Method and device of measuring location, and moving object

• US 8,213,264 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2010
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyong Euk, Lee, Bho Ram, Bang, Won-Chul, Han, Jae Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hulka, James
• Application Number:
  US12/656,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20100309752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 367/99, 367/127
• US Class Current: 367/127
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1652 with ranging devices, e.g. LIDAR or RADAR
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a moving object and a location measuring device and method thereof that may transmit an ultrasound signal to the moving object through a plurality of ultrasound transmitting units, and may estimate a location of the moving object at a current time based on distance information of distances between the moving object and the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units measured based on the transmitted ultrasound, inertia information, and location information of the moving object at a time prior to the current time.

Claims

1. A location measuring device, comprising:

a plurality of ultrasound transmitting units to sequentially transmit ultrasound signals to a moving object;

an information receiving unit to receive, from the moving object, inertia information related to a movement of the moving object; and

a location estimating unit to estimate a location of the moving object at a current time based on the inertia information and location information of the moving object at a time prior to the current time,

wherein the moving object includes an inertia sensor that generates the inertia information, receives the ultrasound signals sequentially transmitted from the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units, and generates a plurality of distance information of distances between the moving object and the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units based on the received ultrasound signals;

the information receiving unit receives the plurality of distance information transmitted from the moving object; and

the location estimating unit converts the distance information of distances between the moving object and the ultrasound transmitting units that transmitted ultrasound signals prior to the current time, into distance information at the current time based on the inertia information and the location information of the moving object at the time prior to the current time, and estimates the location of the moving object at the current time based on the converted distance information and distance information of a distance between the moving object and the one of the ultrasound transmitting units that transmits the ultrasound signal at the current time.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the current time is a time at which a last one of the ultrasound signals that is transmitted from the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units is received.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the location estimating unit estimates the location of the moving object at the current time by using triangulation.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the location estimating unit estimates location information of the moving object at the current time based on the inertia information and the location information of the moving object at the time prior to the current time, and converts distance information of distances between the moving object and the ultrasound transmitting units that transmitted the ultrasound signals prior to the current time, into distance information at the current time based on the estimated location information of the moving object at the current time.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the inertia sensor is at least one of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a terrestrial magnetism sensor.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ultrasound receiving units, wherein the location estimating unit estimates the location of the moving object based on a location relationship between at least two of the ultrasound receiving units, when the ultrasound is received through the at least two ultrasound signal receiving units.

7. A moving object, comprising:

at least one ultrasound receiving unit to receive ultrasound signals sequentially transmitted from a plurality of ultrasound transmitting units included in a location measuring device;

an inertia sensor unit to generate inertia information related to a movement of the moving object;

an information generating unit to generate a plurality of distance information of distances between the moving object and the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units based on the received ultrasound; and

a location estimating unit to estimate a location of the moving object at a current time based on the inertia information and location information of the moving object at a time prior to the current time,

wherein the location estimating unit converts the distance information of distances between the moving object and the ultrasound transmitting units that transmitted ultrasound signals prior to the current time, into distance information at the current time based on the inertia information and the location information of the moving object at the time prior to the current time, and estimates the location of the moving object at the current time based on the converted distance information and distance information of a distance between the moving object and the one of the ultrasound transmitting units that transmits the ultrasound signal at the current time.

8. The moving object of claim 7, further comprising:

an information transmitting unit to transmit the inertia information and the plurality of distance information to the location measuring device.

9. The moving object of claim 8, wherein the location measuring device receives the inertia information from the moving object, and estimates a location of the moving object at a current time based on the inertia information and location information of the moving object at a time prior to the current point in time.

10. The moving object of claim 9, wherein:

the current time is a time at which a last one of the ultrasound signals is transmitted from the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units; and

the location measuring device receives the plurality of distance information transmitted from the moving object, converts the distance information of distances between the moving object and ultrasound transmitting units transmitted prior to the current time, into distance information at the current time based on the inertia information and the location information of the moving object at the time prior to the current time, and estimates a location of the moving object at the current time based on the converted distance information and the distance information of a distance between the moving object and an ultrasound transmitting unit that transmits the ultrasound at the current time.

11. The device of claim 7, further comprising:

a location estimating unit to estimate the location of the moving object at the current time based on the inertia information and the location information of the moving object prior to the current time; and

an information transmitting unit to transmit the estimated location information related to the location of the moving object to the location measuring device.

12. The moving object of claim 11, wherein:

the current time is a point at which a last one of the ultrasounds signals is transmitted from the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units; and

the location measuring unit converts distance information of distances between the moving object and ultrasound transmitting units that transmitted ultrasound prior to the current time, into distance information at the current time based on the inertia information and the location information of the moving object at the time prior to the current time, and estimates a location of the moving object at the current time based on the converted distance information and the distance information of a distance between the moving object and an ultrasound transmitting unit that transmits the ultrasound signal at the current time.

13. The moving object of claim 7, wherein the inertia sensor unit includes at least one of an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a terrestrial magnetism sensor.

14. A method of measuring a location, comprising:

sequentially transmitting an ultrasound to a moving object by using a plurality of ultrasound transmitting unit;

receiving, from the moving object, inertia information related to a movement of the moving object;

estimating a location of the moving object at a current time based on the inertia information and location information of the moving object at a point prior to the current time;

receiving the plurality of distance information transmitted from the moving object

wherein the moving object includes an inertia sensor that generates the inertia information, receives the ultrasound sequentially transmitted from the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units, and generates a plurality of distance information of distances between the moving object and the plurality of ultrasound transmitting units based on the received ultrasound

wherein the estimating of the location of the moving object comprises;

converting distance information of distances between the moving object and ultrasound transmitting units that transmitted ultrasound signals prior to the current time among the plurality of distance information, into distance information at the current time based on the inertia information and location information of the moving object at a time prior to the current point in time; and

estimating the location of the moving object at the current time based on the converted distance information and distance information of a distance between the moving object and a ultrasound transmitting unit that transmits an ultrasound at the current time.