Terminal unit, position display method, information providing system, and information providing method

• US 6,314,295 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1996
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Yoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Legree, Tracy
• Assistant Examiner(s): GELIN, JEAN ALLAND
• Application Number:
  US08/771,146
• Time in Patent Office: 1,782 Days
• Field of Search: 455/427, 455/456, 455/457, 455/422, 455/450, 455/404, 455/405, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/555, 342/357, 342/457, 342/450, 342/357.13, 340/988, 340/905, 340/990, 340/995, 340/705.49, 701/208, 701/213, 701/200, 701/201, 379/35
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

A radiocommunication system including a portable terminal, a base station and a server. The portable terminal transmits a destination to the server and further sends the ID number (CD_ID) of the base station coupled through a radio link to the portable terminal. The server has a table representative of a corresponding relationship between the ID number of the base station and the standing position of the base station and retrieves the position corresponding to the ID number thereof as the present position of the portable terminal from the table. Further, the server transmits map data corresponding to the present position of the portable terminal to the portable terminal.

Claims

1. A terminal unit comprising:

detection means for detecting at said terminal unit a signal to be used for determination of a present position of said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed received signal;

transmission means for transmitting said signal as detected by said detection means without performing position determination processing on said detected signal at said terminal unit, to an external processing unit positioned apart from said terminal unit to determine the present position of said terminal unit;

reception means for receiving position information at said terminal unit on the present position of said terminal unit, determined in said external processing unit; and

output means for combining said position information said reception means receives, by indicating the position information superimposed on map information and for outputting the combination result.

2. A terminal unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said reception means receives said map information from said external precessing unit.

3. A terminal unit as defined in claim 1, further comprising azimuth detection means for detecting an azimuth.

4. A terminal unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said transmission means and said reception means are connected through a base station on a radiocommunication line to said external processing unit.

5. A terminal unit as defined in claim 4, wherein said detection means detects an identification number of said base station as said signal for the determination of the present position.

6. A terminal unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said transmission means and said reception means are connected through a base station on a radio telephone line to said external processing unit.

7. A terminal unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said detection means detects a radio wave from a satellite as said signal for the determination of the present position.

8. A terminal unit as defined in claim 1, wherein said detection means detects a radio wave from a beacon, which transmits traffic information, as said signal for the determination of the present position.

9. A position display method comprising the steps of:

detecting a signal at a terminal unit to be used for determining a present position of said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed received signal;

transmitting said detected signal without performing position determination processing on said detected signal at said terminal unit to an external processing unit positioned apart from said terminal unit which determines the present position of said terminal unit;

receiving position information at said terminal unit on the present position of said terminal unit, determined in said external processing unit;

combining the received position information by indicating the position information superimposed on map information; and

outputting the combined result.

10. The position display method of claim 9, further comprising the step of receiving said map information from said external processing unit.

11. The position display method of claim 9, further comprising the step of detecting an azimuth of said terminal unit.

12. The position display method of claim 9, wherein said detected signal is transmitted to said external processing unit and said position information is transmitted to said terminal unit through a base station comprising a portion of a radio communication system.

13. The position display method of claim 12, further comprising the step of detecting an identification number of said base station as said signal to be detected at the terminal unit for determining the present position of the terminal unit.

14. The position display method of claim 9, wherein said detected signal is transmitted to said external processing unit and said position information is transmitted to said terminal unit through a base station comprising a portion of a telephone system.

15. The position display method of claim 9, further comprising the step of detecting a radio wave from a satellite as said signal to be detected at the terminal unit for determining the present position of the terminal unit.

16. The position display method of claim 9, further comprising the step of detecting a radio wave from a beacon that transmits traffic information as said signal to be detected at the terminal unit for determining the present position of the terminal unit.

