Seamless transition from outdoor to indoor mapping

• US 9,976,860 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2014
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Varoglu, Devrim, Bansal, Monika, Dave, Swapnil R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Troost, Aaron L
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHNEIDER, PAULA LYNN
• Application Number:
  US14/251,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20140309924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,502 Days
• Field of Search: 701410, 701457, 701533
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

Techniques are described for seamlessly transitioning from a map that displays out-of-doors elements to a map that displays indoor elements, in response to detecting a transition event. The transition event may be, for example, that a navigation system that is generating the out-of-doors map has moved to an indoors location. Techniques are also provided for navigating to a parking spot in a parking structure. Specifically, users may search for parking spots that satisfy specific criteria. The search for a parking spot that satisfies the criteria may be initiated at the time a trip begins, or may be automatically triggered by some event. For example, a search for available parking spots near a designated destination may be automatically initiated as a user comes within a predetermined distance of the designated destination.

Claims

1. A method of transitioning a map, the method comprising:

determining, at a first time and based on first satellite signals, an outdoor location of a computing device;

displaying, on the computing device, a first version of a map showing the outdoor location and including outdoor elements;

determining, at a second time following the first time, that the computing device has moved from the outdoor location to an indoor location based on second satellite signals;

determining that the outdoor location is proximate to an indoor parking structure;

in response to determining that the computing device has moved to the indoor location and determining that the outdoor location is proximate to the indoor parking structure, automatically transitioning, by a processor of the computing device, the map from the first version of the map to a second version of the map, wherein the second version of the map includes internal elements of the indoor parking structure;

receiving, from a user of the computing device, one or more criteria for selecting a destination parking location in the indoor parking structure;

selecting, from a plurality of destination parking locations, a destination parking location based on the one or more criteria received from the user and one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations; and

presenting indoor navigation directions for reaching the destination parking location in the indoor parking structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria include a duration for parking a vehicle, and the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective permissible parking duration at each parking location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria include a size of a vehicle carrying the computing device, and the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective size of each parking location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device receives map data for the second version of the map from a transmitter located at the indoor structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second version of the map includes a first indicator that indicates a location of the computing device in the indoor parking structure, a second indicator that indicates the destination parking location, and a suggested indoor route from the location of the computing device to the destination parking location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the outdoor elements include street maps.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second version of the map does not include at least some of the outdoor elements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the computing device has moved from the outdoor location to the indoor location is based on signals received from a transmitter located at the indoor parking structure.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising receiving map data from the transmitter located at the indoor parking structure.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, from the user of the computing device, a request to navigate to a destination store in an indoor structure;

selecting, from the plurality of destination parking locations, the destination parking location based on distances between the plurality of destination parking locations and an entrance of the indoor structure that is closest to the destination store;

determining, at a third time following the second time, that the computing device has moved to the entrance of the indoor structure that is closest to the destination store;

in response to determining that the computing device has moved to the entrance of the indoor structure that is closest to the destination store, automatically transitioning, by the processor of the computing device, the map from the second version of the map to a third version of the map, wherein the third version of the map includes internal elements of the indoor structure; and

presenting indoor navigation directions for reaching the destination store.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria include a usage cost.

12. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory storage device storing instructions operable to cause the one or more processors to perform operations for transitioning a map, the operations comprising;

determining, at a first time and based on first satellite signals, an outdoor location of a computing device;

displaying, on the computing device, a first version of a map showing the outdoor location and including outdoor elements;

determining, at a second time following the first time, that the computing device has moved from the outdoor location to an indoor location based on second satellite signals;

determining that the outdoor location is proximate to an indoor parking structure;

in response to determining that the computing device has moved to the indoor location and determining that the outdoor location is proximate to the indoor parking structure, automatically transitioning, by the one or more processors, the map from the first version of the map to a second version of the map, wherein the second version of the map includes internal elements of the indoor parking structure;

receiving, from a user of the computing device, one or more criteria for selecting a destination parking location in the indoor parking structure;

selecting, from a plurality of destination parking locations, a destination parking location based on the one or more criteria received from the user and one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations; and

presenting indoor navigation directions for reaching the destination parking location in the indoor parking structure.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria include a duration for parking a vehicle, and the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective permissible parking duration at each parking location.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more criteria include a size of a vehicle carrying the computing device, and the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective size of each parking location.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective current availability of each parking location.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective size of each parking spot.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause performance of a method for transitioning a map, the method comprising:

determining, at a first time and based on first satellite signals, an outdoor location of a computing device;

displaying, on the computing device, a first version of a map showing the outdoor location and including outdoor elements;

determining, at a second time following the first time, that the computing device has moved from the outdoor location to an indoor location based on second satellite signals;

determining that the outdoor location is proximate to an indoor parking structure; and

in response to determining that the computing device has moved to the indoor location and determining that the outdoor location is proximate to the indoor parking structure, automatically transitioning, by a processor of the computing device, the map from the first version of the map to a second version of the map, wherein the second version of the map includes internal elements of the indoor structure;

receiving, from a user of the computing device, one or more criteria for selecting a destination parking location in the indoor parking structure;

selecting, from a plurality of destination parking locations, a destination parking location based on the one or more criteria received from the user and one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations; and

presenting indoor navigation directions for reaching the destination parking location in the indoor parking structure.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the one or more criteria include a duration for parking a vehicle, and the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective permissible parking duration at each parking location.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, comprising selecting the destination parking location from the plurality of destination parking locations by comparing the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations to the one or more criteria.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the one or more criteria include a size of a vehicle carrying the computing device, and the one or more characteristics of the plurality of destination parking locations include a respective size of each parking location.

21. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the second version of the map includes a first indicator that indicates a location of the computing device in the indoor parking structure, a second indicator that indicates the destination parking location, and a suggested indoor route from the location of the computing device to the destination parking location.