POSITIONING DEVICE, POSITIONING METHOD, STORAGE MEDIUM AND IMAGE CAPTURING DEVICE

• US 20110141275A1
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: TODA, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,416,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/142
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data

Abstract

A positioning device comprising: a movement measurement unit that measures relative position variation; a positioning unit that enables measurement of positional information; and a control unit that starts continuous measurement of position variation by the movement measurement unit and measurement of positional information by the positioning unit at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position, and determines a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions in a case that the difference between the amount of position variation and the amount of relative position variation is determined by the determining unit to be within a predetermined range, and calculates positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measurement unit.

Claims

1. A positioning device comprising:

a movement measurement unit that measures relative position variation;

a positioning unit that enables measurement of positional information;

a control unit that issues a command to cause the movement measurement unit to carry out continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to carry out measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position;

a determining unit that determines whether a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measurement unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range; and

a specified position calculating unit that determines a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions in a case that the difference between the amount of position variation and the amount of relative position variation is determined by the determining unit to be within a predetermined range, and calculates positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measurement unit.

2. A positioning device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a moving position calculating unit that calculates positional information of each position on a travel route by cumulating information of position variation measured by way of the movement measurement unit with positional information of the specified position calculated by the specified position calculating unit,

in which

the moving position calculating unit sets preliminary reference positional information as positional information of the specified position, and calculates positional information of each position on a travel route, and

the specified position calculating unit calculates, when the position determination spot is determined based on the determination by the determining unit, positional information of the specified position by adding a difference between positional information of the position determination spot calculated based on the preliminary reference positional information calculated by way of the moving position calculating unit and positional information of the position determination spot measured by way of the positioning unit to the preliminary reference positional information.

3. A positioning device as set forth in claim 1, in which

the positioning unit measures positional information at each predetermined time period,

the movement measurement unit performs measurement of position variation at the each predetermined time period concurrently with the positioning unit, and

the specified position calculating unit calculates the positional information of the specified position, in a case of a difference of amounts of position variation is determined by the determining unit to consecutively be within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times.

4. A positioning device as set forth in claim 1, in which

the movement measurement unit includes an acceleration sensor that outputs information able to specify acceleration and a direction sensor that outputs information able to specify direction, and performs measurement of relative position variation based on information output from the acceleration sensor and the direction sensor, respectively.

5. A positioning device as set forth in any one of claim 1, in which

the position variation is a variation distance and a variation direction.

6. A positioning method for obtaining positional information of a specified position using:

a movement measurement unit that measures relative position variation; and

a positioning unit that enables measurement of positional information;

the method comprising;

a control step of issuing a command to cause the movement measurement unit to carry out continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to carry out measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position;

a determining step of determining whether a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measurement unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range; and

a specified position calculating step of determining a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions in a case that the difference between the amount of position variation and the amount of relative position variation is determined in the determining step to be within a predetermined range, and calculating positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measurement unit.

7. A positioning method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising:

a moving position calculating step of calculating positional information of each position on a travel route by cumulating information of position variation measured by way of the movement measurement unit with positional information of the specified position, in which

the moving position calculating step has a step of setting preliminary reference positional information as positional information of the specified position, and calculating positional information of each position on a travel route, and

the specified position calculating step has a step of calculating, when the position determination spot is determined based on the determination in the determination step, positional information of the specified position by adding a difference between positional information of the position determination spot calculated based on the preliminary reference positional information calculated in the moving position calculating step and positional information of the position determination spot measured by way of the positioning unit to the preliminary reference positional information.

8. A positioning method as set forth in claim 6, in which

the positioning unit measures positional information at each predetermined time period,

the movement measurement unit performs measurement of position variation at the each predetermined time period concurrently with the positioning unit, and

the specified position calculating step has a step of calculating the positional information of the specified position, in a case of a difference of amounts of position variation is determined in the determining step to consecutively be within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times.

9. A storage medium having stored therein a program executable by a computer for obtaining positional information of a specified position by respectively inputting measurement results from a movement measurement unit that measures relative position variation and a positioning unit that enables measurement of positional information, to implement:

a control function of issuing a command to cause the movement measurement unit to carry out continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to carry out measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position;

a determining function of determining whether a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measurement unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range; and

a specified position calculating function of determining a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions in a case that the difference between the amount of position variation and the amount of relative position variation is determined by the determining function to be within a predetermined range, and calculating positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measurement unit.

10. A storage medium as set forth in claim 9 having further stored therein a program executable by the computer to implement a moving position calculating function of calculating positional information of each position on a travel route by cumulating information of position variation measured by way of the movement measurement unit with positional information of the specified position, in which

the moving position calculating function has a function of setting preliminary reference positional information as positional information of the specified position, and calculating positional information of each position on a travel route, and

the specified position calculating function has a function of calculating, when the position determination spot is determined based on the determination in the determination function, positional information of the specified position by adding a difference between positional information of the position determination spot calculated based on the preliminary reference positional information calculated by the moving position calculating function and positional information of the position determination spot measured by way of the positioning unit to the preliminary reference positional information.

11. A storage medium as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the positioning unit measures positional information at each predetermined time period,

the movement measurement unit performs measurement of position variation at the each predetermined time period concurrently with the positioning unit, and

the specified position calculating function calculates the positional information of the specified position, in a case of a difference of amounts of position variation is determined by the determining unit to consecutively be within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times.

12. An image capturing device, comprising:

an image capturing unit that photographs a subject and acquires captured image information;

a movement measurement unit that measures relative position variation;

a positioning unit that enables measurement of positional information;

a control unit that issues a command to cause the movement measurement unit to carry out continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to carry out measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a photographing position by the image capturing unit;

a determining unit that determines whether a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measurement unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range; and

a specified position calculating unit that determines a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions in a case that the difference between the amount of position variation and the amount of relative position variation is determined by the determining unit to be within a predetermined range, and calculates positional information of the photographing position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measurement unit.