Portable electronic device with guide function

• US 8,483,956 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Communication Systems Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Shenzhen Futaihong Precision Industry Company Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewandroski, Sara
• Application Number:
  US12/700,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701/410, 701/419, 701/427, 701/428, 701/431, 701/433, 701/443, 701/488, 701/526, 701/533, 701/539, 701/541, 701/301, 700/245, 700/255, 700/253
• US Class Current: 701/428
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/061 with electronic detecting or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/93 for anti-collision purposes

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of portable electronic device with guide function includes a housing, a processing unit, a command unit, and a guiding unit. The processing unit and the guiding unit are positioned inside the housing, and the command unit is positioned at least partially outside of the housing. The processing unit is electrically connected to the command unit and the guiding unit. Operating the command unit, the portable electronic device with guide function is actuated into guiding mode controlled by the processing unit. The guiding unit sends detection signals to detect obstacles, receives feedback signals from the obstacles, the processing unit receives the feedback signal from the guiding unit to generate corresponding obstacle types and distance according to the feedback signal.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device with guide function, comprising:

a housing;

a processing unit positioned inside the housing, and for processing guiding information;

a command unit positioned at least partially outside the housing and electrically connected to the processing unit, the command unit actuating the portable electronic device into a guiding mode controlled by the processing unit;

a guiding unit positioned inside the housing and electrically connected to the processing unit, wherein the guiding unit is controlled by the processing unit to send radio frequency signals to detect external guide aids and receive feedback signals upon detection of the external guide aids, the processing unit receives the feedback signals from the guiding unit to determine a position of a user of the portable electronic device with guide function according to the feedback signals; and

a detecting unit including at least three detecting modules, wherein at least one of the detecting modules sends a first detection signal transmitting along a first direction that is parallel to a ground, and at least two of the detecting modules send a second detection signal transmitting along a second direction that is oblique to the first direction and intersecting with the ground;

wherein the detecting modules are positioned at least partially outside the housing, receives reflected signals from obstacles, and sends the reflected signals to the processing unit to detect the obstacle types and distance, the processing unit includes a measuring module, the measuring module controls the detecting unit to send detection signals, determines the types of the obstacles according to the reflected signals, and calculates the distance between the detecting unit and the obstacles according to time differences between the detection signals and the reflected signals, the processing unit compares the distance between the obstacles and each of the detecting modules with each other to determine the types of the obstacles; and

wherein when the distance between the obstacle and the detecting module sending the first detection signal is set as L1, the distance between the obstacle and one detecting module sending the second detection signal is set as L2, and the distance between the obstacle and the other detecting module sending the second detection signal is set as L3, if L2=L3>

L1, the processing unit determines that the obstacle is perpendicular to the ground;

if L2>

L3 or L2<

L3, the processing unit determines that the obstacle protrudes from the ground or recesses.

2. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 1, wherein each detecting module is one of a temperature sensor, a microwave sensor, an ultrasonic sensor or a laser sensor.

3. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first detection signal transmits parallel to the ground and the detecting module sending the first detection signal receives the reflected signals from obstacles to determine the obstacle distance, and at the same time, the second detection signal transmits to intersect with the ground and the two detecting modules that sending the second detection signal receive the reflected signals from the obstacles and cooperate with the first detecting module to determine the obstacle types and distances.

4. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guiding unit includes a RFID chip, the RFID chip sends the audio frequency signals to various guide aids and receives the feedback signals from the guide aids to determine the position of the user of the portable electronic device with guide function.

5. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit further includes an audio driving module electrically connected to the measuring module, the audio driving module storing various audio information.

6. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 1, further including an audio input unit, the audio input unit receiving destination information from a user in the form of audio signal.

7. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 5, further including an audio output unit electrically connected to the processing unit, the audio output unit converting the audio information into corresponding voice messages and outputting various voice message controlled by the audio driving module.

8. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 7, further including a command unit electrically connected to the processing unit, wherein the command unit includes a guide button, the guide button is located at least partially outside the housing, and sends an electrical signal to the processing unit to actuate the portable electronic device with guide function into a guiding mode.

9. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 8, wherein the command unit further includes a warning button, the warning button controlling the audio output unit to directly broadcast warning sounds.

10. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 6, further including an audio converting unit electrically connected to the audio input unit and the processing unit, wherein the audio converting unit converts signal from the audio input unit into corresponding digital code information to determine and map travel route.

11. The portable electronic device with guide function as claimed in claim 10, further including a storage unit electrically connected to the processing unit, wherein the storage unit stores a navigation map, and maps the travel route by searching corresponding digital codes in the navigation map.