Disfavored Route Progressions or Locations

• US 20130166208A1
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Forstall, Scott, Christie, Gregory N., Borchers, Robert E., Tiene, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,702,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/538
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/362 received from an external device or application, e.g. PDA, mobile phone or calendar application

Abstract

Adaptive route guidance can include analyzing route progressions associated with one or more routes based on multiple user preferences. The adaptive route guidance can provide one or more preferred routes based on the user preferences, which can be presented to a user for navigation purposes.

Claims

1. A method performed by a mobile device, the method comprising:

determining preferences associated with a user for traveling;

identifying a destination that the user intends to travel to;

computing one or more routes for traveling to the destination, wherein each of the one or more routes includes route progressions, a route progression indicating a discrete length of a road that is part of a route;

for each of the one or more routes, analyzing the included route progressions based on the preferences associated with the user;

selecting a route from the one or more routes based on the analyzing;

navigating to the destination using the selected route;

determining whether the destination has been reached;

based on determining that the destination has not been reached, retrieving alternative routes for traveling to the destination;

analyzing the route progressions included in the alternative routes based on the preferences associated with the user; and

based on the analyzing, presenting one or more alternative routes to the user for rerouting to the destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preferences are selected from a group consisting of disfavored route progressions, disfavored locations, traffic preferences, road preferences, scenery preferences, traffic control device preference, services preferences, city preferences and speed preferences,

wherein a disfavored route progression includes a route progression that the user wants to avoid while driving to the destination, and

a disfavored location include geographical areas that the user wants to avoid while driving to the destination.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

examining historical data associated with the user'"'"'s actions during previous route guidance;

based on the examining, determining one or more of a route progression and location avoided by the user previously; and

identifying the determined route progression or the location as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location respectively.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a disfavored route progression or disfavored location is based on a diurnal time, the method comprising:

determining a route progression or a location avoided by the user at a first time of a day, but favored by the user at a second time of the day; and

identifying the determined route progression or the location as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location respectively, wherein the identifying as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location is limited to the first time of the day.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein a disfavored route progression or disfavored location is based on a frequency of traversal, the method comprising:

determining a route progression or a location traversed by the user less than a predetermined number for traveling to a particular destination; and

identifying the determined route progression or the location as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location respectively for traveling to the particular destination.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the preferences associated with the user comprises at least one of:

receiving the preferences directly from the user, the preferences entered through a user interface that is coupled to the mobile device,

automatically deriving the preferences based upon actions of the user during a previous route guidance, and

automatically deriving the preferences using historical route data associated with the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the destination comprises one of:

receiving destination information directly from the user, the destination information entered through a user interface that is coupled to the mobile device, and

automatically deriving the destination information using historical data associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein automatically deriving the destination information using historical data associated with the user comprises:

examining the historical data associated with the user to derive navigation habits associated with the user; and

automatically determining destination information based on the navigation habits and utilizing one or more of date information, time information, calendar information, history information and preference information associated with the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically determining destination information utilizing calendar information comprises:

retrieving one or more calendars associated with the user;

identifying a calendar entry included in the retrieved calendars that are within a predetermined range of a present date and time; and

determining a destination from the identified calendar entry.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically determining destination information utilizing date information comprises:

determining current day of the week;

identifying, based on examining the historical data, a destination associated with the determined day of the week; and

selecting the identified destination.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically determining destination information utilizing date information and time information comprises:

determining current day of the week and current time of the day;

identifying, based on examining the historical data, a destination associated with the determined time on the determined day; and

selecting the identified destination.

12. A method performed by a mobile device, the method comprising:

determining preferences associated with a user of a mobile device for traveling, the preferences including one or more disfavored route progressions associated with the user, wherein a route progression includes a discrete length of a road that is part of a route for driving to a destination, and a disfavored route progression includes a route progression that the user wants to avoid while driving to the destination;

identifying a destination that the user intends to travel to;

computing potential routes for traveling to the destination, each of the potential routes comprising route progressions;

for each of the potential routes, analyzing the route progressions associated with the potential route based on the preferences associated with the user and ratings for one or more of the route progressions, wherein a rating for a route progression is based on a popularity of the route progression among a plurality of users; and

based on the analyzing, presenting one or more of the potential routes as recommended routes to the user for traveling to the destination.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein popularity of a route progression is based on the route progression being used by the plurality of users more frequently than other similar route progressions.

14. A system comprising:

a processor; and

instructions stored in a non-transitory machine-readable medium for execution by the processor and configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

determining preferences associated with a user for traveling;

identifying a destination that the user intends to travel to;

computing one or more routes for traveling to the destination, wherein each of the one or more routes includes route progressions, a route progression indicating a discrete length of a road that is part of a route;

for each of the one or more routes, analyzing the included route progressions based on the preferences associated with the user;

selecting a route from the one or more routes based on the analyzing;

navigating to the destination using the selected route;

determining whether the destination has been reached;

based on determining that the destination has not been reached, retrieving alternative routes for traveling to the destination;

analyzing the route progressions included in the alternative routes based on the preferences associated with the user; and

based on the analyzing, presenting one or more alternative routes to the user for rerouting to the destination.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the preferences are selected from a group consisting of disfavored route progressions, disfavored locations, traffic preferences, road preferences, scenery preferences, traffic control device preference, services preferences, city preferences and speed preferences,

wherein a disfavored route progression includes a route progression that the user wants to avoid while driving to the destination, and

a disfavored location include geographical areas that the user wants to avoid while driving to the destination.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

examining historical data associated with the user'"'"'s actions during previous route guidance;

based on the examining, determining one or more of a route progression and location avoided by the user previously; and

identifying the determined route progression or the location as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location respectively.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein a disfavored route progression or disfavored location is based on a diurnal time, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a route progression or a location avoided by the user at a first time of a day, but favored by the user at a second time of the day; and

identifying the determined route progression or the location as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location respectively, wherein the identifying as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location is limited to the first time of the day.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein a disfavored route progression or disfavored location is based on a frequency of traversal, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a route progression or a location traversed by the user less than a predetermined number for traveling to a particular destination; and

identifying the determined route progression or the location as a disfavored route progression or disfavored location respectively for traveling to the particular destination.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising determining the preferences associated with the user include instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising at least one of:

receiving the preferences directly from the user, the preferences entered through a user interface that is coupled to the mobile device,

automatically deriving the preferences based upon actions of the user during a previous route guidance, and

automatically deriving the preferences using historical route data associated with the user.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising identifying the destination include instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising one of:

receiving destination information directly from the user, the destination information entered through a user interface that is coupled to the mobile device, and

automatically deriving the destination information using historical data associated with the user.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising automatically deriving the destination information using historical data associated with the user include instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

examining the historical data associated with the user to derive navigation habits associated with the user; and

automatically determining destination information based on the navigation habits and utilizing one or more of date information, time information, calendar information, history information and preference information associated with the user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising automatically determining destination information utilizing calendar information include instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

retrieving one or more calendars associated with the user;

identifying a calendar entry included in the retrieved calendars that are within a predetermined range of a present date and time; and

determining a destination from the identified calendar entry.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising automatically determining destination information utilizing calendar information include instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining current day of the week;

identifying, based on examining the historical data, a destination associated with the determined day of the week; and

selecting the identified destination.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising automatically determining destination information utilizing calendar information include instructions that are configured to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining current day of the week and current time of the day;

identifying, based on examining the historical data, a destination associated with the determined time on the determined day; and

selecting the identified destination.