Navigation method, device for navigation and navigation system

• US 9,803,984 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tencent Technology Company Limited (Tencent Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Luan, Hao, Zhang, Yingfeng, Wang, Mu
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith-Stewart, Demetra
• Application Number:
  US14/306,695
• Publication Number:
  US 20140297178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3438 Rendez-vous, i.e. searching a destination where several users can meet, and the routes to this destination for these users; Ride sharing, i.e. searching a route such that at least two users can share a vehicle for at least part of the route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/222 using geographical location information, e.g. messages transmitted or received in proximity of a certain spot or area
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a navigation method, a device for navigation and a navigation system in the field of communication technique. Said method comprises steps of performing a location processing to obtain a location of the first terminal, acquiring a location of a second terminal; and navigating the second terminal based on navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location. The target location is a predetermined location or a current location of the first terminal. A first terminal for navigation comprises a location module, an acquiring module and a navigation module. A server for navigation comprises an acquiring module and a transmitting module. Said system comprises the first terminal and the server. The present disclosure accomplished a location-based navigation service and incorporated the location service and the navigation function so as to enhance the location service function and sufficiently meet with the user'"'"'s requirements.

Claims

1. A navigation method, comprising:

sharing locations between a first terminal and a second terminal by performing a location processing and a sharing processing so as to obtain locations of the first terminal and the second terminal;

transmitting a request from the first terminal to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal, the target location being a predetermined location or a current location of the first terminal,

wherein the transmitting a request from the first terminal to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal comprises

transmitting, by the first terminal, to the server the request together with route information from the location of the second terminal to the target location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal so that the server generates corresponding navigation information based on the route information and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing,

wherein the transmitting a request from the first terminal to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal comprises

transmitting to the server a first route information from the location of the second terminal to a third location and a second route information from a fourth location to the target location, wherein the first route information and the second route information are drawn by the user of the first terminal;

instructing the server to generate a third navigation information from the third location to the fourth location; and

causing the server to generate navigation information based on the first route information, the second route information and the third navigation information and send the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing, the third location and the fourth location being any locations from the location of the second terminal to the target location and different from each other.

2. The navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the sharing locations between a first terminal and a second terminal by performing a location and sharing processing so as to obtain locations of the first terminal and the second terminal comprises

transmitting a location-sharing request from the first terminal to the second terminal, the location-sharing request including a number and a specified identification of the second terminal and the specified identification being used to acquire the number of the first terminal;

transmitting an acknowledgement of accepting the location-sharing request from the second terminal to the first terminal in response to the location-sharing request; and

performing the location processing by the first terminal and the second terminal respectively to obtain respective locations of the first terminal and the second terminal and sharing their locations between the first terminal and the second terminal.

3. The navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting a request from the first terminal to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal comprises

transmitting, by the first terminal, to the server a request for generating navigation information from the location of the second terminal to the target location so that the server generates the navigation information from the location of the second terminal to the target location and sends the navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing.

4. The navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting a request from the first terminal to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal comprises

instructing the server to generate first navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a first location;

transmitting to the server route information from the first location to the target location, which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal; and

causing that the server generates navigation information based on the first navigation information and the route information and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing, the first location being any one location from the location of the second terminal to the target location.

5. The navigation method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting a request from the first terminal to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal comprises

transmitting to the server route information from the location of the second terminal to a second location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal;

instructing the server to generate a second navigation information from a second location to the location of the second terminal; and

causing that the server generates navigation information based on the second navigation information and the route information and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing, the second location being any one location from the location of the second terminal to the target location.

6. A first terminal for navigation, comprising:

a location-sharing request module configured to transmit to the second terminal a location-sharing request for sharing locations with the second terminal;

a locating module configured to perform a location processing to obtain a location of the first terminal and share its location with the second terminal;

a navigation module configured to transmit a request to a server to request that the server sends navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a target location to the second terminal so as to navigate the second terminal, the target location being a predetermined location or a current location of the first terminal,

wherein the navigation module comprises a second navigation unit configured to transmit to the server the request together with route information from the location of the second terminal to the target location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal so that the server generates corresponding navigation information based on the route information and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing,

wherein the navigation module is further configured to transmit to the server a first route information from the location of the second terminal to a third location and a second route information from a fourth location to the target location, wherein the first route information and the second route information are drawn by the user of the first terminal;

to instruct the server to generate a third navigation information from the third location to the fourth location; and

to cause the server to generate navigation information based on the first route information, the second route information and the third navigation information and send the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing, the third location and the fourth location being any locations from the location of the second terminal to the target location and different from each other.

