DISTANCE CALIBRATION BY EVENT POINTS

• US 20150120186A1
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Massoth, Kristin M., Downey, David J., Heikes, Joe S., Becker, Brian D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/468
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic device for tracking a distance traveled by a user along a course comprises a location determining element, a memory element, and a processing element. The location determining element is configured to receive location signals from a satellite-based positioning system and to determine a current geolocation of the user. The memory element is configured to store geolocations for a start point, an end point, and a plurality of intermediate event points that are passed by the user as he travels along the course, wherein each event point is positioned at a known distance from a stored geolocation such as the start point or another event point. The processing element is configured to determine a measured distance based on the current geolocation of the user and to determine a calibrated distance as a function of the measured distance and the known distances of the event points.

Claims

1. An electronic device for tracking a distance traveled by a user along a course, the electronic device comprising:

a location determining element configured to receive location signals from a satellite-based positioning system and to determine a current geolocation of the user;

a memory element configured to store geolocations for a plurality of event points positioned on the course; and

a processing element in communication with the location determining element and the memory element, the processing element configured to determine a measured distance based on the current geolocation of the user and a calibrated distance using the geolocations of the event points.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a display configured to display the calibrated distance.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each event point is positioned at a known distance from a start point of the course and the processing element determines that the calibrated distance is equal to the corresponding known distance as the user passes each event point.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the processing element determines the user has passed an event point when the current geolocation is approximately equal to the geolocation of the event point.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing element determines the calibrated distance to be a sum of the known distance of a most recently passed event point and the measured distance from the most recently passed event point to the current geolocation.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless receiving element configured to receive at least a first transmitter signal indicating the start point and a second transmitter signal indicating the end point.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the event points include a start point, a plurality of intermediate event points, and an end point.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the processing element automatically starts determining the calibrated distance when the user passes the start point and automatically stops determining the calibrated distance when the user passes the end point.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing element determines a remaining distance of the course using the calibrated distance.

10. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processing element determines a remaining distance of the course using the calibrated distance and a pace required to reach the end point based on a time goal, and the required pace is presented on the display.

11. An electronic device for tracking distance traveled by a user along a course, the electronic device comprising:

a location determining element configured to receive location signals from a satellite-based positioning system and to determine a current geolocation of the user;

a memory element configured to store geolocations for a start point, an end point, and a plurality of intermediate event points that are passed by the user as he travels along the course, each event point positioned at a known distance from a stored geolocation; and

a processing element in communication with the location determining element and the memory element, the processing element configured to determine—

a measured distance based on the current geolocation of the user,

a calibrated distance using the known distances of the event points, wherein the calibrated distance is equal to the corresponding known distance of the event points as the user passes each event point along the course, and

a current pace of the user traveling the course as a function of the calibrated distance.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a display configured to display the calibrated distance and the current pace.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a wireless receiving element configured to receive at least a first transmitter signal indicating the start point and a second transmitter signal indicating the end point.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processing element automatically starts determining the calibrated distance when the user passes the start point and automatically stops determining the calibrated distance when the user passes the end point.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the stored geolocation is at least one of the start point or another event point.

16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processing element determines that the calibrated distance is equal to a sum of the known distance of a most recently passed event point and the measured distance from the most recently passed event point to the current geolocation.

17. The electronic device of claim 11, further comprising a display configured to display the calibrated distance, the current pace and a pace required to reach the end point based on a time goal, wherein the processing element determines a remaining distance of the course using the calibrated distance and the pace required to reach the end point based on the time goal.

18. An electronic device for tracking distance traveled by a user along a course, the electronic device comprising:

a display configured to display information that is updated as the user travels along the course;

a location determining element configured to receive location signals from a satellite-based positioning system and to determine a current geolocation of the user;

a memory element configured to store geolocations for a start point, an end point, and a plurality of intermediate event points that are passed by the user as he travels along the course, each event point positioned at a known distance from the start point; and

a processing element in communication with the location determining element and the memory element, the processing element configured to determine—

a measured distance based on the current geolocation of the user,

a calibrated distance that is equal to the sum of the known distance of a most recently passed event point and the measured distance from the most recently passed event point to the current geolocation, and

a current pace of the user traveling the course as a function of the calibrated distance.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the processing element determines a remaining distance of the course using the calibrated distance and a pace required to reach the end point based on a time goal, and the required pace is presented on the display.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the processing element automatically starts determining the calibrated distance when the user passes the start point and automatically stops determining the calibrated distance when the user passes the end point.