved to a target position through consultation of a location cache on the device.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the target location information is resolved to a target position through consultation of a remote location server/database.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the audible directional signal comprises a tone.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the audible directional signal comprises a frequency sweep.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the tactile directional signal comprises a vibration.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the device simultaneously outputs an audible directional signal and a tactile directional signal.

12. A method for conveying to a user of a mobile electronic device a direction to a location, comprising the steps of:

receiving target location information as an input on the device;

determining a target device bearing based on the target location information;

determining an actual device bearing based on an actual orientation of the device;

determining an audio directional signal based on the actual device bearing and the target device bearing; and

outputting the audio directional signal from the device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the actual device bearing is continually determined and the audio directional signal is continually modified in response to changes in the actual device bearing.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the actual device bearing is determined using a flux gate compass.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the target device bearing determined using a GPS system.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the audio directional signal comprises a tone.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the audio directional signal comprises a frequency sweep.

18. A method for conveying to a user of a mobile electronic device a direction to a location, comprising the steps of:

receiving target location information as an input on the device;

determining a target device bearing based on the target location information;

determining an actual device bearing based on an actual orientation of the device;

determining a tactile directional signal based on the actual device bearing and the target device bearing; and

outputting the tactile directional signal from the device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the actual device bearing is continually determined and the tactile directional signal is continually modified in response to changes in the actual device bearing.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the tactile directional signal comprises a vibration.