Method and apparatus of route determination

• US 8,504,285 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2009
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Vepslinen, Ari M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuelling, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/467,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/410
• US Class Current: 701/410
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3453 Special cost functions, i.e. other than distance or default speed limit of road segments

Abstract

An approach is provided for off-road navigation. A starting point and a destination point to assist a user in navigating are received. A path from the starting point to the destination point using a vector function that represents cost of each area along the path is determined. The cost is based on direction from where the corresponding area is entered by the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a starting point and a destination point to assist a user in navigating; and

determining with one or more processors a path from the starting point to the destination point using a vector function that represents a cost of each area along the path, wherein the cost of each area along the path is based on direction from where the corresponding area is entered by the user,

wherein the vector function that represents a cost of each area along the path includes parameters for at least terrain, current temperature, predicted temperature, current wind speed and direction, and predicted wind speed and direction.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the vector function further includes at least a user preference parameter that accounts for ease of traversing the path by the user.

3. A method of claim 2, further comprising:

initiating presentation of a menu of options relating to degrees of difficulty of traversing the path.

4. A method of claim 2, wherein another user preference parameter specifies either mode of transportation of the user along the path, garment or equipment available to the user, fitness level of the user, experience level in navigating, or a combination thereof.

5. A method of claim 4, wherein the user is a part of a group of users, the method further comprising:

determining a group preference parameter to be computed by the vector function.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the vector function further includes a parameter relating to hazardous condition.

7. A method of claim 1, wherein the vector function further includes a parameter specifying a penalty in terms of cost depending on distance away from the path.

8. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving an image including the starting point and the destination point,

wherein each area corresponds to one or more pixels of the image.

9. A method of claim 1,

wherein the parameters are used in a multi-cost mask to define the costs of each area along the path, the method further comprising:

calculating a distance transform of the multi-cost mask to provide estimated paths between the starting point and the destination point based on the cost; and

determining an optimized path using an Approximated Euclidean Distance Transform that uses a heuristic function h(x) as cost and that sets a penalty depending on distance from an approximated path.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following, receive a starting point and a destination point to assist a user in navigating, and determine a path from the starting point to the destination point using a vector function that represents a cost of each area along the path, wherein the cost of each area along the path is based on direction from where the corresponding area is entered by the user,

wherein the vector function that represents a cost of each area along the path includes parameters for at least terrain, current temperature, predicted temperature, current wind speed and direction, and predicted wind speed and direction.

11. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the vector function further includes at least a user preference parameter that accounts for ease of traversing the path by the user.

12. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus is further caused to initiate presentation of a menu of options relating to degrees of difficulty of traversing the path.

13. An apparatus of claim 11, wherein another user preference parameter specifies either mode of transportation of the user along the path, garment or equipment available to the user, fitness level of the user, experience level in navigating, or a combination thereof.

14. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the user is a part of a group of users, the apparatus is further caused to determine a group preference parameter to be computed by the vector function.

15. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the vector function further includes a parameter relating to hazardous condition.

16. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the vector function further includes a parameter specifying a penalty in terms of cost depending on distance away from the path.

17. An apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is further caused to retrieve an image including the starting point and the destination point, wherein each area corresponds to one or more pixels of the image.

18. An apparatus of claim 10,

wherein the parameters are used in a multi-cost mask to define the costs of each area along the path, the method further comprising:

calculating a distance transform of the multi-cost mask to provide estimated paths between the starting point and the destination point based on the cost; and

determining an optimized path using an Approximated Euclidean Distance Transform that uses a heuristic function h(x) as cost and that sets a penalty depending on distance from an approximated path.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to perform at least the following:

receiving a starting point and a destination point to assist a user in navigating; and

determining a path from the starting point to the destination point using a vector function that represents a cost of each area along the path, wherein the cost of each area along the path is based on direction from where the corresponding area is entered by the user,

wherein the vector function that represents a cost of each area along the path includes parameters for at least terrain, current temperature, predicted temperature, current wind speed and direction, and predicted wind speed and direction.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the vector function includes a group preference parameter that accounts for ease of traversing the path by a group of users including the user.