System and method for presenting a computed route

• US 7,702,456 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Original Assignee: Scenera Technologies LLC (Scenera Research LLC)
• Inventors: Singh, Mona
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMPLE, JONATHAN L
• Application Number:
  US11/279,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20070244637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/209
• 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 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3605 Destination input or retrieval
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map

Abstract

A method for presenting a route includes receiving a starting point and a destination point and computing a route that includes a route segment between the two points. The method further includes determining, based on a user'"'"'s travel history, whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment, and identifying, based on the user'"'"'s travel history, a road that is familiar to the user and that is within a scaled range of the unfamiliar segment. The computed route and the familiar road are then presented in a format that distinguishes the familiar road from the computed route, and the familiar road is represented relative to the unfamiliar segment.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a route, the method comprising:

receiving a starting point and a destination point;

computing a route from the starting point to the destination point, wherein the computed route comprises a route segment;

determining, based on a user'"'"'s travel history, whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment;

identifying a road that is familiar to the user, based on the user'"'"'s travel history, and that is within a scaled range of the unfamiliar segment; and

presenting the computed route and the familiar road relative to the unfamiliar segment in a format that distinguishes the familiar road from the computed route.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a starting point comprises determining a present position of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a starting point and a destination point includes prompting a user to enter the starting point and the destination point.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein computing the route comprises:

retrieving mapping data from a map source; and

using the mapping data to create the computed route.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a plurality of roads on which the user has traveled and storing the plurality of traveled roads.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining the plurality of traveled roads includes using an electronic positioning system to track the user'"'"'s position while the user is traveling and using a map source to correlate the user'"'"'s position with a road.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein identifying the familiar road includes:

searching the plurality of traveled roads to identify a portion of a traveled road that falls within the scaled range of the unfamiliar segment, wherein the portion of the traveled road within the scaled range is a portion on which the user has not traveled.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein identifying the familiar road includes:

searching the plurality of traveled roads to identify a portion of a traveled road that falls within the scaled range of the unfamiliar segment, wherein the portion of the traveled road within the scaled range is a portion on which the user has traveled.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein identifying the familiar road includes:

searching the plurality of traveled roads to identify a plurality of traveled roads that fall within the scaled range of the unfamiliar segment; and

selecting the familiar road from the identified plurality of traveled roads based on a distance between each of the identified traveled roads and the unfamiliar segment and a frequency with which the user has traveled on each of the identified plurality of traveled roads.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein determining whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment includes:

determining whether any portion of the route segment matches a road that is familiar to the user; and

identifying the route segment as an unfamiliar segment when no portion of the route segment matches a road that is familiar to the user.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the computed route includes distinguishing the familiar road from the unfamiliar segment using at least one of different colors, highlighting, line thickness, labels, line styles, and line flashing.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an alternative route from the starting point to the destination point that includes the familiar road instead of the unfamiliar segment in response to the user selecting the familiar road; and

presenting the alternative route to the user.

13. A device for presenting a route, the device comprising:

means for receiving a starting point and a destination point;

means configured to compute a route from the starting point to the destination point, the route comprising a route segment;

means for determining whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment based on a user'"'"'s travel history;

means for identifying a road that is familiar to the user and that is within a scaled range of the unfamiliar segment; and

means for presenting the computed route and the familiar road relative to the unfamiliar segment in a format that distinguishes the familiar road from the computed route.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

means for tracking the user'"'"'s position while the user is traveling;

means for correlating the position of the user with a road on a map; and

storage means for storing a plurality of roads on which the user has traveled.

15. A device for presenting a route, the device comprising:

a user interface for receiving a starting point and a destination point;

a routing module configured to compute a route from the starting point to the destination point, the route comprising a route segment, to determine whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment based on the user'"'"'s travel history, and to identify a road that is familiar to the user and that is within a scaled range of the unfamiliar segment; and

a display that presents the computed route and the familiar road relative to the unfamiliar segment in a format that distinguishes the familiar road from the computed route.

16. The device of claim 15 further comprising a positioning system configured to determine the starting point based on a current position of the device.

17. The device of claim 15 further comprising:

a positioning system configured to track the user'"'"'s position while the user is traveling;

a map source configured to correlate the position of the user with a road on a map; and

a storage mechanism that stores a plurality of roads on which the user has traveled.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the routing module is further configured to search the plurality of traveled roads, to identify a plurality of traveled roads that fall within the scaled range of the unfamiliar segment, and to select the familiar road from the identified plurality of traveled roads based on a distance between each of the identified traveled roads and the unfamiliar segment and a frequency with which the user has traveled on each of the identified plurality of traveled roads.

19. The device of claim 15 wherein the display is configured to distinguish the familiar road from the unfamiliar segment using at least one of different colors, highlighting, line thickness, labels, line styles, and line flashing.

20. The device of claim 15 wherein the device is a handheld navigation system used in a vehicle operated by the user.

21. A computer readable medium containing programming instructions for presenting a route, the programming instructions for:

receiving a starting point and a destination point;

computing a route from the starting point to the destination point, wherein the computed route comprises a route segment;

determining, based on the user'"'"'s travel history, whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment;

identifying a road that is familiar to the user, based on the user'"'"'s travel history, and that is within a scaled range of the unfamiliar segment; and

presenting the computed route and the familiar road relative to the unfamiliar segment in a format that distinguishes the familiar road from the computed route.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21 further comprising instructions for determining a plurality of roads on which the user has traveled and storing the plurality of traveled roads.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22 wherein the instructions for identifying the familiar road include:

searching the plurality of traveled roads to identify a plurality of traveled roads that fall within the scaled range of the unfamiliar segment; and

selecting the familiar road from the identified plurality of traveled roads based on a distance between each of the identified traveled roads and the unfamiliar segment and a frequency with which the user has traveled on each of the identified plurality of traveled roads.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 21 wherein determining whether the route segment is an unfamiliar includes instructions for:

determining whether any portion of the route segment matches a road that is familiar to the user; and

identifying the route segment as an unfamiliar segment when no portion of the route segment matches a road that is familiar to the user.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 21 further comprising instructions for:

determining an alternative route from the starting point to the destination point that includes the familiar road instead of the unfamiliar segment in response to the user selecting the familiar road; and

presenting the alternative route to the user.