Patent Publication Number: US-2009233627-A1

Title: Apparatus and method for processing position information

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for processing position information, more particularly to an apparatus and a method applied to a mobile phone, whereby users using the mobile phone can know the locations for each other. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Global Positioning System (GPS) is originally developed by US army for satellite navigation. GPS is also gradually applied to industrial survey and research application. Moreover, GPS is also popular for personal application for recreational or business travel. 
     The electronic components are miniature as progress of technology, and compacted electronic components can be used for portable electronic devices such as mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA) and laptop computer. Therefore, tourist or business traveler has more convenient access to GPS service. 
     The commercially available GPS device (with map or navigation function) provides only positioning function for its user receiving the GPS position signal. Namely, user sets a destination point and then updates the position thereof by receiving position signal through GPS chip and GPS receiver. The user of GPS device also interchanges data with base station through baseband and RF module. 
     However, in prior art GPS device, there is only one way navigation service for user. The destination point is a fixed location and the start point is the location of user. An optical path is programmed by linking the destination point and the start point of user. This navigation can be realized only after the destination point is known. 
     It is desirable to provide apparatus and method for processing position information in interactive way. Two users using the apparatus for processing position information in interactive way can automatically know the locations for each other. Moreover, the optimal path can be automatically and dynamically programmed based on the updated locations. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method applied to a mobile electronic device, whereby users using the mobile electronic device can know the locations for each other. 
     Accordingly, the present invention provides an apparatus and a method for processing position information. A mobile phone sends a first position signal for itself through an RF module and receives a second position signal for other party through the RF module. Therefore, the positions of users using the mobile phones can be simultaneously shown on display of the mobile phone. Moreover, a GPS destination point can be set with reference to the second position signal for other party, and an optimal path can be dynamically programmed according to the GPS destination point. The position signal can be sent through a composite voice signal after it is combined with a voice signal; or the position signal can be sent through short message service (SMS). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING 
       The features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself however may be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, which describes certain exemplary embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing the application of the apparatus for processing position information according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows the block diagram of the apparatus  10  for processing position information according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  show the circuit diagrams for circuits sending and receiving the position signal, respectively, through voice signal. 
         FIG. 4  shows the synthesis of voice signal Sv and position signal Sg. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view showing the operation according to a working example of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart explaining the method of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view showing the application of the apparatus for processing position information according to the present invention. Portable electronic devices  100 A and  100 B (such as mobile phone) are equipped with apparatus for processing position information according to the present. The portable electronic devices  100 A and  100 B receive GPS digital position signal for themselves from satellites  300 A and  300 B, and then send their position signal (position information) Pa and Pb to other parties, respectively. The locations corresponding to the position signal Pa and Pb are shown on displays of the portable electronic devices  100 A and  100 B for manifesting the positions of two parties using the portable electronic devices  100 A and  100 B. It should be noted that the scenario shown in  FIG. 1  is for demonstration, and more satellites are necessary for GPS service. The portable electronic devices  100 A and  100 B can also be PDAs, smart phones or vehicle navigation devices. 
       FIG. 2  shows the block diagram of the apparatus  10  for processing position information according to the present invention. The apparatus  10  for processing position information mainly comprises a central processing unit (CPU)  20 , a GPS module  30 , an RF module  40 , a display  50 , an input unit  52 , a microphone unit  54  and a map database  56 , wherein the CPU  20  is electrically connected to all other components. The GPS module  30  is further connected to a GPS antenna  32  to transceive GPS signal, and the RF module  40  is further connected to an RF antenna  42  to transceive RF signal. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the position signal can be sent with voice signal of mobile phone.  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 3B  show the circuit diagrams for circuits sending and receiving the position signal, respectively, through voice signal. With reference to  FIG. 3A , the apparatus  10  comprises circuit for sending position signal with voice signal and the circuit comprises a mixer  21 , a modulator (MOD)  23  eclectically connected to the mixer  21  and a codec  25  eclectically connected to the mixer  21 . The MOD  23  receives a digital position signal from the GPS module  30  and converts the digital position signal into an analog position signal Sg. The mixer  21  mixes the analog position signal Sg and a voice signal Sv to form an analog composite voice signal Sa. With reference to  FIG. 4 , the voice signal Sv generally occupies frequency regime of 300 Hz-3400 Hz (voice band). Therefore, the MOD  23  modulates the position signal with a modulating frequency outside the frequency regime of 300 Hz-3400 Hz. Therefore, the analog composite voice signal Sa contains the analog position signal Sg and the voice signal Sv, wherein the analog position signal Sg and the voice signal Sv occupy different frequency regimes. The codec  25  converts the analog composite voice signal Sa into a digital composite voice signal Sd for transmitting through the RF module  40 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 3B , the apparatus  10  further comprises circuit for receiving the digital composite voice signal Sd from another party. The circuit for receiving the digital composite voice signal Sd comprises a codec  25 , a first filter  22 A and a second filter  22 B, both electrically connected to the codec  25 , and a receiver  26  electrically connected to the first filter  22 A, and a demodulator (DMOD)  24  electrically connected to the second filter  22 B. The first filter  22 A is a band pass filter corresponding to the frequency band of the voice signal Sv. The second filter  22 B is also a band pass filter corresponding to the frequency band (outside the voice band) of the analog position signal Sg. After the codec  25  converts the digital composite voice signal Sd into an analog composite voice signal Sa, the first filter  22 A extracts the voice signal Sv from the analog composite voice signal Sa and sends the voice signal Sv to the receiver  26 . The second filter  22 B extracts the analog position signal Sg from the analog composite voice signal Sa and sends the analog position signal Sg to the DMOD  24  for converting into digital position signal. The digital position signal is processed by the CPU  20  and map corresponding to the digital position signal is fetched from the map database  56 . Therefore, locations corresponding to the portable electronic devices  100 A and  100 B are shown on the display  50 . 
