System and method for acquiring map portions based on expected signal strength of route segments

• US 9,671,234 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Blumenberg, Christopher, Pylappan, Seejo K.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US14/981,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20160252358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3881 Tile-based structures

Abstract

Embodiments may include determining a navigation route between an origination and a destination; the route may span multiple portions of a map. Embodiments may also include receiving an order of priority in which to receive the multiple portions of the map; the order may be generated based on distinct levels of expected signal strength for each of the multiple portions. For instance, within the order of priority, map portions associated with areas of low signal strength may be ranked higher than areas of higher signal strength. Embodiments may also include acquiring at least some of the portions of the map according to the order of priority, and generating a map display comprising the multiple portions of the map. For instance, map portions associated with areas of poor reception may be downloaded first whereas map portions associated with strong signal strength may be downloaded on-the-fly during route navigation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

performing, by a computing device;

determining a route, the route spanning multiple portions of a map;

receiving an order in which to receive the multiple portions of the map, wherein the order is generated based on levels of expected signal strength for each of the multiple portions of the map, and wherein the levels of expected signal strength for respective portions of the map are based at least in part on an aggregation of a plurality of reported signal strength information corresponding to the respective portions of the map;

requesting at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order;

receiving at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order; and

generating a map display comprising the multiple portions of the map.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the order is generated based at least in part on one or more signal strength heat maps comprising a plurality of signal strength data points corresponding to the respective portions of the map.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein requesting the at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order comprises determining whether a current signal strength value corresponding to a particular location of the computing device exceeds a signal strength threshold value.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the current signal strength value exceeds the signal strength threshold value is performed in response to the particular location of the computing device corresponding to a checkpoint along a route.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising deleting, in response to utilized storage space of a cache of the computing device exceeding a cache eviction threshold, one or more of the multiple portions of the map from the cache.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the deleting comprises removing a first map portion corresponding to a strong signal strength prior to removing a second map portion corresponding to a weak signal strength.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein within the order in which to receive the multiple portions of the map, map portions associated with areas of low signal strength are received prior to map portions associated with areas of higher signal strength.

8. A computing device, comprising:

one or more memories; and

one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories, wherein the one or more memories comprise program instructions executable by the one or more processors to implement one or more services configured to;

determine a route, the route spanning multiple portions of a map;

receive an order in which to receive the multiple portions of the map, wherein the order is generated based on levels of expected signal strength for each of the multiple portions of the map, and wherein the levels of expected signal strength for respective portions of the map are based at least in part on an aggregation of a plurality of reported signal strength information corresponding to the respective portions of the map;

request at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order;

receive at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order; and

generate a map display comprising the multiple portions of the map.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more services are configured to generate the order based at least in part on one or more signal strength heat maps comprising a plurality of signal strength data points corresponding to the respective portions of the map.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more services are configured to determine whether a current signal strength value corresponding to a particular location of the computing device exceeds a signal strength threshold value.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the one or more services are configured to determine whether the current signal strength value exceeds the signal strength threshold value in response to the particular location of the computing device corresponding to a checkpoint along a route.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more services are configured to delete, in response to utilized storage space of a cache of the computing device exceeding a cache eviction threshold, one or more of the multiple portions of the map from the cache.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the one or more services are configured to remove a first map portion corresponding to a strong signal strength prior to removing a second map portion corresponding to a weak signal strength.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein within the order in which to receive the multiple portions of the map, map portions associated with areas of low signal strength are received prior to map portions associated with areas of higher signal strength.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement a mapping component configured to:

determine a route, the route spanning multiple portions of a map;

receive an order in which to receive the multiple portions of the map, wherein the order is generated based on levels of expected signal strength for each of the multiple portions of the map, and wherein the levels of expected signal strength for respective portions of the map are based at least in part on an aggregation of a plurality of reported signal strength information corresponding to the respective portions of the map;

request at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order;

receive at least some of the multiple portions of the map according to the order; and

generate a map display comprising the multiple portions of the map.

16. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mapping component is configured to generate the order based at least in part on one or more signal strength heat maps comprising a plurality of signal strength data points corresponding to the respective portions of the map.

17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mapping component is configured to determine whether a current signal strength value corresponding to a particular location exceeds a signal strength threshold value.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the mapping component is configured to determine whether the current signal strength value exceeds the signal strength threshold value in response to the particular location corresponding to a checkpoint along a route.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the mapping component is configured to delete, in response to utilized storage space of a cache exceeding a cache eviction threshold, one or more of the multiple portions of the map from the cache.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the deleting comprises removing a first map portion corresponding to a strong signal strength prior to removing a second map portion corresponding to a weak signal strength.