Method of operating a navigation system to provide route guidance
First Claim
1. A computer implemented method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for a vehicle traveling a route comprising at least one road segment, the method comprising:
- obtaining data from a geographic database associated with the navigation system identifying a plurality of features visible from the road segment;
identifying a direction of the vehicle and a current lane of the road segment in which the vehicle is currently located from among a plurality of lanes for traffic in the direction of the vehicle;
determining, using a processor, an importance rating for each of the identified features, wherein the importance rating considers a visual uniqueness rating for each of the identified features, wherein the visual uniqueness rating indicates how visually distinctive the identified feature is compared to surrounding features and considers a permanence of the identified feature or a seasonal dependency of the identified feature, wherein the permanence of the identified feature indicates whether a visible appearance of the identified feature is constant, wherein the seasonal dependency of the identified feature indicates whether the visible appearance of the identified feature is impacted by a season;
adjusting the importance rating for each of the identified features to obtain an adjusted rating to favor the identified feature closest to the current lane in which the vehicle is currently located; and
providing the guidance message referencing the identified feature having a highest adjusted rating.
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Abstract
A method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for traveling a route is disclosed. A plurality of features visible from a road segment of the route is obtained from a geographic database associated with the navigation system. An importance rating for each of the identified features is determined. The guidance message references the identified feature having a highest determined importance rating. The importance rating considers a permanence or a seasonal dependency of the identified feature. The importance rating is adjusted to favor the identified feature closest to the lane in which the vehicle is currently located.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A computer implemented method of operating a navigation system to provide a route guidance message for a vehicle traveling a route comprising at least one road segment, the method comprising:
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obtaining data from a geographic database associated with the navigation system identifying a plurality of features visible from the road segment; identifying a direction of the vehicle and a current lane of the road segment in which the vehicle is currently located from among a plurality of lanes for traffic in the direction of the vehicle; determining, using a processor, an importance rating for each of the identified features, wherein the importance rating considers a visual uniqueness rating for each of the identified features, wherein the visual uniqueness rating indicates how visually distinctive the identified feature is compared to surrounding features and considers a permanence of the identified feature or a seasonal dependency of the identified feature, wherein the permanence of the identified feature indicates whether a visible appearance of the identified feature is constant, wherein the seasonal dependency of the identified feature indicates whether the visible appearance of the identified feature is impacted by a season; adjusting the importance rating for each of the identified features to obtain an adjusted rating to favor the identified feature closest to the current lane in which the vehicle is currently located; and providing the guidance message referencing the identified feature having a highest adjusted rating. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A navigation system comprising:
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a processor; a geographic database associated with the processor; and a guidance application program executed on the processor to provide a guidance message for traveling a route comprising at least one road segment, wherein the guidance application program obtains data from the geographic database identifying a plurality of features visible from the road segment, determines a direction of an upcoming maneuver and a current lane of a vehicle from a plurality of lanes for traffic in the direction of the upcoming maneuver, determines an importance rating for each of the identified features and provides the guidance message referencing the identified feature having a highest determined importance rating, wherein the importance rating favors the identified feature located on a same side of the road segment based on the direction of the upcoming maneuver and the current lane of the vehicle, wherein the importance rating includes a visual uniqueness rating for each of the identified features, wherein the visual uniqueness rating indicates how visually distinctive the identified feature is compared to surrounding features. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A computer implemented method of operating a navigation system to provide a guidance message, the method comprising:
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obtaining data from a geographic database associated with the navigation system to identify a plurality of features visible from a road segment; determining a direction of travel and a current lane of a vehicle from a plurality of lanes for traffic in the direction of travel; determining, using a processor, a visual uniqueness rating for each of the identified features, wherein the visual uniqueness rating indicates how visually distinctive the identified feature is compared to surrounding features and considers the current lane of the vehicle, wherein the visual uniqueness rating for each of the identified features considers a current lighting condition, a current traffic condition, a current type of end user or a current weather condition; and providing the guidance message referencing the identified feature having a greatest visual uniqueness rating. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification