KR102392998B1 - Route guidandce apparatus and control method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a route guidance apparatus and a control method thereof, and the method for controlling the route guide apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: checking a distance between a location of a vehicle and a pre-inputted destination; when the distance is less than the reference distance, obtaining a first road view image for a predetermined range from the destination from an external server; generating an image around the vehicle; detecting at least one common image from the first road view image and the surrounding image; correcting the position of the vehicle based on the common image; obtaining a second load view image for the corrected position from the external server; and guiding a route to the destination by using the second road view image.

Description

ROUTE GUIDANDCE APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SAME

The present invention relates to a route guide apparatus and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a route guide apparatus and control method for providing an accurate route to a predetermined destination by using a road view image.

In the case of a route guidance device for a vehicle according to the prior art, when a destination is input from a user, a route is generated from the current location of the vehicle to the corresponding destination, and then, in real time or periodically, the information of the vehicle provided from the GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite By matching GPS coordinates with an electronic map, the current location of the vehicle is identified, and a screen in which the identified current location is displayed as a graphic object such as an arrow is displayed, thereby helping the driver to drive the vehicle to the destination.

Such a GPS (Global Positioning System) system is a global positioning system developed by the US Department of Defense. As an example, a plurality of GPS satellites are arranged in each of six circular orbits with an inclination angle of 55°, each of which transmits their own location information signals while moving with a period of about 12 hours. Transmitting, the GPS module provided in the vehicle receives location information from at least four or more of the plurality of GPS satellites, and the route guide device detects the distance between the GPS satellites and the vehicle and the location vector of the GPS satellites, through which the final to calculate the vehicle's location (eg latitude, longitude, altitude).

However, the location information received from the GPS satellites is based on the distance between the GPS satellites (see FIG. 1), the ionosphere or convective layer that passes through the propagation process, the clocks built into each GPS satellite and the GPS receiver, and topographical features around the vehicle. As a result, 100% precision cannot be ensured, and an error occurs between the actual vehicle position and the vehicle position identified by the route guide device.

That is, the conventional route guide apparatus can only roughly guide the location of the vehicle within an error range (eg, about 3 to 100 m). For this reason, even though the vehicle does not actually arrive at the previously input destination, the route guidance is terminated, and there is a problem in that the driver's confusion is increased.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above-described problem. According to embodiments of the present invention, when a vehicle arrives near a destination, using a road view image, a route that allows the vehicle to actually arrive to the destination An object of the present invention is to provide a route guidance device and a control method thereof for guiding the user.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention to achieve the above or other object, the method comprising: checking a distance between a vehicle location and a pre-entered destination; when the distance is less than the reference distance, obtaining a first road view image for a predetermined range from the destination from an external server; generating an image around the vehicle; detecting at least one common image from the first road view image and the surrounding image; correcting the position of the vehicle based on the common image; obtaining a second load view image for the corrected position from the external server; and guiding a route to the destination by using the second road view image.

In addition, the location of the vehicle may be calculated by matching the GPS coordinates of the vehicle with a pre-stored electronic map.

Also, the reference distance may be preset based on an error range of the GPS coordinates.

The detecting of the common image may include: detecting a predetermined object from the surrounding image; and detecting, as the common image, a region in the first road view image having a similarity with the object equal to or greater than a threshold value.

Also, the common image may correspond to a facility around the destination.

In addition, the step of correcting the position of the vehicle, comparing the size and position of the common image in the first road view image with the size and position of the common image in the surrounding image, calculating each difference; and correcting the position of the vehicle based on the difference.

In addition, the step of guiding the route to the destination, generating a graphic object for guiding the route; and displaying the second load view image and the graphic object.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, the method comprising: checking a distance between a vehicle location and a pre-entered destination; When the distance is less than the reference distance, measuring at least one of the strength and arrival time of each of the radio signals transmitted from three or more different radio signal transmission sources installed in the vicinity of the vehicle; calculating a distance between each of the radio signal transmission sources and the vehicle based on the measured value; correcting the position of the vehicle based on the distance between each of the radio signal transmission sources and the vehicle; obtaining a load view image for the corrected position from the external server; and guiding a route to the destination by using the road view image.

