Directional feedback

• US 9,658,072 B1
• Filed: 12/15/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Roskind, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/969,164
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

This disclosure is directed to providing directional feedback to a user. For example, this disclosure describes techniques for determining at least one characteristic of a device in space. For example, a device may be configured to determine, using one or more sensors, one or more characteristics of the device in space. For example, the device may be configured to determine one or more of a direction, and/or geographical position of the device as pointed by a user in space. The device may compare one or more of the determined one or more characteristics of the device in space to a desired destination or path specified by the user, and provide the user with directional feedback if the determined one or more characteristics of the device in space are consistent with the desired destination or path.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a mobile device, a direction in which the mobile device is pointed;

determining, by the mobile device, a geographic location of the mobile device;

determining, based on data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is being held in a particular position for directional feedback;

obtaining navigation data describing a navigational path from the geographic location of the mobile device to a physical destination that was previously specified by the user;

comparing, by the mobile device, the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path to determine whether the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path; and

responsive to determining that the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path and to determining that the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, indicating, by the mobile device, that the detected direction and geographic location are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors of the mobile device comprise at least one of:

a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer, a touch sensor, and a heat sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path comprises, in response to determining that the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, automatically initiating, by the mobile device, a comparison of the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback comprises determining, based on data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is in a position that indicates:

(i) being held outwardly from the user of the mobile device or (ii) the mobile device has been removed from a storage entity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device is determined to be consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path when the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device is within a predetermined range of the navigational path along a direction of the navigational path.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the mobile device, an altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device relative to a reference plane;

comparing, by the mobile device, the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device to the navigational path; and

responsive to determining that the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path, indicating, by the mobile device, that the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein indicating that the direction and geographic location are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path comprises outputting, by the mobile device, at least one of:

a palpable indication, an indication that a location pointed at by the mobile device is the physical destination, and an indication that a location pointed at by the mobile device lies along the navigational path.

8. A mobile device comprising:

one or more sensors;

one or more output mechanisms; and

one or more processors configured to;

detect a direction in which the mobile device is pointed;

determine a geographic location of the mobile device;

determine, based on data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is being held in a particular position for directional feedback;

obtain navigation data associated with a navigational path from the geographic location of the mobile device to a physical destination that was previously specified by the user;

compare the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path to determine whether the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path; and

responsive to determining that the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path and to determining that the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, indicate that the detected direction and geographic location are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path.

9. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more sensors of the mobile device comprise at least one of:

a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer, a touch sensor, and a heat sensor.

10. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured such that the one or more processors automatically initiate, in response to determining that the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, a comparison of the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path.

11. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein to determine whether the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, the one or more processors determine whether the mobile device is in a position that indicates:

(i) being held outwardly from the user of the mobile device or (ii) the mobile device has been removed from a storage entity.

12. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein to determine whether the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device is determined to be consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path, the one or more processors determine whether the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device is within a predetermined range of the navigational path along a direction of the navigational path.

13. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

detect an altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device relative to a reference plane;

compare the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device to the navigational path; and

responsive to determining that the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path, indicate that the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path.

14. The mobile device of claim 8, wherein the one or more output mechanisms indicate that the direction and geographic location are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path by outputting at least one of:

a palpable indication, an indication that a location pointed at by the mobile device is the physical destination, and an indication that a location pointed at by the mobile device lies along the navigational path.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a direction in which the mobile device is pointed;

determining a geographic location of the mobile device;

determining, based on data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is being held in a particular position for directional feedback;

obtaining navigation data associated with a navigational path from the geographic location of the mobile device to a physical destination that was previously specified by the user;

comparing the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path to determine whether the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path; and

responsive to determining that the detected direction and geographic location of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path and to determining that the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, indicating that the detected direction and geographic location are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors of the mobile device comprise at least one of:

a gyroscope sensor, an accelerometer, a touch sensor, and a heat sensor.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein comparing the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path comprises, in response to determining that the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback, automatically initiating, by the mobile device, a comparison of the detected direction in which the mobile device is pointed and the geographic location of the mobile device to the navigational path.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting an altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device relative to a reference plane;

comparing the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device to the navigational path; and

responsive to determining that the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path, indicating that the detected altitude and angle of elevation of the mobile device are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein indicating that the direction and geographic location are consistent with the mobile device being pointed along the navigational path comprises outputting at least one of:

a palpable indication, an indication that a location pointed at by the mobile device is the physical destination, and an indication that a location pointed at by the mobile device lies along the navigational path.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein determining whether the mobile device is being held in the particular position for directional feedback comprises determining, based on data from one or more sensors of the mobile device, whether the mobile device is in a position that indicates:

(i) being held outwardly from the user of the mobile device or (ii) the mobile device has been removed from a storage entity.