Navigation using routine driving information and destination areas

• US 10,274,333 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2017
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DBSD Corporation (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Network Corporation
• Inventors: Raab, Stefan Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US15/590,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20170241793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3492 employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3611 using character input or menus, e.g. menus of POIs character input methods in general G06F3/0233
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096805 where the transmitted instructions are used to compute a route

Abstract

A method according to an embodiment of the invention is provided for identifying at least one routing option for use in routing a user from a current location to at least one destination comprising. The method includes the operations of: receiving electronic data identifying at least one destination; receiving electronic data indicating a current location; accessing, from the at least one memory device, historical information associated with at least one route segment, wherein the at least one route segment is interposed between the current location and the at least one destination; receiving, from at least one navigation service provider, a current condition for each of the at least one route segment; identifying, based on the current location, the historical information associated with at least one route segment, and the current condition for each of the at least one route segment, at least one routing option for use in routing a user from the current location to the at least one destination; and outputting at least one navigation direction, wherein the at least one navigation direction include an identification of the at least one routing option.

Claims

1. A device for routing a user from a first location to a point-of-interest via one or more route segments, comprising:

a processor;

a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to store a point-of-interest (POI), user historical trip data, at least one user routing preference, and processor executable instructions;

an interface module; and

a wireless communications module communicatively coupled to a navigation service provider;

wherein the processor executable instructions include instructions for;

accessing the POI from the memory module;

identifying, using the wireless communications module, a destination area in which the POI is located;

wherein the destination area includes a first route segment connected by a first node to a second route segment;

determining, in view of the user historical trip data, whether at least one of the first route segment and the second route segment is a routine route segment;

wherein each of the first route segment and the second route segment provides at least a portion of a route between a first location and the POI;

designating, in view of the at least one user routing preference, at least one of the first route segment and the second route segment as a preferred route segment;

determining a first route, via the first node, from the first location to the POI using at least one designated preferred route segment; and

outputting to the interface module at least one navigation instruction navigating the user to the POI via the node using the first route.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the destination area is a routine destination area.

3. The device of claim 2,

wherein the designation of the destination area as a routine destination area varies based on at least one of a time of day and day.

4. The device of claim 1,

wherein the at least one navigation instruction is humanly perceptible.

5. The device of claim 1,

wherein the processor executable instructions include instructions for:

receiving an indication of at least one website, wherein the at least one website identifies information relating to the POI;

establishing a communications link with the at least one website;

accessing, via the at least one website, information relating to the POI; and

outputting, via at least one display device communicatively coupled to the interface module, at least a portion of the information relating to the POI.

6. A device for routing a user from a first location to a point-of-interest via one or more route segments, comprising:

a processor;

a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to store a point-of-interest (POI), user historical trip data, at least one user routing preference, and processor executable instructions;

an interface module; and

a wireless communications module communicatively coupled to a navigation service provider;

wherein the processor executable instructions include instructions for;

accessing the POI from the memory module;

identifying, using the wireless communications module, a destination area in which the POI is located;

wherein the destination area includes a first route segment connected by a first node to a second route segment;

determining, in view of the user historical trip data, whether at least one of the first route segment and the second route segment is a routine route segment, and each of the first route segment and the second route segment provides at least a portion of a route between a first location and the POI;

designating, in view of the at least one user routing preference, at least one of the first route segment and the second mute segment as a preferred route segment;

determining a first route, via the first node, from the first location to the POI using at least one designated preferred route segment; and

outputting to the interface module at least one navigation instruction navigating the user to the POI via the node using the first route;

wherein the POI is located within two destination areas and the processor executable instructions include instructions for selecting a second route between the first location and the POI based on whether either of the two destination areas is a preferred destination area.

7. The device of claim 6,

wherein a preferred destination area is a destination area into which the user routinely travels for purposes of at least work.

8. The device of claim 7,

wherein the second route is the same as the first route.