On the other hand, according to another aspect of the present invention, a communication unit for receiving a GPS signal from a GPS satellite; an image generating unit generating an image of the vehicle's surroundings; an information storage unit for storing the electronic map; and a control unit for controlling operations of the display unit, the communication unit, the image generation unit, and the information storage unit, wherein the control unit calculates the location of the vehicle based on the GPS signal, and inputs the location and the information of the vehicle Check the distance between the destinations, and when the distance is less than the reference distance, obtain a first road view image for the destination from either the communication unit or the information storage unit, and the first road view image and the surrounding image Detects at least one common image from, corrects the position of the vehicle based on the common image, and obtains a second road view image for the corrected position from either the communication unit or the information storage unit, , A route guide apparatus is provided for generating route guide information to the destination by using the second road view image.

The effect of the route guide apparatus and the control method thereof according to the present invention will be described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, when the vehicle is close to the destination, there is an advantage that the position of the vehicle can be corrected using the result of comparing the road view image for the destination and the image around the vehicle. .

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, by using the corrected road view image for the location of the vehicle, the route guide is performed until the vehicle actually arrives at the destination, thereby terminating the route guide near the conventional destination. This can reduce driver confusion and the possibility of accidents.

In addition, according to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, by calculating a correction value for correcting the position of the vehicle based on the size of a predetermined object appearing in the surrounding image of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle more closely matches reality. can be corrected

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is an exemplary diagram referenced to explain the problems of the prior art.
2 shows a block diagram of a route guidance device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a route guidance apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4C are diagrams referred to for explaining a route guidance device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a route guidance apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram referenced to explain an operation of correcting a current location of a vehicle by a route guidance apparatus according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in the present specification will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the same or similar components are assigned the same reference numbers regardless of reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" for components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of only the ease of writing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, if it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known technologies may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, and the technical idea disclosed herein is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention , should be understood to include equivalents or substitutes.

Terms including an ordinal number such as 1st, 2nd, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it is understood that other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, terms such as “comprises” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

2 shows a block diagram of the route guidance apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the route guidance apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 110 , an image generation unit 120 , an information storage unit 130 , a display unit 140 , and a control unit 150 . ) is included.

The communication unit 110 performs wired or wireless data transmission/reception with an external device. Specifically, the communication unit 110 may include at least one GPS module 112 for receiving GPS signals from a plurality of GPS satellites.

Also, the communication unit 110 may include at least one Wi-Fi module 114 . The Wi-Fi module 114 may be connected to, for example, an access point installed adjacent to a road.

Also, the communication unit 110 may include at least one wireless communication module 116 . The wireless communication module 116 may transmit/receive data to and from an infrastructure device (eg, CCTV, base station) installed on or around a road. The wireless communication module 116 may perform wireless communication with an external device based on a method different from that of the Wi-Fi module 114 (eg, a fourth generation mobile communication (4G) method).

The image generator 120 generates an image of the surroundings by photographing the surroundings of the vehicle. To this end, the image generator 120 may include at least one or more cameras 122 . For example, any one camera 122 included in the image generator 120 may be mounted on one side of the front of the vehicle to generate a front image of the vehicle. For another example, the image generating unit 120 may include four cameras mounted on one side of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle. The front image, the rear image, the left image, and the right image generated by these four cameras 122 may be synthesized by the controller 150 to be described later. By this synthesizing process, an around-view image as if looking down the vehicle from top to bottom may be generated. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, it is assumed that the image generator 120 includes one camera 122 that generates an image of the front of the vehicle.

The information storage unit 130 stores various information related to the vehicle. The information storage unit 130 may include a map storage module 132 and an image storage module 134 .

The map storage module 132 of the information storage unit 130 may store an electronic map. Specifically, the electronic map contains road information for each location (e.g., curves, bumps, surrounding buildings, school zones, number of lanes, speed limit, inclination, frequent accidents, fog alerts, intersections, one-way streets, gas stations, rest stops, traffic lights, Information on speed cameras, high-passes, toll gates, etc.) may be included. In addition, the map storage module 132 may store a road view image for each location, and the road view image may be stored by matching the electronic map with each location (eg, by latitude, longitude, and altitude). Such a load view image may be, for example, received by the communication unit 110 from an external server or downloaded by a user using a personal PC.

