SKETCH AIDED ROUTE SELECTION FOR NAVIGATION DEVICES AND APPLICATIONS

• US 20140278093A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Raffa, Giuseppe B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,116,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• 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 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence

Abstract

One particular example includes a system, comprising a processor and a memory to store instructions that when executed by the processor performs operations, comprising displaying a map of a first area on a display; receiving an instruction to designate a second area on the map to be avoided; displaying the second area to be avoided on the map; and generating a route from a first point to a second point, where the route does not go through the second area to be avoided.

Claims

1. An apparatus for route selection in navigation devices and applications, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory element;

at least one module adapted, when executed by the processor, to;

display a map of a first area on a display;

receive an instruction to designate a second area on the map to be avoided;

display the second area to be avoided on the map; and

generate a route from a first point to a second point, wherein the route does not go through the second area to be avoided.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a user is provided an option to select the second area to be avoided on the map using an avoid area symbol or an avoid area color.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is further adapted, when executed by the processor, to:

receive an instruction to designate a preferred area on the map; and

display the preferred area on the map, wherein the route passes through the preferred area.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a user is provided an option to select the preferred area on the map by using a preferred area symbol or a preferred area color.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display is a touch display, and wherein a user is provided an option to select the preferred area by drawing a preferred area symbol on the display.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one module is further adapted, when executed by the processor, to:

assign a first weight factor to the second area to be avoided; and

assign a second weight factor to the preferred area, wherein the first weight factor is less than the second weight factor, and wherein the route is generated based, at least in part, on the first and second weight factor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein voronoi diagrams are used to assign the first weight factor to the second area to be avoided.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one module is further adapted, when executed by the processor, to:

generate multiple routes from the one point to another point, wherein a particular route that crosses an area to be avoided is discarded.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein an algorithm compares the multiple routes to determine which of the multiple routes pass through the second area that is to be avoided.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the algorithm is a dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is further adapted, when executed by the processor, to:

display a preferred road on the map, wherein the route from one point to another point at least partially includes the preferred road.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a user is provided an option to select the preferred road on the map by using a preferred road symbol or a preferred road color.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one module is further adapted, when executed by the processor, to:

zoom on the map of the second area to provide a more detailed view of the second area.

14. One or more non-transitory tangible media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to perform operations comprising:

displaying a map of a first area on a display;

receiving an instruction to designate a second area on the map to be avoided;

displaying the second area to be avoided on the map; and

generating a route from a first point to a second point, wherein the route does not go through the second area to be avoided.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein a user is provided an option to select the second area to be avoided on the map using an avoid area symbol or an avoid area color.

16. The media of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving an instruction to designate a preferred area on the map; and

displaying the preferred area on the map, wherein the route passes through the preferred area.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein a user is provided an option to select the preferred area on the map by using a preferred area symbol or a preferred area color.

18. The media of claim 16, wherein the display is a touch display, and wherein a user is provided an option to select the preferred area by drawing a preferred area symbol on the display.

19. The media of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

assigning a first weight factor to the second area to be avoided; and

assigning a second weight factor to the preferred area, wherein the first weight factor is less than the second weight factor, and wherein the route is generated based, at least in part, on the first and second weight factor.

20. The media of claim 19, wherein voronoi diagrams are used to assign the first weight factor to the second area to be avoided.

21. The media of claim 16, the operations further comprising:

generating multiple routes from the one point to another point, wherein a particular route that crosses an area to be avoided is discarded.

22. The media of claim 16, wherein an algorithm compares multiple routes to determine which of the multiple routes pass through the second area that is to be avoided.

23. A method for route selection in navigation devices and applications, comprising:

displaying a map of a first area on a display;

receiving an instruction to designate a second area on the map to be avoided;

displaying the second area to be avoided on the map; and

generating a route from a first point to a second point, wherein the route does not go through the second area to be avoided.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein a user is provided an option to select the second area to be avoided on the map using an avoid area symbol or an avoid area color.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving an instruction to designate a preferred area on the map; and

displaying the preferred area on the map, wherein the route passes through the preferred area.