Apparatus and method for measuring altitude of terminal

• US 9,618,337 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chun, Jae-Woong, Park, Jeong-Min, Chung, Do-Hyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): CAPUTO, LISA M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woodward, Nathaniel T
• Application Number:
  US14/140,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20140174175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,204 Days
• Field of Search: 73384, 73700
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/005 altimeters for aircraft G01C5/02, G01C5/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 5/06 by using barometric means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 11/002 by thermal means, e.g. hypsometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 7/00 Measuring the steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluid or a fluent solid material by mechanical or fluid pressure-sensitive elements G01L11/004 takes precedence; transmitting or indicating the displacement of mechanical pressure-sensitive elements by electric , e.g., photoelectric or magnetic means G01L9/00; measuring differences of two or more pressure values G01L13/00; measuring two or more pressure values simultaneously G01L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for measuring an altitude of a terminal which can correct an altitude error according to temporal and spatial changes are provided. The apparatus includes an atmospheric pressure measuring unit for measuring an atmospheric pressure from a barometer included in the terminal, a position determiner for measuring position information of the terminal, and a controller for, when a reference atmospheric pressure reception period is not generated, predicting a current reference atmospheric pressure by using previously received reference atmospheric pressures and measuring a current altitude by using the predicted reference atmospheric pressure and the measured atmospheric pressure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring an altitude of a terminal, the apparatus comprising:

an atmospheric pressure measuring unit configured to measure an atmospheric pressure from a barometer included in the terminal;

a position determiner configured to measure position information of the terminal;

a processor configured to;

when a reference atmospheric pressure is not received after a predetermined period that is a reception period of the reference atmospheric pressure, predict a current reference atmospheric pressure by using a plurality of reference atmospheric pressures which are previously received from a server, and

measure a current altitude by using the predicted current reference atmospheric pressure and the measured atmospheric pressure; and

a non-transitory memory configured to store the plurality of reference atmospheric pressures.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit the position information of the terminal and a reference atmospheric pressure request to the server at the predetermined period, and

measure, when a reference atmospheric pressure according to the position information of the terminal is received from the server, an altitude by using the received reference atmospheric pressure and the measured atmospheric pressure.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein extrapolation is used as a method of predicting the current reference atmospheric pressure by using the plurality of reference atmospheric pressures.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, as the plurality of reference atmospheric pressures have increased, the predicted reference atmospheric pressure increases.

5. A method of measuring an altitude of a terminal, the method comprising:

if a reference atmospheric pressure is not received after a predetermined period that is a reception period of the reference atmospheric pressure, predicting a current reference atmospheric pressure by using a plurality of reference atmospheric pressures which are previously received from a server; and

measuring a current altitude by using the predicted current reference atmospheric pressure and an atmospheric pressure measured by a barometer included in the terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting position information of the terminal and a reference atmospheric pressure request to a server at the predetermined period; and

measuring, when a reference atmospheric pressure according to the position information of the terminal is received from the server, an altitude by using the received reference atmospheric pressure and the measured atmospheric pressure.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein extrapolation is used as a method of predicting a current reference atmospheric pressure by using the plurality of reference atmospheric pressures.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, as the plurality of reference atmospheric pressures have increased, the predicted reference atmospheric pressure increases.