Portable terminal with the function of walking navigation

• US 20030195695A1
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxell, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimada, Shigeru, Maruyama, Kishiko, Sasaki, Toshiichirou
• Granted Patent: US 6,748,317 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver

Abstract

A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation. The portable terminal displays information on its narrow screen so as to make it easy for the user (walker) to understand and realize an interface that enables the user to understand inputs of retrieving conditions intuitively, thereby saving the input labor.

Assume now that a user (walker) 10 is lost while walking towards a destination 11. In such a case, the present invention enables necessary information to be compressed, for example, so as to display both direction and distance to the destination from a present place with an orientation and a length of an arrow on a small screen and further so as to match the orientation of the arrow with the direction of the destination in the actual space. If the user (walker) 10 specifies a compressed information item 12, 13, or 14 for inquiry, the present invention controls so that the arrow always points the direction of the destination corresponding to each of those compressed information items 12, 13, and 14. The condition of retrieval can also be set by turning, for example, the tip of the portable terminal directly in the desired direction 12, 13, or 14.

Claims

1. A portable terminal with the function of walking navigation, comprising:

a device for getting location information denoting a present place of said portable terminal; and

a device for getting direction information denoting an orientation of said portable terminal.

2. The portable terminal with function of walking navigation according to claim 1;

wherein display of walking navigation information supplied to said portable terminal is controlled so as to match with its actual spatial location according to said location information and said direction information.

3. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 1;

wherein the condition of retrieval is set according to said location information and said direction information so as to retrieve said walking navigation information with use of said portable terminal.

4. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 2;

wherein a direction and a distance of a destination from said present place are denoted with an orientation and a length of a line that is distinguished between starting and ending points so as to supply route guidance information as said walking navigation information.

5. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 2;

wherein a local route around said present place is shown with a line and a direction of movement is shown with an arrow on said line so as to supply route guidance information as said walking navigation information.

6. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 2;

wherein a full route to a destination from a starting point is shown with a line that is distinguished between starting and ending points and said present place is shown with a symbol on said line so as to supply route guidance information as said walking navigation information.

7. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 3;

wherein neighborhood guidance information is retrieved in a direction from said present place so as to supply said neighborhood guidance information as said walking navigation information.

8. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 2;

wherein the user'"'"'s location is regarded as a present place and the partner'"'"'s location as a destination; and

a direction and a distance of said destination from said present place are shown with an orientation and a length of a line that is distinguished between starting and ending points so as to supply “

meeting by appointment”

guidance information as said walking navigation information.

9. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 2;

wherein the user'"'"'s location is regarded as a present place and the partner'"'"'s location as a destination; and

a local route around said present place is shown with a line and a direction of movement is shown with an arrow on said line so as to supply said route guidance information as said walking navigation information.

10. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 2;

wherein said user'"'"'s location is regarded as a present place and said partner'"'"'s location as a destination; and

a full route from said starting point to said destination is shown with a line that is distinguished between starting and ending points and said present place is shown with a symbol on said line so as to supply said route guidance information as said walking navigation information.

11. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 3;

present place guidance information is retrieved in a direction from said present place so as to supply said present place guidance information as said walking navigation information.

12. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 1;

said device for getting direction information gets information in a direction pointed by the tip of said portable terminal, etc.

13. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 1;

said device for getting direction information gets information of a direction pointed by the tip of said portable terminal, etc., as well as an angle of elevation.

14. The portable terminal with said function of walking navigation according to claim 1;

wherein said device for getting direction information gets orientation information of a display of said portable terminal.