Method of providing location information to external electronic device and electronic device for supporting same

• US 11,448,776 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2019
• Issued: 09/20/2022
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Choi, Kyonggon, Lee, Yunwoo, Han, Huntaek, Kim, Jongho, Joo, Sungjung
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US16/663,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20200132863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/04 providing carrier phase data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/071 DGPS corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/44 Carrier phase ambiguity resolution; Floating ambiguity; LAMBDA [Least-squares AMBiguity Decorrelation Adjustment] method

Abstract

A movable electronic device for providing location information to an external electronic device includes: at least one sensor; a satellite-positioning circuit; a communication interface; and a processor functionally connected to the at least one sensor, the satellite-positioning circuit, or the communication interface. The processor is configured to identify that the electronic device is in a fixed state, identify whether a predetermined time elapses from the identification based on the identification, determine absolute coordinates of an area in which the electronic device positioned using a plurality of signals received from at least one satellite for the predetermined time from the identification based on identification of the elapse of the predetermined time, and transmit information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device. The transmitted information on the absolute coordinates is used to determine absolute coordinates of an area in which the external electronic device is positioned by the external electronic device.

Claims

1. An electronic device for providing location information to an external electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a sensor configured to detect motion of the electronic device;

a satellite-positioning circuit;

a communication interface; and

a processor functionally connected to the sensor, the satellite-positioning circuit, or the communication interface, the processor configured to;

identify that the electronic device is in a fixed state,

identify whether a predetermined time elapses from the identification based on the identification the electronic device is in the fixed state, wherein the predetermined time is determined based on whether the electronic device is positioned at a predetermined location,

determine absolute coordinates of an area in which the electronic device positioned using a plurality of signals received from at least one satellite for the predetermined time from the identification based on the identification of the elapse of the predetermined time, and

control the communication interface to transmit information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device, wherein the transmitted information on the absolute coordinates is used to determine absolute coordinates of an area in which the external electronic device is positioned by the external electronic device.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to change an operation mode of the electronic device to an operation mode in which the electronic device operates as a reference station in response to a user input.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to change an operation mode of the electronic device to an operation mode in which the electronic device operates as a reference station in response to identification of the fixed state of the electronic device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine a carrier phase based on a plurality of signals received from at least one satellite for the predetermined time;

acquire information related to satellites including precise orbit information of at least one satellite and satellite clock information; and

determine the absolute coordinates of the area in which the electronic device is positioned based on the carrier phase and the information related to the satellites.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to change the predetermined time based on a use history of the electronic device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to broadcast the information on the determined absolute coordinates to control the communication interface to transmit the information to the external electronic device.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

identify that the external electronic device is within a valid communication radius of the electronic device; and

control the communication interface to transmit the information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to control the communication interface to transmit the information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device based on sameness between user account information of the external electronic device and user account information of the electronic device.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to control the communication interface to transmit the information on the determined absolute coordinates to a server.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the information on the determined absolute coordinates comprises RTK correction information (data).

11. An electronic device for providing location information to an external electronic device, the electronic device comprising:

a sensor configured to detect motion of the electronic device;

a satellite positioning circuit;

a communication interface; and

a processor functionally connected to the sensor, the satellite positioning circuit, or the communication interface, the processor configured to;

identify that the electronic device is in a fixed state through the sensor,

identify whether the electronic device is positioned at a predetermined location through the sensor based on the identification the electronic device is in the fixed state,

acquire information on absolute coordinates of an area in which the electronic device is positioned based on a plurality of signals received from satellites for a first time from timing at which it is determined that the electronic device is in the fixed state based on identification of the predetermined location of the electronic device,

acquire the information on the absolute coordinates of the area in which the electronic device is positioned based on a plurality of signals received from satellites for a second time, which is longer than the first time, from timing at which it is identified that the electronic device is in the fixed state, based on identification of a location of the electronic device different from the predetermined location, and

control the communication interface to transmit the acquired information on the absolute coordinates.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the transmitted information on the absolute coordinates comprises information used to determine absolute coordinates of an area in which the external electronic device is positioned by the external electronic device.

13. A method by an electronic device for providing location information to an external electronic device, the method comprising:

identifying that the electronic device is in a fixed state through a sensor;

identifying whether a predetermined time elapses from the identification based on the identification that the electronic device is in the fixed state, wherein the predetermined time is determined based on whether the electronic device is positioned at a predetermined location;

determining absolute coordinates of an area in which the electronic device is positioned using a plurality of signals received from at least one satellite for the predetermined time from the identification based on identification of the elapse of the predetermined time; and

transmitting information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device,

wherein the transmitted information on the absolute coordinates is used to determine absolute coordinates of an area in which the external electronic device is positioned by the external electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising changing an operation mode of the electronic device to an operation mode in which the electronic device operates as a reference station in response to a user input.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifying of whether the predetermined time elapses from the identification comprises:

changing an operation mode of the electronic device to an operation mode in which the electronic device operates as a reference station in response to identification of the fixed state of the electronic device; and

identifying whether the predetermined time elapses from the identification.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining of the absolute coordinates of the area in which the electronic device is positioned comprises:

determining a carrier phase, based on a plurality of signals received from at least one satellite for the predetermined time;

acquiring information related to satellites including precise orbit information of at least one satellite and satellite clock information; and

determining the absolute coordinates of the area in which the electronic device is positioned based on the carrier phase and the information related to the satellites.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising changing the predetermined time based on a use history of the electronic device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting of the information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device comprises broadcasting the information on the determined absolute coordinates to transmit the information to the external electronic device.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting of the information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device comprises:

identifying that the external electronic device is within a valid communication radius of the electronic device by the external electronic device; and

transmitting the information on the determined absolute coordinates to the external electronic device.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting the information on the determined absolute coordinates to a server.