Mobile bearing calculator and bearing correction method

• US 7,814,671 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Okeya, Shigeo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett; G. Bradley
• Assistant Examiner(s): Courson; Tania C
• Application Number:
  US10/599,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• Field of Search: 333/56, 333/55.R, 33351-352, 333/57, 333/16, 33/1.E, 702 92- 94, 324/244, 324/260
• US Class Current: 33/356
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/003 Repetitive work cycles; Sequence of movements
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0061 Geography
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/008 Touring maps or guides to public transport networks

Abstract

A mobile bearing calculator having a geomagnetic sensor for detecting earth-magnetism and a control unit for calculating a geographical bearing based on detection values of the geomagnetic sensor. The control unit monitors for an event such as a change of operation of electronic parts mounted on the mobile bearing calculator and corrects the geographical bearing in accordance with the occurrence of the event.

Claims

1. A mobile bearing calculator comprising:

a geomagnetic sensor for detecting earth-magnetism and

a control unit for calculating the geographical bearing based on detection values of the geomagnetic sensor; and

an electronic part mounted at the mobile bearing calculator, wherein a change of an operation state of the electronic part changes an earth-magnetism detection value of the geomagnetic sensor,

the control unit monitors for an event whereby an operation state of the electronic part changes, or a change of the operation state occurs,

and corrects the geographical bearing in accordance with occurrence of the event of the change of the operation state.

2. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a display unit,

said control unit displaying said detected geographical bearing as information of the bearing on said display unit.

3. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 2, wherein said control unit displays a pictograph indicating which direction a specific bearing is on said display unit as said information of the bearing on said display unit based on said geographical bearing.

4. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 3, wherein said control unit switches the display of said pictograph to a mode different from that before said correction when performing said correction.

5. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 2, wherein said control unit can acquire a map and display said map on said display unit, and performs a first display processing rotating said map to displaying as said information of the bearing linked with said geographical bearing.

6. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 5, wherein said control unit switches to perform a second display processing fixing the display of said map to a specific bearing without linking with said geographical bearing when displaying said map by said first display processing and performing said correction.

7. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 5, further comprising a positional information acquiring unit for acquiring information relating to the geographical location of a current position and a wireless communication unit able to connect to a communication network,

said control unit acquiring as said map a map information of surrounding of a current position specified based on positional information acquired at said positional information acquiring unit, from said communication network by said wireless communication unit.

8. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 7, further comprising a GPS signal receiver able to receive GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites,

said position acquiring unit specifying said positional information based on the GPS signals from said plurality of GPS satellites.

9. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a storage unit for storing correction data corresponding to a plurality of different events or a plurality of different changes of the operation state,

said control unit reading out correction data corresponding to the event or the change of the operation state and performing said correction when detecting the occurrence of said event or said change of the operation state.

10. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 9, wherein said control unit corrects said geographical bearing by using said correction data to correct detection values of said geographic sensor.

11. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 10, wherein

said geomagnetic sensor detects earth-magnetism at a plurality of directions among which at least two perpendicularly intersect each other, and

said storage unit stores a plurality of correction values corresponding to detection values of earth-magnetism of said plurality of directions by said geographic sensor.

12. A mobile bearing calculator as set forth in claim 11, wherein said control unit adds correction values corresponding to said correction data to detection values of earth-magnetism in said plurality of directions when correcting detection values of said geomagnetic sensor.

13. A bearing correction method in a mobile bearing calculator having an electronic part and a geomagnetic sensor for detecting earth-magnetism and calculating a geographical bearing based on detection values of said geomagnetic sensor said method, comprising

a step of monitoring for an event whereby an operation state of the electronic part changes or a change of the operation state occurs, and

a step of correcting the geographical bearing in accordance with the occurrence of the event or the change of the operation state.