LOCATION SYSTEMS FOR HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20100057359A1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Robert J., Caballero, Ruben
• Granted Patent: US 9,816,821 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/214
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

An electronic device such as a portable electronic device is provided. The device may have wireless circuitry such as a global satellite navigation system receiver for receiving global satellite navigation system signals and for producing corresponding global satellite navigation system data. The global satellite navigation system data may include information on the current position of the portable electronic device. The portable electronic device may also have one or more sensors that are used to gather data in addition to the global satellite navigation system data. The sensors may include accelerometers and other devices capable of determining how the portable electronic device is oriented with respect to the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and how the device is being moved. When the device is moved, the movement and resulting change in orientation may be used in conjunction with the global satellite navigation system data to compute a current geographic location.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a global navigation satellite system receiver that produces satellite location data from received satellite signals;

an accelerometer that detects movement of the portable electronic device and that produces corresponding accelerometer signals; and

processing circuitry that computes where the portable electronic device is geographically located based on the satellite location data and the accelerometer signals.

2. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the accelerometer comprises a three-axis accelerometer.

3. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the accelerometer comprises at least one vibrating element.

4. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising a sensor with a magnetic element that measures how the portable electronic device is oriented with respect to the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

5. The portable electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to run a location engine that processes signals from multiple sensors including the accelerometer to improve accuracy in the computed geographic location based on the satellite location data.

6. A method of using a portable electronic device that has a global navigation satellite system receiver and at least one sensor that is sensitive to movement of the portable electronic device and that is separate from the global navigation satellite system receiver, comprising:

with the global satellite system receiver, receiving satellite signals from navigation satellites and producing corresponding global satellite system receiver data;

with the sensor, gathering sensor data in response to movement of the portable electronic device; and

with processing circuitry in the portable electronic device, processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to produce output data.

7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer, wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering accelerometer data, and wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to produce output data comprises processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered accelerometer data to calculate a current geographic location for the portable electronic device.

8. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor has a magnetic element and wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering orientation data using the sensor with the magnetic element indicating how the portable electronic device is oriented with respect to the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

9. The method defined in claim 6 wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering orientation data indicating how the portable electronic device is oriented with respect to the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to produce output data comprises processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to calculate a current geographic location for the portable electronic device.

10. The method defined in claim 9 wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data comprises computing a direction of motion associated with the portable electronic device.

11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data comprises computing a velocity associated with the portable electronic device.

12. The method defined in claim 6 wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data comprises computing a velocity associated with the portable electronic device.

13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data comprises computing a direction of motion associated with the portable electronic device.

14. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer, wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering accelerometer data, and wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data comprises processing the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered accelerometer data to compute a direction of motion associated with the portable electronic device.

15. The method defined in claim 6 wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering angular orientation data indicating how the portable electronic device is oriented with respect to three perpendicular axes including a pitch axis, a yaw axis, and a roll axis.

16. The method defined in claim 6 wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering angular orientation data indicating how the portable electronic device is oriented with respect to three perpendicular axes including a pitch axis, a yaw axis, and a roll axis and wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to produce output data comprises processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to calculate a current geographic location for the portable electronic device.

17. The method defined in claim 6 wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer, wherein gathering the sensor data comprises gathering accelerometer data, and wherein processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered sensor data to produce output data comprises processing both the global satellite system receiver data and the gathered accelerometer data to calculate a current geographic location for the portable electronic device, the method further comprising:

displaying navigation directions for a user on a display on the portable electronic device based on the calculated current geographic location.

18. Circuitry in a portable electronic device comprising:

an antenna;

a global satellite navigation system receiver coupled to the antenna that receives satellite navigation signals and that produces corresponding global satellite navigation system receiver location data;

an accelerometer that produces accelerometer data in response to movement of the portable electronic device; and

processing circuitry that computes the portable electronic device'"'"'s current geographic location based on both the global satellite navigation system receiver location data and the accelerometer data.

19. The circuitry defined in claim 18 further comprising radio-frequency transceiver circuitry that receives cellular telephone signals.

20. The circuitry defined in claim 19 further comprising:

a speaker through which the processing circuitry presents music to a user; and

a display on which a map and a visual indicator of current geographic location are displayed.