Rendering road signs during navigation

• US 9,482,296 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lemay, Stephen O., Pylappan, Seejo K., van Os, Marcel, Habeck, Harold O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Assistant Examiner(s): INGRAM, THOMAS P
• Application Number:
  US13/632,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,493 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 41/063 the intermediate members wedging by moving along the inner and the outer surface without pivoting or rolling, e.g. sliding wedges F16D41/061 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3626 Details of the output of route guidance instructions traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3632 Guidance using simplified or iconic instructions, e.g. using arrows G01C21/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3635 Guidance using 3D or perspective road maps
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3673 Labelling using text of road map data items, e.g. road names, POI names
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a navigation application that presents road signs during a navigation presentation. In presenting the road signs, the application of some embodiments differentiates the appearance of road signs at junctions that require a change of direction from road signs at junctions that do not require a change of direction. The application may perform processes that ensure that it arranges the road signs on the map in an aesthetically pleasing manner. In addition, the navigation application of some embodiments does not display too many road signs along the navigated route so that the route is not by occluded by too many road signs.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one processing unit, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

on a display screen, displaying a navigation presentation showing a route that is being navigated;

identifying different junctions along the navigated route;

displaying a plurality of navigation banners on the display screen, each navigation banner providing navigation instructions for a corresponding junction along the navigated route; and

displaying a plurality of road signs on the display screen by;

displaying a first set of road signs with a first appearance for roads on the navigated route, wherein a number of road signs in the displayed first set does not exceed a maximum threshold; and

when the number of road signs in the displayed first set of road signs is below a minimum threshold, displaying a second set of road signs with a second appearance for at least a subset of roads that are not on the navigated route but intersect the roads on the navigated route.

2. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the plurality of road signs comprises a set of instructions for specifying a first color for the road signs displayed with the first appearance and a second different color for the road signs displayed with the second appearance.

3. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the plurality of road signs comprises a set of instructions for distributing the road signs on alternating sides about the navigated route.

4. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for categorizing roads on or near the navigated route into multiple different tiers, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the plurality of road signs comprises a set of instructions for using the categorized road tiers to identify road signs for roads along the navigated route to display.

5. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 4, wherein the set of instructions for categorizing the roads comprises a set of instructions for categorizing the roads on the navigated route as first tier roads.

6. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the different junctions comprises a set of instructions for identifying different junctions in the first tier roads.

7. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the set of instructions for categorizing the roads comprises a set of instructions for categorizing the roads that intersect with the navigated route as second tier roads.

8. A method for a navigation application that executes on a device, the method comprising:

on a display screen, displaying a navigation presentation showing a route that is being navigated;

identifying different junctions along the navigated route; and

displaying a plurality of navigation banners on the display screen, each navigation banner providing navigation instructions for a corresponding junction along the navigated route; and

displaying a plurality of road signs on the display screen by;

displaying a first set of road signs with a first appearance for roads on the navigated route, wherein a number of road signs in the displayed first set does not exceed a maximum threshold; and

when the number of road signs in the displayed first set of road signs is below a minimum threshold, displaying a second set of road signs with a second appearance for at least a subset of roads that are not on the navigated route but intersect the roads on the navigated route.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of road signs comprises specifying a first color for the road signs displayed with the first appearance and a second different color is specified for the road signs displayed with the second appearance.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the plurality of road signs comprises distributing the road signs on alternating sides about the navigated route.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising categorizing roads on or near the navigated route into multiple different tiers, and

wherein displaying the plurality of road signs comprises using the categorized road tiers to identify road signs for roads along the navigated route to display.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein categorizing the roads comprises categorizing the roads on the navigated route as first tier roads.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the different junctions comprises identifying different junctions in the first tier roads.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein categorizing the roads comprises categorizing the roads that intersect with the navigated route as second tier roads.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein categorizing the roads further comprises categorizing all roads that intersect or overlap with the second tier roads as third tier roads.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein categorizing the roads further comprises categorizing the roads as third tier roads when the roads are within a threshold distance of the navigated route or when the roads are reachable from the navigated route within a threshold time.

17. An electronic device comprising:

a set of processing units for executing sets of instructions; and

a non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by at least one of the processing units, the program comprising sets of instructions for;

on a display screen, displaying a navigation presentation showing a route that is being navigated;

identifying different junctions along the navigated route;

displaying a plurality of navigation banners on the display screen, each navigation banner providing navigation instructions for a corresponding junction along the navigated route; and

displaying a plurality of road signs on the display screen by;

displaying a set of road signs with a first appearance for roads on the navigated route, wherein a number of road signs in the displayed first set does not exceed a maximum threshold; and

when the number of road signs in the displayed first set of road signs is below a minimum threshold, displaying a second set of road signs with a second appearance for at least a subset of roads that are not on the navigated route but intersect the roads on the navigated route.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the plurality of road signs comprises a set of instructions for specifying a first color for the plurality of road signs displayed with the first appearance and a second different color for the road signs displayed with the second appearance.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the plurality of road signs comprises a set of instructions for distributing the road signs on alternating sides about the navigated route.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the program further comprises a set of instructions for categorizing roads on or near the navigated route into multiple different tiers, and

wherein the set of instructions for displaying the plurality of road signs comprises a set of instructions for using the categorized road tiers to identify road signs for roads along the navigated route to display.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the set of instructions for categorizing the roads comprises a set of instructions for categorizing the roads on the navigated route as first tier roads.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions for identifying the different junctions comprises a set of instructions for identifying different junctions in the first tier roads.

23. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein the set of instructions for categorizing the roads further comprises a set of instructions for categorizing the roads that intersect with the navigated route as second tier roads.

24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the set of instructions for categorizing the roads further comprises a set of instructions for categorizing all roads that intersect or overlap with the second tier roads as third tier roads when the roads are within a threshold distance of the navigated route or when the roads are reachable from the navigated route within a threshold time.