NAVIGATION APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECORDING IMAGE DATA

• US 20110109737A1
• Filed: 10/08/2008
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom Traffic B.V. (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Thomassen, Erik, De Haas, Teun, Aben, Sjoerd
• Application Number:
  US12/736,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20110109737A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/113
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network

Abstract

A navigation apparatus includes an image recording device for recording image data and a processing resource configured to receive an incident signal indicative of the occurrence of an incident and to perform an image data processing operation in response to the incident signal.

Claims

1. A navigation apparatus comprising:

—

an image recording device for recording image data; and

a processing resource configured to receive an incident signal indicative of the occurrence of an incident and to perform an image data processing operation in response to the incident signal.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data processing operation comprises a transmission or recording operation.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the transmission or recording operation comprises at least one of transmitting image data to a server, recording image data and retaining recorded image data.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detection circuitry for detecting the occurrence of the or an incident, and for generating the or an incident signal in response to the occurrence of the or an incident.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the navigation apparatus is installed in a vehicle, and the detection circuitry is arranged to detect movement of the vehicle, and to generate the incident signal in response to a movement of the vehicle.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4, configured to transmit the incident signal at least one of to a server and to at least one other navigation apparatus.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing resource is configured to at least one of record and transmit further data in response to the incident signal.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a vehicle or number plate recognition module, wherein the incident signal comprises a vehicle identifier, and the image data processing operation comprises instructing the vehicle or number plate recognition module to analyse the image data for the presence of a vehicle or number plate in dependence upon the vehicle identifier.

9. A server comprising an incident monitoring module configured to transmit an incident signal to at least one navigation apparatus in response to the occurrence of an incident, the incident signal being for initiating an image data processing operation at the at least one navigation apparatus.

10. A server according to claim 9, configured to receive image data from the at least one navigation apparatus and to process the image data in response to the occurrence of the incident.

11. A server according to claim 10, further comprising a vehicle or number plate recognition module, wherein the processing of the image data comprises analysing the image data by the vehicle or number plate recognition module to identify at least one vehicle or number plate associated with the incident.

12. A server according to claim 10, wherein the processing of the image data comprises processing image data to track the identified vehicle or number plate.

13. A navigation system comprising a server comprising an incident monitoring module configured to transmit an incident signal in response to the occurrence of an incident, and at least one navigation apparatus, the or each navigation apparatus comprising an image recording device for recording image data and a processing resource configured to receive the incident signal and to perform an image data processing operation in response to the incident signal

14. A method of monitoring the scene of an incident comprising recording image data using at least one navigation apparatus at the scene of the incident.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising transmitting the recorded image data from the or each navigation apparatus to a server.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for, when executed on a computer, performing a method according to claim 14.