Information Processing Apparatus, Information Processing Method, Information Processing System, and Program

• US 20110307169A1
• Filed: 06/03/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Kunitoshi, Yamaguchi, Hiroshi, Yasuda, Mikita, Sakamoto, Tomohiko, Nakano, Yasu
• Application Number:
  US13/152,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307169A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/30 Map- or contour-matching

Abstract

There is provided an information processing apparatus including a map matching section configured to extract, based on a result obtained by measuring a position of a user, a candidate for a road along which the user is proceeding, and a selection section configured to select a road along which the user is proceeding from among candidates for the road, based on an analysis result obtained by recognizing a character written on a signpost included in a video in which a view in a travelling direction of the user is shot.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a map matching section configured to extract, based on a result obtained by measuring a position of a user, a candidate for a road along which the user is proceeding; and

a selection section configured to select a road along which the user is proceeding from among candidates for the road, based on an analysis result obtained by recognizing a character written on a signpost included in a video in which a view in a travelling direction of the user is shot.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the selection section selects the road along which the user is proceeding based on an appearance pattern of a signpost including a special character in the analysis result.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the selection section selects the road along which the user is proceeding based on presence or absence of appearance of the special character that is assumed to appear only on any one of the roads among the candidates for the road.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the candidates for the road are a general road and an expressway, one of which runs above the other, and

wherein the selection section selects one of the general road and the expressway as the road along which the user is proceeding.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the selection section selects the road along which the user is proceeding based on the analysis result, which is a result obtained by checking character information acquired from a storage device, which holds signpost information including position information of a signpost set up on the expressway and character information written on the signpost, against character information of the signpost included in the video.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

an updating section configured to update the signpost information included in the storage device based on the result obtained by checking the character information acquired from the storage device holding the signpost information against the character information of the signpost included in the video.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein, when the checking result indicates that a part of the character information acquired from the storage device holding the signpost information does not correspond with a part of the character information of the signpost included in the video, the updating section updates the non-corresponding part of the signpost information included in the storage device.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a destination setting section configured to set a destination in accordance with input from the user; and

a route guidance section configured to show a route to the destination using position information of the user based on the road selected by the selection section.

9. An information processing method comprising:

a measurement step of measuring a position of a user;

an extraction step of extracting a candidate for a road along which the user is proceeding based on the result of the position measurement;

an analysis step of recognizing a character written on a signpost included in a video in which a view in a travelling direction of the user is shot; and

a selection step of selecting a road along which the user is proceeding from among candidates for the road, based on the analysis result obtained in the analysis step.

10. An information processing system comprising:

an imaging device configured to shoot a view in a travelling direction of a user; and

an information processing apparatus which includes a map matching section configured to extract, based on a result obtained by measuring a position of the user, a candidate for a road along which the user is proceeding, and a selection section configured to select a road along which the user is proceeding from among candidates for the road, based on an analysis result obtained by recognizing a character written on a signpost included in a video shot by the imaging device.

11. A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing apparatus which includes

a map matching section configured to extract, based on a result obtained by measuring a position of a user, a candidate for a road along which the user is proceeding, and

a selection section configured to select a road along which the user is proceeding from among candidates for the road, based on an analysis result obtained by recognizing a character written on a signpost included in a video in which a view in a travelling direction of the user is shot.