METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREDICTING DESTINATIONS

• US 20150219468A1
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Oostveen, Daan Dirk, Ziezold, Hendrik Sebastian
• Granted Patent: US 9,476,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• 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 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to a computer-implemented method of predicting a destination of a user of a mobile device, comprising selecting one or more geographic locations as a group of possible destinations based on a first location of the mobile device, determining a route from the first location to each of the geographic locations of the group of possible destinations according to one or more route planning criteria and digital map data, and updating the group of possible destinations based upon a second location of the mobile device and a change in an attribute of a route between the second location and each geographic location of the group of possible destinations.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of predicting a destination of a user of a mobile device, comprising:

selecting a plurality of geographic locations as a group of possible destinations based on a first location of the mobile device;

determining a route from the first location to each of the geographic locations of the group of possible destinations according to one or more route planning criteria and digital map data; and

updating the group of possible destinations based upon;

(i) a second location of the mobile device;

(ii) and a change in an attribute of a route between the second location and each geographic location of the group of possible destinations,

wherein the updating comprises;

removing one or more geographic locations from the group of possible destinations in response to the attribute indicating that the mobile device is travelling away from those geographic locations; and

adding one or more geographic locations to the group of possible destinations based upon the second location of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is one of a journey time or distance of the route to each geographic location in the group of possible destinations.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the removal of one or more geographic locations from the group of possible destinations is in response to the journey time exceeding a predetermined time from a lowest encountered journey duration.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating comprises determining a probability associated with each geographic location of the group of possible destinations based on the change in the attribute and a sum of all attributes of the geographic locations of the group, wherein the probability is indicative of the respective geographic location being proximal to the user'"'"'s actual destination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more geographic locations are selected according to a predetermined distance from the first location.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more geographic locations are added to the group of possible destinations according to a predetermined distance from the second location.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying on a display device an indication of each of the geographic locations of the group of possible destinations.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising displaying on the display device a representation of the digital map data including the indication of each of the geographic locations and an indication of one or more road segments forming the route to each geographic location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile device is determined by a location determining module arranged to receive global navigation satellite signals.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer software operable, when executed on a computing device, to cause one or more processors to perform the method of claim 1.

26. The method of claim 1, comprising periodically receiving updates to the digital map data and recalculating the route to each of the possible destinations using the updated digital map data.

10. An apparatus arranged to predict a destination of a user, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, accessible to the processor, storing digital map data representative of a geographic region, wherein the processor is arranged to;

select a plurality of geographic locations as a group of possible destinations based on a first location of a mobile device;

determine a route from the first location to each of the geographic locations of the group of possible destinations according to one or more route planning criteria and the digital map data; and

update the group of possible destinations based upon;

(i) a second location of the mobile device;

(ii) and a change in an attribute of a route between the second location and each geographic location of the group of possible destinations,

wherein the updating comprises;

removing one or more geographic locations from the group of possible destinations in response to the attribute indicating that the mobile device is travelling away from those geographic locations; and

adding one or more geographic locations to the group of possible destinations based upon the second location of the mobile device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the attribute is one of a journey time or distance of the route to each geographic location in the group of possible destinations.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the removal of one or more geographic locations from the group of possible destinations is in response to the journey time exceeding a predetermined time from a lowest encountered journey duration.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the updating comprises determining a probability associated with each geographic location of the group of possible destinations based on the change in the attribute and a sum of all attributes of the geographic locations of the group, wherein the probability is indicative of the respective geographic location being proximal to the user'"'"'s actual destination.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more geographic locations are selected according to a predetermined distance from the first location.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more geographic locations are added to the group of possible destinations according to a predetermined distance from the second location.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is arranged to display on a display device a representation of the digital map data including an indication of each of the geographic locations and an indication of one or more road segments forming the route to each geographic location.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is a server computer, and wherein the server computer is arranged to receive trace data from one or more mobile devices and to determine the location of each mobile device therefrom.

21. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and wherein the processor is arranged to determine the location of the mobile device from received global navigation satellite signals.

16. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

22-23. -23. (canceled)

25. (canceled)