Position calculation based on traveling pitch and speed

• US 9,121,712 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takaoka, Tomohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US13/827,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20130261962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 701/142, 701/400, 701/472, 701/500, 702/142
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/04 Vehicle reference speed; Vehicle body speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a traveling pitch acquiring section configured to acquire a current traveling pitch, and a speed acquiring section configured to acquire a current traveling speed extracted from an association table showing correspondence between a traveling pitch and a traveling speed based on the current traveling pitch.

Claims

1. A mobile device including an information processing apparatus for determining a user'"'"'s position comprising:

a traveling pitch acquiring section responsive to position sensing signals representing the position of a user of the mobile device and to acceleration sensing signals representing movement of the user, the traveling pitch acquiring section acquiring a current traveling pitch of the user representing steps of the user per time interval;

a traveling mode acquiring section configured to acquire a traveling mode of the user, including whether the user'"'"'s traveling mode is a running mode or a walking mode based on the acceleration sensing signals;

a traveling pitch to speed table storing, for the respective traveling modes correspondence between traveling pitches of the user acquired by the traveling pitch acquiring section and speed determined from the position sensing signals, the traveling pitch to speed table including an index of precision for the traveling speed calculated from sample data regarding the traveling pitch and the traveling speed used for generating the traveling pitch to speed table;

a speed acquiring section configured to acquire the index of precision for the current traveling speed and a current traveling speed of the user extracted from the traveling pitch to speed table based on the current traveling pitch and corresponding to the user'"'"'s acquired traveling mode; and

a position calculating section for calculating a current position of the user based on the extracted traveling speed.

2. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the position sensing signals are based on a received signal from a positioning satellite.

3. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the traveling pitch to speed table stores correspondence between traveling pitches and speed based on the traveling pitch and the traveling speed acquired by a plurality of users.

4. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the traveling mode acquiring section determines whether or not the traveling mode is a display screen watching mode based on at least one of a posture of the information processing apparatus and an operating status of a display screen of the information processing apparatus.

5. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the index of precision is calculated from a number of pieces of the sample data.

6. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a distance calculating section for calculating a traveling distance based on the extracted traveling speed.

7. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

an active mass calculating section for calculating a traveling distance based on the extracted traveling speed, and calculating an active mass based on the calculated traveling distance.

8. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a satellite positioning section for tracking a positioning satellite based on a traveling orientation and the extracted traveling speed.

9. The mobile information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the speed acquiring section acquires the traveling speed extracted from the traveling pitch to speed table if the traveling speed is unavailable from the satellite positioning section.

10. An information processing method for determining a user'"'"'s position comprising:

acquiring a current traveling pitch of a user, representing steps of the user per time interval, in response to position sensing signals representing the position of the user and to acceleration sensing signals representing movement of the user;

acquiring a traveling mode of the user, including whether the user'"'"'s traveling mode is a running mode or a walking mode based on the acceleration sensing signals;

storing in a traveling pitch to speed table, for the respective traveling modes, correspondence between the acquired traveling pitches of the user and speed determined from the position sensing signals, the traveling pitch to speed table including an index of precision for the traveling speed calculated from sample data regarding the traveling pitch and the traveling speed used for generating the traveling pitch to speed table;

acquiring the index of precision for the current traveling speed and a current traveling speed of the user extracted from the correspondence between the travelling pitch and the speed based on the current traveling pitch and corresponding to the user'"'"'s acquired traveling mode; and

calculating a current position of the user based on the extracted traveling speed.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed, by a computer, causes the computer to function as a mobile information processing apparatus to determine a user'"'"'s position, including:

a traveling pitch acquiring section responsive to position sensing signals representing the position of a user and to acceleration sensing signals representing movement of the user, the traveling pitch acquiring section acquiring a current traveling pitch of the user representing steps of the user per time interval;

a traveling mode acquiring section configured to acquire a traveling mode of the user, including whether the user'"'"'s traveling mode is a running mode or a walking mode based on the acceleration sensing signals;

a traveling pitch to speed table storing, for the respective traveling modes, correspondence between traveling pitches of the user acquired by the traveling pitch acquiring section and speed determined from the position sensing signals, the traveling pitch to speed table including an index of precision for the traveling speed calculated from sample data regarding the traveling pitch and the traveling speed used for generating the traveling pitch to speed table;

a speed acquiring section configured to acquire the index of precision for the current traveling speed and a current traveling speed of the user extracted from the traveling pitch to speed table based on the current traveling pitch and corresponding to the user'"'"'s acquired traveling mode; and

a position calculating section for calculating a current position of the user based on the extracted traveling speed.