Generating turn-by-turn direction previews

• US 10,775,188 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2017
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Sheridan, Alan, Filip, Daniel Joseph, Pack, Jeremy Bryant
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US15/805,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20180073885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• Field of Search: 701428
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3602 Input other than that of destination using image analysis, e.g. detection of road signs, lanes, buildings, real preceding vehicles using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3644 Landmark guidance, e.g. using POIs or conspicuous other objects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3647 Guidance involving output of stored or live camera images or video streams

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to generating turn-by-turn direction previews. In one aspect, one or more computing devices, may receive a request for a turn-by-turn direction preview. The one or more computing devices may generate a set of turn-by-turn directions based on a series of road segments connecting a first geographic location and a second geographic location. Each direction in the set of turn-by-turn directions may be associated with a corresponding waypoint. The one or more computing devices then identify a set of images corresponding the series of road segments between two adjacent waypoints of the set of turn-by-turn directions, and determine a subset of the set of images to include in the turn-by-turn direction preview. Subsequently, the one or more computing devices may generate the turn-by-turn direction preview based on at least in part on the determined subset of the set of images.

Claims

1. A method for generating turn-by-turn direction previews, comprising:

storing, using one or more computing devices, one or more predetermined distance intervals;

receiving, after storing the one or more predetermined distance intervals, using the one or more computing devices, a request for a turn-by-turn direction preview between a first geographic location and a second geographic location;

generating, using the one or more computing devices, a set of turn-by-turn directions based on a series of road segments between the first geographic location and the second geographic location, each road segment of the series being defined by two waypoints along a route between the first geographic location and the second geographic location and portions of roadway between the two waypoints;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, a set of images for each road segment of the series;

identifying, using the one or more computing devices, one or more distinguishing points between the two waypoints;

selecting, using the one or more computing devices, images in the set of images including any of the one or more distinguishing points;

filtering the selected images, using the one or more computing devices, to include only images at one or more predetermined distance intervals along each of the road segments regardless of a number of images in the selected images; and

generating, using the one or more computing devices, the turn-by-turn direction preview based on at least in part on selected filtered images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the images includes filtering images from the set of images.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more distinguishing points corresponds to a transition between a first type of roadway to a second type of roadway, the first type being different from the second type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first type is a road, and the second type is a bridge.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first type is a road, and the second type is a tunnel.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the first type is a local road, and the second type is a highway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the one or more distinguishing points is a landmark.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the one or more distinguishing points is based on visitation data.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the one or more distinguishing points is based on metadata associated with images associated with the set of images.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the one or more distinguishing points is based on a number of images of the distinguishing point.

11. A system for generating turn-by-turn direction previews, the comprising:

one or more computing devices configured to;

store one or more predetermined distance intervals;

receive after storing the one or more predetermined distance intervals, a request for a turn-by-turn direction preview between a first geographic location and a second geographic location;

generate a set of turn-by-turn directions based on a series of road segments between the first geographic location and the second geographic location, each road segment of the series being defined by two waypoints along a route between the first geographic location and the second geographic location and portions of roadway between the two waypoints;

identify a set of images for each road segment of the series;

identify one or more distinguishing points between the two waypoints;

selecting images in the set of images including any of the one or more distinguishing points;

filter the selected images to include only images at one of the one or more predetermined distance intervals along each of the road segments regardless of a number of images in the selected images; and

generate the turn-by-turn direction preview based on at least in part on selected filtered images.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein selecting the images includes filtering images from the set of images.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the one or more distinguishing points corresponds to a transition between a first type of roadway to a second type of roadway, the first type being different from the second type.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first type is a road, and the second type is a bridge.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first type is a road, and the second type is a tunnel.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first type is a local road, and the second type is a highway.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the one or more distinguishing points is a landmark.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying the one or more distinguishing points is based on visitation data.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying the one or more distinguishing points is based on metadata associated with images associated with the set of images.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying the one or more distinguishing points is based on a number of images of the distinguishing point.