Navigation device with camera-info

• US 8,180,567 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Geelen, Pieter, Mattu, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US11/920,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20090125234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,535 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/431
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

The present invention relates to a navigation device (10). The navigation device (10) is arranged to display navigation directions (3, 4, 5) on a display (18). The navigation device (10) is further arranged to receive a feed from a camera (24). The navigation device (10) is further arranged to display a combination of a camera image fr>m the feed fr>m the camera (24) and the navigation directions (3, 4, 5) on the display (18).

Claims

1. A navigation device, comprising:

a camera integrally formed with the navigation device; and

a display screen to display navigation directions and to receive a video feed from the camera, and the display screen being configured to display a combination of a camera image from the video feed from the camera and the navigation directions, wherein the navigation device is a handheld navigation device, and the navigation device is configured to provide a menu option to allow a user to adjust a relative position of the camera image with respect to the navigation directions.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the menu option is configured to change a position of the camera image whilst the position of the navigation direction is fixed.

3. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the menu option allows a user to change a position of the navigation directions whilst the position of the camera image is fixed.

4. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the menu option is configured to change a position of the navigation directions and to change a position of the camera image.

5. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is configured to display the navigation directions as perspective shaped arrows.

6. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation directions are at least one of a route and an arrow.

7. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the display screen is further configured to superimpose the navigation directions over the camera image such that a position of the navigation directions are in a spatial relationship with respect to corresponding parts of the camera image.

8. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is further configured to receive calibration correction, to store the calibration corrections, and to apply the calibration corrections if combining the navigation directions and the camera image.

9. The navigation device of claim 8, wherein the calibrations corrections are used to cancel offset errors.

10. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is configured to change displaying a combination of the video image from the camera and the navigation directions to displaying the navigations with a selected portion of map data.

11. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is configured to process the video feed using pattern recognition.

12. The navigation device of claim 11, wherein the pattern recognition detects real-world features.

13. The navigation device of claim 12, wherein the pattern recognition detects features with a high visual contrast and that are associated with a road.

14. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device includes a touch screen.

15. The navigation device of claim 14, wherein the menu option is selected using the touch screen.

16. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the camera is configured to provide the video feed through a front screen of a vehicle.

17. A non-transitory computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium which, when executed on a computer arrangement, is arranged to perform the method of claim 1.

18. A data carrier, comprising a computer-readable medium on which is stored the non-transitory computer program according to claim 17.