Road guidance display method and system using geotagging image

• US 8,886,454 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Cho, Sung Tae
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Malhotra, Sanjeev
• Application Number:
  US13/468,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20130151144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/200, 701/201, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211, 701/514, 701/533, 362/492, 359/838, 340/425.5, 345/633
• US Class Current: 701/428
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

A road guidance display method and system using a geo-tagging image are provided. More specifically, a street image is stored by capturing the street image at a specific point by a camera and storing the street image along with position information at a corresponding point. Subsequently, the street image stored in the storing process is output on a screen when a reproduction command is input by a user or when a vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a street image capturing point.

Claims

1. A road guidance display apparatus using a geo-tagging image in a traveling guidance system for a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

an input unit configured to input a control command by a user;

a receiving unit configured to receive position information wirelessly transmitted;

a camera configured to capture a real street image having real street conditions at a specific point and provide image information corresponding to the real street image according to a control signal;

a storage unit configured to store the image information for the real street image captured by the camera with position information at a street image capturing point of time when a street image capture command is input through the input unit;

an output unit configured to execute road guidance to the user through an image or voice message according to a predetermined control signal; and

a control unit configured to read the real street image stored in the storage unit, control the read real street image to be displayed on a screen when a street image reproduction command is input through the input unit or when it is confirmed that a current position of a vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a street image capturing point from an analysis result based on the position information received by the receiving unit,

wherein the control unit is further configured to analyze a moving path in which the vehicle is to be traveling, determine whether or not the vehicle passes through the street image capturing point based on a result of analyzing the moving path, set a guidance point by calculating and setting a real street image output point according to the result of analyzing the moving path and a result of determining whether or not the vehicle passes through the street image capturing point, confirm whether or not the vehicle enters the real street image output point calculated during setting the guidance point, and output the real street image on the screen upon confirming that the vehicle enters the real street image output point.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output unit includes a display device configured to output image guidance information and a voice output device configured to output voice guidance information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes an image information storage module configured to store image information for the real street image and a position information storage module configured to store the position information of the vehicle at the street image capturing point of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera and the receiving unit are configured to use a configuration of a smart phone of the user connected to the control unit through an agreed connector.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the camera and the receiving unit are configured of a combination of a black box for the vehicle and a navigation system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a map information storage unit is configured to store geographic information and road information around a road on which the vehicle is traveling as data,

wherein the control unit controls the geographic information and road information around the road provided from the map information storage unit to be output through a guidance message output unit based on the street information stored in the street information storage unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the input unit includes a touch screen integrally embedded within the display device as a touch panel.

8. A method of displaying road guidance using a geo-tagging image in a traveling guidance system for a vehicle, the method comprising:

storing a real street image having real street conditions by capturing the real street image at a specific point by a camera and storing the street image with position information at a corresponding point;

analyzing a moving path in which the vehicle is to be traveling;

determining whether or not the vehicle passes through a street image capturing point based on a result of analyzing the moving;

setting a guidance point by calculating and setting a real street image output point according to the result of analyzing the moving path and determining whether or not the vehicle passes through the street image capturing point;

confirming whether or not the vehicle enters a real street image output point calculated during setting the guidance point; and

in response to confirming that the vehicle enters the real street image output point, outputting the stored real street image on a screen when a reproduction command is input by a user or when a vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a street image capturing point.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein storing includes capturing the real street image by rotating the camera by 360 degrees on the basis of a traveling direction of the vehicle and storing a forward street image, and

wherein the method further comprises providing the real street image for the traveling direction of the vehicle even when the vehicle passes through the street image capturing point in any direction based on the analysis result in the analyzing process.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein setting includes setting a plurality of guidance points in a predetermined distance interval on the basis of the street image capturing point, and

wherein outputting includes classifying a position of the vehicle for each area on the basis of each guidance point calculated in the guidance point setting process and displaying the real street image by changing a size and color of the real street image according to a position at which the vehicle arrives.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a processor or controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

program instructions that store a real street image having real street conditions by capturing the real street image at a specific point by a camera and storing in a storage unit the real street image along with position information at a corresponding point;

program instructions that analyze a moving path in which the vehicle is to be traveling;

program instructions that determine whether or not the vehicle passes through a street image capturing point based on a result of analyzing the moving;

program instructions that set a guidance point by calculating and setting a real street image output point according to the result of analyzing the moving path and determining whether or not the vehicle passes through the street image capturing point;

program instructions that confirm whether or not the vehicle enters a real street image output point calculated during setting the guidance point; and

program instructions that in response to confirming that the vehicle enters the real street image output point, output the real street image, stored in the storage unit, on a screen when a reproduction command is input by a user or when a vehicle is within a distance from a street image capturing point.