Navigation device with camera-info

• US 8,423,292 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• 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:
  US13/432,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/428
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

The present application relates to a navigation device carried by a vehicle. The navigation device is arranged to display navigation directions on a display, the navigation directions taking the form of a path representative of a planned route to be followed by the vehicle. The navigation device is further arranged to receive a feed from a camera. The navigation device is further arranged to display a combination of a camera image from the feed from the camera and the navigation directions on the display.

Claims

1. A navigation device positionable in a vehicle, comprising:

a processing unit,

the processing unit being arranged to display a planned route, wherein the planned route comprises a path representative of the planned route to be followed to a destination, and being further arranged to receive a video feed from a camera of the road ahead of the vehicle and to superimpose and display the planned route over a camera image from the video feed from the camera on the display, the planned route being superimposed such that the planned route has a predefined spatial relationship with respect to the road surface shown in the camera image,

wherein the processing unit is further arranged to provide a menu option that allows a user to adjust the relative position of the planned route with respect to the displayed road surface by changing the position of the planned route within the displayed camera image.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to store one or more calibration corrections received from the user using the menu option, and to apply the calibration corrections when combining the planned route and the camera image.

3. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the navigation device includes a touch screen, the menu option being selected using the touch screen.

4. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to process the video feed using pattern recognition to detect the road ahead of the vehicle.

5. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the planned route further comprise an arrow indicating a maneuver on the planned route to be followed.

6. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the path representative of the planned route to be followed is one of a continuous line and a dotted line.

7. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to receive data from a positioning unit indicative of the location of at least one of the navigation device and camera.

8. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit uses perspective deformation to adjust the planned route superimposed in the camera image when a perspective mismatch occurs.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a processing unit of a navigation device positionable in a vehicle, cause the processing unit to:

display a planned route on a display relating to a planned route, wherein the planned route comprises a path representative of the planned route to be followed to a destination;

receive a video feed from a camera of the road ahead of the vehicle and to superimpose and display the planned route over a camera image from the video feed from the camera on the display, the planned route being superimposed such that they have a predefined spatial relationship with respect to the road surface shown in the camera image; and

provide a menu option that allows a user to adjust the relative position of the planned route with respect to the displayed road surface by changing the position of the planned route within the displayed camera image.