Method for obtaining direction of target location through a handset

• US 7,595,724 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Li, Chengjun, Li, Jilin, Wang, Zhengwei
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Toan N
• Assistant Examiner(s): McNally; Kerri L
• Application Number:
  US11/456,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20070008110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 342/357.1, 342/357.08
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for obtaining the direction of a target location through a handset, which includes: the handset obtains geographical information of a current location and that of the target location, determines a geographical meridian line of the current location and a angle of this geographical meridian line displayed on the screen of the handset; the handset determines the direction from the current location to the target location according to geographical information of the current location and that of the target location, determines an included angle between this direction and the geographical meridian line. According to the included angle and that of the geographical meridian line displayed on its screen, the handset determines the direction displayed on the screen of the handset from the current location to the target location, and displays the direction of the target location on the screen according to the displayed direction. The present invention solves the problem that existing handsets cannot provide the direction of the target location for the user. The user can confirm the direction of the target location through the handset.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining a direction of a target location through a handset, comprising:

receiving geographical information of a current location transmitted by other handsets and obtaining geographical information of the target location, and determining a geographical meridian line of the current location;

determining a direction from the current location to the target location according to the geographical information of the current location and the geographical information of the target location, and determining a first included angle between the direction and the geographical meridian line of the current location, and then determining a second angle between the geographical meridian line of the current location and a designated direction on a screen of the handset;

according to the first included angle and the second angle, determining a display direction for the target location and displaying the display direction on the screen.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining the geographical information of the target location comprises:

receiving the geographical information of the target location transmitted by other handsets.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining the geographical information of the target location comprises:

storing first mapping relations between geographical identifications and the geographical information of the target location inside the handset;

storing second mapping relations between the geographical identifications and the geographical information of the target location at a network side,

according to a geographical identification of the target location, the handset judging whether corresponding geographical information for the geographical identification of the target location exists in the first mapping relations stored inside the handset itself, if the corresponding geographical information exists, obtaining the corresponding geographical information from the first mapping relations stored inside the handset itself;

otherwise, the handset getting the corresponding geographical information for the geographical identification of the target location from the second mapping relations stored at the network side;

wherein the geographical information of the target location at least comprises geographical coordinate information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the handset is a mobile station;

the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier; and

the signal cell identifier is a network equipment or a location area or cell label corresponding to a signal cell.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the handset obtains the corresponding geographical information from the network side by way of short messages or preset service commands.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining the geographical meridian line of the current location comprises:

determining a circle that goes through both poles of the earth as well as the current location, and

taking a semicircle of the circle that goes through both poles of the earth as well as the current location as the geographical meridian line of the current location.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

pre-configuring a digital compass inside the handset;

correspondingly, said determining the second angle comprises;

determining a second included angle between a geomagnetism direction of the earth and a vertical ordinate of the screen.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said determining the display direction for the target location displayed on the screen further comprises:

according to the first included angle as well as the second angle, determining a display angle, the display angle being an included angle between the direction from the current location to the target location and the vertical ordinate of the screen;

determining the display direction for the target location according to the display angle.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

configuring a direction-indicating pointer for displaying directions;

wherein said displaying the display direction for the target location on the screen comprises;

taking the vertical ordinate of the screen as a reference frame, the direction-indicating pointer displaying the display direction for the target location on the screen.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

configuring a direction identifier used for displaying the geomagnetism direction.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining the direction from the current location to the target location according to the geographical information of the current location and that of the target location comprises:

according to the geographical information of the current location and the geographical information of the target location as well as coordinate information of the earth'"'"'s core, uniquely determining a circumference upon the earth,

determining a short circular arc along the circumference from the current location to the target location, and

taking the direction along the short circular arc from the current location to the target location as the direction from current location to the target location.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the handset is a mobile terminal or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said obtaining the geographical information of the target location comprises:

storing mapping relations between geographical identifications and geographical information inside the handset or at network side; and

the handset obtaining the geographical information of the target location from the mapping relations according to a geological identification of the target location.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the geographical identification of the target location is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the handset is a mobile station;

wherein the geographical identification of the target location is a signal cell identifier; and

wherein the signal cell identifier is a network equipment or a location area or cell label corresponding to a signal cell.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the handset obtains the geographical information of the target location from a network side by way of short messages or service commands that are set for the network side and include the geographical identification of the target location.