Method, device and system for presenting navigational information

• US 8,762,041 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2010
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEP VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/819,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20110313653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201
• 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, by the mobile device, one or more input images;

obtaining navigational information for the mobile device, said navigational information including two or more alternative navigation routes, wherein each of the two or more alternative navigation routes is assigned a ranking based on one or more route parameters;

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;

rendering two or more route objects, wherein each of the two or more route objects is indicative of a respective one of the two or more alternative navigation routes and is further indicative of the assigned ranking of the respective one of the two or more alternative navigation routes;

generating one or more output images comprising the two or more route objects integrated with the one or more input images; and

providing the one or more output images for presentation,

wherein one or more of obtaining navigation information, processing, rendering, generating and providing is implemented by the mobile device, and optionally in conjunction with a communicatively linked remote server.

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, further comprising modifying the one or more input images by modifying colour of one or more objects depicted therein.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the one or more input images by adding one or more objects.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising modifying the one or more input images by modifying or removing one or more objects of the one or more input images.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering one or more objects is based at least in part on one or more objects recognized in said input image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering one or more objects comprises rendering the outlines thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein rendering one or more objects comprises rendering the bodies thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more rendered objects is indicative of a navigation route.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the rendered objects is indicative of a destination.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said destination is determined by recognizing one or more objects in said input image.

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

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the ranking is based on one or more of:

condition of the route, length of the route, difficulty of the route, parameters relating to terrain of the route, congestion and traffic along the route and time of day.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein colour of the rendered route objects is indicative of said ranking.

19. 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;

obtain navigational information for the mobile device, said navigational information including two or more alternative navigation routes, wherein each of the two or more alternative navigation routes is assigned a ranking based on one or more route parameters;

recognize one or more objects in the one or more input images;

render two or more route objects, wherein each of the two or more route objects is indicative of a respective one of the two or more alternative navigation routes and is further indicative of the assigned ranking of the respective one of the two or more alternative navigation routes;

generate one or more output images comprising the two or more route objects integrated with the one or more input images; and

provide the one or more output images for presentation.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, 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.

21. 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;

obtaining navigational information for the mobile device, said navigational information including two or more alternative navigation routes, wherein each of the two or more alternative navigation routes is assigned a ranking based on one or more route parameters;

recognizing one or more objects in the one or more input images;

rendering two or more route objects, wherein each of the two or more route objects is indicative of a respective one of the two or more alternative navigation routes and is further indicative of the assigned ranking of the respective one of the two or more alternative navigation routes;

generating one or more output images comprising the two or more route objects integrated with the one or more input images; and

providing the one or more output images for presentation.