DE102007029547A1 - Route planning triggering method for e.g. global positioning system receiver, involves automatically generating position information of geographical location from captured image, and planning route for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves capturing an image through an image capture device i.e. camera, coupled to a route planning device e.g. global positioning system (GPS) receiver. Position information of a geographical location is automatically generated from the captured image. The position information is generated by decoding bar codes comprised in the image. A route involving the location for navigation is planned. The position information comprises latitude and longitude of the location, and the location comprises destination of the planned route.

Description

Cross reference to related Registrations

This application claims the full disclosure and priority of the provisional U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 60 / 823,514 , filed on August 25, 2006, entitled "Automatic Route Planning with a Camera-enabled Navigation Device" and incorporates full disclosure of the contents of said application in this application.

Background of the invention

Field of the invention

The This invention relates to computer techniques and more particularly a route planning system.

Description of the Related Art

GPS is widely used in navigation devices in cars, airplanes, ships and other means of transport. A GPS receiver works with a digital one Map together to get a user to any destination through the Address input is identifiable to lead. The entry of addresses however, in a navigation system is often difficult and time consuming. Even if a GPS receiver a Keyboard, a touch screen or other means of typing or verbally dictating an address, such may be the input of an address in a navigation system due the length the addresses or similar still be difficult.

Short summary of invention

One Aspect of a route planning trigger method is implemented in a route planning device and includes the following steps. An image is captured by an image capture device that uses the route planning device connected, recorded. The position information of a geographical Location or location becomes automatic by the captured image generated to plan a route to this location.

One Another aspect of a route planning triggering process is in one Route planning trigger device implements and includes the following steps.

One Image is received and the position information of a geographical Location is automatically extracted from it and used for planning the route to this Place recognized.

One Aspect of a route planning device includes an image capture device and a processor connected to it. The imaging device takes a picture on. The processor automatically generates position information a geographic location of the captured image and plans a route to this place.

A Detailed description will be given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying Given drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

The The invention can be better understood by reading the following detailed description and examples referring to the attached drawings, in which:

1 Fig. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a navigation system;

2 Fig. 12 is a schematic view showing a planned route on a digital map;

3 FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a navigation device; FIG.

4 FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an exemplary embodiment of a route planning triggering method; FIG.

5A shows a captured image with an exemplary two-dimensional barcode; and

5B shows another captured image with another exemplary two-dimensional barcode; and

5C shows another captured image with yet another exemplary two-dimensional barcode.

Detailed description the invention

The the following description is one of the best intended embodiments, to carry out the invention. The description is for the purpose of illustrating the general Principles of the invention and should not be construed in a limited sense be recorded. The scope of the invention will be best by reference to the accompanying claims certainly.

• 1. Navigationssystem
• 2. Hardware-Konfiguration
• 3. Routenplanungs-Triggerverfahren
• 4. Routenplanung
• 5. Variationen bzw. Abwandlungen
• 6. Zusammenfassung

A route planning system and triggering methods thereof are organized in exemplary embodiments as follows:

• 1. Navigation system
• 2. Hardware configuration
• 3. Route planning trigger method
• 4. Route planning
• 5. Variations or modifications
• 6. Summary

1. Navigation system

From the 1 it becomes clear that the navigation system 100 a route planning system 110 includes. The Geographic Information System (GIS) database 108 includes a digital map 109 , The input module 101 includes image data with location information that can be captured by an image capture device, such as a digital camera. A translator 102 generates position information of image data 202 through the Imput module / input module 101 were received. Image processing, bar code encoding, character recognition can be done by the translator 102 be performed to generate the position information. For example, a barcode decoder 1021 and a letter recognizer 121 in the translator 102 each decode the barcode or identify printed text. The translator 102 may include one or more modules for converting image data to position information.

A route planning module 103 receives position information of a starting point (such as the current position of the navigation system 100 ) and a destination and determines and stores accordingly a route on the map 109 from the point of origin and the destination. Global Positioning Systems (GPS modules) 107 may receive current geographic coordinates of a GPS receiver, such as the starting point of the route planning module 103 , The original and destination location information, as well as intermediate locations in between, can be obtained from images by a translator 102 be obtained.

A leadership module 104 guides a user along the designated route by providing optical and audible signals. This is how the leadership module leads 104 the display module 105 to the current position of a moving object 22 that a system 100 along a predetermined route 21 from the point 20 to the point 24 on a display (such as the display 9 in 3 ). The leadership module 104 determines a leadership object 23 that is on the path and in the direction of the moving object 22 on the route 21 to be led. In addition, the management module controls 104 the audio module 106 around the moving objects 22 on the travel path and in the direction with audible signals through a speaker (such as speakers 8th in 3 ) respectively.

Some component of the system 100 may be implemented by sound circuits or computer programs listed in an electronic device, such as within a car or a portable navigation device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a notebook computer or a mobile phone. For example, the input / input module 101 , the translator unit 2 , the route planning module 103 a computer program executed by a processor (such as a processor 1 in 3 ) is performed. The input module 101 may comprise a portion of an image capture device (such as an image capture device 10 ) be. An exemplary embodiment of an electronic device containing the navigation system 100 implemented, is given below.

