NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20100250116A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Hideto, Yamaguchi, Yoshihisa, Kawai, Katsuya, Nakagawa, Takashi, Matsubara, Tsutomu, Kitano, Toyoaki
• Application Number:
  US12/742,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20100250116A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096861 where the immediate route instructions are output to the driver, e.g. arrow signs for next turn
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/007 using computer methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A navigation device includes: a map database 5 that holds map data; a location and heading measurement unit 4 that measures the current location and heading of a vehicle; a route calculation unit 12 that, based on the map data read from the map database, calculates a guidance route from the current location measured by the location and heading measurement unit to a destination; a camera 7 that captures video images ahead of the vehicle; a video image acquisition unit 8 that acquires the video images ahead of the vehicle captured by the camera; a side road acquisition unit 16 that acquires a side road connected at a location between the current location on the guidance route calculated by the route calculation unit and a guidance waypoint; a video image composition processing unit 14 that composes a picture representing the side road acquired by the side road acquisition unit onto the video images acquired by the video image acquisition unit; and a display unit 10 that displays the video image composed by the video image composition processing unit in a superimposing manner.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A navigation device, comprising:

a map database that holds map data;

a location and heading measurement unit that measures a current location and heading of a vehicle;

a route calculation unit that, based on the map data read from the map database, calculates a guidance route from the current location measured by the location and heading measurement unit to a destination;

a camera that captures a video image ahead of the vehicle;

a video image acquisition unit that acquires the video image ahead of the vehicle that is captured by the camera;

an intersection acquisition unit that acquires an intersection existing between a current location of the guidance route calculated by the route calculation unit and a guidance waypoint;

a video image composition processing unit that composes a picture representing the presence of a side road onto the video image acquired by the video image acquisition unit at an intersection acquired by the intersection acquisition unit in a superimposing manner without being overlapped onto a building; and

a display unit that displays the video image composed by the video image composition processing unit.

9. The navigation device according to claim 8, wherein the video image composition processing unit composes a picture representing the intersection instead of representing the presence of the side road, onto the video image acquired by the video image acquisition unit at the location of the intersection acquired by the intersection acquisition unit in a superimposing manner without being overlapped onto a building.

11. The navigation device according to claim 8, comprising a side road filtering unit that selects and eliminates a predetermined side road from among the side roads acquired by the side road acquisition unit, wherein the video image composition processing unit composes a picture representing a side road other than the side road eliminated by the side road filtering unit, from among the side roads acquired by the side road acquisition unit, onto the video images acquired by the video image acquisition unit in a superimposing manner.

10. A navigation device, comprising:

a map database that holds map data;

a location and heading measurement unit that measures a current location and heading of a vehicle;

a route calculation unit that, based on the map data read from the map database, calculates a guidance route from the current location measured by the location and heading measurement unit to a destination;

a camera that captures a video image ahead of the vehicle;

a video image acquisition unit that acquires the video image ahead of the vehicle that is captured by the camera;

a landmark acquisition unit that acquires a landmark existing around an intersection that is present between a current location of the guidance route calculated by the route calculation unit and a guidance waypoint;

a video image composition processing unit that composes a picture of the landmark acquired by the landmark acquisition unit onto the video image acquired by the video image acquisition unit in a superimposing manner; and

a display unit that displays the video image composed by the video image composition processing unit.

12. The navigation device according to claim 10, comprising a landmark filtering unit that selects and eliminates a predetermined landmark from among the landmarks acquired by the landmark acquisition unit, wherein the video image composition processing unit composes a picture representing a landmark other than the landmarks eliminated by the landmark filtering unit, from among the landmarks acquired by the landmark acquisition unit, onto the video image acquired by the video image acquisition unit in a superimposing manner.