Portable position detector and position management system
First Claim
1. A portable position detector for detecting a moved position of a walking body, comprising:
- walking-motion detection means for measuring a value related to a walking motion caused by movement of said walking body;
acceleration detection means for detecting acceleration of the value related to the walking motion caused by movement of said walking body;
moved-distance estimation means for estimating the moved distance of said walking body, based on both a number of steps detected from an output of said walking-motion detection means and a step length changed according to horizontal acceleration of said walking body or the magnitude of a change in the horizontal acceleration detected by acceleration detection means;
moved-direction detection means for detecting a direction or direction of movement of said walking body caused by movement of said walking body;
moved-direction determination means further comprising means for detecting two points further comprising a first point at which said walking body arrives substantially at a highest position and a second point at which said walking body lands, based on an output of said walking-motion detection means, and means for determining a moved direction at a specific location related to at least one of the first point and the second point and specified in a range between said first position and a succeeding position being a subsequent highest position at which said walking body arrives; and
moved-position estimation means for estimating a position of said walking body after movement, based on said moved distance of said walking body estimated by said moved-distance estimation means and said specific moved direction determined by said moved-direction determination means.
5 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable position detector is equipped with a pedometer, a geomagnetic sensor, and an acceleration sensor. With the pedometer, the moved distance of a walker is detected by a calculation of “the number of steps×the length of a step”. With the walking time per step detected with the acceleration sensor, the length of a step is corrected so that it corresponds to the walking state. The moved direction of the walker is detected with the geomagnetic sensor. With this, the moved position of the walker is accurately detected by self-contained navigation. Particularly, even in the case where the position detector is located in a forest or between buildings where a signal cannot be received from a global positioning system (GPS) due to high buildings, banks, and forests, the position detector with a portable size and weight applicable to a walker can know with a practically sufficient degree of accuracy the position of a person carrying this portable detector by self-contained navigation.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A portable position detector for detecting a moved position of a walking body, comprising:
-
walking-motion detection means for measuring a value related to a walking motion caused by movement of said walking body;
acceleration detection means for detecting acceleration of the value related to the walking motion caused by movement of said walking body;
moved-distance estimation means for estimating the moved distance of said walking body, based on both a number of steps detected from an output of said walking-motion detection means and a step length changed according to horizontal acceleration of said walking body or the magnitude of a change in the horizontal acceleration detected by acceleration detection means;
moved-direction detection means for detecting a direction or direction of movement of said walking body caused by movement of said walking body;
moved-direction determination means further comprising means for detecting two points further comprising a first point at which said walking body arrives substantially at a highest position and a second point at which said walking body lands, based on an output of said walking-motion detection means, and means for determining a moved direction at a specific location related to at least one of the first point and the second point and specified in a range between said first position and a succeeding position being a subsequent highest position at which said walking body arrives; and
moved-position estimation means for estimating a position of said walking body after movement, based on said moved distance of said walking body estimated by said moved-distance estimation means and said specific moved direction determined by said moved-direction determination means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15)
a unit for receiving radio waves from global positioning system (GPS) satellites and measuring the current position of said walking body; and
position correction means for correcting the current position estimated by said position estimation means, when the current position is measured with said unit.
-
-
11. The portable position detector as set forth in claim 10, wherein
when the moved direction detected by said moved-direction detection means or said specific moved direction determined by said moved-direction determination means is within a predetermined direction width and also when it is judged by the detection of a changing environment that a cumulated of steps or a cumulated moved-distance, in which a vertical amount of movement is within a predetermined width, is a straight-advanced walk on a level path which continues for a predetermined time or more, a correction of the step length in said moved-distance estimation means is performed by a value obtained by dividing a calculated distance by said cumulated number of steps, the calculated distance being calculated from positions measured at a starting point and an ending point of said straight-advanced walk on a level path by said unit. -
13. The portable position detector as set forth in claim 2, wherein
even when said time required for one step of a walk is shorter than normal time required for one step of a walk, said step length is corrected so that said time required for one step of a walk becomes shorter, if the horizontal acceleration of said walking body or a change in said acceleration detected by said acceleration detection means during this walking is less than a first predetermined value; - and
even when said time required for one step of a walk is longer than normal time required for one step of a walk, said step length is corrected so that said time required for one step of a walk becomes longer, if the horizontal acceleration of said walking body or a change in said acceleration detected by said acceleration detection means during this walking is greater than a second predetermined value.
