Multimode GPS-enabled camera

• US 8,185,134 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Gum, Arnold Jason, Vasanadu, Ajay, Han, Charles Seunghwan, Ische, Marc, Tan, John Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sarwar, Babar
• Application Number:
  US12/255,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-457, 348/231.5, 348/231.99, 348/135, 348/234, 348/143, 348/148, 348/149, 348/231.3
• US Class Current: 455/456.3
• 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 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system

Abstract

A method and device of geographically tagging images by capturing an image, determining a position based on detection of satellite signals and a wireless network signal, and tagging the image with the determined position is provided.

Claims

1. A method of geographically tagging images in a mobile device comprising a camera, the method comprising:

capturing one or more images;

receiving at least one of one or more user-configurable parameters;

using the one or more user configurable parameters to determine when a position will be determined relative to said capturing one or more images, comprising;

determining the position after said capturing one or more images in response to a first value of the one or more user-configurable parameters;

determining the position before said capturing one or more images in response to a second value of the one or more user-configurable parameters; and

determining the position concurrently with said capturing one or more images in response to a third value of the one or more user configurable parameters;

attempting to detect satellite signals and/or wireless network signals;

comparing said satellite signals and/or wireless network signals with a threshold;

choosing a mode of position determination based on said comparison of said satellite signals and/or wireless network signals;

determining the position utilizing said mode of position determination;

tagging the one or more images with the determined position.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring, by a user, at least one of the one or more user-configurable parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

a fourth value of the one or more user-configurable parameters indicates the act of determining the position occurs once each image; and

a fifth value of the one or more user-configurable parameters indicates the act of determining the position occurs once for a set of images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the position depends on a sequence of positions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the position consists of an interpolation of a sequence of positions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the position comprises determining the position based on a selected one of:

a stand-alone SPS mode;

an assisted-SPS mode; and

a network-information mode.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the stand-alone SPS mode is selected based on SPS signals meeting a first threshold;

the assisted- SPS mode is selected based on the SPS signals meeting a second threshold lower than the first threshold, and further based on the availability of network information; and

the network-information mode is selected based on the SPS signal not meeting the second threshold, and further based on the availability of the network information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first threshold indicates a quality of the SPS signals.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the first threshold indicates a quantity of the SPS signals.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the network information comprises an identification of a cell.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the network information comprises an identification of an access point.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said capturing one or more images comprises:

interrupting a previous determination of a position;

capturing one or more images to memory; and

initiating said determining the position.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

failing to determine the position;

determining no location fix is available;

entering an idle state; and

timing out of the idle state based on an existence of an unstamped image.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising timing out of an idle state to refresh a location fix.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising timing out of an idle state to refresh an unused location fix.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining the position comprises weighting a plurality of locations each associated with a terrestrial base station.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises a cellular telephone.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device further comprises a personal navigation device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more images comprises one or more video images.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more images comprise one or more audio tracts.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more images comprise one or more still images.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said tagging the image with the determined position comprises:

tagging the image with a first position determined before the image was captured; and

re-tagging the image with a second position determined after the image was captured.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein said tagging the image with the determined position comprises tagging the image with a sequence of determined positions.

24. A mobile device comprising a camera for geographically tagging images, the device comprising:

means for capturing one or more images;

means for receiving at least one of one or more user-configurable parameters;

means for using the one or more user-configurable parameters to determine when a position will be determined in relation to the one or more images, comprising;

means for determining the position after said capturing the one or more images in response to a first value of the one or more user-configurable parameters;

means for determining the position before said capturing the one or more images in response to a second value of the one or more user-configurable parameters;

means for determining the position concurrently with said capturing one or more images in response to a third value of the one or more user-configurable parameters;

means for attempting to detect satellite signals and/or wireless network signals;

means for comparing said satellite signals and/or wireless network signals with a threshold;

means for choosing a mode of position determination based on said comparison of said satellite signals and/or wireless network signals;

means for determining the position utilizing said mode of position determination;

means for tagging the one or more images with the determined position.

25. The mobile device of claim 24, further comprising:

means for determining no location fix is available;

means for entering an idle state; and

means for timing out of the idle state based on an existence of an unstamped image.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising executable codes when executed by at least one computer to:

capture one or more images;

receive at least one of one or more user-configurable parameters;

use the one or more user-configurable parameters to determine when a position will be determined in relative to said capturing one or more images, comprising;

determine the position after said capturing one or more images in response to a first value of the one or more user-configurable parameters;

determine the position before said capturing one or more images in response to a second value of the one or more user-configurable parameters; and

,

determine the position concurrently with said capturing one or more images in response to a third value of the one or more user-configurable parameters;

attempt to detect satellite signals and/or wireless network signals;

compare said satellite signals and/or wireless network signals with a threshold;

choose a mode of position determination based on said comparison of said satellite signals and/or wireless network signals;

determine the position utilizing said mode of position determination;

tag the one or more images with the determined position.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, further comprising:

executable codes when executed by at least one computer to;

determine no fix is available;

enter an idle state; and

time out of the idle state based on an existence of an unstamped image.