Apparatus and method for generating a path

• US 9,183,249 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Park, Cheol-Woo, Kwon, Soon-Sung, Kim, Hyun Mi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Truong
• Application Number:
  US13/617,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 707/724, 707/716
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2428 Query predicate definition using graphical user interfaces, including menus and forms G06F16/2423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 Query processing

Abstract

One aspect of the invention provides a method for generating a path. The method includes: storing, in a storing unit, at least one path for each arbitrarily set section; setting, in a path setting unit, a main path from an origination to a destination input from a user and then displaying the main path through a display unit; searching, in a path generating unit, for at least one recommended path for one or more sections corresponding to a theme selected from the user and then displaying a searched recommended path through the display unit; receiving, in an input unit, a selection of one or more recommended paths; and generating, in the path generating unit, a final path based on the selection of one or more recommended paths for the one or more sections.

Claims

1. A method for generating a path, comprising:

storing, in a storing unit, at least one path for each arbitrarily set section among a plurality of sections;

setting, in a path setting unit, a main path having the plurality of sections from an origin to a destination input from a user and then displaying the main path through a display unit;

searching, in a path generating unit, for at least one recommended path for each of the plurality of sections corresponding to a theme selected by the user;

recommending, in the path generating unit, at least one path that deviates from each of the plurality of sections in the main path and corresponds to the theme selected by the user;

displaying, by the display unit, the at least one recommended path that deviates from each of the plurality of sections in the main path and corresponds to the theme selected by the user concurrently with the main path;

receiving, in an input unit, a selection of one or more of the at least one recommended path for one or more of the plurality of sections; and

generating, in the path generating unit, a final path based on the selection of the one or more of the at least one recommended path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the step of generating of the final path, each of the sections of the main path is arbitrarily selected for inclusion in the final path where the at least one recommended path was not selected by the user for the corresponding section.

3. The method claim 1, further comprising displaying, in the display unit, the final path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in the setting of the main path step, the main path is set based on previously-stored paths.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in the storing step, paths uploaded by other users are stored.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the main path is initially set in the setting step as an optimal path from the origin to the destination.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the optimal path minimizes one or more selected from the group consisting of:

distance, travel time, and fuel consumption.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a degree of deviation from the main path proposed in the setting step to the at least one recommended path for each of the sections is displayed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the degree of deviation is expressed in terms of one or more selected from the group consisting of:

distance, travel time, and fuel consumption.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one recommended path is extended to connect with one or more other sections.

11. An apparatus for generating path, the apparatus comprising:

a storing unit configured for storing at least one path SOI for each arbitrarily set section among a plurality of sections;

an input unit configured for receiving an origin and a destination input from a user, receiving a theme selected by the user, and receiving a selection of one or more of at least one recommended path for one or more of the plurality of sections corresponding to the selected theme from the user;

a path setting unit configured for setting a main path having the plurality of sections from the origin to the destination input through the input unit;

a display unit configured for displaying the main path set by the path setting unit, a theme list, each of the sections corresponding to the selected theme, and the at least one recommended path that deviates from each of the plurality of section in the main path and correspond to the theme selected by the user concurrently with the main path; and

a path generating unit configured for searching for the at least one recommended path in the plurality of sections corresponding to the selected theme from the storing unit to transfer the at least one recommended path to the display unit, recommending at least one path that deviates from each of the plurality of sections in the main path and corresponds to the theme selected by the user, and generating a final path based on the selection of the one or more of the at least recommended path corresponding to the theme selected through the input unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the path generating unit arbitrarily selects each of the sections of the main path for inclusion in the final path where the at least one recommend path was not selected by the user for the corresponding section.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the display unit further performs a function of displaying the final path generated by the path generating unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the path setting unit sets the main path based on paths previously-stored in the storing unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the storing unit stores paths uploaded by other users.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the path setting unit is further configured to initially set the main path as an optimal path from the origin to the destination.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the optimal path minimizes one or more selected from the group consisting of:

distance, travel time, and fuel consumption.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the display unit is further configured to display a degree of deviation from the main path to the at least one recommended path for each of the sections.