Also, the image storage module 134 of the information storage unit 130 may permanently or temporarily store the surrounding image generated by the image generation unit 120 .

Also, the information storage unit 130 may temporarily store various programs for the operation of the control unit 150 or input/output data.

In addition, the information storage unit 130 may provide at least some of the various types of pre-stored information to the control unit 150 according to a request from the control unit 150 , which will be described later.

The information storage unit 130 includes a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), and an SSD type. (Solid State Disk type), flash information storage 130 type (flash memory type), hard disk type (hard disk type), card type information storage 130, magnetic disk, various types of storage such as optical disk It may include at least one of the media.

The display unit 140 displays various types of information processed or generated by the route guide apparatus 100 . Representatively, the display 140 may output a route guidance screen in which a graphic object corresponding to the current location of the vehicle is displayed under the control of the controller 150 . Also, the display unit 140 may display information on an execution screen (eg, a user interface (UI)) of an application program driven by the route guide apparatus 100 .

The display unit 140 may include a touch screen provided with a touch sensor. Also, the display unit 140 may include a head-up display (HUD) that projects images corresponding to various types of information on the front window of the vehicle.

The controller 150 controls the overall operation of the route guide apparatus 100 . Specifically, the control unit 150 may process signals, data, information, etc. input/output through the communication unit 110 , the image generation unit 120 , the information storage unit 130 , and the display unit 140 . In addition, the control unit 150 may provide appropriate information or functions to the user by driving the application program stored in the information storage unit 130 .

The controller 150 may include a location calculation module 152 , an image processing module 154 , a location correction module 156 , and a route guide module 158 .

The location calculation module 152 calculates the location of the vehicle based on the GPS signal received by the communication unit 110 . For example, the location calculation module 152 may calculate the location (eg, latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the vehicle based on the GPS signal.

Also, the location calculation module 152 may check the distance between the location of the vehicle and the previously input destination. As an example, the location calculation module 152 compares a coordinate value corresponding to the location of the vehicle with the coordinate value of the destination, and determines the distance between the location of the vehicle and the previously input destination based on the difference between the two coordinate values. .

If the distance between the vehicle location and the input destination is less than the preset reference distance, the location calculation module 152 may obtain a first road view image that is a road view image for a predetermined range from the destination. Here, the reference distance may be, for example, set based on an error range of GPS coordinates. For example, when the maximum error of the GPS coordinates is 50 m, the reference distance may be set to 50 m. As another example, as the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal provided from the GPS satellite decreases, the location calculation module 152 may increase the reference distance. A description of the first road view image will be described later.

The image processing module 154 detects at least one object from the image around the vehicle generated by the image generator 120 . The object detected by the image processing module 154 may be, for example, at least a part of a facility near a destination, such as a traffic light, a traffic sign, or a sign of a building.

Also, the image processing module 154 may detect a common image by comparing an object detected from the surrounding image with the first road view image. Here, the first road view image is an image of a space falling within a predetermined range from the destination, and may be pre-stored in the information storage unit 130 or received by the communication unit 110 from an external server. In this case, the first road-view image may include an accurate position value for the point at which the first road-view image was captured.

Also, the common image may mean a region having a similarity with an object equal to or greater than a threshold value among the entire region of the first road view image. In this case, when there are a plurality of objects detected by the image processing module 154 from the surrounding image, a plurality of common images may also be present.

The position correction module 156 corrects the position of the vehicle calculated by the position calculation module 152 based on at least one of an object and a common image detected by the image processing module 154 . As described above, since the position of the vehicle calculated by the position calculation module 152 is only an approximate position with less than 100% accuracy due to an error of the GPS signal, the position correction module 156 is configured to perform at least one of an object and a common image. By calculating a correction value based on any one, and correcting the position of the vehicle calculated by the position calculation module 152 using the calculated correction value, a position value closer to the actual position of the vehicle compared to the conventional method can be calculated.

