APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR ROUTING

• US 20140180584A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Navionics SRL (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Navionics Spa (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Carnevali, Giuseppe
• Granted Patent: US 9,086,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/203 Specially adapted for sailing ships

Abstract

An electronic navigational route developer may accept user input regarding the user'"'"'s boat, such as height, draft and beam, and develop a route from a start point to end point based on cartographic information and the boat information.

Claims

1. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

an electronic navigational automatic route developer;

a user interface; and

electronic route storage to store route data related to a route developed by the electronic route developer.

2. The electronic navigational router of claim 1, wherein the electronic navigational automatic route developer is configured to accept user input through the user interface to edit a route developed by the automatic route developer.

3. The electronic navigational automatic route developer of claim 2 wherein the automatic route developer is configured to retrieve a stored route for editing.

4. The electronic navigational router of claim 3, wherein the electronic navigational automatic route developer accepts user input to edit a route as the route is being developed.

5. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

an electronic route developer; and

a user interface to accept user input regarding the end point of a route, wherein the electronic route developer is configured to automatically develop a route based upon the user-supplied start end point and the route includes at least one intervening waypoint when the end point and a start point are not points of navigable visibility to one another.

6. The electronic navigational router of claim 5 wherein the router is configured to accept either a user-supplied start point or a navigational system-supplied start point.

7. The electronic navigational router of claim 5 wherein the router is configured to discretize a multidimensional region that encompasses user-supplied start and end points.

8. The electronic navigational router of claim 5 wherein the router is configured to:

extract potential waypoints from cartographic data representing a region that encompasses user-supplied start and end points.

9. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 7 wherein the route developer is configured to associate a node with each discretized cell within the region.

10. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 7 wherein the route developer is configured to develop a set of candidate nodes based upon points of navigable visibility.

11. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 7 wherein the route developer is configured to select a node from among the candidate nodes to be a selected node based upon the cost of the link between the current selected node and the candidate nodes.

12. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 7, wherein the route developer is configured to develop a route using start and end points and selected nodes to complete the route between start and end nodes.

13. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 5, wherein the route developer is configured to extract potential waypoints from cartographic data representing a sub-region that encompasses user-supplied start and end points.

14. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 13, wherein the route developer is configured to associate a node with each discretized cell within the sub-region.

15. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 13, wherein the route developer is configured to develop a set of candidate nodes from among the nodes within discretized cells, based upon points of navigable visibility.

16. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 13, wherein the route developer is configured to select a node from among the candidate nodes to be a selected node based upon the cost of the link between the current selected node and the candidate nodes.

17. The electronic navigational route developer of claim 13, wherein the route developer is configured to develop a route using start and end points and selected nodes to complete the route between start and end nodes.

22. The electronic navigational router of claim 16, wherein the router comprises:

an automatic electronic navigational route developer;

a manual electronic navigational route developer; and

a user interface to accept user input to allow a user to select either the automatic or manual electronic route developer to develop a navigational route.

23. The electronic navigational router of claim 22, wherein the router is responsive to user input to edit a route.

24. The electronic navigational router of claim 23, wherein the router is responsive to user input to edit a route that is currently being developed by the automatic electronic route developer.

25. The electronic navigational router of claim 24, wherein the router is responsive to user input to delete a waypoint by deleting the waypoint from the route and directly connecting the two waypoints to which the deleted waypoint had been linked.

26. The electronic navigational router of claim 24, wherein the router is responsive to user input to add a waypoint by adding the waypoint, breaking the link between the two nearest waypoints, and creating links that connect the new waypoint to the two nearest waypoints.

27. The electronic navigational router of claim 24, wherein the router is responsive to user input to move a waypoint by automatically adjusting the links between the moved waypoint and its neighboring waypoints to which it is connected.

18. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

a smartphone-based automatic electronic route developer; and

a user interface to accept user input regarding characteristics of a boat for which a route is to be developed, wherein the electronic route developer is configured to automatically develop a navigational route based on the input regarding the boat'"'"'s characteristics.

19. The electronic navigational router of claim 18, wherein the router is configured to accommodate a point obstruction.

20. The electronic navigational router of claim 18, wherein the user interface is configured to accept user input regarding a navigational route and to respond to user input by editing a route.

21. The electronic navigational router of claim 18, wherein the user interface is configured to accept user input to allow a user to set a start point for the route to be developed at a location other than the current location of the electronic navigational route developer.

28. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

an automatic electronic navigational route developer; and

a user interface to accept user input regarding a navigational route and to respond to user input by editing a route.

29. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

an automatic electronic navigational route developer; and

a user interface to accept user input to allow a user to set a start point for the route to be developed at a location other than the current location of the electronic navigational route developer.

30. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

an automatic electronic navigational route developer;

a manual electronic navigational route developer; and

a user interface to accept user input to allow a user to select either the automatic or manual electronic route developer to develop a navigational route.

31. The electronic navigational router of claim 30, wherein the router is responsive to user input to edit a route.

32. The electronic navigational router of claim 31, wherein the router is responsive to user input to edit a route that is currently being developed by the automatic electronic route developer.

33. The electronic navigational router of claim 32, wherein the router is responsive to user input to delete a waypoint by deleting the waypoint from the route and directly connecting the two waypoints to which the deleted waypoint had been linked.

34. The electronic navigational router of claim 32, wherein the router is responsive to user input to add a waypoint by adding the waypoint, breaking the link between the two nearest waypoints, and creating links that connect the new waypoint to the two nearest waypoints.

35. The electronic navigational router of claim 32, wherein the router is responsive to user input to move a waypoint by automatically adjusting the links between the moved waypoint and its neighboring waypoints to which it is connected.

36. The electronic navigational router of claim 32, wherein the router is configured to display a waypoint between the start point and end point.

37. An electronic navigational router, comprising:

an electronic navigational automatic route developer;

a user interface; and

electronic route storage to store route data related to a route developed by the electronic route developer, wherein the automatic route developer incorporates tidal information in the development of a route.

38. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing an electronic navigational automatic route developer;

providing a user interface; and

storing route data related to a route developed by the electronic route developer at an electronic route storage.

39. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing an electronic route developer; and

accepting user input regarding the end point of a route at a user interface, wherein the electronic route developer is configured to automatically develop a route based upon the user-supplied start end point and the route includes at least one intervening waypoint when the end point and a start point are not points of navigable visibility to one another.

40. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing a smartphone-based automatic electronic route developer; and

accepting user input regarding characteristics of a boat for which a route is to be developed at a user interface, wherein the electronic route developer is configured to automatically develop a navigational route based on the input regarding the boat'"'"'s characteristics.

41. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing an automatic electronic navigational route developer; and

accepting user input regarding a navigational route at a user interface and responding to user input by editing a route.

42. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing an automatic electronic navigational route developer; and

accepting, at a user interface, user input to allow a user to set a start point for the route to be developed at a location other than the current location of the electronic navigational route developer.

43. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing an automatic electronic navigational route developer;

providing a manual electronic navigational route developer; and

accepting, at a user interface, user input to allow a user to select either the automatic or manual electronic route developer to develop a navigational route.

44. A method for performing navigational routing, comprising:

providing an electronic navigational automatic route developer;

providing a user interface; and

storing route data related to a route developed by the electronic route developer at an electronic route storage, wherein the automatic route developer incorporates tidal information in the development of a route.