Positioning apparatus judging movement method to control positioning timing

• US 8,855,928 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Sambongi, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTLER, RODNEY ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US13/224,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: 701/214, 701/469, 702/141, 702/142, 702/149, 702150-154, 342/357.25, 342/357.34
• US Class Current: 701/469
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption

Abstract

A positioning apparatus includes: a first measuring section to directly measuring its own present position; a second measuring section to measure an azimuth and a movement of a user; a movement method judging section to judge a movement method of the user based on the measurement result by the second measuring section; an azimuth specifying section to specify a movement azimuth of the user based on the measurement result by the second measuring section; a movement speed calculating section to calculate an average movement speed in a period where the movement method of the user is judged to be a movement state by car; and a position calculating section to obtain a movement position by integrating a movement distance into the specified movement azimuth at the average movement speed to reference position information obtained by the first measuring section when the user is in the movement state by car.

Claims

1. A positioning apparatus, comprising:

a first measuring section to obtain position information by directly measuring its own present position;

a second measuring section to measure an azimuth and a movement of a user;

a movement method judging section to judge a movement method of the user based on the movement of the user measured by the second measuring section;

an azimuth specifying section to specify a movement azimuth of the user based on the azimuth and the movement of the user measured by the second measuring section;

a movement speed calculating section to calculate an average movement speed in a period in which the movement method judging section judges the movement method of the user to be a movement state by car;

a position calculating section to obtain a movement position by integrating a movement distance into the movement azimuth specified by the azimuth specifying section at the average movement speed to reference position information obtained by the first measuring section when the movement method judging section judges the movement method of the user to be the movement state by car;

a movement azimuth storage section to sequentially store the movement azimuth and a time indicating a movement time into the movement azimuth; and

a movement data storage controlling section to make the movement azimuth storage section sequentially store the movement time into the movement azimuth before a change and the movement azimuth after the change when the change of the movement azimuth is detected by the azimuth specifying section;

wherein the movement speed calculating section obtains a conversion matrix to perform a rotation, expansion, and contraction operations in order to make a sum of each of movement vectors having the movement azimuth and a length corresponding to the movement time into the movement azimuth, which is stored in the movement azimuth storage section from a measurement time of a first place whose position information is obtained by the first measuring section to a measurement time of a second place whose position information is obtained by the first measuring section, agree with a vector having a direction and a distance from the first place to the second place, which are obtained by the first measuring section, and the movement speed calculating section calculates the average movement speed and an angle error based on the conversion matrix; and

wherein the position calculating section obtains the movement position by integrating the movement vectors to the reference position information obtained by the first measuring section, the movement vectors corrected based on the movement azimuth specified by the azimuth specifying section, the movement time into the movement azimuth, the average movement speed, and the angle error.

2. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length of each of the movement vectors is proportioned to the movement time.

3. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a positioning controlling section to make the first measuring section operate to obtain the position information of the first place, at which a movement by car has started, when it is judged that the movement method judging section has judged that the movement by car has started, and to make the first measuring section operate to obtain the position information of the second place after a predetermined period from a time when the position information of the first place has been obtained.

4. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a migration path determining section to determine a migration path from the first place to the second place by performing the rotation, expansion, and contraction operations of each of the movement vectors by means of the conversion matrix, and by adding the operated movement vectors to the position information of the first place in order.

5. The positioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the position calculating section sets the second place as a new first place;

the position calculating section subsequently obtains the movement position based on the new first place as the reference position information until position information of a new second place is obtained; and

when the position information of the new second place is obtained, the movement speed calculating section obtains a new conversion matrix, and the migration path determining section determines a migration path from the new first place to the new second place by using the new conversion matrix.

6. The positioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

when the movement method judging section judges that the movement by car has stopped, the positioning controlling section sets a position where the movement has stopped as the second place; and

the positioning apparatus makes the first measuring section operate to obtain the position information.

7. The positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display section to display a migration path and the movement position; and

a display controlling section to control display content and display timing of the display section,

wherein the display controlling section makes the display section display the migration path and the movement position, both being calculated, at any time after the position information of the second place has once been obtained.

8. A positioning method performed by a computer operable with a positioning apparatus including a first measuring section to obtain position information by directly measuring its own present position and a second measuring section to measure an azimuth and a movement of a user, the method comprising:

judging a movement method of the user based on the movement of the user measured by the second measuring section;

specifying a movement azimuth of the user based on the azimuth and the movement of the user, both measured by the second measuring section;

calculating, by way of the computer, an average movement speed in a period in which the movement method of the user is judged to be a movement state by car;

obtaining a movement position by integrating a movement distance to reference position information obtained by first measuring section, the movement distance being a distance of a movement into the movement azimuth specified at the average movement speed when the movement method of the user is judged to be the movement state by car;

sequentially storing the movement azimuth and a time indicating a movement time into the movement azimuth; and

sequentially storing the movement time into the movement azimuth before a change and the movement azimuth after the change when the change of the movement azimuth is detected;

wherein the calculating of the average movement speed comprises obtaining a conversion matrix to perform a rotation, expansion, and contraction operations in order to make a sum of each of movement vectors having the movement azimuth and a length corresponding to the movement time into the movement azimuth, which is stored from a measurement time of a first place whose position information is obtained by the first measuring section to a measurement time of a second place whose position information is obtained by the first measuring section, agree with a vector having a direction and a distance from the first place to the second place, which are obtained by the first measuring section, and then calculating the average movement speed and an angle error based on the conversion matrix; and

wherein the movement position is obtained by integrating the movement vectors to the reference position information obtained by the first measuring section, the movement vectors corrected based on the specified movement azimuth, the movement time into the movement azimuth, the average movement speed, and the angle error.

9. A non-transitory storage medium having recorded thereon a program for a computer operable with a positioning apparatus including a first measuring section to obtain position information by directly measuring its own present position and a second measuring section to measure an azimuth and a movement of a user, the program controlling the computer function as:

a movement method judging section to judge a movement method of the user based on the movement of the user measured by the second measuring section;

an azimuth specifying section to specify a movement azimuth of the user based on the azimuth and the movement of the user measured by the second measuring section;

a movement speed calculating section to calculate an average movement speed in a period in which the movement method judging section judges the movement method of the user to be a movement state by car;

a position calculating section to obtain a movement position by integrating a movement distance into the movement azimuth specified by the azimuth specifying section at the average movement speed to reference position information obtained by the first measuring section when the movement method judging section judges the movement method of the user to be the movement state by car;

a movement azimuth storage section to sequentially store the movement azimuth and a time indicating a movement time into the movement azimuth; and

a movement data storage controlling section to make the movement azimuth storage section sequentially store the movement time into the movement azimuth before a change and the movement azimuth after the change when the change of the movement azimuth is detected by the azimuth specifying section;

wherein the movement speed calculating section obtains a conversion matrix to perform a rotation, expansion, and contraction operations in order to make a sum of each of movement vectors having the movement azimuth and a length corresponding to the movement time into the movement azimuth, which is stored in the movement azimuth storage section from a measurement time of a first place whose position information is obtained by the first measuring section to a measurement time of a second place whose position information is obtained by the first measuring section, agree with a vector having a direction and a distance from the first place to the second place, which are obtained by the first measuring section, and the movement speed calculating section calculates the average movement speed and an angle error based on the conversion matrix; and

wherein the position calculating section obtains the movement position by integrating the movement vectors to the reference position information obtained by the first measuring section, the movement vectors corrected based on the movement azimuth specified by the azimuth specifying section, the movement time into the movement azimuth, the average movement speed, and the angle error.