For example, the position correction module 156 compares the size and position of the common image in the first road view image with the size and position of the common image in the surrounding image, calculates each difference, and based on the calculated difference , it is possible to correct the position of the vehicle.

Specifically, when the size of the common image appearing in the surrounding image is the first size and the size of the common image appearing in the first road view image is the second size, the position correction module 156 determines the first size and the second size. Based on the difference in , the position of the vehicle may be corrected.

For example, since the object further away from the vehicle appears smaller in the surrounding image, the position correction module 156 determines the position of the vehicle at the location where the first road view image was captured when the first size and the second size are the same. By determining that they are in the same position, a correction value for the longitudinal direction may be calculated as 0.

For another example, when the first size is smaller than the second size by a first value, the position correction module 156 determines that the vehicle is located at a distance of a first distance in the longitudinal direction from the position where the first road view image was captured. , it is possible to calculate a first correction value corresponding to the first distance. If the first size is smaller than the second size by a second value (> first value), the position correction module 156 sets a second distance (> first value) in the longitudinal direction from the position where the first road view image was captured. By determining that the vehicle is located at a distance), a second correction value (>first correction value) corresponding to the second distance may be calculated.

On the other hand, when the position of the common image appearing in the surrounding image is the first position, and the position of the corresponding common image appearing in the first road view image is the second position, the position correction module 156 is configured of the first position and the second position. Based on the difference, it is possible to correct the position of the vehicle.

For example, if the common image is located on the left side in the surrounding image, whereas it is located at the center in the first road view image, the position correction module 156 is located in the yellow direction based on the difference in position of the common image in the two images. It is possible to calculate a correction value for , and correct the position of the vehicle using the calculated correction value.

The route guide module 158 guides the route to the destination based on the second road view image of the vehicle location corrected by the location correction module 156 . As an example, the second load view image may be received by the communication unit 110 from an external server. As another example, the second road view image may be a road view image corresponding to the position of the vehicle corrected by the position correction module 156 among a plurality of road view images previously stored for each position in the information storage unit 130 . . Of course, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the location corresponding to the road view image (ie, the location where the road view image is captured) may be in a state matched with the electronic map pre-stored in the information storage unit 130 .

The route guidance module 158 may guide a route to a destination through various methods. For example, the route guide module 158 calculates a route to a destination based on the corrected location, generates a graphical object for guiding the calculated route, and displays the graphical object together with the second load view image To do so, the display unit 140 may be controlled. As an example, the graphic object may be displayed in a way that it is overlaid on the road view image. At this time, the graphic object for guiding the calculated route may include an indicator for indicating a direction (eg, straight ahead, left turn, right turn, lane movement), an indicator for guiding the remaining distance from the corrected position to the destination, etc. there is.

According to this, when the vehicle arrives near the destination, the route is guided through the road view image corresponding to the destination, so even if there is an error in the GPS signal, the distance difference between the current location of the vehicle and the destination to which the user is input can intuitively be grasped, and the route is guided until the vehicle actually arrives at the destination, so user convenience can be improved.

Also, the route guidance apparatus 100 described above with reference to FIG. 2 may be mounted on a vehicle.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the route guidance apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the controller 150 checks the distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination ( S312 ). The current location of the vehicle may be calculated by the controller 150 obtaining GPS coordinates of the vehicle based on the GPS signal, and matching the obtained GPS coordinates with a pre-stored electronic map.

Next, the controller 150 may determine whether the distance confirmed through step S312 is less than the reference distance (S314). Here, the reference distance may be a fixed value or a value set by the controller 150 based on the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal. For example, the weaker the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal, the greater the uncertainty of the current location of the vehicle calculated based on it. Therefore, the controller 150 may set a reference distance inversely proportional to the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal.

Subsequently, when it is determined that the distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination is less than the reference distance in step S314, the controller 150 may acquire a first road view image for the destination (S316). Here, the first road view image is an image pre-photographed for a predetermined range from the destination, and may be received by the communication unit 110 from an external server or may be pre-stored in the information storage unit 130 . In the first road view image, at least a part of a destination or a facility indicating the destination may appear.

