Image processing system, method and apparatus for correlating position data with image data

• US 7,792,636 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2009
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NK Works Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Noritsu Koki Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ujino, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby; Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US12/578,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20100088017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 701200-213, 340994-99518
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3623 using a camera or code reader, e.g. for optical or magnetic codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

A navigation system includes a processing unit for generating route data relating to a route along which a vehicle has actually traveled, from position data acquired by a position acquiring unit, an image data acquiring section for acquiring image data, a first storage section for storing the image data acquired by the image acquiring unit according to groups of respective destinations, and a second storage section for storing the route data generated by the processing unit. A link data generating section is provided for correlating the respective destinations with the respective route data via link data. An outputting unit is configured to extract a group linked to a destination by the link data in response to a manual designation of a route data stored in the second storage section or to a manual or automatic designation of a designation included in that route data and then to output the image data included in that group from the first storage section to an outputting section.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a processing unit for generating route data relating to a route along which a vehicle has actually traveled, from position data acquired by position acquiring means;

an image data acquiring section for acquiring image data;

a first storage section for storing the image data acquired by the image acquiring means according to groups of respective destinations;

a second storage section for storing the route data generated by the processing unit;

link data generating means for correlating the respective destinations with the respective route data via link data; and

outputting means configured to extract a group linked to a destination by the link data in response to a manual designation of a route data stored in the second storage section or to a manual or automatic designation of a designation included in that route data and then to output the image data included in that group from the first storage section to an outputting section.

2. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said processing unit self-generates route data and said second storage section stores this self-generated route data, and in response to a manual or automatic designation from a plurality of destinations included in the route data, the image data included in a group correlated with that designation is read from the first storage section and displayed.

3. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a map data storage section for storing map data;

and

wherein said processing unit extracts from the map data storage section, map data corresponding to the position data acquired by the position acquiring means and causes the display unit to display this map data and the route data on that map data.

4. The navigation system according to claim 1, wherein said image data acquiring section includes a semiconductor drive for acquiring image data from a semiconductor medium adapted for storing image data obtained by a digital camera or includes a terminal for acquiring image data stored in a digital camera via a communication channel.

5. The navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising a media drive for storing data in a storage medium and storage processing means for storing data in a storage medium set to said media drive;

and

wherein said storage processing means is adapted for storing, in the storage medium set to said media drive, a computer-executable program, the mage data stored in the first storage section, the route data stored in the second storage section and the link data.

6. A computer-executable program having instructions for realizing

an image data storing function for storing a plurality of acquired image data according to groups of respective destinations;

a route data storing function for storing route data indicative of a route of a vehicle;

a link data generating function for correlating the respective destinations and the respective route data with the grouped image data; and

an outputting function for extracting a group linked to a destination by link data and outputting image data included in that group, in response to a manual designation of a designation included in that route data.