Method for obtaining direction of target location through a handset

• US 8,058,989 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• 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): HUNNINGS, TRAVIS R
• Application Number:
  US12/542,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13
• 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 handset configured to implement a method for obtaining a direction of a target location comprising:

obtaining geographical information of a current location of the handset through a GPS module inside the handset or through a positioning function of a network side, and receiving geographical information of the target location transmitted by other handsets;

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 display angle between a vertical ordinate on a screen of the handset and the direction from the current location to the target location; and

displaying the direction from the current location to the target location according to the display angle by taking the vertical ordinate on the screen as reference frame.

8. The handset according to claim 1, wherein determining the 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 comprises:

uniquely determining a circumference upon the earth 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;

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.

9. The handset according to claim 1, wherein determining the display angle between the vertical ordinate on the screen of the handset and the direction from the current location the target location further comprises:

determining a geographical meridian line of the current location;

determining a first included angle between the direction and the geographical meridian line of the current location, and determining a second angle between the geographical meridian line of the current location and the vertical ordinate on a screen of the handset; and

determining the display angle for the target location according to the first included angle and the second angle.

10. The handset according to claim 9, wherein 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 as the geographical meridian line of the current location, semicircle of the circle going through both poles of the earth as well as the current location.

11. The handset according to claim 10, wherein:

a digital compass is pre-configured inside the handset; and

determining the second angle comprises;

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

12. The handset according to claim 11, wherein:

a direction-indicating pointer is configured for displaying directions; and

displaying the direction from the current location to the target location on the screen comprises;

taking the vertical ordinate of the screen as a reference frame, displaying the direction from the current location to the target location on the screen by the direction-indicating pointer.

13. The handset according to claim 11, wherein:

a direction identifier is used for displaying the geomagnetism direction.

2. A mobile station configured to implement a method for obtaining a direction of a target location comprising:

obtaining geographical information of a current location of the mobile station through a GPS module inside the mobile station or through a positioning function of a network side, and obtaining geographical information of the target location as a signal cell identifier, which identifies one of a network equipment, a location area and a cell label for a signal cell;

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;

determining a display angle between a vertical ordinate on a screen of the mobile station and the direction from the current location to the target location; and

displaying the direction from the current location to the target location according to the display angle by taking the vertical ordinate on the screen as reference frame;

wherein obtaining the geographical information of the target location comprises;

storing mapping relations between geographical identifications and geographical information inside the mobile station or at network side, and

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

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

3. The handset according to claim 2, wherein the geographical identification of the target location is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

4. The handset according to claim 2, wherein the handset obtains the geographical information of the target location from the network side by way of short messages or service commands, and the network side stores the mapping relations between geographical identifications and geographical information.

5. A handset configured to implement a method for obtaining a direction of a target location comprising:

obtaining geographical information of a current location of the handset through a GPS module inside the handset or through a positioning function of a network side, and obtaining geographical information of the target 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 display angle between a vertical ordinate on a screen of the handset and the direction from the current location to the target location; and

displaying the direction from the current location to the target location according to the display angle by taking the vertical ordinate on the screen as reference frame;

wherein;

the handset stores a first group of mapping relations between the geographical identifications and the geographical information of the target location inside the handset;

the network side stores a second group of mapping relations between the geographical identifications and the geographical information of the target location at a network side; and

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

the corresponding geographical information is obtained from the first group of mapping relations stored inside the handset itself if the corresponding geographical information exists in the first group of mapping relations;

otherwise, the corresponding geographical information is obtained from the second group of mapping relations stored at the network side;

wherein the handset further comprises;

the handset is a mobile station;

the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier; and

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

6. The handset according to claim 5, wherein the geographical identification is a signal cell identifier of wireless communications, or a geographical name, or a structure name.

7. The handset according to claim 5, wherein the handset obtains the corresponding geographical information from the network side by way of short messages or preset service commands.