US 2010/0250126 A1 · VISUAL ASSESSMENT OF LANDMARKS

Abstract

Visual images may be used to detect, or verify the existence of, landmarks. In one example, the landmarks may be used to provide driving or walking directions. A set of records may be examined to identify the street addresses of businesses or other entities. Additionally, street-level images may be captured with a camera, and the locations at which the images were captured may be recorded. The images may be evaluated with an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process to determine what words appear in the images. The words in the image are compared with the names of entities whose addresses are near where the image was captured. If the words match the entity name, then a sign identifying the entity is presumed to be visible along a particular route, and the entity may be used as a landmark in a set of walking or driving directions.

Claims20

Dependent claims

One or more computer-readable storage media that store executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

receiving a record that comprises a name of an entity and a street address of said entity;
receiving a plurality of images;
identifying a set of said images that were captured within a first distance of a location of said entity, said location being determined from said street address;
performing a character recognition process on said set of images to identify words that appear in said set of images;
comparing said words to said name;
determining, based on comparison of said words with said name that said entity appears in an image that is in said set of set of images;
and
providing directions to a person, wherein said directions include said entity as a landmark.

5 more elements

A method of using landmarks in directions, the method comprising:

using a processor to perform acts comprising:
receiving a plurality of image frames, each of said image frames comprising an image and a location at which said image was captured;
receiving a first set of records, each of said records comprising a name of an entity and a street address of said entity;
identifying a second set of said plurality of image frames that were captured within a distance of a street address of a first entity, said first entity being included in said first set of records;
determining which images in the images frames in said second set were captured on a street that matches said street address, the images captured on a street that matches said street address being in a third set;
determining that a first one of the images in said third set contains words that match a name of said first entity;
and
providing directions from a first point to a second point, said directions including, as a landmark, said first entity.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Visual assessment of landmarks

Life of this patent

Visual assessment of landmarks

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20