Navigation device with adaptive navigation instructions

• US 9,086,294 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TomTom Navigation B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom International BV (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Geelen, Pieter, Tkachenko, Serhiy, Stelpstra, David, Wesselius, Kees
• Primary Examiner(s): COUPE, ANITA YVONNE
• Application Number:
  US12/225,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,302 Days
• Field of Search: 701/424
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3655 Timing of guidance instructions

Abstract

A navigation device is disclosed wherein, in at least one embodiment. navigation instruction are adapted to the driver preferences. The driving behavior of the driver is recorded (like speed, time to prepare for an exit etc.), and the way he responds to navigation instructions (promptly, or always too late for example). Traffic, weather and time information may be combined with information on the driving behavior of the driver. This information is examined and used to build up a driver profile. This driver profile is used to adapt future navigation instructions. Alternatively, traffic and weather information may be used to build up route and/or environmental profiles. These profiles can also be used separate from the driver profile to adjust the navigation instruction. The combination of these two techniques, building up a profile (or adapt a pre-defined profile) and adapt the navigation instructions, makes the navigation device a more personal-fit navigation aid. Also, giving the right instructions to a specific driver may contribute to a safer behavior.

Claims

1. A navigation device arranged to give navigation instructions to a driver of a vehicle, said navigation device comprising a computer processor configured to execute the following steps:

determining a route from an origin to a destination;

producing a set of base instructions for the driver to enable the driver to travel the determined route;

recording at least one driving behavior parameter of said driver

building up a driver profile using said at least one recorded driving behavior parameter;

updating the built up driver profile when the driver is driving unless an exception occurs due to at least one of traffic and weather conditions;

converting the produced set of base instructions into a set of output instructions depending on said built up driver profile; and

outputting the output instructions to the driver of the vehicle by way of one or more of an audio system and a display system.

2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of driver profiles are stored on said navigation device, each driver profile being associated with a different driver.

3. The navigation device of claim 2, wherein the computer processor is further configured to execute the steps of recognizing the driver of the vehicle, and selecting the stored driver profile associated with the recognized driver.

4. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein said at least one driving behavior parameter comprises data indicative of a degree of aggression of said driver, the degree of aggression being based on at least one of:

a measured acceleration of the vehicle;

a measured deceleration of the vehicle;

and a curve acceleration during a curve.

5. The navigation device of claim 4, wherein said data indicative of a degree of aggression of said driver comprises at least one of:

an acceleration factor equal to a moving average of an acceleration of the vehicle divided by a predefined maximum acceleration;

a deceleration factor equal to a moving average of a deceleration in of the vehicle divided by a predefined maximum deceleration; and

a curve aggression factor equal to a moving average of a curve acceleration during a curve divided by a predefined maximum curve acceleration.

6. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein said driver profile is built up by adapting a preset driver profile.

7. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein said driver profile comprises at least one of:

home address, driver ID, date of birth, for a plurality of predefined areas, the number of times an administrative area has been visited, number of times certain destinations are driven, percentage of exits ignored by driver, percentage of turns where driver mistook left for right or vice versa, degree of aggression, mobile phone number, driver is making a phone call at the moment at least one of the set of output instructions is planned for the near future, difficulty level of the driving conditions, driver does not want navigation instructions in his own home location or recent destination, arranged for each destination, drivers susceptibility to the current day of week, and drivers susceptibility to the time of day.

8. The navigation device claim 1, wherein said step of converting comprises converting each base instruction out of said produced set of base instructions into K output instructions, wherein K is an integer value larger than or equal to zero, depending on data in said at least one built up driver profile.

9. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein said step of converting comprises determining at least one of:

(i) a voice used to utter at least one of the set of output instructions;

(ii) a volume used to utter at least one of the set of output instructions;

(iii) a timing of the set of output instructions; and

(iv) a distance between a point at which at least one of the set of output instructions is given and a point of the route associated with the at least one of the set of output instructions, depending on said at least one built up driver profile.

10. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the set of base instructions does not comprise human instructions and the output instructions comprise human instructions.

11. A non-transitory data carrier, comprising a computer program which, when executed on a processor of a navigation device, causes the navigation device to perform a method comprising:

determining a route from an origin to a destination;

producing a set of base instructions for driver to enable the driver to travel the determined route;

recording at least one driving behavior parameter of said driver;

building up a driver profile using said at least one recorded driving behavior parameter, and storing said built up driver profile on said navigation device;

updating the built up driver profile when the driver is driving unless an exception occurs due to at least on of traffic and weather conditions;

converting the produced set of base instructions into a set of output instructions depending on said built up driver profile; and

outputting the output instructions to the driver of the vehicle.

12. A method for providing navigation directions using a navigation device located in a vehicle, the navigation device comprising a computer processor, the method comprising:

determining, by the computer processor, a route from an origin to a destination;

producing, by the computer processor, a set of base instructions for the driver to enable the driver to travel the determined route;

recording, by the computer processor, at least one driving behavior parameter of said driver building up, by the computer processor, a driver profile using said at least one recorded driving behavior parameter, and storing said built up driver profile on said navigation device;

updating, by the computer processor, the built up driver profile when the driver is driving unless an exception occurs due to at least one of traffic and weather conditions;

converting, by the computer processor, the produced set of base instructions into a set of output instructions depending on said built up driver profile; and

outputting the output instructions to the driver of the vehicle by way of one or more of an audio system and a display system.