Positioning device, positioning method, storage medium and image capturing device

• US 8,416,294 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Toda, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/960,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20110141275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 348113-117
• US Class Current: 348/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1656 with passive imaging devices, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/017 Detecting state or type of motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3253 Position information, e.g. geographical position at time of capture, GPS data

Abstract

A positioning device comprising: a movement measurement unit that measures relative position variation; a positioning unit that enables measurement of positional information; and a control unit that starts continuous measurement of position variation by the movement measurement unit and measurement of positional information by the positioning unit at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position, and determines a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions in a case that the difference between the amount of position variation and the amount of relative position variation is determined by the determining unit to be within a predetermined range, and calculates positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measurement unit.

Claims

1. A positioning device comprising:

a movement measuring unit that measures relative position variation;

a positioning unit that is capable of measuring positional information;

a control unit that performs control to;

cause the movement measuring unit to initiate continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to initiate measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position; and

in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range, determine a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions, and obtain positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measuring unit; and

a position calculating unit that calculates positional information of each position on a travel route by cumulating information of position variation measured by the movement measuring unit with the positional information of the specified position,

wherein the control unit provides preliminary reference positional information as positional information of the specified position to the position calculating unit, calculates positional information of each position on a travel route by the position calculating unit, and when the position determination spot is determined, obtains the positional information of the specified position by adding a difference between positional information of the position determination spot calculated based on the preliminary reference positional information calculated by the position calculating unit and positional information of the position determination spot measured by the positioning unit to the preliminary reference positional information.

3. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the movement measuring unit includes an acceleration sensor that outputs acceleration-identifiable information and a direction sensor that outputs direction-identifiable information, and performs measurement of relative position variation based on information output from the acceleration sensor and the direction sensor, respectively.

4. The positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the position variation is a variation distance and a variation direction.

2. A positioning device comprising:

a movement measuring unit that measures relative position variation;

a positioning unit that is capable of measuring positional information; and

a control unit that performs control to;

cause the movement measuring unit to initiate continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to initiate measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position; and

in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range, determine a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions, and obtain positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measuring unit,

wherein;

the positioning unit measures positional information at each predetermined time period,

the movement measuring unit performs measurement of position variation at each predetermined time period concurrently with the measuring by the positioning unit, and

the control unit obtains the positional information of the specified position, in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is determined to be consecutively within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times.

9. The positioning device according to claim 2, wherein the movement measuring unit includes an acceleration sensor that outputs acceleration-identifiable information and a direction sensor that outputs direction-identifiable information, and performs measurement of relative position variation based on information output from the acceleration sensor and the direction sensor, respectively.

10. The positioning device according to claim 2, wherein the position variation is a variation distance and a variation direction.

5. A positioning method for obtaining positional information of a specified position using a movement measuring unit that measures relative position variation and a positioning unit that is capable of measuring positional information, the method comprising:

a controlling step of performing control to;

cause the movement measuring unit to initiate continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to initiate measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position; and

in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range, determine a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions, and obtain positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measuring unit; and

a position calculating step of calculating positional information of each position on a travel route by cumulating information of position variation measured by the movement measuring unit with the positional information of the specified position,

wherein in the controlling step, preliminary reference positional information is provided to the position calculating step, positional information of each position on a travel route is calculated in the position calculating step, and when the position determination spot is determined, the positional information of the specified position is obtained by adding a difference between positional information of the position determination spot calculated based on the preliminary reference positional information calculated in the position calculating step and positional information of the position determination spot measured by the positioning unit to the preliminary reference positional information.

6. A positioning method for obtaining positional information of a specified position using a movement measuring unit that measures relative position variation and a positioning unit that is capable of measuring positional information, the method comprising:

a controlling step of performing control to;

cause the movement measuring unit to initiate continuous measurement of position variation and cause the positioning unit to initiate measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position; and

in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range, determine a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions, and obtain positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measuring unit,

wherein;

the positioning unit measures positional information at each predetermined time period,

the movement measuring unit performs measurement of position variation at each predetermined time period concurrently with the measuring by the positioning unit, and

in the controlling step, the positional information of the specified position is obtained in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is determined to be consecutively within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times.

7. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a computer for obtaining positional information of a specified position based on input measurement results from a movement measuring unit that measures relative position variation and positioning unit that is capable of measuring positional information, respectively, to implement functions comprising:

a control function of;

causing the movement measuring unit to initiate continuous measurement of position variation and causing the positioning unit to initiate measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position; and

in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range, determining a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions, and calculating positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measuring unit; and

a position calculating function of calculating positional information of each position on a travel route by cumulating information of position variation measured by the movement measuring unit with the positional information of the specified position,

wherein the control function provides preliminary reference positional information to the position calculating function, calculates positional information of each position on a travel route by the position calculating function, and when the position determination spot is determined, obtains the positional information of the specified position by adding a difference between positional information of the position determination spot calculated based on the preliminary reference positional information calculated by the position calculating function and positional information of the position determination spot measured by the positioning unit to the preliminary reference positional information.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a computer for obtaining positional information of a specified position based on input measurement results from a movement measuring unit that measures relative position variation and positioning unit that is capable of measuring positional information, respectively, to implement functions comprising:

a control function of;

causing the movement measuring unit to initiate continuous measurement of position variation and causing the positioning unit to initiate measurement of positional information at each predetermined timing for at least a specified position; and

in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is within a predetermined range, determining a position determination spot based on positional information of any of the at least two positions, and calculating positional information of the specified position based on positional information of the position determination spot and information of position variation that has been continuously measured by the movement measuring unit,

wherein;

the positioning unit measures positional information at each predetermined time period,

the movement measuring unit performs measurement of position variation at each predetermined time period concurrently with the measuring by positioning unit, and

the control function obtains the positional information of the specified position, in a case in which a difference between an amount of position variation calculated based on positional information of at least two positions obtained by the positioning unit and an amount of relative position variation of at least two spots each obtained by the movement measuring unit concurrently with the positional information obtained by the positioning unit is determined to be consecutively within a predetermined range a predetermined number of times.