TURNING DETERMINING METHOD FOR ASSISTING NAVIGATION AND TERMINAL DEVICE THEREOF

• US 20100312475A1
• 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:
  US12/795,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312475A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/485 whereby the further system is an optical system or imaging system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a turning determining method for assisting navigation. The navigation method provides a navigation display while a GPS terminal device is moving along a curved path and when GPS information is not available, the navigation method captures a plurality of background images upon the GPS terminal device moving along the curved path to determine a turning and maintain navigation frames. Then the background images are processed to obtain the deviation direction of the reference point by subtraction and comparison, or to capture specific object image as reference. The navigation method utilizes a GPS terminal device comprising an image capture unit to capture images.

Claims

1. A global positioning system (GPS) terminal device, for providing a navigation display when the GPS terminal device is moving along a curved path and when GPS information is not available, the GPS terminal device comprising:

a storage unit, for storing at least one map information;

an image capture unit, for capturing a plurality of background images upon the GPS terminal device moving along the curved path; and

a processing module, electrically connected to the storage unit and the image capture unit, for determining a turning motion according to the map information and the background images so as to generate turning determining information, and the processing module providing the navigation display in accordance with the turning determining information.

2. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing module comprises an image computing module to determine the turning motion according to the background images so as to generate the turning determining information.

3. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the image computing module comprises an image processing program.

4. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the image computing module comprises a turning determining program to determining the turning motion.

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

6. 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).

7. The GPS terminal device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a display unit to present the navigation display according the turning determining information.

8. A navigation method for providing a navigation display while a GPS terminal device is moving along a curved path and when GPS information of the GPS terminal device is not available, the navigation method comprising the following steps of:

(a) storing at least one map information;

(b) capturing a plurality of background images upon the GPS terminal device moving along the curved path;

(c) determining a turning motion according to the map information and the background images so as to generate turning determining information; and

(d) generating the navigation display according to the turning determining information.

9. The navigation method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step (c) further comprises compressing the background images.

10. The navigation method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step (c) further comprises converting the background images into grayscale images.

11. The navigation method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step (c) further comprises segmenting the background images into a plurality of block images.

12. The navigation method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step (c) further comprises subtracting grayscale values of the block images corresponding to two successive background images of the plurality of background images so as to define at least one corresponding point.

13. The navigation method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step (c) further comprises generating the turning determining information by identifying a deviation direction of the corresponding point.

14. The navigation method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step (c) further comprises identifying a background object from each of the two successive background images of the plurality of background images, and taking the background object in each of the two successive background images as a positioning point and a reference point respectively.

15. The navigation method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the step (c) further comprises identifying a deviation direction of the positioning point and the reference point so as to generate the turning determining information.