Electronic device

• US 9,366,533 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ashida, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Huan
• Application Number:
  US13/881,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 702/141
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/02 Magnetic compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/28 Electromagnetic compasses with north seeking magnetic elements and having electric pick-offs G01C17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses

Abstract

Control section (160) is configured to measure the azimuth of electronic device (100) on the basis of the result detected by geomagnetic sensor (120) for detecting geomagnetism, and on the basis of the result detected by motion sensor (130) for detecting movement of electronic device (100), and is configured, while motion sensor (130) is detecting that electronic device (100) is stationary, to measure the azimuth of electronic device (100) only on the basis of the result detected by motion sensor (130), and the azimuth measured by control section (160) is displayed by display section (170).

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a geomagnetic sensor that detects geomagnetism;

a motion sensor that detects movement of the electronic device;

a control section that is configured to measure the azimuth of the electronic device on the basis of the result detected by the geomagnetic sensor and on the basis of the result detected by the motion sensor, and is configured, while the motion sensor is detecting that the electronic device is stationary, to measure the azimuth of the electronic device only on the basis of the result detected by the motion sensor; and

a display section that displays the azimuth measured by the control section.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

when the motion sensor detects that the electronic device is stationary, the control section stops the operation of the geomagnetic sensor.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the motion sensor is an acceleration sensor.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the motion sensor is a gyro-sensor.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the motion sensor is a sensor that detects vibration of the electronic device.

6. An azimuth measuring method of measuring the azimuth of an electronic device, the azimuth measuring method comprising:

geomagnetism detection processing for detecting geomagnetism;

motion detection processing for detecting movement of the electronic device;

processing for measuring the azimuth of the electronic device on the basis of the result detected in the geomagnetism detection processing and on the basis of the result detected in the motion detection processing;

processing for, while the process of motion detection is detecting that the electronic device is stationary, measuring the azimuth of the electronic device only on the basis of the result detected in the motion detection processing; and

processing for displaying the measured azimuth.