Apparatus and method for providing position information of wireless terminal

• US 20090149201A1
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoo, Ho-joon, Kim, Yeun-bae, Ryu, Hee-seob, Choi, Sang-on
• Application Number:
  US12/076,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20090149201A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.600
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing position information of a wireless terminal are provided. The apparatus map-matches a position estimated using a wireless signal received from a satellite or a base station to output the map-matched result when a reception state of the wireless signal is good, and map-matches a position detected by dead reckoning to output the map-matched result when the reception state of the wireless signal is not good, thereby enabling a user to correctly detect the position of the wireless terminal regardless of the reception state of the wireless signal received from the satellite or the base station.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing position information of a wireless terminal, comprising:

a signal receiver for estimating a position of the wireless terminal using a wireless signal received from a satellite or a base station;

a sensor for detecting a position of the wireless terminal using dead reckoning; and

a controller for determining whether or not a reception state of the wireless signal is good using the position estimated by the signal receiver, map-matching the position estimated by the signal receiver when the reception state is good, and map-matching the position detected by the sensor when the reception state is not good.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether or not the reception state is good using attribute information corresponding to the position estimated by the signal receiver among previously stored digital map information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the attribute information is information on a region in which traveling or walking is possible.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller determines that the reception state is good when an attribute of the position estimated by the signal receiver corresponds to the region in which traveling or walking is possible, and determines that the reception state is not good when the attribute corresponding to the position estimated by the signal receiver does not correspond to the region in which traveling or walking is possible.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether or not the reception state is good using node link information corresponding to the position estimated by the signal receiver among previously stored digital map information.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller reflects at least one of lane width information and wireless signal error information in the node link information to calculate a region in which traveling or walking is possible, and determines whether or not the reception state is good using the calculated region in which traveling or walking is possible.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller determines that the reception state is good when the position estimated by the signal receiver is included in the calculated region in which traveling or walking is possible, and determines that the reception state is not good when the position estimated by the signal receiver is not included in the calculated region in which traveling or walking is possible.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an output unit for outputting the map-matched result to a display.

9. A method of providing position information of a wireless terminal, comprising:

estimating a position of the wireless terminal using a wireless signal received from a satellite or a base station;

detecting a position of the wireless terminal using dead reckoning;

determining whether or not a reception state of the wireless signal is good using the estimated position; and

map-matching the estimated position when the reception state is good, and map-matching the position detected by dead reckoning when the reception state is not good.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of whether or not the reception state is good comprises determining whether or not the reception state is good using attribute information corresponding to the estimated position among previously stored digital map information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the attribute information is information on a region in which traveling or walking is possible.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining of whether or not the reception state is good comprises determining that the reception state is good when an attribute corresponding to the estimated position corresponds to the region in which traveling or walking is possible, and determining that the reception state is not good when the attribute corresponding to the estimated position does not correspond to the region in which traveling or walking is possible.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining of whether or not the reception state is good comprises determining whether or not the reception state is good using node link information corresponding to the estimated position among previously stored digital map information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining of whether or not the reception state is good comprises reflecting at lest one of lane width information and wireless signal error information in the node link information to calculate a region in which traveling or walking is possible, and determining whether or not the reception state is good using the calculated region in which traveling or walking is possible.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of whether or not the reception state is good comprises determining that the reception state is good when the estimated position is included in the calculated region in which traveling or walking is possible, and determining that the reception state is not good when the estimated position is not included in the calculated region in which traveling or walking is possible.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

outputting the map-matched result to a display.