     With reference to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , method for processing position information according to a preferred embodiment is demonstrated. Two or more users using portable electronic device  100 A and  100 B equipped with the apparatus  10  can exchange position information automatically. With reference to  FIG. 6  and  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b,  two users first establish conversation therebetween (S 1 ). After the conversation is established, any one of the users can activate the function of dynamically displaying the location of the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) in step S 2 . The activation operation can be performed, for example, by pressing physical key or a virtual key of touch panel (corresponding to numeral  52 ). An inquiring window is popped out (S 3 ) by the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) to checks whether user really want to activate this function, or just erroneously presses the key  52 . If the user doesn&#39;t want to activate the function of sending location information, the procedure is back to step S 1 . Otherwise, the GPS module  30  in the apparatus  10  sends signal for acquiring the position information thereof from satellite in step S 4  (with reference also to  FIG. 5   c ). With reference to  FIG. 5   d,  one of the users (the sending party) sends a request to the other one of the users (the receiving party) to ask whether the receiving party wants to exchange position information for each other in step S 5 , and the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) pops out a window, which manifests waiting for a response packet from the receiving party (step S 6 ). Once the sending party receives the response packet with confirmative reply, the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) judges whether both parties agree to activate the exchange function for position information (step S 7 ). When at least one party disagrees the exchange function for position information, the procedure is back to step S 1 . Otherwise, the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) adds the position information thereof into a digital composite voice signal and sends the digital composite voice signal to the other party. Namely the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) sends and receives digital composite voice signal for each other (step S 8 ). After both parties have successfully obtained the position information for themselves and sent the position information thereof to the other party (Step S 9 ), the locations on map are dynamically displayed on the display  50  of the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) and an optimal path can be programmed to link the two dynamically changing locations of the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) in step S 10 . The optimal path can be continuously updated as long as the electronic devices  100 A and  100 B keep exchanging position information. 
     With reference to  FIG. 5   e,  a major display window  50 A of the display  50  in the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) displays map location for the other party; while a sub display window  50 B of the display  50  in the portable electronic device  100 A ( 100 B) displays map location for itself. The CPU  20  refers to the data in the map database  56  to program an optimal path in view of the position information of both parties. In other word, the CPU  20  can exploit the existing navigation function and sets the location of the other party as a destination point. The optimal path is indicated by arrow shown in  FIG. 5   e  and can dynamically updated as long as the electronic devices  100 A and  100 B keep exchanging position information. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 5   f,  the major display window  50 A and the sub display window  50 B can be merged into a combined window  50 C when the distance between the two parties are close enough (for example within 1 km). 
     Moreover, to save the conversation cost, the apparatus  10  can send position information through short message service (SMS) instead of voice signal. More particularly, the CPU  20  edits the position information thereof into a position information message and sends the position information message to the other party through an SMS center (SMSC). Moreover, the CPU  20  can also process the position information message from other parties to obtain the position information of other parties. In above scheme, two parties using the apparatus  10  can still exchange position information without keeping conversation through mobile phone (in case that the portable electronic device is mobile phone). In the preferred embodiment, the position information message is also a composite signal (because the position information is contained in short message) and contains position information. The composite signal is also sent through RF module  40 , similar to the transmission way of the digital composite voice signal Sd. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details thereof. Various substitutions and modifications have suggested in the foregoing description, and other will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, all such substitutions and modifications are intended to be embraced within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.