Electronic compass

An electronic compass comprising:

• a magnetic sensor configured to sense predetermined two axis components out of three axis components of geomagnetism at a site to generate two-axis magnetic sensing data corresponding to magnitudes of the respective two axis components;
• an acceleration sensor configured to sense three axis components of acceleration applied to the acceleration sensor to generate three-axis acceleration sensing data corresponding to magnitudes of the respective three-axis components;
• and
• an azimuth angle detector configured
• to calculate virtual magnetic sensing data corresponding to, out of the three axis components of the geomagnetism, a remaining unsensed one axis component based on the two-axis magnetic sensing data, the three-axis acceleration sensing data, and a magnitude and a magnetic dip of the geomagnetism, and
• to determine, using the virtual magnetic sensing data, ground-horizontal components of the geomagnetism, thereby to sense an azimuth angle,
• wherein the azimuth angle detector is configured to calculate, as one processing step, a ground-vertical component of the geomagnetism based on the magnitude and the magnetic dip of the geomagnetism,
• wherein the azimuth angle detector is configured to calculate, as one processing step, an inclination angle relative to a ground surface based on the three-axis acceleration sensing data to derive a rotation matrix, and
• wherein the azimuth angle detector is configured to calculate the virtual magnetic sensing data (hz′), based on the two-axis magnetic sensing data (hx′ and hy′), the inclination angle (p and r), and the magnitude (|M|) and the magnetic dip (α) of the geomagnetism, by using formula (X) below:
• hz
• ′
• =
• 
• M
• 
• ⁢
• sin
• ⁢
• ⁢
• α
• =
• (
• hx
• ′
• ⁢
• cos
• ⁢
• ⁢
• p
• ⁢
• ⁢
• sin
• ⁢
• ⁢
• r
• -
• hy
• ′
• ⁢
• sin
• ⁢
• ⁢
• p
• cos
• ⁢
• ⁢
• p
• ⁢
• ⁢
• cos
• ⁢
• ⁢
• r
• .
• (
• X
• )