Meanwhile, while the aforementioned steps S312, S314, and S316 are performed, the controller 150 may generate an image around the vehicle (S320). For example, the controller 150 may generate a front image of the vehicle using at least one or more cameras 122 included in the image generating unit 120 . Meanwhile, the controller 150 may perform step S320 only when it is determined in step S314 that the distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination is less than the reference distance.

Next, the controller 150 may detect at least one common image from the first road view image acquired in step S316 and the surrounding image generated in step S320 ( S330 ). Here, the common image may mean an image of an object that appears in common in the first road view image and the surrounding image.

Specifically, the controller 150 may detect a predetermined object (eg, a sign installed in a predetermined building that is a destination) from the surrounding image. In addition, the controller 150 may detect, as a common image, a region having a similarity with an object detected in the surrounding image equal to or greater than a threshold value among the first road view images. If even a single common image is not detected through step S330, the controller 150 may repeat steps S312, S314, S316, and S320 described above.

Next, the controller 150 may correct the current location of the vehicle based on the common image detected in step S330 (S340).

Specifically, the control unit 150 calculates the difference in size and position between the first common image appearing in the surrounding image and the second common image appearing in the first road view image, and based on the calculated difference in size and position, respectively Thus, it is possible to calculate a correction value for correcting the current position of the vehicle. For example, based on the size difference between the first common image and the second common image, a first correction value for correcting the current position of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction is calculated, and between the first common image and the second common image Based on the horizontal position difference of , a second correction value for correcting the current position of the vehicle in the lateral direction may be calculated. In addition, the controller 150 may calculate a third correction value for correcting the current position of the vehicle in the vertical direction based on the vertical position difference between the first common image and the second common image.

Subsequently, the controller 150 may acquire a second road view image of the current position of the vehicle corrected through step S340 (S350). Here, the second road view image is an image previously taken at the corrected location of the vehicle, and may be received by the communication unit 110 from an external server or may be pre-stored in the information storage unit 130 .

Next, the controller 150 may generate route guidance information based on the second road view image obtained in step S350 ( S360 ). Here, the route guidance information may be information for guiding a route for the actual remaining distance from the corrected location of the vehicle to the destination when the location of the vehicle before correction falls within the error range of the GPS signal. The controller 150 may generate a graphic object for guiding a route, and display the second road view image and the graphic object together using the display unit 140 .

Meanwhile, the aforementioned steps S312 to S360 may be repeated in real time or periodically until the vehicle actually arrives at the destination (ie, the corrected location of the vehicle and the location of the destination are the same).

4A to 4C are diagrams referenced to explain the route guidance apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 4A , when the distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination is less than a reference distance, the route guidance apparatus 100 may display at least one graphic object indicating this on the display unit 140 . For example, as shown, the display unit 140 displays the map image, the first indicator 401 indicating the current location of the vehicle among the map images, the second indicator 402 indicating the location of the destination, and the remaining distance to the destination. A third indicator 403 pointing to it and a fourth indicator 404 indicating a path between the current location of the vehicle and the destination may be displayed.

In this case, the route guide apparatus 100 may control the display unit 140 to display a menu 410 for receiving a selection of whether to guide a route to a destination using the corrected location of the vehicle.

When the control unit 150 receives a user input for selecting the corresponding menu 410 , the control unit 150 may perform an operation for correcting the current position of the vehicle, which will be described below.

FIG. 4B (a) shows an example of the surrounding image 420 generated by the image generator 120 at the current location of the vehicle, and FIG. 4B (b) is a road view image for a predetermined range from the destination. An example of the first road view image 430 is shown.

According to (a) of FIG. 4B , the controller 150 may detect at least one object 421 from the surrounding image 420 .

In addition, the controller 150 may determine whether the same object 431 as the object 421 detected from the surrounding image 420 also exists in the first load view image 430 shown in (b) of FIG. 4B . . Referring to (b) of FIG. 4B , in the first road view image 430 , an object 431 having a similarity greater than or equal to a threshold value to an object 421 appearing in the surrounding image 420 may exist. In this case, the controller 150 may detect these two objects 421 and 431 as a common image.

