USER TERMINAL, METHOD AND LOCATION TRACKING SYSTEM FOR RECEIVING UNIQUE IDENTIFIER USING MAGNETIC FIELD

• US 20160003604A1
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Byeong-hu, PARK, Yong-hee
• Granted Patent: US 9,976,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/02 Magnetic compasses

Abstract

A method for controlling a user terminal includes obtaining reference magnetic field information of the user terminal, detecting a magnetic field emitted from an external mobile terminal, and obtaining location information indicating a location of the external mobile terminal based on the reference magnetic field information and the detected magnetic field.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a user terminal, comprising:

obtaining reference magnetic field information of the user terminal;

detecting a magnetic field emitted from an external mobile terminal; and

obtaining location information indicating a location of the external mobile terminal based on the reference magnetic field information and the detected magnetic field.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the reference magnetic field information of the user terminal comprises removing an effect of an internal magnetic field of the user terminal in response to a predetermined motion of the user terminal being detected by the user terminal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the obtaining of the reference magnetic field information of the user terminal comprises detecting the predetermined motion of the user terminal after the user terminal is detected as being within a predetermined range of the external mobile terminal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a magnetic field generation command being input to the user terminal, transmitting the magnetic field generation command to the external mobile terminal,

wherein the external mobile terminal emits a magnetic field between a maximum value and a minimum value in response to the magnetic field generation command.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the user terminal receives information regarding a maximum value and a minimum value of the magnetic field emitted by the external mobile terminal, and

wherein the obtaining of the location information indicating a location of the external mobile terminal comprises obtaining distance information of the external mobile terminal by comparing the received information regarding the maximum value and the minimum value of the magnetic field with maximum value information and minimum value information of the detected magnetic field.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the location information indicating a location of the external mobile terminal comprises obtaining direction information of the external mobile terminal by comparing the reference magnetic field information with the detected magnetic field.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising obtained identification information of the external mobile terminal, the identification information being a quantized value between a maximum value and a minimum value of the magnetic field emitted from the external mobile terminal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the obtained location information and the obtained identification information of the external mobile terminal.

16. The user terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a display configured to display the obtained location information and the obtained identification information of the external mobile terminal.

9. A user terminal, comprising:

a magnetic field detector configured to obtain reference magnetic field information of the user terminal and detect a magnetic field which is emitted by an external mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to obtain location information indicating a location of the external mobile terminal based on the reference magnetic field information and the detected magnetic field.

10. The user terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the magnetic field detector to obtain the reference magnetic field information by removing an effect of an internal magnetic field of the user terminal in response to a predetermined motion of the user terminal being detected by the user terminal.

11. The user terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control the magnetic field detector to detect the predetermined motion of the user terminal after detecting that the user terminal is within a predetermined range of the external mobile terminal.

12. The user terminal as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a communicator configured to communicate with the external mobile terminal,

wherein the controller, in response to detecting that a magnetic field generation command is input to the user terminal, is configured to control the communicator to transmit the magnetic field generation command to the external mobile terminal, the magnetic field generation command being configured to control the external mobile terminal to emit the magnetic field between a maximum value and a minimum value in response to the magnetic field generation command.

13. The user terminal as claimed in claim 12, wherein the user terminal is configured to receive information regarding a maximum value and a minimum value of the magnetic field which is emitted by the external mobile terminal, and

wherein the controller is configured to obtain distance information of the external mobile terminal by comparing the received information regarding the maximum value and the minimum value of the magnetic field with maximum value information and minimum value information of the detected magnetic field.

14. The user terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to obtain direction information of the external mobile terminal by comparing the reference magnetic field information with the detected magnetic field.

15. The user terminal as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain identification information of the external mobile terminal, the identification information being a quantized value between a maximum value and a minimum value of the magnetic field which is emitted by the external mobile terminal.

17. A first mobile device configured to detect a location of a second mobile device with respect to a location of the first mobile device, the first mobile device comprising:

a movement detector configured to detect motion of the first mobile device;

a magnetic field detector configured to detect a magnetic field generated by the second mobile device; and

a controller configured to determine the location of the second mobile device according to the detected magnetic field, in response to determining that the detected motion corresponds to a predetermined motion.

18. The first mobile device of claim 17, wherein the predetermined motion is motion in the form of the number 8.

19. The first mobile device of claim 17, wherein the movement detector is configured to detect the motion of the first mobile device only after the controller determines that the first mobile device is within a predetermined range of the second mobile device.

20. The first mobile device of claim 17, wherein the controller determines the location of second mobile device based on a comparison between maximum and minimum values of the detected magnetic field, and previously stored maximum and minimum values.