2. Hardware configuration

From the 3 For example, one embodiment of a route planning system and a triggering method thereof is known in an electronic device 200 or implemented in other devices. The electronic device 200 may be a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a tablet personal computer (PC), or any other device equipped with a display and route planning function. In the preferred embodiment, the electronic device comprises 200 an embedded system with limited resources.

In the electronic device 200 loads the processor 1 the system 100 in the store 2 , The processor 1 controls the operation of the entire system and retrieves and loads software code stored in memory 2 is stored. An input controller 4 checks the status of the input devices 5 and provides input signals in accordance with the processor 1 ready. The input device 5 It can include a keyboard, a touch panel, a touch display or a voice control device. A GPS receiver 3 receives GPS signals from the satellite and calculates and displays the current GPS coordinates of the device 200 ready. The image capture device 10 may include a lens, an image sensor or a signal processing unit. The point of output information may be from the GPS receiver 3 or the image capture device 10 be obtained. The destination information may be from the image capture device 10 or other recording devices. Storage 2 may include a variety of storage devices including Random Access Memory (RAM), non-volatile memory such as hard disks, read-only memory, or others.

The communication unit 7 receives data from and transmits data to an external device through a cable or wireless communication channel. For example, the unit receives 7 Image data with position information as the destination information. communication unit 7 can infrared, radio Frequency (RF) Bluetooth, or other transceiver include. In addition, if the method is integrated in a mobile telephone, the communication unit 7 a cellular modem unit, such as GMS / GPRS or W-CDMA communication module, which communicates with the cellular network in accordance with GSM / PPRS or W-CDMA standards. The speaker 8th outputs audio signals. display 9 shows visible information. The image capture device 200 takes pictures in memory 2 to save. The image capture device 200 may include a camera, including lenses, an image sensor (such as CMOS or CCD sensor chip), an analog / digital converter (ADC), and a digital signal processor (SDP). the display 9 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) dispaly, or the like.

In some embodiments of the electronic device, two components (such as the processor 1 and the memory 2 or processor 1 and input controller 4 ) be integrated in a single chip. An embodiment of a method for triggering the route planning in an electronic device 200 is implemented in 4 shown.

3. Route planning trigger method

Out 4 it can be seen that the processor 1 an image capture device 200 controls to capture an image, including positional information such as the place name, an address, and the coordinates (longitude and latitude) of a destination on a map 109 (Step S400). More location information (such as phone numbers associated with the destination) may be incorporated into the image and used to locate the destination on the map 109 to locate. The position information on the images may be text or encoded as barcodes, such as 1-dimensional stacked or 2-dimensional barcodes. Examples of stacked barcodes include PDF417. Examples of 2-dimensional barcodes include Semacode, QR Code, and ShoteCode.

The 5A to 5C show examples of images comprising 2-dimensional barcodes and text. barcode 501 in 5A shows an indication of a coordinate of (2446.5716N, 12100.6824E), also through the text area 502 is pictured. barcodes 503 and text in the area 504 in 5B display the current coordinates (2446.3231146N, 12100.6824E) and a destination coordinate (2446.3231146N, 12101.425730E). barcodes 505 and text in the area 506 in 5C indicate location names "MediaTek" with the coordinates (2446.324641N, 12101425565E) It should be noted that a barcode may also contain other information that the processor 1 can decode and use for the information for route planning. Different types of information must be provided by different identification and decoding modules, such as modules 1021 and 1022 to be decoded.

processor 1 can automatically perform the following steps in response to a captured image.

processor 1 generates GIS coordinates of the target from the captured images (step S402), for example, the translator generates 102 that by the processor 1 executes the GIS coordinates by recognizing letters or by decoding bar codes on the captured image. translator 102 first extracts the position information from the image, recognizes and converts the position information into a predetermined format, such as World Geodetic System (WGS) coordinates. For example, taking into account 5A to 5C the translator 102 Coordinates (2446.5716N, 12100.6824E) as the destination of the barcode 501 in 5A generate or alternatively text in the area 502 , Coordinates (2446.3231146N, 12101.425730E) from the barcodes 503 or the text in the area 504 in 5B , and the coordinates (2446.324641N, 12101425565E) from the barcodes 505 or text in the fields 506 in 5C , Barcode decoder 1021 and letter recognizer 1022 each generate position information of barcodes and printed text.

It should be noted that the translator 102 can also detect a point of interest (POI) from the image instead of a coordinate. The translator 102 can recognize the GIS coordinates, the place name, the phone number or the address of the destination by letter recognition or bar code decoding on the recorded image. If the image indicates the address of the destination, then the translator 102 Detect the address and use the length and width of the destination on the map 109 to locate and recognize. If the image shows a phone number associated with the destination, then the translator 102 Detect the phone number and use the length and width of the destination from the map 109 to locate. Similarly, other information associated with the destination is used to locate the destination.

processor 1 Gives the GIS coordinates of a starting point and destination to the route planning module 103 (Step S404). The GIS coordinates of the place of origin can be similarly generated by taking a picture. Alternatively, a GIS receiver 3 the GIS coordinates of the Ur provide a jump point.

