APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECOGNIZING ZONE IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20110294517A1
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Young-Ki, Hahm, Seong-Il, Kang, Pil-Seob, Yeon, Hun-Je, Kang, Shin-Il, Cho, Seong-Ho, Lee, Jin-Wook
• Granted Patent: US 9,052,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/28 Electromagnetic compasses with north seeking magnetic elements and having electric pick-offs G01C17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/40 specially adapted for measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

An apparatus and method for recognizing an indoor zone in which a user is located by using an Earth'"'"'s magnetic field that is generated naturally instead of the conventional method of combining a magnetic field generator and a magnetic field sensor. The apparatus includes a zone evaluator configured to primarily recognize a location of the portable terminal by using first and second components of an Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and to finally recognize the location of the portable terminal by using first and second images.

Claims

1. An apparatus for recognizing a zone of a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a zone evaluator configured to primarily recognize a location of the portable terminal by using first and second components of an Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and to finally recognize the location of the portable terminal by using first and second images.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the zone evaluator comprises:

a finger print collector configured to collect the first component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field for a first zone and the second component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field for a second zone;

an image acquisition unit configured to acquire images for the first and second zones;

a storage unit configured to store the first component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and the first image;

a finger print comparator configured to compare the first component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and the second component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field to primarily recognize the location of the portable terminal; and

an image comparator configured to compare the first image and the second image to finally recognize the location of the portable terminal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to execute a pre-registered interworking program upon a determination that the portable terminal is located in a predetermined zone.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the zone evaluator measures the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field by using the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field directed along three (3) axes of the portable terminal.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the zone evaluator obtains the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field by correcting a horizontal part of the portable terminal with respect to an Earth'"'"'s horizontal plane.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field are information corresponding to a location for zone recognition and include at least one of a horizontal intensity |H|, a vertical intensity |Z|, and an azimuth angle D which are determined by measuring the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field correspond to the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field that is distorted by an indoor wall structure, arrangement of home appliances, and a metal- or ore-contained product, and changes negligibly over time and has a particular property depending on a location in an indoor zone, and the particular property is used in location recognition in the indoor zone.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the zone evaluator determines the vertical intensity |Z| by using the following equation:

|Z|=|sin α

·

X′

+sin β

·

Y′

+cos α

·

cos β

·

Z′

|

wherein α and

β

denote angles of vectors deviated from the Earth'"'"'s horizontal plane.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the zone evaluator determines the horizontal intensity |H| by using the following equation:

|H|=|T|*cos(I),

wherein |T| is a strength of the total Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and I is an inclination of the total Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the zone evaluator determines the azimuth angle D by using a value of a direction sensor or determines a declination of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field by using the following equation:

11. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the zone evaluator compares one of i) a distribution for the respective Earth'"'"'s magnetic field components corresponding to the first zone and the second zone, and ii) an average, a minimum value, a maximum value, and a standard deviation of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field components corresponding to the first zone and the second zone, to determine the location of the portable terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the zone evaluator compares the average, the minimum value, the maximum value, and the standard deviation of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field components by applying a weight to a component which is important in the zone recognition.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the zone evaluator determines secondary location information when determining the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field component for the first zone, and thereafter compares only Earth'"'"'s magnetic field information for a zone registered by using the secondary location information.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first zone is a zone determined by a user, and the second zone is a zone in which the portable terminal is located as the user moves.

14. A method of recognizing a zone of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

primarily recognizing a location of the portable terminal by using first and second components of an Earth'"'"'s magnetic field; and

finally recognizing the location of the portable terminal by using first and second images.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

collecting the first component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field for a first zone and the second component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field for a second zone;

acquiring images for the first and second zones;

storing the first component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and the first image;

comparing the first component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and the second component of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field to primarily recognize the location of the portable terminal; and

comparing the first image and the second image to finally recognize the location of the portable terminal.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising executing a pre-registered interworking program if it is determined that the portable terminal is located in a predetermined zone.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the collecting of the first and second components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field for the first and second zones is a process for measuring the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field by using the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field directed along three (3) axes of the portable terminal.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the collecting of the first and second components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field for the first and second zones is a process for obtaining the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field by correcting a horizontal part of the portable terminal with respect to an Earth'"'"'s horizontal plane.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field are information corresponding to a location for zone recognition and includes at least one of a horizontal intensity |H|, a vertical intensity |Z|, and an azimuth angle D which are determined by measuring the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the components of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field correspond to the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field that is distorted by an indoor wall structure, arrangement of home appliances, and a metal- or ore-contained product, and changes negligibly over time and has a particular property depending on a location in an indoor zone, and the particular property is used in location recognition in the indoor zone.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the vertical intensity |Z| is determined by using the following equation:

|Z|=|sin α

·

X′

+sin β

·

Y′

+cos α

·

cos β

·

Z′

|

wherein α and

β

denote angles of vectors deviated from the Earth'"'"'s horizontal plane.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the horizontal intensity |H| is determined by using the following equation:

|H|=|T|*cos(I),

wherein |T| is a strength of the total Earth'"'"'s magnetic field and I is an inclination of the total Earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the azimuth angle D is determined by using a value of a direction sensor, and a declination of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field is determined by using the following equation:

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the recognizing of the location of the portable terminal is performed by comparing one of i) a distribution for the respective Earth'"'"'s magnetic field components corresponding to the first zone and the second zone, and ii) an average, a minimum value, a maximum value, and a standard deviation of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field component corresponding to the first zone and the second zone.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the recognizing of the location of the portable terminal comprises a process for comparing the average, the minimum value, the maximum value, and the standard deviation of the Earth'"'"'s magnetic field components by applying a weight to a component which is important in the zone recognition.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the primary recognizing of the location of the portable terminal comprises determining secondary location information and thereafter comparing only Earth'"'"'s magnetic field information for a zone registered by using the secondary location information.

28. The method of claim 14, wherein the first zone is a zone determined by a user, and the second zone is a zone in which the portable terminal is located as the user moves.