Semi-autonomous route compliance navigation system and method

• US 9,217,646 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 12/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ALK Technologies Incorporated (Trimble Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ALK Technologies Incorporated (Trimble Inc.)
• Inventors: Kornhauser, Michael, Hornung, Mark, Bodden, Mike, Vodov, Igor, Fiander, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAIGE, TYLER D
• Application Number:
  US13/836,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20150253142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 701/522, 342/457
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents

Abstract

A method and system for detecting that an object, person or vehicle has deviated in space or time from its prescribed route, and guiding it back to the prescribed route, according to strictness criteria predefined by a controlling authority or authorities. The invention allows controlling authorities to pre-specify a level of strictness suiting the object, person or vehicle and purpose of travel, by which the object, person or vehicle is guided back to the prescribed route autonomously, enabling return to route according to established policies, without the necessity of further communication with controlling authorities. The method and system thus operate semi-autonomously, with strictness parameters predefined by the central authorities, and the object, person or vehicle operating with some degree of latitude within those strictness parameters.

Claims

1. A method for detecting that an object, person or vehicle which receives a travel assignment for travel remote from the supervisory control of a controlling authority has deviated from its prescribed route in space or time and guiding it back to the prescribed route according to predefined criteria of strictness established by the controlling authority, comprising the following steps:

(a) operating a mobile client device used in association with the object, person or vehicle to obtain or determine an origin location and obtain a destination location for the object person or vehicle from a controlling authority server computer;

(b) obtaining or determining at the mobile client device a prescribed route to be traversed by the object, person or vehicle, the prescribed route defined in accordance with a graph of travel routes representing a network which may be traversed by the object person or vehicle, said prescribed route determined by minimizing the impedance from the origin location to the destination location, and setting at the mobile device the current route to be traversed equal to the prescribed route;

(c) receiving at the mobile client device proximity criteria and a return-to-route criteria, each selectively assigned by the controlling authority in accordance with at least one variable which can change in accordance with the travel assignment;

(d) determining the current location of the mobile client device using at least one location determining device provided at the mobile client device;

(e) using the location determining device to determine whether the current location of the mobile client device is proximate to the current route in space and time according to the proximity criteria;

(f) if the current location of the mobile client device is proximate to the current route according to the proximity criteria, extracting and displaying with the mobile client device the next maneuver along the current route, but if the current location is not proximate to the prescribed route, operating the mobile client device to determine a current route to the destination according to a degree of strictness as selectively specified by the return-to-route criteria;

(g) repeating steps d through f until either the destination is reached or the method is interrupted.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the impedance used to determine the prescribed route and the current route is controlled via avoids and favors of links on the graph representing the network.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the avoids and favors are stored in a plurality of sets, and wherein a selection from the plurality of sets applies to a particular object, person, vehicle, cargo or route.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the proximity criteria vary according to at least one characteristic of the object, person or vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the object, person or vehicle.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the proximity criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the person or cargo being transported in the vehicle.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the person or cargo being transported in the vehicle.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the destination.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the proximity criteria or the return-to-route criteria are determined by more than one said controlling authority, and a hierarchy of authorities is used to determine which authority'"'"'s criteria will govern in a particular situation.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among any two or more of the following:

the route that returns to the point of deviation from the current location by backtracking along the route of deviation, the route that minimizes impedance from the current location to the point of deviation, the route that minimizes impedance to the nearest point on the prescribed route, the route that minimizes impedance to any of a plurality of nearby points along the prescribed route, and the route that minimizes impedance to the destination.

11. A system for detecting that an object, person or vehicle which receives a travel assignment for travel remote from the supervisory control of a controlling authority has deviated from its planned route in space or time and guiding it back to the planned route according to predefined criteria of strictness established by the controlling authority, comprising:

a server includes at least one data storage device for storing a database representing a physical network of travel routes, and includes at least one computer processing device arranged to facilitate obtaining or determining an origin location, obtaining a destination location, obtaining or determining a prescribed route from the origin location to the destination location along that network, predetermining proximity criteria, and predetermining return-to-route criteria;

a communication interface which facilitates the communication of information between the server and at least one client computing device used in association with the object, person or vehicle and remote from the server;

the client computing device configured to receive the prescribed route, the proximity criteria, and the return-to-route criteria from the server, set a current route equal to the prescribed route, and determine the client'"'"'s current location;

wherein the client computing device is configured to determines whether the current location is proximate to the current route in space and time according to the proximity criteria and if so extract and display the next maneuver along the current route, but if the current location is not proximate to the current route, then the client computing device determines the current route to the destination according to the return-to-route strictness criteria; and

wherein the proximity criteria and the return-to-route criteria are each selectively assigned by the server in accordance with at least one variable which can change in accordance with the travel assignment.

12. The system according to claim 11 wherein the server communicates to the client avoids and favors of links of the physical network, the server using these avoids and favors to determine the prescribed route to the destination, and the client using these same avoids and favors to determine the current route to the destination.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the server stores avoids and favors in a plurality of sets, and communicates to the client only those sets which apply to the particular client among a plurality of clients.

14. The system according to claim 11 wherein the proximity criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the object, person or vehicle.

15. The system according to claim 11 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the object, person or vehicle.

16. The system according to claim 11 wherein the proximity criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the person or cargo being transported in the vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 11 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the person or cargo being transported in the vehicle.

18. The system according to claim 11 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among the prescribed routes according to at least one characteristic of the destination.

19. The system according to claim 11 wherein proximity criteria or return-to-route criteria are determined by more than one controlling authority, and a hierarchy of authorities is used by the client computing device to determine which authority'"'"'s criteria will govern in a particular situation.

20. The system according to claim 11 wherein the return-to-route criteria vary among any two or more of the following:

the route that returns to the point of deviation from the current location by backtracking along the route of deviation, the route that minimizes impedance from the current location to the point of deviation, the route that minimizes impedance to the nearest point on the prescribed route, the route that minimizes impedance to any of a plurality of nearby points along the prescribed route, and the route that minimizes impedance to the destination.

21. The system according to claim 11 wherein the client stores the prescribed route, proximity criteria, and return-to-route criteria in nonvolatile memory, and upon reboot of the client, the client reads the prescribed route, proximity criteria, and return-to-route criteria from nonvolatile memory, then resumes processing by setting the current route equal to the prescribed route.

22. The system according to claim 11 wherein the client writes to nonvolatile memory a log of out of route events, such events beginning when the current location is first detected as not proximate to the prescribed route, and ending when the current location is next detected as proximate to the prescribed route.