NAVIGATION DEVICE

• US 20100256900A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Corp.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Takashi, Miyazaki, Hideto, Matsubara, Tsutomu, Kitano, Toyoaki, Yamaguchi, Yoshihisa, Kawai, Katsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,315,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• 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 direction measurement unit 4 that measures the current location and direction of a vehicle; a route calculation unit 12 that, based on map data read from the map database 5, calculates a route from the current location measured by the location and direction 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 road width acquisition unit 16 that, based on road width data included in the map data read from the map database, calculates the width of a road segment that enters last into an intersection to which the vehicle is to be guided from among road segments that make up the route calculated by the route calculation unit; a video image composition processing unit 14 that limits the length of a portion that indicates a turning direction of a route guide arrow to the road width calculated by the road width acquisition unit, and that composes the arrow onto the video images acquired by the video image acquisition unit in a superimposing manner; and a display unit 10 that displays the video image composed by the video image composition processing unit.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A navigation device comprising:

a map database that holds map data;

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

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

a camera that captures video images ahead of the vehicle;

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

a road width acquisition unit that, based on road width included in the map data read from the map database, calculates the width of a road segment that enters into an intersection to which the vehicle is to be guided from among road segments that make up the route calculated by the route calculation unit;

a video image composition processing unit that limits the length of a portion that indicates a turning direction of a route guide arrow to the road width calculated by the road width acquisition unit, and that composes the arrow onto the video images 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.

8. A navigation device according to claim 6,

wherein the road width acquisition unit calculates the width of the road segment that enters into the intersection to which the vehicle is to be guided from among the road segments that make up the route calculated by the route calculation unit on the basis of data on the number of lanes and road type data included in the map data read from the map database.

7. A navigation device comprising:

a map database that holds map data;

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

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

a camera that captures video images ahead of the vehicle;

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

a road width acquisition unit that, based on road width included in the map data read from the map database, calculates the width of a road segment that enters into an intersection to which the vehicle is to be guided from among road segments that make up the route calculated by the route calculation unit;

a video image composition processing unit that modifies a display format of a portion at which the length of the portion of the route guide arrow that indicates a turning direction exceeds the road width calculated by the road width acquisition unit, and that composes the arrow onto the video images 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.

9. A navigation device comprising:

a map database that holds map data;

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

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

a camera that captures video images ahead of the vehicle;

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

a facility acquisition unit that acquires, from the map database, facility data denoting a facility present on the guidance direction side of an intersection to be guided along the route calculated by the road calculation unit, and also present between the intersection to be guided and the current location;

a video image composition processing unit that draws the portion of the route guide arrow indicating a turning direction to be seen at the other side of a facility that is to be displayed closer in the foreground than the portion of the route guide arrow that indicates a turning direction from among facilities denoted by the facility data acquired by the facility acquisition unit, and composes the arrow onto the video images 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.

10. A navigation device comprising:

a map database that holds map data;

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

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

a camera that captures video images ahead of the vehicle;

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

a facility acquisition unit that acquires, from the map database, facility data denoting a facility present on the guidance direction side of an intersection to be guided along the route calculated by the road calculation unit, and also present between the intersection to be guided and the current location;

a video image composition processing unit that limits the length of a portion that indicates a turning direction of a route guide arrow to the facility that is to be displayed closer in the foreground than the portion of the route guide arrow that indicates a turning direction from among facilities denoted by the facility data acquired by the facility acquisition unit, draws the information indicating a location or name of the facility on the portion of the route guide arrow that indicates a turning direction, and composes the information onto the video images 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.