On the other hand, in the peripheral image 420 shown in (a) of FIG. 4B, the object 421 has a first size (width W1, height H1), and the first road view image ( In 430), the object 431 has a second size (width W2, height H2), and the controller 150 controls the two images 420 and 430 based on the difference in size between the objects 421 and 431 respectively. It is possible to correct the current position of the vehicle.

For example, when the first size is 50% of the second size, the controller 150 corrects the current position of the vehicle to be a position 100 m away from the position where the first road view image 430 is captured, and the first size When is 70% of the second size, the controller 150 corrects the current position of the vehicle to be a position 40 m away from the position where the first road view image 430 is captured, and the first size is 100 of the second size. %, the controller 150 may correct the current location of the vehicle to be the same location as the location where the first road view image 430 was captured.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 4B , only the method of correcting the current position of the vehicle based on the size between the two objects 421 and 431 has been described. 430), the current position of the vehicle may be corrected based on the difference in position shown in FIG.

4C shows an example in which the route guidance apparatus 100 generates and provides route guidance information based on the second road view image of the corrected vehicle location.

Referring to FIG. 4C , the controller 150 may acquire a second road view image 440 that is a road view image of the corrected vehicle position. Compared with (a) of FIG. 4B, the surrounding image 420 shown in (a) of FIG. 4B is a currently photographed image, whereas the second road view image 440 is a previously photographed image, so between the two images There may be some differences. For example, the other vehicles 422 and 423 appearing in the surrounding image 420 illustrated in (a) of FIG. 4B may not appear in the second road view image 440 illustrated in FIG. 4C .

As shown, the display unit 140 may output a second road view image 440 under the control of the controller 150 , and the second road view image 440 contains a path corresponding to the corrected vehicle position. At least one or more graphic objects 441 and 442 for guiding may be displayed overlaid.

For example, the indicator 441 for guiding the remaining distance to the destination calculated based on the difference between the common image detected from each of the first road view image 430 and the surrounding image 420, and the direction change to the destination An indicator 442 for guiding may be displayed together with the second road view image 440 .

On the other hand, the indicator 403 shown in FIG. 4A guides that the remaining distance to the destination is 30 m based on the position of the vehicle before correction, whereas the indicator 441 shown in FIG. 4C is based on the position of the vehicle after correction indicates that the remaining distance to the destination is 33m. That is, by utilizing the road view image, the route guidance apparatus 100 may provide the user with information with improved accuracy compared to the case where route guidance is performed based on only the GPS signal.

In addition, according to FIG. 4C , by synthesizing the actually captured image 440 and the virtual generated graphic objects 441 and 442 , augmented reality can be realized, and thus more intuitive information is provided to the user than the conventional method. interface can be provided.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the route guide apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the controller 150 checks the distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination ( S510 ). The current location of the vehicle may be calculated by the controller 150 obtaining GPS coordinates of the vehicle based on the GPS signal, and matching the obtained GPS coordinates with a pre-stored electronic map.

Next, the controller 150 may determine whether the distance confirmed through step S510 is less than the reference distance (S520). Here, the reference distance may be a fixed value or a value set by the controller 150 based on the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal. For example, the weaker the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal, the greater the uncertainty of the current location of the vehicle calculated based on it. Therefore, the controller 150 may set a reference distance inversely proportional to the reception sensitivity of the GPS signal.

Subsequently, when it is determined that the distance between the current location of the vehicle and the destination is less than the reference distance in step S520 , the controller 150 receives wireless signals transmitted from three or more different wireless signal transmission sources ( S530 ). Each of these radio signals may include unique identification information of radio signal transmitters that transmit the radio signal, transmission time, and location information informing the coordinates of the installed point. For example, the first wireless signal transmission source transmits a first wireless signal including a first ID, a first transmission time, and a first coordinate value, and the second wireless signal transmission source includes a second ID, a first transmission time, and a second coordinate value. A second wireless signal including a value may be transmitted. Accordingly, the route guide apparatus 100 receiving these radio signals can distinguish which radio signal is transmitted from which radio signal transmission source and at which point in time.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, it is assumed that the communication unit 110 receives radio signals from three different radio signal transmission sources.

