Stride-based route guiding apparatus and method

• US 7,596,450 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2006
• Issued: 09/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Hyun-Su
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/329,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20060184320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/200, 701/201, 701/213, 340/996, 340/988, 342/357.06, 702/141
• US Class Current: 701/209
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3688 Systems comprising multiple parts or multiple output devices (not client-server), e.g. detachable faceplates, key fobs or multiple output screens
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/006 Pedometers

Abstract

Disclosed is a stride-based route guiding apparatus and method capable of providing a pedestrian with a stride-based route. The method includes detecting a stride of the pedestrian on the basis of a pace inherent to the pedestrian of interest and converting a remaining distance from a current position to a major position or destination into the number of steps so as to provide the pedestrian with the number of steps to the major position or destination when a route is shown, using a navigation system built in a mobile terminal. Since the route is shown on the basis of the number of steps inherent to the pedestrian, the pedestrian can receive the routing more familiar to herself or himself, and easily and intuitively perceive the route from the current position to the major position or destination.

Claims

1. A stride-based route guiding apparatus, comprising:

a route information providing unit for calculating a traveling distance to a specific position in terms of a number of steps; and

a control unit for performing a route guidance using the number of steps output from the route information providing unit during the route guidance,

wherein the route information providing unit, comprises;

a sensor for sensing a stride of a pedestrian;

a stride detecting unit for detecting the stride by extracting a feature repeated at the stride of the pedestrian from an output pattern of the sensor; and

a pace setting unit for estimating a pace of the pedestrian using a stride frequency according to a size of variance of the sensor value and a result of stride detection.

2. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a memory for storing an average pace value of the pedestrian.

3. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the control unit performs the route guidance using the average pace value until a constant time arrives at the route guidance, and performs the route guidance using the number of steps output from the route information providing unit after the constant time.

4. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the memory stores the average pace value using any one of an estimated value of a normal pace of the pedestrian previously stored according to previous pace information, an estimated value previously stored in a route providing server, and a stationary pace value arbitrarily input by the pedestrian when an initial pedestrian mode is set.

5. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the memory stores map data for indicating a map that appears when the pedestrian moves along a route from a current position under control of the control unit.

6. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit operates to display a route guiding message which notifies a remaining distance to the specific position on the basis of the number of steps calculated by the route information providing unit on a display unit.

7. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs a route guiding message which notifies a remaining distance to the specific position on the basis of the number of steps calculated by the route information providing unit, as a voice through a voice processing unit.

8. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor outputs the sensor value according to traveling of the pedestrian using any one of an accelerator sensor for detecting the stride of the pedestrian and a gyroscope sensor for detecting rotary motion of the pedestrian.

9. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the route information providing unit further comprises:

a position measuring unit for measuring a current position of the pedestrian; and

a route management unit for calculating a remaining distance to the specific position according to a resultant position value measured by the position measuring unit.

10. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the pace setting unit sets the pace of the pedestrian using resultant values output from the stride detecting unit and position measuring unit.

11. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the route information providing unit further comprises:

a step number calculating unit for calculating the number of steps to be traveled to the specific position using a pace setting result and the remaining distance calculated for the specific position; and

a route information calculating unit for generating a route guiding message based on the number of steps using a calculated result of a remaining number of steps and the remaining distance result.

12. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the position measuring unit calculates a traveling distance according to the current position of the pedestrian using an output value obtained by various position measuring units.

13. The stride-based route guiding apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the position measuring unit measures the current position of the pedestrian using any one of a sensor value output from the sensor and GPS position information, and calculates a measured traveling distance according to the current position of the pedestrian.

14. A stride-based route guiding method comprising the steps of:

detecting a stride of a pedestrian according to one of a stride feature and situation of the pedestrian during a route guidance;

calculating a traveling distance by measuring a current position of the pedestrian;

setting a pace of the pedestrian using a result of stride detection and the calculated traveling distance;

calculating a remaining distance from the pedestrian to a specific position;

calculating a number of steps corresponding to the distance to the specific position using a result of pace setting and the calculated distance; and

providing a route guiding message based on the number of steps using a result of calculating the number of steps and the calculated remaining distance.

15. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of performing route guidance using a pace value previously stored until a constant time required for estimating the pace arrives when guiding the route.

16. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the step of performing the route guidance using the number of steps calculated according to the pace of the pedestrian after a lapse of the time.

17. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the pace value previously stored is an average pace value using any one of an estimated value of a normal pace of the pedestrian previously stored according to previous pace information, an estimated value previously stored in a route providing server, and a stationary pace value arbitrarily inputted by the pedestrian when an initial pedestrian mode is set.

18. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

measuring a current position of the pedestrian using a position measuring device;

comparing the measured current position with an expected position; and

if the measured current position is identical to the expected position, maintaining the set pace value.

19. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising the step of correcting the set pace value if the measured current position is not identical to the expected position.

20. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the pace correction is performed by dividing the traveling distance calculated according to the measurement of the current position of the pedestrian by the calculated number of steps.

21. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of performing stride-based routing using the number of steps previously calculated and stored if one of an overpass and underground stairs are on a route of the pedestrian.

22. The stride-based route guiding method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the step of performing stride-based routing by giving a weight of stairs according to uphill, downhill or slope.