GB2337653A

GB2337653A - Route calculation and display apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2337653A
Application number: GB9810748A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Archie Pleydell-Bouverie
Original assignee: PLEYDELL BOUVERIE DAVID ARCHIE
Current assignee: PLEYDELL BOUVERIE DAVID ARCHIE
Priority date: 1998-05-19
Filing date: 1998-05-19
Publication date: 1999-11-24
Also published as: GB9810748D0

Abstract

A route display apparatus stores MPEG or JPEG video data of images taken along a plurality of roads. In response to a user entering a start location and a end location, a processor calculates a route between the start and end locations and a display displays to the user stored images of the roads forming the calculated route. The images may be displayed in the form of continuous video data or in discrete images at different points along the calculated route. The video images 20 may be displayed with route map images 22, 24 and other information 26, 28. The apparatus may be operated via an Internet link.

Description

J1 1 2337653 1 ROUTE DISPLAY APPARATUS

The present invention relates to the field of navigation, and more particularly to an apparatus and method f or 5 illustrating a route to be taken to a user.

Recently, city street maps have become available on storage media such as CD ROMs for display using a computer. In addition, some products are available which will carry out processing on the map data to calculate the quickest or shortest route between any two points on the map and to highlight the calculated route on a displayed image of the map. An example of such a product is AA StreetMaster London, available from Cambridge CDROM Limited, Combs Tannery, Stowmarket, Suf folk IP14 2EN.

However, the known methods of navigation and route display suffer from a number of problems.

For example, it is of ten dif f icult f or a user to remember a route calculated and displayed by the computer. Even if a copy of the map with the highlighted route is printed, it is still often difficult for the user to correlate the paper map image with the real world streets. In this respect, the user typically has to match street names on the map with those encountered along the route, or to count the number of streets 2 passed. In addition, on many maps, it is difficult to clearly see all of the marked street names, particularly in areas with a high concentration of streets.

The present invention has been made with the above problems in mind.

According to the present invention, there is provided a display apparatus or method in which actual images of the route are displayed to a user.

The present invention also provides an apparatus or method in which a route is calculated between userdefined locations and stored image data is displayed to the user to illustrate all, or different portions, of the route.

The images may be displayed to the user as continuous video data. Alternatively, discrete images of different points along the route may be displayed to the user or a number of discrete portions of video data may be displayed.

One advantage of embodiments of the present invention, therefore, is that the user is able to view the required route, which assists in understanding. For example, the user is able to remember easily recognisable features 1 3 along the route, which is not possible with conventional map based products.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows the functional components in an apparatus according to a first embodiment; Figure 2 shows the steps performed to generate a database of image data; Figure 3 shows the operations performed by the processor 15 in the apparatus during use by a user; Figure 4 schematically illustrates the roads and the junctions thereof along the route calculated for a user; and Figure 5 schematically shows the information displayed on the display of the apparatus in Figure 1 when a route is being illustrated to a user.

The apparatus shown in Figure 1 is arranged to enable a user, prior to starting a journey within a given city, to define a start location and an end location, and in 4 response to calculate the shortest or quickest route between the two locations, and to display video images of the calculated route compiled from a library of prerecorded image sequences.

Referring to Figure 1, the apparatus comprises a processor 2, which is operable to perform processing operations in accordance with instructions previously stored in ROM 4. Processor 2 uses RAM 6 as a working memory during execution of the processing operations. User input device 8, such as a keyboard, mouse or touch sensitive screen, is provided to enable a user to input control instructions to the processor 2.

Three databases are provided for storing data for use by processor 2. These databases comprise a landmark database 10 storing names and photographs of well-known landmarks (such as museums, stations, hotels, statues, theatres, major shops etc.) for a given city, a street name database 12, which stores a list of all (or at least the major) streets in the city, and an image database 14 which stores video images taken along different streets. In this embodiment, the video data is stored in the MPEG1 format.

A display device 16 is provided to display images and additional information to the user.

Figure 2 illustrates the steps taken to generate the data for storage in image data database 14.

Referring to Figure 2, at step S2, video data is recorded for each street (or each major street) within the chosen city, or a chosen portion thereof. In this embodiment, step S2 is carried out by mounting a digital video camera on a car, and recording digital video data as the car is driven along the streets. Data is recorded while driving 10 in both directions along the street.

At step S4, the video data recorded at step S2 is processed to divide the data into segments, with each segment relating to the portion of a street between two J major road junctions (such as traffic lights, roundabouts, T-junctions etc.).

At step S6, additional information is input for each segment created at step S4. In this embodiment, the following additional information is generated:

the street name for the segment; a schematic of the junction defining the end of the segment, for example showing the streets leading to and from the junction; 6 a schematic diagram of the approximate position of the street relative to the city (or the portion thereof) as a whole.

At step S8, the video data and the additional information calculated at step S6 are stored in the image database 14, and at step S10, an index to the street segments within the database is generated on the basis of the junctions defining their end points.

Figure 3 shows the processing operations performed by processor 2 in response to a start command from the user.

At step S20, processor 2 prompts the user to define a start destination by displaying a list of the street names stored in street name database 12 or the picture and name of the landmarks stored in landmark database 10, and requesting the user to make a selection from the displayed items. In this embodiment, the user is able to request whether the list of street names or the names/pictures of landmarks is to be displayed.

Following input of the start location by the user,' at step S22, processor 2 prompts the user to define an end destination. Again, this is performed by displaying the street names stored in database 12 or the names and pictures stored in landmark database 10, from which the 7 user can make a selection.