7. The first terminal according to claim 6, wherein,

the location-sharing request includes a number and a specified identification of the second terminal and the specified identification is used to acquire the number of the first terminal;

and

after receiving an acknowledgement of accepting the location-sharing request transmitted from the second terminal in response to the location-sharing request, the locating modules of the first terminal and the second terminal perform the location processing by respectively to obtain respective locations and share the obtained locations therebetween.

8. The first terminal according to claim 6, wherein the navigation module comprises a first navigation unit configured to transmit to the server a request for generating navigation information from the location of the second terminal to the target location so that the server generates the navigation information from the location of the second terminal to the target location and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing.

9. The first terminal according to claim 6, wherein the navigation module comprises a third navigation unit configured to instruct the server to generate a first navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a first location, to transmit to the server route information from the first location to the target location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal, and to cause that the server generates navigation information based on the first navigation information and the route information and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing, the first location being any one location from the location of the second terminal to the target location.

10. The first terminal according to claim 6, wherein the navigation module comprises a fourth navigation unit configured to transmit to the server route information from the location of the second terminal to a second location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal, to instruct the server to generate a second navigation information from a second location to the location of the second terminal;

and to cause that the server generates navigation information based on the second navigation information and the route information and sends the generated navigation information to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing, the second location being any one location from the location of the second terminal to the target location.

11. A server for navigation, comprising:

a location-sharing triggering module configured to receive from the first terminal a location-sharing request for sharing locations with the second terminal, the location-sharing request including a number and a specified identification of the second terminal, the location-sharing triggering module acquiring a number of the first terminal based on the specified identification and transmitting the number of the first terminal and the location-sharing request together to the second terminal so as to trigger the location sharing between the first terminal and the second terminal;

an acquiring module configured to, based on a navigation request from the first terminal, acquire navigation information from the location of a second terminal to a target location, the target location being a predetermined location or the location of a first terminal; and

a transmitting module configured to transmit the navigation information acquired by the acquiring module to the second terminal to perform a navigation processing,

wherein the acquiring module comprises a second acquiring unit configured to receive from the first terminal route information from the location of the second terminal to the target location which route information is drawn by the user and generate navigation information based on the route information,

wherein the acquiring module is further configured to receive from the first terminal a first route information from the location of the second terminal to a third location and a second route information from the fourth location to the target location, wherein the first route information and the second route information are drawn by the user of the first terminal,

to receive from the first terminal a request for generating a third navigation information from the third location to the fourth location so as to generate the third navigation information, and

to generate navigation information based on the first route information, the second route information and the third navigation information, the third location and the fourth location respectively being any one location from the location of the second terminal to the target location and different from each other.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein the acquiring module comprises a first acquiring unit configured to receive from the first terminal a request for generating navigation information based on the location of the first terminal and the target location so as to generate the navigation information from the location of the second terminal to the target location based on the request.

13. The server according to claim 11, wherein the acquiring module comprises a third acquiring unit configured to receive from the first terminal a request for generating a first navigation information from the location of the second terminal to a first location so as to generate the first navigation information, to receive from the first terminal route information from the first location to the target location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal, and to generate navigation information based on the first navigation information and the route information, the first location being any one location between the location of the second terminal and the target location.

14. The server according to claim 11, wherein the acquiring module comprises a fourth acquiring unit configured to receive from the first terminal route information from the location of the second terminal to a second location which route information is drawn by the user of the first terminal, to receive from the first terminal a request for generating a second navigation information from the second location to the target location so as to generate the second navigation information, and to generate navigation information based on the route information and the second navigation information, the second location being any one location from the location of the second terminal to the target location.