Apparatus, system, and method for autonomously determining a set of destinations

• US 8,566,028 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Issued: 10/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bradicich, Thomas Michael, Harper, Richard Edwin, Piazza, William Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US11/563,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• Field of Search: 711/212, 701/211, 701/117, 701/208, 701/207, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/206, 235/384, 340/905, 340/932.2, 704/275
• US Class Current: 701/426
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for autonomously determining a set of destinations. A landmark module stores a plurality of landmarks from a database. An identification module identifies a first current location and direction of the vehicle. In response to receiving a help command from the help button, a destination module determines a first set of destinations from the plurality of landmarks, the first current location, and the first current direction. A prompt module audibly prompts a driver to navigate the vehicle to the first set of destinations. A navigation module determines if the driver is navigating towards the first direction. In response to the driver not navigating the vehicle toward at least one destination of the first set of destinations, the navigation module may direct the identification module to identify a second current location and direction of the vehicle and the destination module to determine a second set of destinations.

Claims

1. An apparatus to autonomously determine and guide a driver to potential destinations, the apparatus comprising:

a landmark module configured to store a plurality of landmarks from a database, the landmarks comprising one or more of landmarks passed by a vehicle within a specified interval, landmarks where the vehicle has stopped for a specified time period, and landmarks with a specified interest distance from the vehicle;

an identification module configured to identify a first current location and a first current direction of the vehicle;

a destination module configured to, in response to the first current location and direction of the vehicle, autonomously determine a first plurality of potential destinations, the first plurality of potential destinations determined from the plurality of landmarks, the first current location, and the first current direction; and

a prompt module configured to audibly prompt a driver with an audible navigation prompt for each of the first plurality of potential destinations, at least one audible navigation prompt thereof comprising a turning instruction for driving to a particular destination of the plurality of potential destinations

wherein the identification module, destination module, and prompt module are responsive to a user issuing a help command by one or more of pushing a help button and verbally selecting the help command and the destination module is configured to determine the plurality of potential destinations while the apparatus is operating currently without the user programming the apparatus with a destination, wherein the landmark module, the identification module, the destination module, and the prompt module comprise of a logic hardware.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a navigation module configured to determine if the driver is navigating toward any of the first plurality of potential destinations and to direct the identification module to identify a second current location and direction of the vehicle, the destination module further configured to receive the second current location and direction of the vehicle and autonomously determine a second plurality of potential destinations from the plurality of landmarks, the second current location, and the second current direction, and the prompt module further configured to audibly prompt the driver with an audible navigation prompt for each of the second plurality of potential destinations.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the landmark module is configured to store the plurality of landmarks independent of the user programming the apparatus with a destination.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a particular potential destination of the plurality of potential destinations is not located toward a current direction of travel or on a pre-selected route and wherein the prompt module audibly prompts the driver with at least one audible navigation prompt comprising a turning instruction away from the current direction of travel, the turning instruction for driving to the particular potential destination.

4. A processor program product comprising a processor useable medium having a processor readable program, wherein the processor readable program when executed on a processor causes the processor to:

store a plurality of landmarks from a database, the landmarks comprising one or more of landmarks passed by a vehicle within a specified interval, landmarks where the vehicle has stopped for a specified time period, and landmarks with a specified interest distance from the vehicle;

identify a first current location and a first current direction of the vehicle;

in response to the first current location and direction of the vehicle, autonomously determining a first plurality of potential destinations, the first plurality of potential destinations determined from the plurality of landmarks, the first current location, and the first current direction; and

audibly prompt a driver with an audible navigation prompt for each of the first plurality of potential destinations, at least one audible navigation prompt thereof comprising a turning instruction for driving to a particular destination of the plurality of potential destinations

wherein the identifying a first current location and a direction of the vehicle, determining a first plurality of potential destinations, and prompting the driver are responsive to a user issuing a help command by one or more of pushing a help button and verbally selecting the help command and wherein determining the plurality of potential destinations occurs while the apparatus is operating currently without the user programming the apparatus with a destination.

5. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the processor readable code is further configured to cause the processor to identify a second current location and direction of the vehicle, and receive the second current location and direction of the vehicle and autonomously determine a second plurality of potential destinations from the plurality of landmarks, the second current location, and the second current direction, and audibly prompt the driver with an audible navigation prompt for each of the second plurality of potential destinations.

6. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the processor readable code is further configured to cause the processor to classify at least one location if the vehicle is regularly parked in the at least one location during at least one specified time block.

7. The processor program product of claim 6, wherein the processor readable code is further configured to cause the processor to classify the at least one location by:

storing parked locations during a specified time block;

ranking the parked locations by frequency;

determining a high ranked parked location satisfies a classification criteria; and

classifying the high ranked location.

8. The processor program product of claim 6, wherein the specified time block is an evening time block and the high ranked location is classified as a home location.

9. The processor program product of claim 6, wherein the specified time block is a daytime block and the high ranked location is classified as an office location.

10. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the processor readable code is further configured to cause the processor to select the first set of destinations from a home location, an office location, a main road, and a back track location.

11. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the specified interval is one of a time interval prior to a stop interval and a distance interval prior to a stop interval.

12. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the specified interval is a time interval and wherein the landmarks comprise landmarks passed by a vehicle within the specified time interval.

13. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the processor readable code is further configured to cause the processor to audibly identify approaching roads.

14. The processor program product of claim 4, wherein the specified interest distance is calculated as a landmark'"'"'s interest weight divided by a distance to the landmark.

15. A system to autonomously determine and guide a driver to potential destinations, the system comprising:

a global positioning device configured to determine locations for a vehicle;

a database configured to store landmarks;

a help button configured to issue a help command in response to a driver depressing the help button;

a memory module configured to store processor readable programs;

a processor configured to execute the processor readable programs and comprising;

a landmark module configured to store a plurality of landmarks from the database, the landmarks comprising one or more of landmarks passed by a vehicle within a specified interval, landmarks where the vehicle has stopped for a specified time period, and landmarks with a specified interest distance from the vehicle;

an identification module configured to identify a first current location and a first current direction of the vehicle;

a destination module configured to, autonomously determine a first plurality of potential destinations from the plurality of landmarks, the first current location, and the first current direction in response to receiving the help command from the help button; and

a prompt module configured to audibly prompt the driver to navigate the vehicle to the first set of destinations with an audible navigation prompt for each of the first plurality of potential destinations, at least one audible navigation prompt thereof comprising a turning instruction for driving to a particular destination of the plurality of potential destinations

wherein the identification module, destination module, and prompt module are responsive to the user pushing the help button and the destination module is configured to determine the plurality of potential destinations while the apparatus is operating currently without the user programming the apparatus with a destination.

16. The system of claim 15, the processor further comprising a navigation module configured to determine if the driver is navigating toward any of the first plurality of destinations and to direct the identification module to identify a second current location and direction of the vehicle, the destination module further configured to receive the second current location and direction of the vehicle and autonomously determine a second plurality of potential destinations from the plurality of landmarks, the second current location, and the second current direction, and the prompt module further configured to audibly prompt the driver with an audible navigation prompt for each of the second plurality of potential destinations.

17. A method for autonomously determining a set of destinations and guiding a user to potential destinations, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of landmarks from a database, the landmarks comprising one or more of landmarks passed by a vehicle within a specified interval, landmarks where the vehicle has stopped for a specified time period, and landmarks with a specified interest distance from the vehicle;

receiving a help command from a help button depressed by a driver;

identifying a first current location and direction of the vehicle, via a global positioning system (“

GPS”

),;

in response to the first current location and direction of the vehicle, autonomously determining a first plurality of potential destinations, the first plurality of potential destinations determined from the plurality of landmarks, the first current location, and the first current direction;

audibly prompting the driver with an audible navigation prompt for each of the first plurality of potential destinations, at least one audible navigation prompt thereof comprising a turning instruction for driving to a particular destination of the plurality of potential destinations; and

determining, using a processor, if the driver is navigating toward any of the plurality of potential destinations

wherein the identifying a first current location and a direction of the vehicle, determining a first plurality of potential destinations, and prompting the driver are responsive to a user issuing a help command by one or more of pushing a help button and verbally selecting the help command and wherein determining the plurality of potential destinations occurs while the apparatus is operating currently without the user programming the apparatus with a destination.