Position measurement system and portable terminal

• US 7,890,121 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsubara, Hiroki
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; CongVan
• Application Number:
  US11/843,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20080051102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/404.2, 455/403, 455/550.1
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/09 providing processing capability normally carried out by the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0036 of measured values, i.e. measurement on mobile and position calculation on base station
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0072 Transmission between mobile stations, e.g. anti-collision systems

Abstract

A first portable terminal receives a GPS signal transmitted from a satellite via radio waves with a signal reception means, and a short distance wireless communication means transfers this received signal to a second portable terminal. Furthermore, upon receipt of this signal transferred from the first portable terminal, the second portable terminal processes the received signal with a position measurement means, and thereby measures the position of the first portable terminal. Since the communication between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal is by short distance wireless communication, accordingly these two portable terminals are positioned approximately at the same location. And a position measurement result notification means of the second portable terminal notifies its own position, which the position measurement means has acquired, to the first portable terminal.

Claims

1. A position measurement system comprising first and second portable terminals which comprise short distance wireless communication means for performing short distance wireless communication, and which performs position measurement using a signal transmitted from a satellite via radio waves, wherein:

the first portable terminal comprises;

signal reception means which receives a signal transmitted from a satellite via radio waves;

signal transfer means which transfers the signal received by the signal reception means to the second portable terminal using the short distance wireless communication means; and

mobile telephone communication means which performs communication with other terminals via a mobile telephone network; and

the second portable terminal comprises;

position measurement means which, when the signal which has been transmitted by the signal transfer means of the first portable terminal has been received by the short distance wireless communication means, measures the position of the first portable terminal based upon the received signal;

position measurement result notification means which notifies the position of the first portable terminal which has been measured by the position measurement means to the first portable terminal, using the short distance wireless communication means;

image capture means which captures an image of an image capture area; and

captured image storage means which stores a captured image of an image capture area which has been captured by the image capture means, and the position of the first portable terminal which has been measured by the position measurement means directly before the capturing of the captured image, in mutual correspondence.

2. A position measurement system comprising first and second portable terminals which comprise short distance wireless communication means for performing short distance wireless communication, and which performs position measurement using a signal transmitted from a satellite via radio waves, wherein:

the first portable terminal comprises;

signal reception means which receives a signal transmitted from a satellite via radio waves;

position measurement means which measures its own position, based upon the signal received by the signal reception means; and

position measurement result notification means which notifies its own position, which has been measured by the position measurement means, to the second portable terminal, using the short distance wireless communication means; and

the second portable terminal comprises;

storage means which stores the position of the first portable terminal which has been notified by the position measurement result notification means of the first portable terminal, via the short distance wireless communication means;

image capture means which captures an image of an image capture area; and

captured image storage means which stores a captured image of an image capture area which has been captured by the image capture means, and

the position of the first portable terminal which has been stored by the storage means, in mutual correspondence.

3. A position measurement system according to claim 2, wherein the first portable terminal further comprises mobile telephone communication means which performs communication with other terminals via a mobile telephone network.

4. A portable terminal, comprising:

short distance wireless communication means which performs short distance wireless communication;

signal acquisition means which acquires, by using the short distance wireless communication means, a signal from another portable terminal which comprises a signal reception means which receives a signal transmitted from a satellite via radio waves;

position measurement means which, based upon the signal which has been acquired by the signal acquisition means, measures the position of the other portable terminal from which the signal has been transmitted;

position measurement result notification means which notifies, to the other portable terminal, using the short distance wireless communication means, the position of the other portable terminal as measured by the position measurement means;

image capture means which captures an image of an image capture area; and

captured image storage means which stores a captured image of an image capture area which has been captured by the image capture means, and the position of the other portable terminal which has been measured by the position measurement means directly previously, in mutual correspondence.