POSITIONAL INFORMATION RECORDER, IMAGING DEVICE HAVING THE SAME, AND POSITIONAL INFORMATION RECORDING METHOD

• US 20110293260A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: DAIGO, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/310
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0264 at least one of the systems being a non-radio wave positioning system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/24 with means for separately producing marks on the film, e.g. title, time of exposure

Abstract

A positional information recorder includes a receiver configured to receive a wireless signal, an operation section configured to indicate a sign for recording positioning information, a positional information calculator configured to measure a geographical position based on the wireless signal and calculate positioning information according to the position, a positioning information recorder configured to record the calculated positioning information, a movement locus information calculator configured to calculate displacement information including a moving distance and a direction from a standard position, a relative positional information recorder configured to calculate relative positional information according to a relative position from the standard position by the displacement information when the positioning information is not obtained, and record the relative positional information associated with information according to the sign, and a positional information convertor configured to covert into positioning information the relative positional information already recorded in the relative positional information recorder when the positioning information is obtained.

Claims

1. A positional information recorder, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a wireless signal;

an operation section configured to indicate a sign for recording positioning information;

a positional information calculator configured to measure a geographical position based on the wireless signal and calculate positioning information according to the position;

a positioning information recorder configured to record the calculated positioning information;

a movement locus information calculator configured to calculate displacement information including a moving distance and a direction from a standard position;

a relative positional information recorder configured to calculate relative positional information according to a relative position from the standard position by the displacement information when the positioning information is not obtained, and record the relative positional information associated with information according to the sign; and

a positional information convertor configured to covert into positioning information the relative positional information already recorded in the relative positional information recorder when the positioning information is obtained.

2. The positional information recorder according to claim 1, comprising:

an acceleration detector configured to detect a movement direction from the standard position; and

a geomagnetism detector configured to detect a standard orientation, wherein

the movement locus information calculator calculates the displacement information based on the movement direction detected by the acceleration detector and the standard orientation detected by the geomagnetism detector.

3. The positional information recorder according to claim 1, comprising:

a timer configured to measure a time in which positioning according to the wireless signal is not performed, wherein

the positional information convertor performs the conversion based on the latest positioning information relative to the relative positional information recorded after a predetermined point of the measured time of each of the relative positional information recorded in the relative positional information recorder, and performs the conversion based on the positioning information measured just before the positioning inability relative to the positional information recorded before the predetermined point of the measured time.

4. An imaging device, comprising:

the positional information recorder according to claim 1;

an imaging section configured to obtain an optical image showing a subject via an imaging optical system and an imaging element, and convert the optical image into image data;

an image reorder configured to record the image data converted by the imaging section, wherein

the operation section includes a release button, and

the image data obtained by the operation of the imaging section with the sign is associated with the positioning information or the relative positional information, to be recorded.

5. A positional information recording method which is performed by a positional information recorder comprising a receiver configured to receive a wireless signal;

an operation section configured to indicate a sign for recording positioning information;

a positional information calculator configured to measure a geographical position based on the wireless signal and calculate positioning information according to the position;

a positioning information recorder configured to record the calculated positioning information;

a movement locus information calculator configured to calculate displacement information including a moving distance and a direction from a standard position;

a relative positional information recorder configured to calculate relative positional information according to a relative position from the standard position by the displacement information when the positioning information is not obtained, and record the relative positional information associated with information according to the sign; and

a positional information convertor configured to covert into positioning information the relative positional information already recorded in the relative positional information recorder when the positioning information is obtained, comprising;

a step of receiving a wireless signal by the receiver;

a step of detecting the sign for recording the positioning information;

a step of determining whether or not the positioning information can be calculated by measuring a geographical position based on the wireless signal when the sign is indicated;

a step of starting calculation of the displacement information including the moving direction and the direction from the standard position by the movement locus information calculator when it is determined that the positioning information is not calculated;

a step of calculating the relative positional information according to the relative position from the standard position by the displacement information when the positioning information is not calculated if the sign is indicated;

a step of recording the calculated relative positional information associated with the information according to the sign; and

a step of converting the relative positional information already recorded in the relative positional information recorder into the positioning information when the positioning information is calculated.

6. The positional information recording method according to claim 5, wherein the positional information recorder includes an acceleration detector configured to detect the moving direction from the standard position and a geomagnetism detector configured to detect the standard orientation,

the positional information recording method includes a step of detecting the standard orientation by the geomagnetism detector, and

the movement locus information calculator performs a step of specifying an inclination based on the output of the acceleration detector, a step of specifying the moving direction based on the output of the speed acceleration detector and the detection result of the geomagnetism detector, a step of calculating a moving speed by the output of the acceleration detector, and a step of calculating displacement from the standard position based on the inclination, the moving direction and the speed.

7. The positional information recording method according to claim 5, wherein

the positional information recorder includes a timer configured to measure a time of positioning based on the wireless signal;

the positional information convertor includes a step of determining whether or not the relative positional information is recorded before a predetermined point of the measured time, a step of converting the relative positional information into the positioning information by using the latest positioning information relative to the relative positional information recorded after the predetermined point of each of the relative positional information recorded in the relative positional information recorder when the relative positional information is recorded before the predetermined point, and a step of converting the relative positional information into the positioning information by using the positioning information measured just before the positioning inability relative to the relative positional information recorded before the predetermined point of each of the relative positional information recorded in the relative positional information recorder.