Personal navigation device for use with portable device

• US 7,706,977 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips North America LLC (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Soehren, Wayne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olsen; Lin B
• Application Number:
  US10/973,503
• Publication Number:
  US 20060089786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,009 Days
• Field of Search: 701/208, 701/213, 342/357.14, 348/113
• US Class Current: 701/215
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/46 the supplementary measurement being of a radio-wave signal type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0221 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/06 Position of source determined by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements G01S5/12 takes precedence

Abstract

A navigation system used by a user includes a navigation unit and a portable device. The navigation unit generates navigation-related output. The navigation unit transmits the navigation-related output to the portable device over a wireless communication link. The portable device receives the navigation-related output and uses at least a portion of the navigation-related output for processing performed thereby. In one embodiment, the portable device includes an input interface to receive user input from a user of the portable device. In such an embodiment, the portable device transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, and the navigation unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

Claims

1. A navigation unit for use by a user, comprising:

at least one sensor;

a processing unit coupled to the sensor, wherein the processing unit generates navigation-related output derived at least in part on information output by the sensor; and

a wireless interface coupled to the processing unit, wherein when the navigation-related output is transmitted from the navigation unit to a portable device being used by the user over a wireless communication link, the wireless interface transmits the navigation-related output to the portable device over the wireless communication link;

wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a time difference of arrival interface, a time of arrival interface, or a global position receiver, wherein at least one of time difference of arrival information, time of arrival information, or global position system information is transmitted to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link;

wherein the navigation unit receives the at least one of time difference of arrival information, time of arrival information, or global position system information for use by the navigation unit in generating the navigation-related output; and

wherein the navigation unit is configured to be carried by the user.

2. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein when the portable device transmits to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link navigation-related input received at the portable device, the wireless interface receives the navigation-related input.

3. The navigation unit of claim 2, wherein the processing unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

4. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one of an inertial sensor, a magnetic sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a radio frequency sensor and a physiological sensor.

5. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link comprises a BLUETOOTH wireless communication link.

6. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant, a portable computer, a portable game device, a portable audio player, and a portable video player.

7. The navigation unit of claim 1 further comprising an attachment interface to couple the navigation unit to at least one of the user and the portable device.

8. The navigation unit of claim 1, wherein the navigation-related output comprises at least one of information indicative of a position of the user and information indicative of a motion of the user.

9. A navigation system used by a user comprising:

a navigation unit for transmitting navigation-related output generated at least in part from sensor information output by a sensor included in the navigation unit; and

a portable device for receiving the navigation-related output and using at least a portion of the navigation-related output for processing performed thereby;

wherein the portable device comprises at least one of a time difference of arrival interface, a time of arrival interface, or a global position receiver, wherein at least one of time difference of arrival information, time of arrival information, or global position system information is transmitted to the navigation unit over a wireless communication link;

wherein the navigation unit receives the at least one of time difference of arrival information, time of arrival information, or global position system information for use by the navigation unit in generating the navigation-related output; and

wherein the navigation unit is configured to be carried by the user.

10. The navigation system of claim 9, wherein the portable device outputs at least a portion of the navigation-related output for the user.

11. The navigation system of claim 9, wherein the portable device comprises an input interface to receive user input from a user of the portable device, wherein when the user input includes navigation-related input, the portable device transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link.

12. The navigation system of claim 11, wherein the navigation unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a navigation unit from a wireless communication link, navigation-related input received by a portable device and transmitted by the portable device over the wireless communication link;

transmitting, from the portable device to the navigation unit, at least one of time difference of arrival information, time of arrival information, or global position system information; and

generating, at the navigation unit, navigation-related output based on at least a portion of the navigation-related input, sensor information output by a sensor included in the navigation unit, and at least a portion of the at least one of time difference of arrival information, time of arrival information, or global position system information;

wherein the navigation unit is configured to be carried by the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting, from the navigation unit to the portable device over the wireless communication link, the navigation-related output.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving at the portable device from the wireless communication link the navigation-related output transmitted by the navigation unit.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising using at the portable device at least a portion of the navigation-related output.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising outputting at the portable device at least a portion of the navigation-related output.