Technique for screen-based route manipulation

• US 9,020,759 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2011
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elektrobit Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Elektrobit Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Iaccarino, Silvio
• Primary Examiner(s): Jabr, Fadey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mahne, Kevin P
• Application Number:
  US13/213,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20120053836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/533
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3676 Overview of the route on the road map
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A technique for manipulating precalculated routes on a screen is described. One aspect of the method comprises the steps of detecting a selected screen position (P) and a time period (t) of a selection operation at the screen position (P), modifying weights of the road segments in dependence on the detected screen position (P) and the time period (t), and calculating a route, manipulated in relation to the precalculated route, on the basis of the modified weights.

Claims

1. A method for manipulating a route on a screen, the route being pre-calculated between a starting point and a destination point by means of cartographic data, wherein the cartographic data comprise road segments, to which weights for route calculation are assignable, the method being performed in a route calculation apparatus of a navigation device, the apparatus being designed to perform the following steps:

detecting, by the navigation device, a selected screen position and a time period of a selection operation at the screen position;

modifying, by the navigation device, weights of road segments in dependence on the detected screen position and the time period, wherein weights of the road segments are modified in a functional relationship to their screen distances to the selected screen position; and

calculating, by the navigation device, a route between the starting point and the destination point, the route being manipulated in relation to the pre-calculated route, on the basis of the modified weights,

wherein the time period represents a duration of the selection operation, and wherein the time period determines a strength of the modification of the weights, wherein the strength of the modification increases with the time period exponentially or in another functional relationship.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the strength of the modification of the weights increases with the distance of the road segments to the selected screen position.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the weights is limited by at least one preset threshold value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modification of the weights additionally depends on a distance of the road segments to a destination point position of the pre-calculated route.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the size of a cartographic region in the vicinity of the selected screen position within which the weights of road segments are modified is set by the time period.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the extent of the cartographic region increases with the time period.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the extent of the cartographic region is limited to a map section displayed on the screen.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the modified weights within the cartographic region have a lower value in relation to the originally calculated weights.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein those road segments which have the lowest values in relation to their weights are preferred when calculating the manipulated route.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying on the screen the manipulated route, the selected screen position or the cartographic region surrounding the screen position.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the manipulated route is determined and displayed in real time.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising scaling the cartographic data displayed on the screen in dependence on the calculated manipulated route.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the screen is a touch-sensitive screen and the selection of the screen position is carried out by touching the screen.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium to store a method for manipulating a route on a screen, the route being pre-calculated between a starting point and a destination point by means of cartographic data, wherein the cartographic data comprise road segments, to which weights for route calculation are assignable, the method being performed in a computer, the computer being designed to perform the following steps:

detecting a selected screen position and a time period of a selection operation at the screen position;

modifying weights of road segments in dependence on the detected screen position and the time period, wherein weights of the road segments are modified in a functional relationship to their screen distances to the selected screen position; and

calculating a route between the starting point and the destination point, the route being manipulated in relation to the pre-calculated route, on the basis of the modified weights,

wherein the time period represents a duration of the selection operation, and wherein the time period determines a strength of the modification of the weights, wherein the strength of the modification increases with the time period exponentially or in another functional relationship.

15. An apparatus for manipulating a route on a screen, the route being pre-calculated between a starting point and a destination point by means of cartographic data, wherein the cartographic data comprise road segments, to which weights for route calculation are assignable, comprising:

a device which is configured to detect a selected screen position and a time period of a selection operation at the screen position;

a device for modifying weights of road segments in dependence on the detected screen position and the time period, wherein weights of the road segments are modified in a functional relationship to their screen distances to the selected screen position; and

a device for calculating a route between the starting point and the destination point, the route being manipulated in relation to the pre-calculated route, on the basis of the modified weights,

wherein the time period represents a duration of the selection operation, and wherein the time period determines a strength of the modification of the weights, wherein the strength of the modification increases with the time period exponentially or in another functional relationship.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a data memory for storing the cartographic data; and

a screen for displaying the manipulated route, the selected screen position or a cartographic region.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the screen is a touch-sensitive screen.

18. A navigation device, comprising an apparatus for manipulating a route on a screen, the route being pre-calculated between a starting point and a destination point by means of cartographic data, wherein the cartographic data comprise road segments, to which weights for route calculation are assignable, comprising:

a device which is configured to detect a selected screen position and a time period of a selection operation at the screen position;

a device for modifying weights of road segments in dependence on the detected screen position and the time period, wherein weights of the road segments are modified in a functional relationship to their screen distances to the selected screen position; and

a device for calculating a route between the starting point and the destination point, the route being manipulated in relation to the pre-calculated route, on the basis of the modified weights,

wherein the time period represents a duration of the selection operation, and wherein the time period determines a strength of the modification of the weights, wherein the strength of the modification increases with the time period exponentially or in another functional relationship.