System and method for hybrid off-board navigation

• US 8,909,466 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Environmental Systems Research Institute Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Environmental Systems Research Institute Incorporated
• Inventors: Rogers, Jeff, Crowder, Matt, Somerville, Kerry, Pearlman, Richard, Chaffin, Matthew, Yagrich, Bert
• Primary Examiner(s): Dager, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US12/533,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20100030466A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/343 Calculating itineraries, i.e. routes leading from a starting point to a series of categorical destinations using a global route restraint, round trips, touristic trips travelling salesman problem G06Q10/04; optimisation of routes G06Q10/047
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096811 where the route is computed offboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for hybrid off-board vehicle navigation are disclosed. In the system, a multi-stop route package is created and sent from a route server to a navigation device. The route package can include a collection of vehicle attributes and corresponding road restrictions for guiding the vehicle towards its destination. The server can optionally push the route package to the vehicle in an email message or other stored communication. When an off-route condition is detected, the navigation device can send a route request to the server that includes the vehicle attributes and the corresponding road restrictions. The server can respond with a partial route correction that is determined based on the vehicle attributes and road restrictions.

Claims

1. A method of off-board navigation, comprising:

receiving, at a navigation device, routing information relating to a route from a starting point to a destination;

tracking a location of the navigation device;

detecting an off-route condition in which the location of the navigation device has departed from the route;

sending, from the navigation device to a server, a route request message including the location of the navigation device and vehicle attributes, the vehicle attributes being related to a vehicle associated with the navigation device;

detecting an availability of a response from the server to the route request message; and

if the response is detected as being available;

receiving a route correction message from the server, the route correction message including a multi-stop route to the destination based on the location of the navigation device, the vehicle attributes provided by the navigation device, and a set of fleet rules associated with a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle associated with the navigation device,

wherein the vehicle attributes include one or more of a vehicle height, a vehicle weight, and load restrictions, and

wherein the multi-stop route is further based on expected changes to one or more of the vehicle attributes during transit; and

updating a portion of the route at the navigation device based on the route correction message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing information comprises road restrictions corresponding to the vehicle attributes.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the response from the server is not available, determining a local route correction by the navigation device, and

detecting when the location of the navigation device has returned to the route.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the local route correction comprises:

comparing a current position of the vehicle to a position on the route;

calculating a partial route from the current position of the vehicle to the position on the route; and

inserting the partial route into the routing information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the partial route is calculated based on the vehicle attributes and road restrictions corresponding to the vehicle attributes.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the availability of a stored communication comprising the routing information at the server;

downloading the stored communication from the server to the navigation device; and

obtaining the routing information from the stored communication at the navigation device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the stored communication comprises an email message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a route database of the server via a messaging interface; and

retrieving the route correction message from the route database.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting the routing information to an internal format of the navigation device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the response comprises an XML document.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the vehicle attributes additionally include a width of cargo, weight per axle, and number of axles.

11. A navigation device, comprising:

a network interface configured to receive from a source external to the navigation device route data relating to a route;

a memory configured to store the route data;

a positioning module configured to determine a current position of the navigation device in relation to the route;

a display configured to provide route guidance to a user of the navigation device; and

a routing engine configured to;

determine the route guidance according to the route data and to detect an off-route condition based on the current position of the navigation device;

send a route request message comprising vehicle attributes from the navigation device to a server via the network interface, the vehicle attributes being related to a vehicle associated with the navigation device;

detect the availability of a response from the server to the route request message;

obtain route correction information from the response when the response from the server is available, the route correction information including a multi-stop route to the destination based on the vehicle attributes and a set of fleet rules associated with a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle associated with the navigation device,

wherein the vehicle attributes include one or more of a vehicle height, a vehicle weight, and load restrictions, and

wherein the multi-stop route is further based on expected changes to one or more of the vehicle attributes during transit; and

update the route data at the navigation device based on the route correction information, the route correction information based partly on the vehicle attributes provided by the navigation device.

12. The navigation device of claim 11, wherein the route data comprises road restrictions corresponding to the vehicle attributes, and the routing engine includes the road restrictions in the route request message.

13. The navigation device of claim 11, further comprising a map database, and wherein the routing engine is configured to generate a local route correction based on the current position of the vehicle and information from the map database when the response from the server is not available, and wherein the routing engine determines the route guidance based on the local route correction until the vehicle returns to the route and thereafter determines the route guidance based on the route data.

14. The navigation device of claim 13, wherein the routing engine generates the local route correction according to the vehicle attributes and road restrictions.

15. The navigation device of claim 11, wherein the routing engine is configured to determine the availability at the server of a stored communication comprising the route data, to download the stored communication from the server to the navigation device, and to extract the route data from the stored communication at the navigation device.

16. The navigation device of claim 15, wherein the stored communication comprises an email message.

17. The navigation device of claim 11, wherein the routing engine is configured to convert the route data to an internal format of the navigation device and to store the converted route data in the memory.

18. The navigation device of claim 11, wherein the response from the server comprises an XML document.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein the vehicle attributes additionally include a width of cargo, weight per axle, and number of axles.

19. A method comprising:

tracking a location of a navigation device;

sending, from the navigation device to a server, a route request message including a desired destination, the location of the navigation device, and vehicle attributes, the vehicle attributes being related to a vehicle associated with the navigation device;

receiving a route response message from the server, the route response message including a multi-stop route to the destination based on;

the location of the navigation device;

a set of fleet rules associated with a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle associated with the navigation device; and

the vehicle attributes provided by the navigation device,

wherein the vehicle attributes include one or more of a vehicle height, a vehicle weight, and load restrictions, and

wherein the multi-stop route is further based on expected changes to one or more of the vehicle attributes during transit; and

updating a portion of the route at the navigation device based on the route response message.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the vehicle attributes additionally include a width of cargo, weight per axle, and number of axles.