- and
-
15. The portable position detector as set forth in claim 2, wherein said moved-direction determination means judges and detects at least one of the first point and the second point from a vertical geomagnetic change caused by walking of said walking body, and also determines a moved direction of said walking body at a specific point as a specific moved direction, the specific point being at least one of said first point and second point, or being a point delayed therefrom by a predetermined time.
-
12. A portable position detector for detecting a moved position of a walking body, comprising:
-
walking-motion detection means for measuring a value related to a walking motion caused by movement of said walking body;
acceleration detection means for detecting acceleration of the value related to the walking motion caused by movement of said walking body;
moved-distance estimation means for estimating the moved distance of said walking body, based on both a number of steps detected from an output of said walking-motion detection means and a step length changed in a direction where the step length becomes a wider step length as a time required for one step of a walk detected from an output of said walking-motion detection means becomes shorter;
moved-direction detection means for detecting a direction or direction of movement of said walking body caused by movement of said walking body;
moved-direction determination means further comprising means for detecting two points further comprising a first point at which said walking body arrives substantially at a highest position and a second point at which said walking body lands, based on an output of said walking-motion detection means, and means for determining a moved direction at a specific location related to at least one of the first point and the second point and specified in a range between said first position and a succeeding position being a subsequent highest position at which said walking body arrives; and
moved-position estimation means for estimating a position of said walking body after movement, based on said moved distance of said walking body estimated by said moved-distance estimation means and said specific moved direction determined by said moved-direction determination means. - View Dependent Claims (14, 16, 17)
a unit for receiving radio waves from global positioning system (GPS) satellites and measuring a current position of said walking body; and
position correction means for correcting the current position estimated by said position estimation means, when the current position is measured with said unit.
-
-
18. A position management system comprising:
-
a portable position detector for detecting a moved position of a walking body, the portable position detector including (1) walking-motion detection means for measuring a value related to a walking motion caused by movement of said walking body, (2) acceleration detection means for detecting acceleration of a value related to the walking motion caused by movement of said walking body, (3) moved-distance estimation means for estimating the moved distance of said walking body, based on both a number of steps detected from an output of said walking-motion detection means and a step length changed according to either the time required for one step of a walk detected during said walking motion, or-horizontal acceleration of said walking body detected by acceleration detection means, or a magnitude of a change in the horizontal acceleration, (4) moved-direction detection means for detecting a direction or direction of movement of said walking body caused by movement of said walking body, (5) moved-direction determination means further comprising means for detecting two points further comprising a first point at which said walking body arrives substantially at a highest position and a second point at which said walking body lands, based on an output of said walking-motion detection means, and means for determining a moved direction at a specific location related to at least one of the first point and the second point and specified in a range between said first position and a succeeding position being a subsequent highest position at which said walking body arrives; and
(6) moved-position estimation means for estimating a position of said walking body after movement, based on said moved distance of said walking body estimated by said moved-distance estimation means and said specific moved direction determined by said moved-direction determination means, and (7) transmission means for transmitting at least one piece of information of output information from said walking-motion detection means, from said moved-distance estimation means, from said moved-direction determination means, and from said moved-position estimation means; and
a base station including (1) reception means for receiving the output information transmitted by said transmission means of said portable position detector and (2) display means for displaying a moved position of said portable position detector, based on the information from said reception means.- View Dependent Claims (19)
at least a portion of information necessary for a process of calculating a position of said portable position detector on the basis of a GPS signal received by said portable position detector is transmitted from said portable position detector to said base station; said base station receives said portion of information and performs said position calculating process; and
in said portable position detector, a calculating process is shared with said portable position detector and said base station so that said base station executes processes other than said position calculating process.
-
Specification