17. A terminal unit comprising:

detection means for detecting a signal at a terminal unit to be used for determining a present position of said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed received signal;

input means for inputting destination information;

transmission means for transmitting the present position determining signal detected by said detection means and said destination information inputted through said input means, without performing position determining processing on said detected signal at said terminal unit, to an external processing unit which determines present position information and destination position information;

reception means for receiving said present position information at said terminal unit and said destination position information determined in said external processing unit; and

output means for combining said present position information and said destination position information received by said reception means by superimposing said present position information and said destination position information on map information and for outputting the combination result.

18. A terminal unit as defined in claim 17, wherein said output means combines a present position and a destination position received by said reception means with map information with a scale allowing simultaneous output of said present position and said destination position and outputs the combination result.

19. A terminal unit as defined in claim 17, wherein said said destination position information includes a direction of said destination position from the present position.

20. A position display method comprising the steps of:

detecting a signal at a terminal unit to be used for determining a present position of said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed received signal;

inputting destination information;

transmitting the detected present position determining signal and said input destination information without performing position determining processing on said detected present position determining signal at said terminal unit to an external processing unit which determines present position information and destination position information;

receiving said present position information at said terminal unit and said destination position information determined in said external processing unit;

combining said received present position information and said received destination position information by superimposing said present position information and said destination position information on map information; and

outputting the combined result.

21. The position display method of claim 20, wherein said received present position information and said received destination position information are combined with map information with a scale allowing simultaneous output thereof.

22. The position display method of claim 20, wherein said destination position information includes a direction of said destination position from the present position.

23. A storage medium positioned within a terminal unit, said storage medium having one or more instructions stored therein, said instructions comprising:

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to detect a signal to be used for determining a present position of said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed received signal;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to transmit said detected signal without performing position determination processing on said detected signal at said terminal unit to an external processing unit positioned apart from said terminal unit which determines the present position of said terminal unit;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to receive position information on the present position of said terminal unit determined in said external processing unit;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to combine the received position information and map information by indicating the position information superimposed on said map information; and

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to output the combined result.

24. The storage medium of claim 23, wherein said storage medium is of a removable type.

25. The storage medium of claim 23, wherein said storage medium is of an embedded type.

26. The storage medium of claim 23, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal input to receive said map information from said external processing unit.

27. The storage medium of claim 23, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to detect an azimuth of said terminal unit.

28. The storage medium of claim 23, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to transmit said detected signal to said external processing unit and to transmit said position information to said terminal unit through a base station comprising a portion of a radiocommunication system.

29. The storage medium of claim 28, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to detect an identification number of said base station as said signal to be detected at the terminal unit for determining the present position of the terminal unit.

30. The storage medium of claim 23, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to transmit said detected signal to said external processing unit and to receive said position information from said external processing unit through a base station comprising a portion of a telephone system.

31. The storage medium of claim 23, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to detect a radio wave from a satellite as said signal to be detected at said terminal unit for determining the present position of the terminal unit.

32. The storage medium of claim 23, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to detect a radio wave from a beacon that transmits traffic information as said signal to be detected at the terminal unit for detecting the position of the terminal unit.

33. A storage medium positioned within a terminal unit, said storage medium having one or more instructions stored therein, said instructions comprising:

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to detect a signal to be used for determining a present position of said terminal unit, said signal being demodulated from a multiplexed received signal;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to accept input destination information;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to transmit the detected present position determining signal and said input destination information without performing position determining processing on said detected present position determining signal at said terminal unit, to an external processing unit which determines present position information and destination position information;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to receive said present position information at said terminal unit and said destination position information determined in said external processing unit;

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to combine said received present position information and said received destination position information by superimposing said present position information and said destination position information on map information; and

an instruction for causing said terminal unit to output said combined result.

34. The storage medium of claim 33, further comprising an instruction for causing said terminal unit to combine said received present position information and sake received destination position information with map information with a scale allowing simultaneous output thereof.

35. The storage medium of claim 33, wherein said destination position information includes a direction of said destination position from the present.