User interface method for terminal for vehicle and apparatus thereof

• US 9,318,018 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Hyung-Kil, Kim, Chang-Soo, Choi, Jun-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/147,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20140107911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 701/117, 701/119, 123/41.12, 123/41.31, 116/62.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3658 Lane guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/54 of traffic, e.g. cars on the road, trains or boats
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/584 of vehicle lights or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits

Abstract

A user interface method for a terminal for a vehicle is provided. The terminal obtains position information to detect a point of a road. A road image of a driving direction is obtained, a lanes of the road represented on the obtained road image is recognized, and a point of a road and lane in which the vehicle having the terminal arranged therein is detected. A virtual road image regarding the recognized lanes is generated, and the generated virtual lanes are added to the road image of the driving direction of the vehicle, and displayed. Traffic information for each lane and surrounding information (i.e. lane closure, construction, accident, etc.,) at the detected point of the relevant road are obtained, and the obtained information is displayed for each virtual lane.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

acquiring, by an electronic device, an image including a road via a camera operatively coupled with the electronic device;

identifying, by the electronic device, at least one traffic lane of the road based at least in part on the image, wherein the at least one traffic lane is a lane for movement of traveling vehicles;

obtaining, by the electronic device, guide information corresponding to the at least one traffic lane, the guide information including a traffic information in relation with the electronic device; and

displaying, by a display operatively coupled with the electronic device, the guide information overlaid on the image including the road.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining comprises:

recognizing at least one of a type of the road or a name of the road based on the image;

determining a location on which the electronic device is placed based on the recognition; and

obtaining the guide information corresponding to the at least one traffic lane based on the location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the guide information includes traffic information in relation with a moving direction of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the traffic information comprises at least one of a traffic flow, an accident, or a construction;

and

wherein the traffic information is received in relation with at least one of a traffic lane on which the electronic device is placed, a traffic lane adjacent to a specified traffic lane, or a traffic lane being recommended.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the guide information includes a distance between a vehicle in which the electronic device is disposed and an object outside the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein further comprising:

generating at least one virtual lane corresponding to the at least one traffic lane; and

combining at least a portion of the image and the at least one virtual lane to produce a user interface; and

displaying the user interface via a display operatively coupled to the electronic device, wherein the guide information is displayed via the user interface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the at least one virtual lane comprises:

determining one or more characteristics of the at least one virtual lane based on comparison about a specified value or a driving speed among a plurality of traffic lanes.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprises obtaining directional information,

wherein the displaying comprises selecting, based on the obtained directional information, at least one among the at least one traffic lanes to provide the guide information.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the directional information is related with at least one of a direction of a user'"'"'s eye, a turn signal of a vehicle in which the electronic device is disposed or a steering wheel of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the guide information is obtained in relation with an operation of a braking system of a vehicle in which the electronic device is disposed, and wherein the displaying comprises displaying an indicator representing a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle in front of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the guide information includes a driving path of a vehicle in which the electronic device is disposed.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying comprises:

identifying a feature of the road using the image; and

displaying the guide information based at least in part on the feature.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a display; and

a processor-implemented controller operatively coupled with the display, the processor-implemented controller configured to;

acquire an image including a road via a camera operatively coupled with the electronic device;

identify at least one traffic lane of the road based at least in part on the image, wherein the at least one traffic lane is a lane for movement of traveling vehicles;

obtain guide information corresponding to the at least one traffic lane, the guide information including traffic information in relation with the electronic device; and

display, via the display, the guide information overlaid on the image including the road.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to:

recognize at least one of a type of the road or a name of the road based on the image;

determine a location on which the electronic device is placed based on the recognition; and

obtain the guide information corresponding to the at least one traffic lane based on the location.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the guide information includes a distance between a vehicle in which the device is disposed and another vehicle, and the controller is further configured to:

obtain vehicle operation information in relation with at least one of a turn signal, a steering wheel or a braking system of the vehicle; and

display the distance based at least in part on the vehicle operation information.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a direction of a user'"'"'s eye; and

select at least one traffic lane to display the guide information among the at least one traffic lanes based on the identified direction of the user'"'"'s eye.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

generate at least one virtual lane corresponding to the at least one traffic lane; and

display the generated at least one virtual lane along with the image.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine one or more characteristics of the at least one virtual lane based on comparison about a specified value or a driving speed among a plurality of traffic lanes.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the guide information includes a driving path of a vehicle in which the electronic device is disposed.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

acquiring, by an electronic device, an image including a road via a camera operatively coupled with the electronic device;

identifying, by the electronic device, at least one traffic lane of the road based at least in part on the image, wherein the at least one traffic lane is a lane for movement of traveling vehicles;

obtaining, by the electronic device, guide information corresponding to the at least one traffic lane, the guide information including traffic information in relation with the electronic device; and

displaying, by the electronic device, the guide information overlaid on the image including the road via a display operatively coupled with the electronic device.