GPS navigation

• US 8,538,684 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boyer, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): LANG, MICHAEL DEAN
• Application Number:
  US13/093,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 701/412, 701/468, 701/532, 701/533, 701/416
• US Class Current: 701/416
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

A method of GPS navigation includes receiving a request for a new route, determining the new route, removing known GPS signal-loss areas from the new route to create a loss-free route, and providing the loss-free route.

Claims

1. A method of GPS navigation, comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a request for a new route;

determining the new route;

removing, via a hardware processor, known GPS signal-loss areas from the new route to create a loss-free route; and

providing the loss-free route.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the loss-free route is traversable, and responsive to determining the loss-free route is not traversable, adding a traversable segment of at least one of the known signal-loss areas to the loss-free route.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the request includes receiving a desired geographic destination; and

determining the new route includes determining a route from a current geographic location of a navigation device to the desired geographic destination or determining a route from a default starting geographic location to the desired geographic destination.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein removing known GPS signal-loss areas from the new route includes retrieving signal loss information, and removing segments of the new route associated with the signal loss information.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising replacing the removed segments with new segments outside at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas to create the loss free route.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising replacing the removed segments with new segments within at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas if no appropriate segments exist outside the at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether a traversable route exists outside at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas which is of a length less than a predetermined threshold length, and responsive to determining that a traversable route does not exist, replacing the removed segments with new segments within at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas to reduce a length of the loss-free route.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a GPS signal has been lost by a navigation device, and responsive to determining the GPS signal has been lost, recording a last known geographic location of the navigation device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein if the GPS signal has been lost, providing a simulated navigation mode at the navigation device.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising, responsive to determining the GPS signal has been lost and subsequently regained, recording a new geographic location of the navigation device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising transmitting the last known geographic location of the navigation device and the new geographic location of the navigation device to a signal-loss area database configured to provide signal-loss information to navigation devices.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, removing, and providing is provided as a service by a software-as-a-service capable environment.

13. A navigation device, comprising a processor configured to execute computer executable instructions that direct the processor to perform a method of GPS navigation, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a new route;

determining the new route;

removing known GPS signal-loss areas from the new route to create a loss-free route; and

providing the loss-free route.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein removing known GPS signal-loss areas from the new route includes retrieving signal loss information, and removing segments of the new route associated with the signal loss information.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises replacing the removed segments with new segments outside at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas to create the loss free route.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises replacing the removed segments with new segments within at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas if no appropriate segments exist outside the at least one boundary of the known signal-loss areas.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises determining whether a GPS signal has been lost by the navigation device, and responsive to determining the GPS signal has been lost, recording a last known geographic location of the navigation device.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein if the GPS signal has been lost, the method further comprises providing a simulated navigation mode at the navigation device.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises, responsive to determining the GPS signal has been lost and subsequently regained, recording a new geographic location of the navigation device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises transmitting the last known geographic location of the navigation device and the new geographic location of the navigation device to a signal-loss information database configured to provide signal-loss information to navigation devices.