NAVIGATION SYSTEM, MOBILE TERMINAL DEVICE, AND ROUTE GUIDING METHOD

• US 20100070162A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Navitime Japan Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Navitime Japan Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Aihara, Kenichi
• Application Number:
  US12/445,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070162A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/50 whereby the position solution is constrained to lie upon a particular curve or surface, e.g. for locomotives on railway tracks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

Provided is a navigation system comprising a route searching server and a mobile terminal device. The mobile terminal device includes posture detecting means for detecting the posture of the mobile terminal device at the time when imaging means took a peripheral image, and image layout means for determining the display position of a guide route or a proceeding direction guide image on the basis of the posture of the mobile terminal device detected by the posture detecting means. The mobile terminal device stores the guide route distributed from the route searching server. In case the image layout means discriminates that the guide route is not contained in the peripheral image displayed in display means, drawing control means displays an imaging direction guide image for guiding the direction, in which the imaging means takes the image, on the peripheral image.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a route search server provided with route search means for referencing network data for route searching, and searching a guide route from a departure point to a destination; and

a mobile terminal device provided with guide information storage means for storing guide information that includes guide route data, GPS receiving means for determining a current position, imaging means, display means for displaying a peripheral image captured by the imaging means, and drawing control means for displaying a guide route image on the peripheral image displayed by the display means;

said navigation system characterized in that;

said mobile terminal device has orientation detection means for detecting the orientation of the mobile terminal device when said imaging means captures the peripheral image, and image layout means for determining a display position of the guide route image on the basis of the orientation of the mobile terminal device as detected by said orientation detection means; and

said drawing control means displays an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means toward an orientation at which an image is to be captured by said imaging means on said peripheral image on the basis of the orientation of said mobile terminal device and the orientation of said guide route from the current position when said image layout means determines that said guide route is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that said orientation detection means comprises:

bearing detection means for detecting the orientation of the imaging means when said imaging means has captured a peripheral image; and

tilt angle detection means for detecting the tilt angle of said imaging means with respect to the horizontal direction.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said image layout means corrects the display position of a guide route image or a forward direction guide image displayed on said peripheral image so that the upward direction of the peripheral image is vertical based on the angle of the optical axis of said imaging means, shifts said peripheral image by an amount that corresponds to the angle of the optical axis with the horizontal direction, and corrects and determines the display position so that the center of the peripheral image is in the horizontal direction, on the basis of the orientation of the mobile terminal device as detected by said orientation detection means, when the guide route is included in said peripheral image displayed by the display means.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that said drawing control means displays an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means from the current position toward a direction in which the guide route is present, as an orientation for imaging by said imaging means on said peripheral image, when said image layout means determines that the guide route from the current position is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, characterized in that said imaging direction guide image displayed by said drawing control means is displayed using a different image than a forward direction guide image for guiding the imaging means in the forward direction of the guide route from the current position.

6. A mobile terminal device connected via a network to a route search server provided with route search means for referencing network data for route searching, and searching a guide route from a departure point to a destination;

said mobile terminal device comprising;

guide information storage means for storing guide information that includes guide route data;

GPS receiving means for determining a current position;

imaging means;

display means for displaying a peripheral image captured by the imaging means; and

drawing control means for displaying a guide route image on the peripheral image displayed by the display means;

said mobile terminal device characterized in that;

said mobile terminal device further comprises orientation detection means for detecting the orientation of the mobile terminal device when said imaging means has captured the peripheral image, and image layout means for determining a display position of the guide route image on the basis of the orientation of the mobile terminal device as detected by said orientation detection means; and

said drawing control means displays an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means toward an orientation at which an image is to be captured by said imaging means on said peripheral image on the basis of the orientation of said mobile terminal device and the orientation of said guide route from the current position when said image layout means determines that said guide route is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 6, characterized in that said orientation detection means comprises:

bearing detection means for detecting the orientation of the imaging means when said imaging means has captured a peripheral image; and

tilt angle detection means for detecting the tilt angle of said imaging means with respect to the horizontal direction.

