PORTABLE NAVIGATION DEVICE AND METHOD WITH ACTIVE ELEMENTS

• US 20120150431A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Japan Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OOKA, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/425
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3652 Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli

Abstract

A portable navigation device and method are capable of presenting a destination direction to a user without resorting to visual sensation with a relatively simple configuration. Vibration elements are disposed on or in different positions of a housing. The respective vibration intensities of the vibration elements are determined on the basis of an angular difference θ between a destination direction Vn and a terminal direction Vd. The vibration elements are respectively controlled in accordance with the determined vibration intensities. The position of a vibration, which is obtained as a result of blending vibrations of the vibration elements is sensed by a user.

Claims

1. A portable navigation device comprising:

a housing;

a position detecting section that detects a current position;

an input section that receives an input for specifying a destination;

a destination direction detecting section that detects a destination direction to the destination from the current position;

a terminal direction detecting section that detects a terminal direction of the housing;

at least three active elements disposed at different positions on or in the housing;

an angular difference calculating section that calculates an angular difference between the destination direction and the terminal direction; and

an active element control section that determines respective tactile sensation intensities of the at least three active elements based on the angular difference to control the at least three active elements in accordance with the tactile sensation intensities.

2. The portable navigation device of claim 1, wherein

said at least three active elements are at least three vibration elements, and

said active element control section is a vibration control section that determines respective vibration intensities of the at least three vibration elements to control the at least three vibration elements in accordance with the vibration intensities.

3. The portable navigation device of claim 2, further comprising:

a distance calculating section that calculates a distance between the current position and the destination position, wherein

the vibration control section varies attributes of the at least three vibration elements based on the calculated distance.

4. The portable navigation device of claim 2, further comprising:

a display section that displays a map for inputting the destination.

5. The portable navigation device of claim 4, wherein

said display section displays the destination direction.

6. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said input section sets said destination as an initial waypoint along a segment of a multi-segmented path.

7. The portable navigation device of claim 6, wherein

said destination direction detecting section changes said destination direction at different turns along said multi-segmented path so as to provide turn-by-turn vibrational instructions to traverse said multi-segmented path.

8. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said at least three vibrational elements are disposed about said housing such that when said housing is grasped the respective vibration intensities of the at least three vibration elements impart a phantom sensation to a user.

9. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said vibration control section causes said phantom sensation to be aligned with said destination direction.

10. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said housing being a mobile telephone housing.

11. The portable navigation device of claim 1, wherein

said at least three active elements including at least one of

a heating element, a constrictive element, and an electrical stimulation element.

12. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said angular difference calculating section calculates

an angle θ

1 between the terminal direction and a reference direction,

and angle θ

2 between the destination direction and the reference direction, and

calculates the angular difference based on angle θ

1 and angle θ

2.

13. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said vibration control section calculates vibration intensity ratios between respective of the at least three vibration elements as part of determining said respective vibration intensities.

14. The portable navigation device of claim 2, wherein

said at least three vibration elements consist essentially of four vibration elements.

15. A tactile sensory navigation method comprising:

detecting a current position of a portable navigation device with a position detecting section of said portable navigation device;

receiving an input for specifying a destination;

detecting a destination direction to the destination from the current position;

detecting a terminal direction of the portable navigation device, said active device including at least three active elements disposed at different positions on or in a housing of the portable navigation device;

calculating with a processor an angular difference between the destination direction and the terminal direction;

determining with an active element control section respective tactile sensation intensities of the at least three active elements on the basis of the angular difference; and

driving the at least three active elements in accordance with the determined tactile sensation intensities.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein

said at least three active elements are at least three vibration elements,

said determining includes determining respective vibration intensities of the at least three vibration elements, and

said driving includes driving the at least three vibration elements in accordance with the respective vibration intensities.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

calculating with the processor a distance between the current position and the destination position, wherein

said controlling varies attributes of the at least three vibration elements based on the distance calculated by the processor.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying a map on a display of the portable navigation device for inputting the destination.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein

said displaying includes displaying the destination direction.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising

setting said destination as an initial waypoint along a first segment of a multi-segmented path.