9. A device for routing a user from a first location to a point-of-interest via one or more route segments, comprising:

a processor;

a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to store a point-of-interest (POI), user historical trip data, at least one user routing preference, and processor executable instructions;

an interface module; and

a wireless communications module communicatively coupled to a navigation service provider;

wherein the processor executable instructions include instructions for;

accessing the POI from the memory module;

identifying, using the wireless communications module, a destination area in which the POI is located;

wherein the destination area includes a first route segment connected by a first node to a second route segment;

determining, in view of the user historical trip data, whether at least one of the first route segment and the second route segment is a routine route segment, and each of the first route segment and the second route segment provides at least a portion of a route between a first location and the POI;

designating, in view of the at least one user routing preference, at least one of the first route segment and the second route segment as a preferred route segment;

determining a first route, via the first node, from the first location to the POI using at least one designated preferred route segment; and

outputting to the interface module at least one navigation instruction navigating the user to the POI via the node using the first route;

wherein the destination area is a dynamic destination area that defines a geographic area including at least one of the first node and one or more second nodes,

wherein the nodes located within the dynamic destination area are statistically determined based on the user historical trip data.

10. The device of claim 9,

wherein the nodes located within the dynamic destination area vary over at least one of time of day and day.

11. A system for using routine driving information to route a user from a first location to a second location, comprising:

a processor;

at least one memory module communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to store processor executable instructions and at least one user routing preference;

at least one radio for receiving navigation data from a navigation service provider;

wherein the processor executes at least one instruction to;

store statistical information associated with a user routinely traveling between a first location and a second location using at least one route segment;

designate, based on the statistical information, at least one of the route segments as a routine route segment;

access the navigation data; and

select, based on the navigation data and the at least one user routing preference, a first route between the first location and the second location using at least one of the designated routine route segments.

12. The system of claim 11,

wherein the statistical information is based on historical information associated with at least one of the route segments on the first route.

13. The system of claim 12,

wherein the navigation data includes a current condition for at least one of the route segments on the first route and the selection of the first route is based on at least the current condition.

14. The system of claim 13, comprising:

an interface module;

wherein the processor executes at least one instruction instructing the interface module to output at least one navigation direction; and

wherein the navigation direction directs the user from the first location to a second location along the first route.

15. The system of claim 14,

wherein the navigation direction is output in a humanly perceptible form.

16. A system for using routine driving information to route a user from a first location to a second location, comprising:

a processor;

at least one memory module communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to store processor executable instructions and at least one user routing preference;

at least one radio for receiving navigation data from a navigation service provider;

wherein the processor executes at least one instruction to;

store statistical information associated with a user routinely traveling between a first location and a second location using at least one route segment;

designate, based on the statistical information, at least one of the route segments as a routine route segment;

access the navigation data; and

select, based on the navigation data and the at least one user routing preference, a first route between the first location and the second location using at least one of the designated routine route segments;

wherein the statistical information is based on historical information associated with at least one of the route segments on the first route;

wherein each of the plurality of route segments connects to at least one node located within one or more destination areas;

wherein the processor executes at least one processor executable instruction to;

determine whether each of the one or more destination areas is a routine destination area; and

select the first route between the first location and the second location using at least one routine route segment that connects to at least one node located within a routine destination area.

17. The system of claim 16,

wherein user historical trip data is utilized to determine whether the one or more destination areas are routine destination areas.

18. The system of claim 16,

wherein the nodes located within the one or more destination areas dynamically changes based on at least one of time of day and day.

19. The system of claim 18,

wherein at the least one user routing preference identifies whether at least one of the one or more destination areas is a preferred destination area.

20. The system of claim 19,

wherein at least one of the one or more destination areas are rated according to one or more specified criteria.

21. The system of claim 20,

wherein the identification of the preferred destination areas varies based on at least one of time of day and day.

22. The system of claim 21,

wherein the navigation data includes a current condition for at least one of the route segments and the selection of the first route is based on at least the current condition.