Portable navigation device and method with active elements

• US 9,423,257 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ooka, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US14/328,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20140324331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 701/420, 701/425, 701/433, 701/526, 340/407.1, 340/407.2, 345/173, 455/567, 709/224, 382/170
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3652 Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli

Abstract

A portable navigation device and method are capable of presenting a destination direction to a user without resorting to visual sensation with a relatively simple configuration. Vibration elements are disposed on or in different positions of a housing. The respective vibration intensities of the vibration elements are determined on the basis of an angular difference θ between a destination direction Vn and a terminal direction Vd. The vibration elements are respectively controlled in accordance with the determined vibration intensities. The position of a vibration, which is obtained as a result of blending vibrations of the vibration elements is sensed by a user.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device comprising:

a housing;

at least three active elements disposed at different positions on or in the housing;

a user interface configured to receive an input specifying a destination; and

circuitry configured to

detect a current position of the portable electronic device;

determine a destination direction to the destination from the current position;

detect a terminal direction of the housing;

calculate an angle θ

1 between the terminal direction and a reference direction;

calculate an angle θ

2 between the destination direction and the reference direction;

calculate an angular difference between the destination direction and the terminal direction based on angle θ

1 and angle θ

2; and

determine respective tactile sensation intensities of the at least three active elements based on the angular difference to control the at least three active elements to indicate the destination direction in the palm of a user in accordance with the tactile sensation intensities.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein

said at least three active elements are at least three vibration elements, and

said circuitry is configured to determine respective vibration intensities of the at least three vibration elements to control the at least three vibration elements in accordance with the vibration intensities.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the circuitry is configured to:

calculate a distance between the current position and the destination position; and

vary attributes of the at least three vibration elements based on the calculated distance.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display configured to display a map.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein

said display is configured to display the destination direction.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein

said circuitry is configured to set said destination as an initial waypoint along a segment of a multi-segmented path.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein

said circuitry is configured to change said destination direction at different turns along said multi-segmented path so as to provide turn-by-turn vibrational instructions to traverse said multi-segmented path.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein

said at least three vibrational elements are disposed about said housing such that when said housing is grasped the respective vibration intensities of the at least three vibration elements impart a phantom sensation to said palm of said user.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein

said circuitry is configured to cause said phantom sensation to be aligned with said destination direction.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein

said housing is a mobile telephone housing.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein

said at least three active elements include at least one of a heating element, a constrictive element, and an electrical stimulation element.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein

said circuitry is configured to calculate vibration intensity ratios between respective of the at least three vibration elements as part of determining said respective vibration intensities.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein

said at least three vibration elements consist essentially of four vibration elements.

14. A tactile sensory navigation method comprising:

detecting a current position of a portable device with a position detecting section of said portable device;

receiving an input for specifying a destination;

detecting a destination direction to the destination from the current position;

detecting a terminal direction of the portable device, said active device including at least three active elements disposed at different positions on or in a housing of the portable device;

calculating an angle θ

1 between the terminal direction and a reference direction;

calculating an angle θ

2 between the destination direction and the reference direction;

calculating with a processor an angular difference between the destination direction and the terminal direction based on angle θ

1 and angle θ

2;

determining with an active element control section respective tactile sensation intensities of the at least three active elements on the basis of the angular difference; and

driving the at least three active elements to indicate the destination direction in the palm of a user in accordance with the determined tactile sensation intensities.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

said at least three active elements are at least three vibration elements,

said determining includes determining respective vibration intensities of the at least three vibration elements, and

said driving includes driving the at least three vibration elements in accordance with the respective vibration intensities.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

calculating with the processor a distance between the current position and the destination position, wherein

said controlling varies attributes of the at least three vibration elements based on the distance calculated by the processor.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a map on a display of the portable device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein

said displaying includes displaying the destination direction.

19. A portable navigation device comprising:

a housing having a substantially rectangular shape;

a first active element disposed at one corner of the housing;

a second active element disposed at a second corner of the housing;

a third active element disposed at a third corner of the housing;

a user input configured to receive an input specifying a destination; and

circuitry configured to

detect a current position;

detect a destination direction to the destination from the current position;

detect a terminal direction of the housing;

calculate an angle θ

1 between the terminal direction and a reference direction;

calculate an angle θ

2 between the destination direction and the reference direction;

calculate an angular difference between the destination direction and the terminal direction based on angle θ

1 and angle θ

2; and

determine respective tactile sensation intensities of each of the first, second and third elements based on the angular difference to control each of the first, second and third active elements in accordance with the tactile sensation intensities.