Matching camera-photographed image with map data in portable terminal and travel route guidance method

• US 7,826,967 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Issued: 11/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Mun Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner; Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Algahaim; Helal A
• Application Number:
  US12/194,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20080312824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 701/202, 701/209, 348/113, 348/231.1, 348/231.2, 340/995.19
• US Class Current: 701/208
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to matching a camera-photographed image with map data in a portable terminal. Location information of objects of images photographed by a camera and location information of display objects, such as a building included in the map data are calculated based on location information of the camera, and the calculated location information is used to match the objects with the display objects. The image photographed by the camera is displayed on a screen, and text information of display objects matched to the objects is read out from the map data and is displayed on the locations of the objects displayed on the screen. If a user moves, a travel route is guided using the matching information between the objects and display objects, so the user can be guided with the travel route while personally checking objects such as a building.

Claims

1. A travel route guidance method using a camera-photographed image in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

searching for a travel route from a starting point to a destination using map data stored in the portable terminal;

determining location information of a camera of the portable terminal;

matching at least one display object included in the map data to at least one object photographed by the camera based on location information of the at least one display object and location information of the at least one object photographed by the camera;

determining a guidance object in the at least one object photographed by the camera;

inserting a guidance object icon at a location of the guidance object in the at least one object photographed by the camera;

displaying the guidance object icon and the guidance object in the at least one object photographed by the camera on a screen of the portable terminal; and

guiding the travel route,

wherein matching the at least one display object included in the map data to the at least one object photographed by the camera comprises calculating the location information of the at least one object photographed using a location information calculation point located substantially at a center of the at least one object photographed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining location information of a camera disposed at the portable terminal comprises:

determining a current location of the camera according to GPS messages received by a GPS receiver disposed on the portable terminal;

determining an azimuth angle of a central axis of the camera using an azimuth sensor disposed on the portable terminal; and

determining an inclination of the camera using an inclination sensor disposed on the portable terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein matching the at least one display object included in the map data to the at least one object photographed by the camera further comprises:

calculating the location information of the at least one display object included in the map data; and

comparing the calculated location information of the at least one object photographed to the calculated location information of the at least one display object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the location information of the at least one object photographed and the at least one display object included in the map data are calculated based on the location information of the camera.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the location information of the camera comprises a current location of the camera and an azimuth angle of a central axis of the camera.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein calculating the location information of the at least one object photographed comprises:

extracting a contour from the at least one object photographed;

establishing a location information calculation point of the at least one object photographed from the extracted contour;

calculating an azimuth angle of the location information calculation point based on the azimuth angle of the central axis of the camera; and

calculating a distance from the current location of the camera to the location information calculation point.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the location information of the camera further comprises an inclination of the camera.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein calculating location information of the at least one object photographed further comprises correcting a calculated distance from the current location of the camera to the location information calculation point.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating the location information of at least one display object included in the map data comprises:

matching the location information of the camera to the map data;

establishing the location information calculation point of the at least one display object; and

calculating location information of the location information calculation point of the at least one display object based on the location of the camera matched to the map data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the location information of the camera comprises a current location of the camera and an azimuth angle of a central axis of the camera.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein calculating the location information of the location information calculation point of the at least one display object comprises:

calculating a distance from a current location of the camera to the location information calculation point of the at least one display object; and

calculating an azimuth angle of the location information calculation point based on the azimuth angle of the central axis of the camera.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein matching the at least one display object to the at least one object photographed is performed when an error value between the location information of the at least one object photographed and the location information of the at least one display object is within a predetermined value.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

reading-out text information from map data, wherein the read-out text information corresponds to the at least one display object matched to the at least one object photographed;

inserting the read-out text information into relevant locations within the at least one object photographed; and

displaying the read-out text information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein inserting the read-out text information into relevant locations within the at least one object photographed comprises:

determining a display location of the text information at a location of the at least one object photographed matched to the at least one display object; and

mapping the text information of the at least one display object at the determined display location.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the at least one object photographed and the read-out text information comprises:

determining a display color; and

displaying a contour of the at least one object photographed and the text information by the determined display color.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the guidance object comprises:

determining whether an object existing in the at least one object photographed is available as a destination;

determining the object existing in the at least one object photographed as the guidance object if the object existing in the at least one object photographed is determined to be available as the destination; and

selecting one object existing on the travel route from the at least one object photographed and determining the selected object as the guidance object if no object is determined to be available as the destination.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying the guidance object icon on a screen of the portable terminal comprises displaying a particular guidance object icon according to whether the object determined as the guidance object is the destination.