Method and apparatus for hybrid routing using breadcrumb paths

• US 8,498,808 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2008
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: MiTAC International Corporation (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Vavrus, Jon L., Clark, Brant Miller
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Bao Long T
• Application Number:
  US12/016,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/417
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3685 the POI's being parking facilities
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/143 inside the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/144 on portable or mobile units, e.g. personal digital assistant [PDA]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/146 where the parking area is a limited parking space, e.g. parking garage, restricted space
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/147 where the parking area is within an open public zone, e.g. city centre
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

A method and apparatus for routing using a positioning device and a map having a plurality of segments; generating a first route from a first location to a second location; generating signals to provide directions along the first route using positioning information from the positioning device; detecting that the positioning device is off-route at a third location, the third location being adjacent to the first route; generating a second route by tracking the position of the positioning device from the third location to to a fourth location, and, in some cases, storing the second route for use in route generation.

Claims

1. A method for routing using a positioning device and a map having a plurality of segments the method comprising:

generating a first route from a first location to a second location;

generating signals to provide directions along the first route using positioning information from the positioning device;

detecting that the positioning device is off-route at a third location, the third location being adjacent to the first route and the third location representing an entrance to a parking lot; and

generating a second route by tracking the position of the positioning device from the third location to a fourth location located near the second location, the fourth location representing a parking spot of a parked vehicle within the parking lot and being on one of the plurality of segments of the map.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the second route as one or more supplemental segments in the map.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating a third route from the second location to the first location using the second route and a portion of the first route, the third route including the third location and the fourth location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the fourth location is the same location as the second location.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the fourth location is a point along the first route between the first location and the second location.

6. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

disabling use of supplemental segments in the map; and

generating a third route using point-to-point routing from the second location to the first location using the first route without using any portion of the second route.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating a third route from a fifth location to a sixth location, the third route comprising at least a portion of the second route.

8. A positioning device using a map having a plurality of segments, the positioning device comprising:

a program for generating a first route from a first location to a second location;

a program for generating signals to provide directions along the first route using positioning information from the positioning device;

a program for detecting that the positioning device is off-route at a third location, the third location being adjacent to the first route and the third location representing an entrance to a parking lot; and

a program for generating a second route by tracking the position of the positioning device from the third location to a fourth location located near the second location, the fourth location representing a parking spot of a parked vehicle within the parking lot and being on one of the plurality of segments of the map.

9. The positioning device of claim 8 further comprising a module for storing the second route as one or more supplemental segments in the map.

10. The positioning device of claim 8 further comprising a program for generating a third route from the second location to the first location using the second route and a portion of the first route, the third route including the third location and the fourth location.

11. The positioning device of claim 8 wherein the fourth location is the same location as the second location.

12. The positioning device of claim 8 wherein the fourth location is a point along the first route between the first location and the second location.

13. The positioning device of claim 8 further comprising:

a program for disabling use of supplemental segments in the map; and

a program for generating a third route using point-to-point routing from the second location to the first location using the first route without using any portion of the second route.

14. The positioning device of claim 8 further comprising a program for generating a third route from a fifth location to a sixth location, the third route comprising at least a portion of the second route.

15. A machine-readable medium that provides instructions for a processor, which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

generating a first route from a first location to a second location;

generating signals to provide directions along the first route using positioning information from the positioning device;

detecting that the positioning device is off-route at a third location, the third location being adjacent to the first route and the third location representing an entrance to a parking lot; and

generating a second route by tracking the position of the positioning device from the third location to a fourth location located near the second location, the fourth location representing a parking spot of a parked vehicle within the parking lot and being on one of the plurality of segments of the map.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising storing the second route as one or more supplemental segments in the map.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising generating a third route from the second location to the first location using the second route and a portion of the first route, the third route including the third location and the fourth location.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the fourth location is the same location as the second location.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the fourth location is a point along the first route between the first location and the second location.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 further comprising generating a third route from a fifth location to a sixth location, the third route comprising at least a portion of the second route.