Route planning module 103 that is executed by a processor plans a route from the origin of a destination (step S406), stores it, and outputs the route. Some algorithms, such as Dijkstra algorithms, A * algorithms or others can be used to plan the route. User profiles can be used to find a preferred path.

4. Route planning

The route planning module 103 that through the processor 1 is executed, may determine the shortest path, the fastest path, or a custom path from the origin to the destination (step S406). The adjusted path may be determined by reference to a user profile or suggested paths displayed by the captured image. For example, if the image includes a suggested route, the route planning module recognizes 103 the proposed route in the picture and uses the suggested route for route planning. The suggested route in the image can be a variety of GIS coordinates, such as the current coordinates (2446.5716N, 12100.6824E) in 5B consider. The route planning module 103 recognizes the GIS coordinates and plans a route that integrates an area or one of the GIS coordinates. It should be noted that the suggested route may also generate other GIS information in the image, such as a point of interest (POI), street name or otherwise.

The route planning module 103 Gives the specific route to the leader module 104 further. The leadership module 104 guides the user along the route, for example, the guide module 104 continuously the current positions of the device 200 from the GPS module 107 receive and match the current location for moving objects 22 update, display right turn, turn left or speed by animate the guided objects 23 or by audible signals.

5. Modifications

Location information extracted from the image data may be displayed for confirmation or modification before entering a route planning module 103 be entered for the route planning. The position information of a starting point can be modified in any case.

A camera can be replaced by a barcode scanner or other device that generates position information from the barcode and has been used for route planning. In addition to the barcode decoder 1021 and the letter recognition unit 1022 may use different modules to recognize the text in different languages or to decode different code formats through the routing system 110 be used.

6. Finally

There the address input to a navigation device may be difficult, in particular while Of driving, the procedure can be a help for the address input for route planning be. Once location information can be recorded as image data, can automatically initiates a route planning operation using the location information, be. If an image barcode information includes, can The position information is created by coding the barcodes become. If the image includes printed letters, the Image information can be generated by identifying the letters.

There mobile phones are increasingly equipped with cameras, the method can be implemented by a software update.

Also when the invention by examples and using terms and preferred embodiments It is understood that the invention is hereby incorporated by reference is not limited. On the contrary, it is intended to be one Variety of modifications and similar Arrangements (as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art). It follows that the protection of the appended claims the broadest interpretation has subject, so that all these modifications or similar Arrangements fall under it.

Claims (20)

A route-triggering method implemented in a route planning device, full: Taking a picture by an image capture device using the route planning device connected is; automatically generating position information of a geographical location of the captured image; and Planning one Route for the navigation including the place. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is barcodes and a method further comprising generating Position information by the coding of the barcodes included in the picture. The method of claim 2, wherein the barcode 1-dimensional, stacked, or 2-dimensional barcodes. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is printed Contains letters and the method and generating position information by identifying the letter in the image still includes. The method of claim 1, wherein the position information the length and the width of the place includes. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is the Address of the destination shows, further comprising detecting the address and getting the length and the width of the location using the address. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a Phone number that is related to the location continues to display full: Recognizing the telephone number; and Attain the Length and the width of the place, using the phone number. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a proposed route, further comprising: Detect the suggested route in the picture; and Use the suggested Route for the route planning. The method of claim 8, wherein the location is the Destination of the planned route includes. A route planning trigger method, implemented in a route planning device, full: Receiving a picture; automatic extraction and recognizing the position information of a geographic location of the picture; and Plan a route to navigate with the involvement of Location. The method of claim 10, wherein the image is a Barcode and the method further comprises recognizing the position information by decoding the barcodes contained in the image are included. The method of claim 10, wherein the image is a comprises printed letters and the method further comprises recognizing the position information by identifying the letters in the picture. The method of claim 10, wherein the image is a proposed route and further comprises: Detect the suggested route in the picture; and Use the suggested Route to route planning. A route planning device, comprising: an image pickup device that take pictures; and a processor that automatically obtains position information a geographical location created by the captured images and planning a route involving the location for a navigation. The method of claim 14, wherein the image is a Barcode includes and the processor generates the position information by decoding the barcode that contained in the picture are. The method of claim 15, wherein the image is printed Letters and the processor through the position information Identification of the letters generated in the image. The method of claim 14, wherein the position information the length and include the width of the place. The method of claim 14, wherein the image is a proposed route and the processor includes the proposed Route in the image recognizes and the suggested route used for the route planning. The method of claim 14, wherein the route planning device is a mobile Phone includes, equipped with an image capture device. The method of claim 14, wherein the route planning device is a GPS receiver, the is able to provide the origin of the route includes.