Next, the control unit 150 may measure at least one of the strength and arrival time of each of the wireless signals received through the step S530 using the communication unit 110 ( S540 ).

Next, the controller 150 may calculate a distance between each of the radio signal transmission sources and the vehicle based on the value measured in step S540 ( S550 ). That is, it is possible to calculate how far the vehicle is located from each of the radio signal transmission sources. For example, the time at which a radio signal is received may be compared with the time at which the radio signal is transmitted, and the difference may be converted into a distance. As another example, when the strength of the wireless signal is decreased, it may be determined that the vehicle is farther from the wireless signal transmission source that has transmitted the wireless signal by a distance corresponding to the decreased strength.

Next, the controller 150 may correct the current location of the vehicle based on the distance to the wireless signal transmission sources calculated in step S540 ( S560 ).

Specifically, the controller 150 may correct the current position of the vehicle by using the triangulation method. For example, the installation positions of the first to third radio signal transmission sources are the first position, the second position, and the third position, respectively, and the distance between the first to third radio signal transmission sources and the vehicle is the first distance, the second position, respectively. In the case of the 2nd distance and the 3rd distance, the control unit 150 controls a first circle centered on the first position and having the first distance as a radius, a second circle centered on the second position and a 21st distance as a radius, and The current position of the vehicle can be corrected by generating a third circle centered at the third position and having the third distance as the radius, and calculating one intersection point through which all of the first to third circles pass as the actual position of the vehicle. there is.

Subsequently, the controller 150 may acquire a road view image for the current location of the vehicle corrected through step S560 (S570). Here, the road view image is an image pre-photographed at the corrected location of the vehicle, and may be received by the communication unit 110 from an external server or may be pre-stored in the information storage unit 130 .

Next, the controller 150 may generate route guidance information based on the road view image obtained in step S570 (S580). Here, the route guidance information may be information for guiding a route for the actual remaining distance from the corrected location of the vehicle to the destination when the location of the vehicle before correction falls within the error range of the GPS signal. The controller 150 may generate a graphic object for guiding a route, and use the display unit 140 to display the load view image and the graphic object together.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned steps S510 to S580 may be repeated in real time or periodically until the vehicle actually arrives at the destination (ie, the corrected location of the vehicle and the location of the destination are the same).

6 is a diagram referenced to explain an operation of correcting the current position of the vehicle 1 by the route guidance apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6A , three or more different radio signal transmission sources 601 , 602 , and 603 may exist around the vehicle 1 . For example, the wireless signal transmission source may be one of road infrastructure. These radio signal transmission sources (601, 602, 603) may be, for example, an access point. At this time, when the distance between the current location and the destination of the vehicle 1 is less than the reference distance, the control unit 150 uses the communication unit 110 to send a survey request signal to the nearby wireless signal transmission sources 601 , 602 , and 603 . can be transmitted In response to such a survey request signal, each of the radio signal transmission sources 601 , 602 , 603 may transmit a radio signal to the vehicle 1 .

Next, a concept in which the controller 150 calculates the actual location of the vehicle 1 based on the wireless signal received through the communication unit 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 6B . As described above, the controller 150 calculates the distances R1, R2, and R3 between the vehicle 1 and each of the radio signal transmission sources 601, 602, and 603 based on the arrival or strength of each radio signal. can do.

When the distance calculation with the radio signal transmission sources is completed, the control unit 150 sets the distances (R1, R2, R3) from the vehicle 1 centered on the respective installation positions (P1, P2, P3) of the radio signal transmission sources. First to third circles 611 , 612 , and 613 having radii may be generated. In addition, since the respective installation positions (P1, P2, P3) of the wireless signal transmission sources are already acquired (included in the wireless signal), the control unit 150 controls the first to third circles 611, 612, and 613 to pass through. It can be treated that the intersection point is the actual location P5 of the vehicle 1 . That is, the current position P4 of the vehicle 1 calculated based on only the GPS signal may be corrected to be the actual position P5 of the vehicle 1 .

