Method and system for adaptive navigation using a driver's route knowledge

• US 7,424,363 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2004
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch Corporation (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Weng, Fuliang, Cavedon, Lawrence, Meng, Yao, Peters, Stanley, Cheng, Hua, Dale, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US10/923,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/201, 701/208, 701/300, 701211-214, 340/988, 340/995.17, 340/995.19, 340/995.23, 340/995.27
• US Class Current: 701/211
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096822 where the segments of the route are transmitted to the vehicle at different locations and times
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096872 where instructions are given per voice

Abstract

A method and system are described to adapt instructions for performing a task by a user, which includes receiving generalized instructions for the task, selecting a content of the generalized instructions based on user-specific knowledge regarding the task, constructing utterances using the selected content, and conveying the utterances to the user.

Claims

1. A method of adapting instructions for performing a task by a user, comprising:

receiving generalized instructions for the task;

selecting a content of the generalized instructions based on user-specific knowledge regarding the task;

constructing utterances using the selected content; and

conveying the utterances to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modeling the user-specific knowledge as at least one feature of a decision point for the task.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one feature includes a familiarity value.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

including the content of the generalized instructions related to the decision point in the selected content if the familiarity value exceeds a predefined value.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the instructions include navigation instructions and the task includes navigating a route.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the decision point includes a point along the route.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one feature includes a street from which the user is to make a turn, a street into which the user is to make the turn, a direction of the turn, a familiarity of the decision point by the user, and a time of last visit of the decision point by the user.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

one of observing and interacting with the user to adjust the at least one feature.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the content of the generalized instructions based on a current situation.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

modeling the current situation with input from at least one of a GPS device and a sensor device.

11. A system to adapt instructions for performing a task by a user, comprising:

a user model to represent user-specific knowledge regarding the task;

a content planner to receive generalized instructions for the task and to select a content of the generalized instructions based on the user-specific knowledge;

an utterance planner to construct utterances for the selected content; and

an utterance realizer to convey the utterances to the user.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user-specific knowledge is modeled as at least one feature of a decision point of the task.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the generalized instructions include navigation instructions and the task includes navigating a route.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a situation model to represent a current situation, wherein the content planner is configured to select the content of the generalized instructions based on the current situation.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a global positioning system to provide geographic information for adjusting the situation model.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a behavior agent to execute user requests, and to prioritize and communicate communicative goals to the content planner.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the behavior agent is configured to initiate a conversation with the user.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a sensor device to sense conditions of the current situation.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a dialog manager to store a current context of the utterances conveyed to the user.

20. A storage medium having a computer program, which is executable by a processor arrangement, comprising:

computer program code for performing the following;

receiving generalized instructions for a task;

selecting a content of the generalized instructions based on user-specific knowledge regarding the task;

constructing utterances using the selected content; and

conveying the utterances to the user.

21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions include navigation instructions regarding a route, the task includes navigating the route, and the computer program code is further for performing the following:

modeling the user-specific knowledge as at least one feature of a decision point for the task, the at least one feature including a street from which the user is to make a turn, a street into which the user is to make the turn, a direction of the turn, a familiarity of the decision point by the user, and a time of last visit of the decision point by the user.

22. A method of adapting instructions for performing a task by a user, comprising:

receiving generalized instructions for the task;

selecting a subset of the received instructions from the received instructions based on user-specific knowledge regarding the task;

constructing utterances using the selected subset of instructions; and

conveying the utterances to the user.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the task is to navigate along a route;

the generalized instructions include instructions for multiple navigation maneuvers to be performed along the route in order to navigate along the route;

the subset includes instructions for only some and not all of the multiple maneuvers; and

the user-specific knowledge is knowledge regarding the multiple maneuvers.

24. A method for adapting route navigation instructions, which instruct how to follow a route, comprising:

receiving the route navigation instructions;

selecting an instructions subset from the route navigation instructions based on a user model of knowledge of a user about the route, the model generated based on a history of navigation associated with the user; and

outputting information regarding navigation of the route based on the selected subset of instructions.