Simplified audio navigation instructions

• US 9,644,983 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kandangath, Anil K., Tu, Xiaoyuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jos, Basil T
• Application Number:
  US14/054,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20150106012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 701432
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3667 Display of a road map G01C21/3614 takes precedence; guidance using 3D or perspective road maps G01C21/3635

Abstract

In some implementations, a mobile device can be configured to provide simplified audio navigation instructions. The simplified audio navigation instructions can provide a reduced set of audio navigation instructions so that the audio instructions are only presented to the user when the user wishes to or needs to hear the instructions. A user can enable the simplified audio navigation instructions. The simplified audio navigation instructions can be enabled automatically. The simplified audio navigation instructions can be configured with rules for when to present audio navigation instructions. For example, the rules can specify that audio navigation instructions are to be provided for complex road segments, a user defined portion of a route, or specified road types, among other criteria. The mobile device can be configured with exceptions to the rules such that audio navigation instructions can be presented when the user has, for example, deviated from a defined route.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device, a user selection of a control setting associated with presenting, for routes determined by the mobile device, audio navigation instructions for portions of the routes;

obtaining a route between a starting location and a destination location;

determining that the mobile device is configured, based on the user selection of the control setting, to present audio navigation instructions for a first portion of the route;

determining that the mobile device is configured, based on the user selection of the control setting, not to present audio navigation instructions for a second portion of the route, wherein the second portion of the route is determined based on a user-specified distance from the destination location;

determining a location of the mobile device along the route; and

presenting, by the mobile device, audio navigation instructions when the location of the mobile device corresponds to the first portion of the route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route are determined based on a user-specified radius around the starting location or the destination location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the route is determined based on a user-specified distance from the starting location or the destination location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route are determined based on a user-specified road type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route are determined based on an automatically determined complexity of the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the complexity of the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route is computed based on a number of turns per unit of distance along the route.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein computing the complexity of the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route comprises:

computing a number of turns per unit of distance along a portion of the route;

comparing the computed number of turns to a threshold value; and

identifying the portion of the route as one of the first portion or the second portion based on the comparison.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the complexity of the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route is determined based on historical navigation errors.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the historical navigation errors are determined from historical navigation data collected from a plurality of mobile devices.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the complexity of the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route comprises:

obtaining, by the mobile device, historical data associated with route portions where navigation errors have been committed in the past; and

identifying, based on the historical data, a route portion where navigation errors have been committed in the past as a first portion of the route for which the mobile device is configured to present audio navigation instructions.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

preventing, by the mobile device, presentation of audio navigation instructions when the location of the mobile device corresponds to the second portion of the route.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that the mobile device has deviated from the route while traversing the second portion of the route; and

in response to determining the deviation, presenting, by the mobile device, audio navigation instructions when the mobile device deviates from the route while traversing the second portion of the route, where the mobile device is configured not to present audio navigation instructions when the mobile device is traversing the second portion of the route.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the mobile device, a map indicating the route between the starting location and the destination location;

presenting a turn-by-turn display of the route when the mobile device is located on the first portion of the route; and

presenting an overview display of the route when the mobile device is located on the second portion of the route.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein presenting the turn-by-turn display comprises providing a zoomed in presentation of the route that presents a close up view of a single turn, and wherein presenting the overview display comprises providing the entire route.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the user selection the control setting comprises:

receiving user selection of one or more settings options specifying criteria for determining the portions of the routes for which audio navigation instructions are to be presented.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a computer-readable medium including one or more sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a mobile device, a user selection of a control setting associated with presenting, for routes determined by the mobile device, audio navigation instructions for portions of the routes;

obtaining a route between a starting location and a destination location;

determining that the mobile device is configured, based on the user selection of the control setting, to present audio navigation instructions for a first portion of the route;

determining that the mobile device is configured, based on the user selection of the control setting, not to present audio navigation instructions for a second portion of the route, wherein the second portion of the route is determined based on a user-specified distance from the destination location;

determining a location of the mobile device along the route; and

presenting, by the mobile device, audio navigation instructions when the location of the mobile device corresponds to the first portion of the route.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route are determined based on a user-specified radius around the starting location or the destination location.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first portion of the route is determined based on a user-specified distance from the starting location or the destination location.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route are determined based on a user-specified road type.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route are determined based on an automatically determined complexity of the first portion of the route and the second portion of the route.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the complexity of the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route is computed based on a number of turns per unit of distance along the route.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the complexity of the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route is determined based on historical navigation errors.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the historical navigation errors are determined from historical navigation data collected from a plurality of mobile devices.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

preventing, by the mobile device, presentation of audio navigation instructions when the location of the mobile device corresponds to the second portion of the route.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

determining that the mobile device has deviated from the route while traversing the second portion of the route; and

in response to determining the deviation, presenting, by the mobile device, audio navigation instructions when the mobile device deviates from the route while traversing the second portion of the route, where the mobile device is configured not to present audio navigation instructions when the mobile device is traversing the second portion of the route.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

displaying, by the mobile device, a map indicating the route between the starting location and the destination location;

presenting a turn-by-turn display of the route when the mobile device is located on the first portion of the route; and

presenting an overview display of the route when the mobile device is located on the second portion of the route.