Meanwhile, in the above, the first embodiment and the second embodiment have been separately described, but it is understood by those skilled in the art that the route guidance apparatus 100 according to the present invention can be utilized for route guidance by combining the first and second embodiments. self-evident to

The embodiment of the present invention described above is not implemented only through the apparatus and method, and may be implemented through a program for realizing a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium in which the program is recorded. The implementation can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description of the above-described embodiments.

In addition, the present invention described above, various substitutions, modifications and changes are possible within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention for those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all or part of each embodiment may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made.

100: route guidance device
110: communication department
120: image generating unit
130: information storage unit
140: display unit
150: control unit

Claims (9)

checking a distance between the location of the vehicle and a pre-entered destination;
when the distance is less than the reference distance, obtaining a first road view image for a predetermined range from the destination;
generating an image around the vehicle;
detecting at least one object from the surrounding image;
detecting at least one common image by comparing the first road view image with an object detected from the surrounding image;
correcting the position of the vehicle based on the common image;
obtaining a second load view image for the corrected position from an external server; and
guiding a route to the destination by using the second road view image;
including,
The location of the vehicle is calculated by matching the GPS coordinates of the vehicle with a pre-stored electronic map, and the reference distance is set based on an error range of the GPS coordinates,
The step of guiding the route to the destination is,
generating a graphic object for guiding the route when the corrected distance between the location of the vehicle and the destination is less than the reference distance; and
Including the step of displaying the second road view image and the graphic object, the control method of the route guidance device. delete delete According to claim 1,
The step of detecting the common image comprises:
detecting a predetermined object from the surrounding image; and
detecting, as the common image, an area of the first road view image having a similarity with the object equal to or greater than a threshold value;
Including, a control method of a route guidance device. delete According to claim 1,
The step of correcting the position of the vehicle,
Comparing the size and position of the common image in the first road view image with the size and position of the common image in the surrounding image, calculating each difference; and
correcting the position of the vehicle based on the difference;
Including, a control method of a route guidance device. delete checking a distance between the location of the vehicle and a pre-entered destination;
If the distance is less than the reference distance, measuring at least one of the strength and arrival time of each of the radio signals transmitted from three or more different radio signal transmission sources installed in the vicinity of the vehicle;
calculating a distance between each of the radio signal transmission sources and the vehicle based on the measured value;
correcting the position of the vehicle based on the distance between each of the radio signal transmission sources and the vehicle;
obtaining a road view image for the corrected position from an external server; and
guiding a route to the destination by using the road view image;
including,
The location of the vehicle is calculated by matching the GPS coordinates of the vehicle with a pre-stored electronic map, and the reference distance is set based on an error range of the GPS coordinates,
The step of guiding the route to the destination is,
generating a graphic object for guiding the route when the corrected distance between the location of the vehicle and the destination is less than the reference distance; and
Including the step of displaying the road view image and the graphic object, the control method of the route guidance device. In the route guidance device provided in a vehicle,
a communication unit for receiving a GPS signal from a GPS satellite;
an image generating unit generating an image of the vehicle's surroundings;
an information storage unit for storing the electronic map; and
A control unit for controlling the operation of the display unit, the communication unit, the image generation unit, and the information storage unit; including,
The control unit is
Based on the GPS signal, calculating the location of the vehicle,
Check the distance between the location of the vehicle and the pre-entered destination,
When the distance is less than the reference distance, obtaining a first road view image for the destination from either the communication unit or the information storage unit,
Detecting at least one common image from the first road view image and the surrounding image,
correcting the position of the vehicle based on the common image,
Obtaining a second load view image for the corrected position from either the communication unit or the information storage unit,
Using the second road view image to generate route guidance information to the destination,
The location of the vehicle is calculated by matching the GPS coordinates of the vehicle with a pre-stored electronic map, and the reference distance is set based on an error range of the GPS coordinates,
The control unit, when the distance between the corrected location of the vehicle and the destination is less than the reference distance, generates a graphic object for guiding the path, and displays the second road view image and the graphic object, a path guidance device .

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