The air pressure sensor was first used on smart phones This sensor is also included in some Android flagship phones, such as the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note 2 and Xiaomi 2 phones, but we are still very unfamiliar with the pressure sensor. Just like the literal meaning, the air pressure sensor is used to measure air pressure, but what's the role of measuring air pressure for ordinary mobile phone users?

Altitude measurement

For those who like mountaineering, they are very concerned about their altitude. There are two commonly used methods for measuring altitude, one is through GPS, the other is through measuring atmospheric pressure, and then calculating altitude according to the pressure value.

Due to the limitation of technology and other reasons, the general error of GPS in calculating altitude is about 10 meters. However, if you are in the woods or under the cliff, sometimes you cannot even receive GPS satellite signals.

The air pressure mode can be selected in a wider range, and the cost can be controlled at a relatively low level. In addition, the pressure sensor of mobile phones such as Galaxy Nexus also includes a temperature sensor, which can capture the temperature to correct the results, so as to increase the accuracy of the measurement results.

Therefore, adding the function of air pressure sensor on the basis of the original GPS of the mobile phone can make the 3D positioning more accurate.

Navigation aids

Nowadays, many drivers use mobile phones for navigation, but people often complain that navigation in viaducts is often wrong. For example, when on the viaduct, the GPS says to turn right, but in fact there is no right turn exit on the right. This is mainly because the GPS is unable to determine whether you are on the bridge or under the bridge. Generally, the height of the upper and lower floors of the viaduct will be several meters to more than ten meters, and the GPS error may be tens of meters, so it is understandable that the above things happened.

If a pressure sensor is added to the mobile phone, it will be different. Its accuracy can reach an error of 1 meter, which can help GPS to measure the height, and the problem of wrong navigation will be easily solved.

Indoor positioning

Because GPS signals cannot be well received indoors, when users enter a very thick building, the built-in sensor may lose the satellite signal, so they cannot identify the user's geographical location and sense the vertical height. If the mobile phone is equipped with a pressure sensor, together with accelerometer, gyroscope and other technologies, accurate indoor positioning can be achieved. In this way, when you shop in the mall in the future, you can tell the location and floor of the product you want to buy through mobile phone positioning.

In addition, the pressure sensor can also provide fishing enthusiasts with relevant information (the stratification and activity of fish in the water are related to atmospheric pressure) or weather forecasting functions. However, at present, the air pressure sensor is still in a neglected state. In order to be understood and used by more people, the air pressure sensor still needs the maturity and popularization of some related technologies, and more developers will launch more applications and related functions for this sensor.

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