Abstract: A system and method detect freefall associated with an object that is spinning or tumbling as it falls. Two tri-axis accelerometers provide inputs to an algorithm that detects the freefall of a spinning object that would not otherwise be detected by a conventional freefall detection system, due to the centrifugal and centripetal forces being placed on the falling object as it spins. The system can be used to detect the freefall of portable devices with onboard memory or hard disk drives, allowing the devices to have time to park the read/write head and reduce the potential of losing data that can be damaged by impact. This freefall detection system may be applied to such portable devices as notebook computers, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, mobile phones and even automobiles.

Abstract: A portable terminal having a motion detection function and a motion detection method for the portable terminal are provided. A motion of the portable terminal is input by measuring an acceleration along the X-, Y- and Z-axes of the portable terminal. A current posture of the portable terminal is calculated by calculating rotation angles along the X- and Z-axes with respect to the X- and Z-axes in a basic posture using the acceleration along the X-, Y- and Z-axes. The acceleration along each axis is converted to an equivalent basic-posture acceleration along each axis using the rotation angles. The detected motion of the portable terminal is recognized using the basic-posture acceleration along each axis.

Abstract: A washer includes an outer cabinet, a washtub disposed in the cabinet, a rotating tub rotating by a driving motor and being disposed in the washtub, a top cover disposed on top of the cabinet, the top cover being provided with an opening for loading and unloading clothes, a control box-receiving portion formed on a portion of the top cover, a control box having a circuit board for controlling the washer, the control box removably received in the control box-receiving portion, and a protecting cover for covering the portion of the top cover where the control box is received.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for compensating an attitude of an inertial navigation system and a method and apparatus for calculating a position of the inertial navigation system using the same. The method of compensating an attitude of the inertial navigation system includes sensing movement of the system and outputting information for stoppage time periods and a movement time period of the system; receiving angular velocity information of the system during every time period and calculating a first attitude of the system using the angular velocity information; receiving gravity direction information of the system during the stoppage time periods, calculating a second attitude of the system using the gravity direction information, and calculating an attitude error of the system during every time period using the first attitude and the second attitude; and compensating the attitude error for the first attitude.

Abstract: An input system based on a three-dimensional inertial navigation system and a trajectory estimation method thereof is disclosed. The input system based on the three-dimensional inertial navigation system according to the present invention has acceleration sensors for outputting acceleration information just before motions, acceleration information on the motions, and acceleration information just after the motions; a rotation angle information estimation-computing portion for estimating rotation angle information on the motions through a predetermined computing process based on the outputted acceleration information just before the motions and acceleration information just after the motions; a conversion-computing unit for calculating position information on the motions based on the estimated rotation angle information on the motions and the outputted acceleration information on the motions; and an optimal plane-computing unit for projecting the position information on the motions onto an optimal plane.

Abstract: The present invention provides an electrolyte for solar cells, comprising a phthalocyanine (Pc) compound of Formula I as described herein, and solar cells using the same. According to the invention, energy conversion efficiency of the solar cells was improved by employing the phthalocyanine compound to the solar cells.

Abstract: An apparatus correcting a bias of a gyroscope that is mounted on a mobile robot and that measures an angular velocity of the mobile robot. The apparatus includes: at least one encoder respectively measuring a traveling velocity of a respective at least one wheel of the mobile robot; a modeling unit calculating an angular velocity of the mobile robot by using the measured traveling velocity; a bias presuming unit determining a confidence range by using difference values between the calculated angular velocity and the measured angular velocity, and calculating a presumed bias by using a value in a confidence range among the difference values; and a bias removing unit removing the presumed bias from the measured angular velocity.

Abstract: A laundry aid dispenser for a washing machine includes a top cover disposed above a washtub for receiving clothes, a receiving cavity defined by an upper wall, a bottom wall, opposing sidewalls, and an inner wall that are formed by indenting a portion of the top cover, a shower member comprising a shower portion coupled on the upper wall defining the receiving cavity and a warm water guide portion defined by a rear wall of the shower portion with the inner wall defining the receiving cavity, and a laundry aid container for storing laundry aids, the laundry aid container being inserted in the receiving cavity under the shower member. The laundry aid container has at least two chambers each for storing a different laundry aid.

Abstract: Provided are a moving apparatus and an apparatus, method, and medium for compensating position based on a position recognition technology. The moving apparatus which provides a function for correcting a position includes a sensing unit obtaining multiple state information reflecting one or more abnormal movement states generated by movements of the moving apparatus; a state determination unit determining whether or not the abnormal movement state is generated by self-contained navigation, by referring to the obtained multiple state information; and a position information calculation unit calculating final position information of the moving apparatus, by correcting the multiple state information as the abnormal movement state occurs.

Abstract: A pointing device and a pointer movement method and medium are disclosed. The pointing device includes an angular velocity detection module detecting a first angular velocity, a second angular velocity, and a third angular velocity of the pointing device turning about three different axes according to movement of a housing, an acceleration detection module detecting an acceleration of the pointing device according to the movement, an attitude computation module computing attitude information of the housing by using the detected acceleration information, a signal conversion module converting the first angular velocity, the second angular velocity, and the third angular velocity into angular velocities in a display coordinate system, respectively, by using the attitude information, and a pointer-coordinate computation module computing coordinates of a pointer to be displayed on a display device by using the converted angular velocity information.

