Navigation devices, systems, and methods for determining location, position, and/or orientation information based on movement data generated by a movement detector

• US 6,728,632 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2001
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IDTP Holdings Incorporated (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Medl, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US09/944,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20030045998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/207, 701/220, 701/217, 701/300, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 342/357.17, 702/150, 702/152, 702/153
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning

Abstract

A navigation system includes a navigation device that communicates with a data processing system. The navigation device includes one or more movement detectors that are configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device, and a transmitter that is communicatively coupled to the one or more movement detectors. The transmitter is configured to transmit a signal that contains the movement data using a wireless communication protocol. The data processing system includes a receiver that is responsive to the signal from the navigation device and a processor that is communicatively coupled to the receiver. The processor is programmed to process the data to compute a location, position, and/or orientation of the navigation device.

Claims

1. A navigation device for use in a local wireless communication network, comprising:

at least one movement detector that comprises at least one accelerometer and is configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device;

a transmitter;

a processor that is communicatively coupled to the at least one movement detector and to the transmitter, the processor being programmed to process the data and to transmit the processed data using a wireless communication protocol associated with the local wireless communication network and the transmitter; and

a gyroscope that is configured to generate data that are indicative of rotational movement of the navigation device, the processor being communicatively coupled to the gyroscope, and being programmed to process the data that are indicative of rotational movement and to transmit the processed data that are indicative of rotational movement using the wireless communication protocol and the transmitter.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, further comprising:

a compass that is communicatively coupled to the processor, the compass being configured to generate data that are indicative of movement direction of the navigation device, the processor being programmed to process the movement direction data and to transmit the processed movement direction data using a wireless communication protocol and the transmitter.

3. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the at least one accelerometer comprises:

a plurality of accelerometers that are configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device in three degrees of freedom.

4. The navigation device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of accelerometers are configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device in six degrees of freedom.

5. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to mathematically integrate the data twice so as to compute at least one of a location and an orientation of the navigation device.

6. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine at least one of an initial location and an initial orientation of the navigation device.

7. The navigation device of claim 6, wherein the initial location of the navigation device is associated with a landmark.

8. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the, at least one movement detector comprises:

a plurality of movement detectors that are configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device in six degrees of freedom;

wherein the processor is further programmed to compute at least one of a change in location and a change in orientation of the navigation device;

wherein the navigation device is removably attached to the head of a person;

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine an initial location of the person and an initial orientation of the head of the person; and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine at least one of a new location of the person and a new orientation of the head of the person based on the computed change in at least one of location and orientation of the navigation device.

9. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a protocol that is based on a wireless communication technology selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), and global system for mobile communication (GSM).

10. A data processing system for use in a local wireless communication network, comprising:

a receiver that is responsive to a signal that is transmitted from a navigation device using a wireless communication protocol that is associated with the local wireless communication network, the signal containing data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device; and

a processor that is communicatively coupled to the receiver, the processor being programmed to process the data so as to compute at least one of a location and an orientation of the navigation device;

wherein the data are accelerometer data, and wherein the processor is further programmed to mathematically integrate the accelerometer data twice so as to compute at least one of the location and the orientation of the navigation device.

11. The data processing system of claim 10, further comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium that is communicatively coupled to the processor, the computer-readable storage medium containing a data structure comprising a plurality of landmark definitions, each landmark definition having a location associated therewith.

12. The data processing system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine at least one of an initial location and an initial orientation of the navigation device.

13. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the initial location of the navigation device is associated with one of the landmark definitions.

14. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine a new location of the navigation device based on a computed change in at least one of the location and the orientation of the navigation device;

and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine if the new location of the navigation device is within a predetermined distance of the locations of any of the plurality of landmark definitions.

15. The data processing system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine a new orientation of the navigation device based on a computed change in at least one of the location and the orientation of the navigation device;

and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine if the new orientation of the navigation device is directed towards the locations of any of the plurality of landmark definitions.

16. A navigation system for use in a local wireless communication network, comprising:

a navigation device that comprises;

at least one movement detector that is configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device; and

a transmitter that is communicatively coupled to the at least one movement detector and is configured to transmit a signal that contains the data using a wireless communication protocol that is associated with the local wireless communication network;

a data processing system that comprises;

a receiver that is responsive to the signal from the navigation device; and

a processor that is communicatively coupled to the receiver, the processor being programmed to process the data so as to generate at least one of a location and an orientation of the navigation device, and to determine at least one of an initial location and an initial orientation of the navigation device; and

a plurality of wireless communication devices, a respective one of the plurality of wireless communication devices being configured to transmit a query signal;

wherein the navigation device further comprises a receiver that is communicatively coupled to the transmitter and is responsive to the query signal, the transmitter being further configured to transmit an identification signal to the respective one of the plurality of wireless communication devices in response to the query signal, the respective one of the plurality of wireless communication devices being further configured to transmit a contact signal to the data processing system that identifies the navigation device in response to receipt of the identification signal by the navigation device receiver.

