GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM TERMINAL DEVICE AND NAVIGATION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100312471A1
• Filed: 06/08/2010
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Company Limited (Inventec Corporation), Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Company Limited (Inventec Corporation), Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: CHENG, CHIH-WEI
• Application Number:
  US12/795,696
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312471A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/36 Devices characterised by the use of optical means, e.g. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/68 takes precedence; gyrometers using the Sagnac effect, i.e. rotation-induced shifts between counter-rotating electromagnetic beams G01C19/64
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/68 using optical means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light G01P3/80 takes precedence ; by reflection of waves G01S17/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/485 whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a navigation method. The navigation method provides a navigation display while a GPS terminal device is moving along a road with a traffic marking marked thereon and when GPS information is not available. The navigation method captures a plurality of images comprising the road image with traffic markings and calculates a time of the GPS terminal device passing by the end points of the traffic marking. Then, the moving velocity is computed by using the time as divisor and the unit line as dividend. The navigation method utilizes a GPS terminal device comprising an image capture unit and a timer. The image capture unit captures images and the timer calculates the time.

Claims

1. A global positioning system (GPS) terminal device, for providing a navigation display when the GPS terminal device is moving along a road with a traffic marking marked thereon and when GPS information is not available, the GPS terminal device comprising:

a storage unit, storing at least one map information;

an image capture unit, capturing a plurality of images comprising the road with the traffic marking on the GPS terminal device moving along the road;

a timer, calculating a time of the GPS terminal device passing by the traffic marking; and

a processing module, electrically connecting with the storage unit, the image capture unit, and the timer to compute a moving velocity according to the images comprising the road and the time and to render the navigation display according to the map information and the moving velocity.

2. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing module comprises an image computing module to compute the moving velocity according to the images comprising the road and the time.

3. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the image computing module comprises an image determining program to identify the traffic marking in the images.

4. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the image computing module comprises a velocity computing program to compute the time.

5. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic marking comprises at least one solid line.

6. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the traffic marking is a lane line.

7. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image capture module comprises a charge coupled device.

8. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the GPS information is transmitted in compliance with the protocol defined by National Marine Electronic Association 0183 (NMEA 0183).

9. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display unit to present the navigation display.

10. A navigation method for providing a navigation display while a GPS terminal device is moving along a road with a traffic marking marked thereon and when GPS information is not available, the navigation method comprising the following steps of:

(a) storing at least one map information;

(b) capturing a plurality of images comprising the road with the traffic marking on the GPS terminal device moving along the road with the traffic marking;

(c) calculating a time of the GPS terminal device passing by an unit line of the traffic marking;

(d) computing a moving velocity according to the time and the unit line on the images; and

(e) generating the navigation display according to the map information and the moving velocity.

11. The navigation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the traffic marking is a lane line.

12. The navigation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step (c) further comprises identifying at least one end point of the unit line of the images so as to calculate the time according to a starting time and an ending time.

13. The navigation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step (d) further comprises defining a length of the unit line according to markings and signals based upon the rule of regional traffic systems.

14. The navigation method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the step (d) further comprises defining a proportional scale with respect to the plurality of images so as to compute the moving velocity by a shifting length of the unit line on the images.