Navigation Images

• US 20120022786A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Siliski, Michael, Ito, Keith, Hile, Harlan
• Application Number:
  US13/248,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20120022786A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/527
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/265 constructional aspects of navigation devices, e.g. housings, mountings, displays G01C21/3688 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3608 using speech input, e.g. using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/444 Spatial browsing, e.g. 2D maps, 3D or virtual spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/638 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 : with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A computer-implemented navigational method includes transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end point of a trip. The method also includes receiving navigational information defining a route between the start point and the end point, and a plurality of digital photographic images that have previously been taken along the route, sensing motion of the mobile computing device along the route, and displaying updated images from the plurality of images that substantially match a geographic position of the mobile computing device along the route.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented navigational method, comprising:

transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end point of a trip;

receiving navigational information defining a route between the start point and the end point, and a plurality of digital photographic images that have previously been taken along the route;

sensing motion of the mobile computing device along the route; and

displaying updated images from the plurality of images that substantially match a geographic position of the mobile computing device along the route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the updated images comprises displaying images from a position that is a determined distance in front of a direction of travel for the mobile computing device, so that a user of the mobile computing device is given a preview of the route ahead.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying map or satellite images of an area around the mobile computing device, and changing a zoom level based upon a current traveling speed of the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the zoom level is closer when the mobile computing device is moving slower, and the zoom level is farther when the mobile computing device is moving faster.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising switching from a map or satellite view to a street level photographic view based on a proximity of the mobile computing device to the start point or end point, or based on an observed current speed of the mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the images show a view forward along the route when the mobile computing device is far from the end point, and the images show a view to a side of the route when the mobile computing device is near to the end point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the images show a view forward along the route when the mobile computing device is far from the end point, and the images show a view to a side of the route when the mobile computing device is near to the end point.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising transitioning between prior and subsequent images along the route using a blurred transitioning technique so as to simulate forward motion in the display of the images.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching the images on the mobile computing device for later display as the mobile computing device moves along the route.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein substantially all of the images for a route are transmitted from the computer server system to the mobile computing device before motion of the mobile computing device along the route is sensed.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon, instructions that when executed performed operations comprising:

transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a computer server system, data that can be used to determine a start point and an end point of a trip;

receiving navigational information defining a route between the start point and the end point, and a plurality of digital photographic images that have previously been taken along the route;

sensing motion of the mobile computing device along the route; and

displaying updated images from the plurality of images that substantially match a geographic position of the mobile computing device along the route.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein displaying the updated images comprises displaying images from a position that is a determined distance in front of a direction of travel for the mobile computing device, so that a user of the mobile computing device is given a preview of the route ahead.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise displaying map or satellite images of an area around the mobile computing device, and changing a zoom level based upon a current traveling speed of the mobile computing device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, where in the zoom level is closer when the mobile computing device is moving slower, and the zoom level is farther when the mobile computing device is moving faster.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising switching from a map or satellite view to a street level photographic view based on a proximity of the mobile computing device to the start point or end point, or based on an observed current speed of the mobile computing device.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise caching the images on the mobile computing device for later display as the mobile computing device moves along the route.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein substantially all of the images for a route are transmitted from the computer server system to the mobile computing device before motion of the mobile computing device along the route is sensed.

18. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving at a computer server system, from a navigational computing device, a request that includes information identifying geographical locations for a navigational trip;

determining a route for the navigational trip, the route extending from a start location to a destination location;

generating navigation data for a plurality of points along a path defined by the route;

fetching a plurality of pre-captured photographic images taken substantially along the path defined by the route; and

transmitting the navigation data and the plurality of pre-captured images to the navigational computing device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of pre-captured photographic images comprise digital street level photographs of the path.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein a pre-captured images for the entire route are transferred before a user navigates the route, for caching on the navigational computing device.