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said image layout means corrects the display position of a guide route image or a forward direction guide image displayed on said peripheral image so that the upward direction of the peripheral image is vertical based on the angle of the optical axis of said imaging means, shifts said peripheral image by an amount that corresponds to the angle of the optical axis with the horizontal direction, and corrects and determines the display position so that the center of the peripheral image is in the horizontal direction, on the basis of the orientation of the mobile terminal device as detected by said orientation detection means, when the guide route is included in said peripheral image displayed by the display means.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 6, characterized in that said drawing control means displays an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means from the current position toward a direction in which the guide route is present, as an orientation for imaging by said imaging means on said peripheral image, when said image layout means determines that the guide route from the current position is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

10. The mobile terminal device according to claim 6, characterized in that said imaging direction guide image displayed by said drawing control means is displayed using a different image than a forward direction guide image for guiding the imaging means in the forward direction of the guide route from the current position.

11. A guide display method for a mobile terminal device, said mobile terminal device being connected via a network to a route search server provided with route search means for referencing network data for route searching, and searching a guide route from a departure point to a destination;

said mobile terminal device comprising;

guide information storage means for storing guide information that includes guide route data;

GPS receiving means for determining a current position;

imaging means;

display means for displaying a peripheral image captured by the imaging means; and

drawing control means for displaying a guide route image on the peripheral image displayed by the display means;

said route guide display method characterized in that;

said mobile terminal device is further provided with orientation detection means for detecting the orientation of the mobile terminal device when said imaging means has captured the peripheral image, and image layout means for correcting the display position of the guide route image so that the upward direction of the peripheral image is vertical based on the angle of the optical axis of said imaging means, shifting said peripheral image by an amount that corresponds to the angle of the optical axis with the horizontal direction, and correcting and determining the display position so that the center of the peripheral image is in the horizontal direction, on the basis of the orientation of the mobile terminal device as detected by said orientation detection means; and

said route guide display method comprises a step of said image layout means determining whether said guide route is included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means, and a step of said drawing control means displaying an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means toward an orientation at which an image is to be captured by said imaging means on said peripheral image on the basis of the orientation of said mobile terminal device and the orientation of said guide route from the current position when said image layout means determines that said guide route is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

12. The route guide display method according to claim 11, characterized in that:

said orientation detection means comprises bearing detection means for detecting the orientation of the imaging means when said imaging means has captured a peripheral image, and tilt angle detection means for detecting the tilt angle of said imaging means with respect to the horizontal direction; and

said route guide display method comprises a step of said image layout means determining, on the basis of detection output of said bearing detection means and tilt angle detection means, whether said guide route is included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means, and a step of said drawing control means displaying an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means toward an orientation at which an image is to be captured by said imaging means on said peripheral image on the basis of the orientation of said mobile terminal device and the orientation of said guide route from the current position when said image layout means determines that said guide route is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

13. The route guide display method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in further comprising a step of determining the display position of a guide route image displayed on said peripheral image, so that the upward direction of the peripheral image is vertical based on the angle of the optical axis of said imaging means, shifts said peripheral image by an amount that corresponds to the angle of the optical axis with the horizontal direction, and corrects and determines the display position so that the center of the peripheral image is in the horizontal direction, on the basis of the orientation of the mobile terminal device as detected by said orientation detection means, when said image layout means determines that the guide route is included in the peripheral image displayed by said display means, in the step of said image layout means determining whether the guide route is included in the peripheral image displayed by said display means.

14. The route guide display method according to claim 11, characterized in further comprising a step of said drawing control means displaying an imaging direction guide image for guiding the imaging means from the current position toward a direction in which the guide route is present, as an orientation for imaging by said imaging means on said peripheral image, when said image layout means determines that the guide route from the current position is not included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means, in the step of said image layout means determining whether the guide route from the current position is included in said peripheral image displayed by said display means.

15. The route guide display method according to claim 11, characterized in that the step of displaying said imaging direction guide image on said peripheral image includes processing whereby said imaging direction guide image displayed by said drawing control means is displayed using a different image than a forward direction guide image for guiding the imaging means in the forward direction of the guide route from the current position.