Abstract: An obstacle detection apparatus and method which can detect the state of an obstacle according to a signal generated when the obstacle detection apparatus collides with the obstacle and a change in the posture of the obstacle detection apparatus caused due to the collision with the obstacle. The obstacle detection apparatus includes a main body which can be moved along the surface of the ground, a movement amount determination module which determines whether the amount of movement of the main body is outside a predefined threshold range, a posture determination module which determines the changed posture of the main body with respect to the surface of the ground according to the amount of movement of the main body, and a state determination module which determines the state of an obstacle based on the results of determination of the movement amount determination module or the posture determination module.

Abstract: An indoor map building apparatus, method, and medium for a mobile robot are provided. The indoor map building apparatus includes a beacon which transmits/receives signals for determining the location of the mobile robot, a beacon location fixing module which moves the beacon to a predetermined location in an indoor space where the mobile robot is to travel and fixes the beacon at the predetermined location, a data processing module which determines the location of the mobile robot based on signals received from the beacon, and generates map information regarding the indoor space, an obstacle detection module which detects an obstacle when the mobile robot travels in the indoor space, and a driving module which moves the mobile robot.

Abstract: Provided is a device and a display method and medium for the device. The device includes a sensing unit sensing the acceleration of gravity affecting the device on fixed coordinates with respect to the device, a calculator calculating a tilted figure of the device using the sensing result, a plurality of buttons displaying a plurality of images in response to a control signal, and a controller generating the control signal for commanding to display images indicated by image data corresponding to the calculation result from among prepared image data.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for controlling an alarm function of a mobile device with an inertial sensor. In one example of the method, after an initial threshold value is established, an alarm occurrence is generated at a predefined hour. If the alarm occurrence is the first, an alarm control unit detects a first movement of the mobile device due to the alarm occurrence through the inertial sensor, and adjusts the initial threshold value according to the first movement. If the alarm occurrence is not the first, the alarm control unit detects a second movement of the mobile device through the inertial sensor, compares the second movement with the adjusted threshold value, and stops the alarm occurrence if the second movement is greater than the adjusted threshold value.

Abstract: Provided are a method and apparatus for compensating for an acceleration error in an inertial navigation system (INS). The apparatus includes a motion detector that detects the motion of the INS and outputs information on stationary time intervals during which the INS is stationary and a moving time interval during which the INS is moving; a sensor portion that measures accelerations of the INS for the stationary time intervals and moving time interval, respectively; an error model determiner that determines an acceleration error corresponding to the moving time interval using accelerations measured during the stationary time intervals and outputs an acceleration subjected to correction of the acceleration error for the moving time interval; and a position calculator that integrates the corrected acceleration for the moving time interval and outputs the position of the INS.

Abstract: A washing system may include a washing machine and dryer set that, for example, include top covers provided at upper sides of the washing machine and dryer; rear covers interchangeably provided at rear sides of the top covers, wherein the rear covers can maintain a single, unified appearance, wherein a front side of the rear covers each include an opening having a predetermined shape; control units detachably fixed within the openings, wherein the control units are capable of displaying an operational status of the washing machine and dryer and wherein the control units enable a user to input operation instructions; and controllers provided at lower sides of the rear covers for controlling operations of the washing machine and dryer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to output a musical tone is disclosed. More particularly, disclosed is an apparatus and method to output a musical tone according to motion, which divides a space in which a terminal can move into a plurality of subspaces, and matches the subspaces with different musical tones, so that the terminal can output a musical tone matched with a specific subspace when the terminal has moved into the specific subspace.

Abstract: The apparatus embodies a tilting interface controlling a signal using information regarding a tilt of a handheld device. The apparatus includes a tilt measurement module measuring the tilt of the handheld device; a history storage module storing, in order of time, a history of information regarding the measured tilt of the handheld device and a history of stop position information of the menu list items, the stop position information being created from the signal output according to the information regarding the measured tilt of the handheld device; and a moving speed control module controlling the speed of moving between the menu list items by setting a candidate range, to which a target item desired by a user belongs, using the histories.

Abstract: A trajectory estimation apparatus, method, and medium using a triaxial accelerometer are provided. The trajectory estimation apparatus includes a motion sensing module which measures an acceleration component for each of three axes from the input 3D gesture using a triaxial accelerometer, a gravitational component removal module which calculates a gravitational acceleration component and removes the gravitational acceleration component from the acceleration component, a gesture determination module which identifies gesture type represented by an acceleration component obtained as the result of the removal performed by the gravitational component removal module, and a compensation module which compensates for the acceleration component obtained as the result of the removal performed by the gravitational component removal module by using different compensation methods for different gesture types.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and medium for suspending repeated signal input using a slope variation in a tilting interface are provided. In the method of suspending a repeated signal input using a slope variation of a hand-held device in implementing a tilting interface of controlling a predetermined signal based on tilting of the hand-held device, the method includes measuring a slope of the hand-held device, calculating a slope difference between the measured slope and the previous slope, modifying the value of a determining factor that is used to determine whether to generate or to input the predetermined signal, according to changes in the measured slope and the calculated slope difference, and generating or inputting the predetermined signal or suspending the generating the predetermined signal based on the modified value of the determining factor.