Method and device for calibrating mobile terminal

• US 8,046,928 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Myong Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): FULTON, CHRISTOPHER W
• Application Number:
  US12/723,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20100273461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 333/661.1, 333/661.2, 333/90
• US Class Current: 33/366.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A method and device for calibrating a mobile terminal including a motion sensor reduces erroneous calibrations. The method of calibrating a mobile terminal by detecting an inclination of at least two directions preferably includes: activating a calibration mode for calibrating an error of the motion sensor. When a calibration mode is activated, a user interface screen for calibrating the motion sensor is output. The user interface screen outputs a coordinate system for displaying at least two facets of information; and inclination information of at least two directions received from the motion sensor is output as one image on the coordinate system.

Claims

1. A calibration device of a mobile terminal, comprising:

a motion sensor for detecting inclination information about at least two directions of a current position of the mobile terminal as an ordered pair; and

a display unit for outputting, when a calibration mode is activated, inclination information about the detected at least two directions of the current position of the mobile terminal as one image on a coordinate system,

wherein when said at least two directions of a current position comprises three directions, said one image is displayed on a three-directional coordinate system to show inclination information regarding horizontal direction, vertical direction and height direction as detected by the motion sensor.

2. The calibration device of claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling output of a warning message notifying that the mobile terminal cannot be moved while performing a calibration of the motion sensor, when a calibration instruction of the motion sensor is input.

3. The calibration device of claim 2, wherein the controller calculates an offset value for amending an error of the motion sensor.

4. The calibration device of claim 3, further comprising a storage unit for storing the calculated offset value, when a calibration of the motion sensor is complete.

5. The calibration device of claim 2, wherein the display unit displays a degree of progress of the calibration of the motion sensor.

6. The calibration device of claim 2, wherein the controller stops the calibration of the motion sensor when a motion of the mobile terminal is detected while performing the calibration of the motion sensor, and outputs a message notifying the calibration has stopped.

7. The calibration device of claim 2, wherein the controller stops a calibration of the motion sensor when a motion of the mobile terminal is detected while performing the calibration of the motion sensor, and outputs at least one of a message notifying the calibration has stopped and a message requested whether to recalibrate the motion sensor.

8. The calibration device of claim 2, wherein the display unit outputs at least one concentric circle using a starting point of the coordinate system as the center.

9. The calibration device of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the display unit to fill the at least one concentric circle with a preset specific color that corresponds to a degree of progress of the calibration.

10. The calibration device of claim 2, wherein the controller controls the display unit to move the image in a starting point direction of the coordinate system and to output the moved image to corresponds to a progress degree of the calibration.

11. A method of calibrating a mobile terminal comprising a motion sensor for detecting an inclination of at least two directions of a current position of the mobile terminal, said method comprising:

activating a calibration mode for calibrating an error of the motion sensor;

outputting an indication when a calibration mode is activated;

displaying a coordinate system for displaying at least facets of two information; and

outputting inclination information of at least two directions received from the motion sensor as one image on the coordinate system,

wherein said at least two directions of a current position received from the motion sensor comprises three directions, said one image is displayed on a three-directional coordinate system to show inclination information in a horizontal direction, vertical direction and height direction as detected by the motion sensor.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the indication output is one of a visual indication.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the indication output is a user interface screen for calibrating the motion sensor that includes said two facets of information of the coordinate system.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

notifying a user that the mobile terminal cannot be moved while performing a calibration of the motion sensor, when a calibration is performed according to an input of a calibration instruction; and

displaying a degree of progress of a calibration of the motion sensor.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying a coordinate system for displaying at least two facets of information comprises outputting at least one concentric circle using a starting point of the coordinate system as the center.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein displaying the degree of progress of a calibration of the motion sensor comprises at least one of:

filling the at least one concentric circle with a preset specific color to correspond to a progress degree; and

moving the image to a starting point of the coordinate system to correspond to the progress degree.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising calculating and storing an offset value for amending an error of the motion sensor.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising stopping a calibration of the motion sensor when the mobile terminal moves before a calibration of the motion sensor is complete.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising outputting at least one of a message notifying that a calibration of the motion sensor has stopped and a message requesting whether or not to recalibrate the motion sensor.