In response to the input of an end location, at step S24, processor 2 calculates the preferential route between the start destination entered at step S20 and the end destination entered at step S22. In this embodiment, the route calculated is the shortest or quickest route (at the selection of the user). In this embodiment, processor 2 performs this calculation using the product AA StreetMaster London which is stored in ROM 4.

At step S26, processor 2 identifies the major street junctions along the route calculated at step S24. Referring to Figure 4, by way of example, processor 2 identifies that the route proceeds from start location 100, which lies between junction 110 and junction 120, towards junction 120, which defines street segment SEG 12. The next portion of the calculated route lies from junction 120 to junction 130, which defines street segment SEG 23, and the final portion of the route lies from junction 130 to junction 140, which defines street segment SEG 34.

At step S28, processor 2 accesses the data stored in image database 14 for street segments SEG 12, SEG 23 and SEG 34, and displays this information sequentially to the user on display device 16 as continuous video data.

8 Figure 5 schematically shows the information displayed to a user.

Referring to Figure 5, a frame of video data from database 14 is displayed in area 20.

At the same time, in area 22, the map route between the start location and the end location calculated by processor 2 at step S24 (Figure 3) is displayed. In area 24 the schematic of the location of the street in the video frame currently being displayed in the context of the city as a whole is displayed. In area 26, the schematic of the junction defining the end of the street segment which is the subject of the video frame currently being displayed is displayed. In area 28, the street name of the street segment currently being displayed is displayed.

Area 20 is sequentially updated with video frames 20 previously recorded moving along the associated street segment. When a major road junction is reached, the video data for the next street segment on the route is displayed, the junction schematic in area 26 is updated, and, if necessary, the street name in area 28 is updated.

In this embodiment, processor 2 is also arranged to provide an indication in area 22 of the relative distance 9 of the currently displayed video image along the calculated route as a whole. In this embodiment, processor 2 does this by calculating the total number of video frames that will be displayed for the entire calculated route, and indicating the number of the current displayed video frame as a percentage of this total number.

The embodiment above is designed for use by a user prior to commencing a journey. However,it is possible to provide the apparatus f or use in a car driven by the user. In this case, a user interface to enable the user to control the display of the images (for example by pausing the display of image data, or by providing an input to the processor 2 each time the user passes a major road junction so that the processor 2 can re synchronise the display of video images with the current position of the car) is provided.

In the embodiment above, video data is continuously displayed to the user to illustrate the calculated route. However, discrete images taken along the route may be displayed instead. The discrete images may represent frames of video data or photographs. The discrete images may be stored in image database 14 using the JPEG standard.

The apparatus above may be arranged to offer the user a predefined starting location as a default, rather than requesting the user to define the start location. (Of course, the user would be able to change the start location if it was not the one required.) This functionality is useful if the apparatus is intended for use in a specific location, such as a hotel. In this case, the def ault start location would be the hotel itself.

The embodiment above may be modified to store advertisements for particular landmarks in the landmark database 10, to be displayed to the user when the list of start and/or end locations is displayed.

The data stored in image database 14 may be provided on digital video disk or, if there is a sufficiently small quantity of data, on CD-ROM. In this case, the image data database 14 is the disk itself.

The apparatus described above has particular application in cities. However, the entire city does not need to be covered as the apparatus has particular use in city centres, or areas of cities most visited by tourists etc. The apparatus is also useful for calculating exit routes from a city (for example the exit route from central London to allow a user to visit Cambridge) and displaying 11 video pictures for the route to the edge of the city. An additional database of destinations outside the city would be provided in such a modified embodiment.

11 It will be appreciated by the skilled person that the data within landmark database 10, street name database 12, image data database 14 and the map data used by processor 2 to perform the preferential route calculations is specific to a particular city.

Accordingly, all of this information may be supplied to the apparatus on a separate storage medium or over a data link, such as the Internet. The apparatus can therefore be arranged to operate on the basis of different data for different cities.

Similarly, the instructions for causing the processor 2 to perform the route calculations and to retrieve and display the associated image data may be input to a programmable processing apparatus on a storage medium or via a data link, such as the Internet.

12

Claims

Route display apparatus, comprising: storage means storing image data defining images taken along a plurality of roads; processing means for calculating a route between a user-defined start location and a user-defined end location; and display means for displaying stored images of the roads forming the calculated route to the user.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data is video data.

is
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the image data is stored and indexed for portions of roads between junctions.
4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim further comprising means arranged to display to the user (i) the calculated route on a map, (ii) the name of the street for which image data is currently being displayed, (iii) a schematic position of the street for which image data is being displayed with respect to a larger area containing the street, and/or (iv) a schematic of the next road junction to be reached on the route.

1 1 13
5. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, f urther comprising means operable to enable the user to select a street and/or end location from displayed street names and/or displayed landmarks.
6. Apparatus for displaying a route, comprising: storage means for storing image data defining images taken along a plurality of streets; processing means for calculating a route between a user-defined start location and a user-definedend location; and display means for displaying stored images of the calculated route to be used.
7. A method of navigation in which map data is processed to calculate a route between a start location and an end location, and images of the calculated route are displayed to a user.
8. A storage device storing instructions for causing a programmable processing apparatus to calculate a route between a start location and an end location; and to retrieve and output image data defining images of the calculated route.
9. A signal conveying instructions for causing a programmable processing apparatus to calculate a route 14 between a start location and an end location; and to retrieve and output image data defining images of the calculated route.
10. A storage device storing images of routes along streets in a city, the images being indexed for portions of streets between junctions.
11. A signal conveying images of routes along streets in a city, the images being indexed for portions of streets between junctions.