User portable terminal for retrieving target geographical information using a user's current location and current azimuth angle and providing such to user

• US 9,523,581 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ukezono, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dunn, Alex C
• Application Number:
  US14/412,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20160258756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/00 Compasses; Devices for ascertaining true or magnetic north for navigation or surveying purposes using gyroscopic effect G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

A user portable terminal includes a camera, a GPS receiver for measuring a user'"'"'s current location, an azimuth angle sensor for measuring an azimuth angle of a user'"'"'s current line of sight, a memory for storing a plurality of reference areas allocated to target objects on the map and a plurality of tourist information which are correlated with each other, with some of the tourist information, correlated to each of the reference areas, including a plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information as correlated to a plurality of azimuth angles; and a retrieve module. This retrieve module extracts, from the plurality of reference areas, a reference area containing the user'"'"'s current location, further extracts, from the plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information correlated to the extracted reference area, the tourist information corresponding to the user'"'"'s current azimuth angle as measured, and sends the extracted tourist information to the user.

Claims

1. A user portable terminal for retrieving tourist information based on a current location of a user and providing such to the user, comprising:

a camera for capturing an image of a target object;

a measuring sensor for measuring the current location of the user on a map as a user'"'"'s current location;

an azimuth angle sensor for measuring an azimuth angle of a user'"'"'s current line of sight on the map as a user'"'"'s current azimuth angle;

a memory capable of storing a plurality of tourist information and a plurality of reference areas allocated to a plurality of target objects on the map which are correlated with each other, wherein from the plurality of tourist information, tourist information which is correlated to each of the plurality of reference areas includes a plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information correlated to a plurality of azimuth angles; and

a retrieving unit adapted for retrieving in the memory using the user'"'"'s current location which is measured by the measuring sensor as a search key, and then extracting, from the plurality of reference areas, a reference area where the user'"'"'s current location is found, then extracting, from the plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information which are correlated with the reference area which is extracted, an azimuth angle specific tourist information corresponding to the user'"'"'s current azimuth angle, and finally providing the azimuth angle specific tourist information which is extracted to the user.

2. The user portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein an azimuth angle correlated with each of the plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information and stored in the memory is defined as an azimuth angle at a location of a corresponding target object with respect to the user'"'"'s current location.

3. The user portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein an azimuth angle correlated with each of the plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information and stored in the memory is defined as a static azimuth angle which does not change in spite of a change in the user'"'"'s current location in time.

4. The user portable terminal according to claim 3, wherein the static azimuth angle is an azimuth angle at a location of a corresponding target object with respect to the user'"'"'s current location, and irrespective of a user'"'"'s current location, in the case it is assumed that the user watches the corresponding target object from a set location within a reference area including the user'"'"'s current location, it is defined as an azimuth angle which is acquired with respect to the direction of a user'"'"'s line of sight.

5. The user portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the azimuth angle correlated with each of the plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information and stored in the memory is defined as a dynamic azimuth angle which changes according to a change in the user'"'"'s current location in time.

6. The user portable terminal according to claim 5, wherein the dynamic azimuth angle is an azimuth angle at a location of a corresponding target object with respect to the user'"'"'s current location, and irrespective of a user'"'"'s current direction of line of sight, in the case it is assumed that the user watches the corresponding target object from the user'"'"'s current location, it is defined as an azimuth angle which is acquired with respect to the direction of the user'"'"'s line of sight.

7. The user portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of target objects include a plurality of target objects located inside one azimuth angle zone which extends on the map from the user'"'"'s current location radially along the direction of the user'"'"'s current line of sight, and to which a plurality of azimuth angle specific tourist information allocated; and

the retrieving unit estimates the azimuth angle zone from the user'"'"'s current location and the user'"'"'s current azimuth angle and if a plurality of target objects are present inside the estimated azimuth angle zone, it selects one target object from the plurality of target objects and provides azimuth angle specific tourist information allocated to the one target object to the user.

8. A program to be executed by a computer for actuating the user portable terminal according to claim 1.

9. A recording medium for storing the program according to claim 8 in a computer readable format.