Method, Device and System for Presenting Navigational Information

• US 20110313653A1
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lindner, Jeffery Erhard
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting navigational information for a mobile device. The mobile device is configured to determine its location, for example via GPS. One or more input images and navigational information are obtained. The input images may be obtained, for example, via a camera. One or more output images are generated by processing the input images to integrate the obtained navigational information. Processing of the input images includes recognizing one or more objects in the input images. The recognized objects may be indicative of navigational instructions, for example, a navigation route.

Claims

1. A method of presenting navigational information on a mobile device, the mobile device configured to determine its location, the method comprising:

obtaining one or more input images;

generating one or more output images by obtaining navigational information for the mobile device and processing the one or more input images to integrate the obtained navigational information, wherein processing the one or more input images includes recognizing one or more objects in the one or more input images; and

providing the one or more output images for presentation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein recognizing one or more objects comprises recognizing one or more navigational objects, each navigational object indicative of one or more navigational instructions.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the one or more input images comprises detecting one or more objects in the one or more input images.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the one or more input images comprises identifying one or more objects in the one or more input images.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one recognized object is a navigation route.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one recognized object is recognized based on a user specification.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the one or more input images comprises modifying the one or more input images based at least in part on recognizing one or more objects in said input image.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein modifying the one or more input images comprises modifying colour of one or more objects depicted therein.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein modifying the one or more input images comprises adding one or more objects.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein modifying the one or more input images comprises modifying or removing one or more objects of the one or more input images.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein modifying the one or more input images comprises rendering one or more objects.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein rendering one or more objects is based at least in part on one or more objects recognized in said input image.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein rendering one or more objects comprises rendering the outlines thereof.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein rendering one or more objects comprises rendering the bodies thereof.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more rendered objects is indicative of a navigation route.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more rendered objects comprise rendered route objects indicative of two or more navigation routes, wherein the two or more navigation routes are assigned a ranking based on one or more route parameters, and wherein the rendered route objects are further indicative of said ranking.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the rendered objects is indicative of a destination.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said destination is determined by recognizing one or more objects in said input image.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing is performed, at least in part, by a communicatively linked remote server.

20. A mobile device configured to present navigational information, the mobile device configured to determine its location, the mobile device comprising:

a display control module configured to obtain one or more input images, and provide one or more output images for presentation, the display control module further configured to generate the one or more output images by obtaining navigational information for the mobile device and processing the one or more input images to integrate the obtained navigational information;

wherein processing the one or more input images comprises recognizing one or more objects in the one or more input images.

21. The mobile device of claim 20, further comprising one or more of the following:

(i) an image capture module communicatively linked to the display control module and configured to capture the input images and provide the input images to the display control module;

(ii) an image display module communicatively linked to the display control module and configured to present the output images;

(iii) an orientation sensor module operatively linked to the image capture module and configured to sense orientation of the image capture module;

(iv) a tilt sensor module operatively linked to the image capture module and configured to sense a tilt angle of the image capture module; and

(v) a motion sensor module operatively linked to the image capture module and configured to sense motion of the image capture module.

22. A computer program product for presenting navigational information for a mobile device configured to determine its location, said computer program product comprising code which, when loaded into a memory and executed on an associated processor, is adapted to perform the following:

obtaining one or more input images;

generating one or more output images by obtaining navigational information for the mobile device and processing the one or more input images to integrate the obtained navigational information, wherein processing the one or more input images comprises recognizing one or more objects in the one or more input images; and

providing the one or more output images for presentation.