Using relative position data in a mobile computing device

• US 8,396,661 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wong, Kean, Fineberg, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/694,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 701408-462, 701500-505, 701300-302
• US Class Current: 701/472
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning

Abstract

A mobile computing device comprises a relative position determination circuit, a position determination circuit, and a processing circuit. The relative position determination circuit is configured to provide relative position data from a first position of the mobile computing device to a second position of the mobile computing device. The position determination circuit is configured to provide position data representing the second geographic position of the mobile computing device. The processing circuit is configured to generate position data for the first position based on the relative position data and the position data.

Claims

1. A mobile computing device comprising:

a relative position determination circuit configured to provide relative position data corresponding to a first position of the mobile computing device and a second position of the mobile computing device, wherein the first position is unknown and the second position is known;

a position determination circuit configured to provide position data representing the second position of the mobile computing device; and

a processing circuit configured to generate position data for the first position based on tracking movement of the mobile computing device from the first position to the second position.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to operate a telephony application.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the relative position determination circuit comprises at least one of a compass, an accelerometer, or a gyroscope.

4. The mobile computing device of claim 3, wherein the relative position determination circuit comprises a compass, an accelerometer, and a. gyroscope.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the position determination circuit is configured to provide position data based on data from a global positioning system.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the position determination circuit is configured to provide position data based on data from a Wi-Fi access point.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a camera, and wherein the position data for the first position represents a position at which the camera captured digital image data.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a camera, and wherein the position data is derived from image recognition of an image captured by the camera.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to generate the position data for the first position based on the relative position data when position data is not available from the position determination circuit at a desired time.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to generate the position data for the first position based on the relative position data when position data having a predetermined sufficient accuracy is not available from the position determination circuit at a desired time.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 9, further comprising, a camera, and wherein the desired time is a time a picture or video is taken with a camera.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 1, further comprising a camera, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to store, in a memory resource, the position data for the first position as metadata along with a digital image captured by the camera at approximately the first position.

13. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is configured to initiate storage of the relative position data in a memory resource without requiring a user input.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the relative position determination circuit is configured to receive geographic information from a geographic information database and to generate the relative position data based at least in part on the geographic information.