Route planning system for vehicles

• US 9,008,955 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2009
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Tate, Edward D. Jr., Massoll, Charles A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amsdell, Dana
• Application Number:
  US12/435,691
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,170 Days
• US Class Current: 701/123
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3469 Fuel consumption; Energy use; Emission aspects

Abstract

A navigation system includes a user-operable input device configured to receive a desired destination. A storage medium stores a map database that describes a road network comprising route segments. The map database includes, for each of the route segments, a respective attribute value and a respective energy cost. A processor is configured to analyze the route segments in the database in accordance with a predetermined optimization algorithm that considers both the attribute values and the energy costs of the route segments in order to select a combination of route segments from the database that interconnects a starting location and the destination.

Claims

1. A method of improving the functioning of a navigation system, the navigation system including a user-operable input device, a storage medium, and a processor in electronic communication with the user-operable input device and the storage medium, the method comprising:

receiving a starting location;

receiving a predetermined destination via the user-operable input device;

receiving a weighting variable value from a user via the user-operable input device, wherein the weighting variable value is between zero and one;

accessing a map database stored in the storage medium, the map database describing a road network comprising route segments, wherein said map database includes a single attribute value for each of the route segments and a single energy cost for each of the route segments;

analyzing, via the processor, the route segments in the map database in accordance with a predetermined optimization algorithm that determines a respective route cost for each route segment by scaling the attribute value and the energy cost and then adding the attribute value and the energy cost, wherein scaling includes;

multiplying the attribute value by the weighting variable value received from the user via the user-operable input device;

subtracting the weighting variable value from one;

multiplying the energy cost by the subtraction of the weighting variable value from one; and

determining, via the processor, the combination of route segments from the database that cooperate to form a route that interconnects the starting location and the destination having the lowest total of route costs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute values are time costs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization algorithm solves for, of the possible combinations of route segments interconnecting the starting location and the destination, that combination of route segments having the lowest summation of a mathematical expression that includes attribute value and energy cost.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising communicating the combination of route segments to an output device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the database stores the attribute values of said route segments;

and

wherein the method further comprises determining the energy costs of the road segments from the stored attribute values.