17. The navigation system of claim 16, wherein the data processing system receiver is responsive to the contact signal, and the processor is further programmed to determine the initial location of the navigation device based on a known location of the respective one of the plurality of wireless communication devices in response to receipt of the contact signal by the data processing system receiver.

18. The navigation system of claim 16, further comprising:

a landmark that is communicatively coupled to the data processing system; and

wherein the navigation device is associated with a user and the processor is further programmed to determine the initial location of the navigation device based on a user interaction with the landmark.

19. The navigation system of claim 16, wherein the data processing system further comprises:

a computer-readable storage medium that is communicatively coupled to the processor, the computer-readable storage medium containing a data structure comprising a plurality of landmark definitions, each landmark definition having a location associated therewith.

20. The navigation system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine a new location of the navigation device based on a computed change in at least one of the location and the orientation of the navigation device;

and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine if the new location of the navigation device is within a predetermined distance of the locations of any of the plurality of landmark definitions.

21. The navigation system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further programmed to determine a new orientation of the navigation device based on a computed change in at least one of location and orientation of the navigation device;

and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine if the new orientation of the navigation device is directed towards the locations of any of the plurality of landmark definitions.

22. The navigation system of claim 16, wherein the at least one movement detector comprises:

a plurality of movement detectors that are configured to generate data that are indicative of movement of the navigation device in six degrees of freedom;

wherein the navigation device is removably attached to the head of a person;

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine an initial location of the person and an initial orientation of the head of the person; and

wherein the processor is further programmed to determine at least one of a new location of the person and a new orientation of the head of the person based on a computed change in at least one of the location and the orientation of the navigation device.

23. The navigation system of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication protocol comprises a protocol that is based on a wireless communication technology selected from the group consisting of Bluetooth, time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), and global system for mobile communication (GSM).

24. A method of operating a communication system, comprising:

providing a plurality of service devices;

providing an information repository that contains respective locations of the plurality of service devices;

determining a location of a communication device;

comparing the location of the communication device with the locations of the plurality of service devices to determine if one of the plurality of service devices satisfies a selection criterion; and

establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices if the one of the plurality of service devices satisfies the selection criterion.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

sending a service request message to the plurality of service devices; and

determining which of the plurality of service devices respond to the service request message;

wherein comparing the location of the communication device with the locations of the plurality of service devices to determine if one of the plurality of service devices satisfies the selection criterion comprises comparing the location of the communication device with the locations of the responding service devices to determine if one of the responding service devices satisfies a selection criterion; and

wherein establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices if the one of the plurality of service devices satisfies the selection criterion comprises establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices if the one of the responding service devices satisfies the selection criterion.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the communication device is associated with a user and is communicatively coupled to a control signal input device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

generating a control signal using the control signal input device; and

sending the control signal to the one of the plurality of service devices if communication is established between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the control signal input device is selected from the group consisting of a blink detector and a voice recognition system.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices if the one of the plurality of service devices satisfies the selection criterion comprises:

establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices using Bluetooth wireless communication technology if the one of the plurality of service devices satisfies the selection criterion.

30. A method of operating a communication system, comprising:

providing a plurality of service devices that have a data processing system associated therewith;

determining, at the data processing system, an orientation of a communication device;

determining, at the data processing system, if the communication device is directed towards one of the plurality of service devices; and

establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices if the communication device is directed towards the one of the plurality of service devices.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the communication device is associated with a user and is communicatively coupled to a control signal input device.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

generating a control signal using the control signal input device; and

sending the control signal to the one of the plurality of service devices if communication is established between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices.

33. The method of claim 31 wherein the control signal input device is selected from the group consisting of a blink detector and a voice recognition system.

34. A method of operating a communication system, comprising:

providing a plurality of service devices;

determining an orientation of a communication device;

determining if the communication device is directed towards one of the plurality of service devices; and

establishing communication between the communication device and the one of the plurality of service devices using Bluetooth wireless communication technology if the communication device is directed towards the one of the plurality of service devices.