Navigation with sun glare information

A computer storage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform acts comprising:

• determining a starting location and an ending location;
• determining a first time range during which travel will occur from the starting location to the ending location;
• determining a first sun position during at least a portion of the first time range;
• generating a basic glare index from the first sun position and a predetermined relationship between sun positions and corresponding glare indices;
• determining whether sun glare is likely while traveling from the starting location to the ending location based on the basic glare index;
• responsive to determining that sun glare is likely:
• generating a predicted glare index by modifying the basic glare index in accordance with environmental adjustments, the environmental adjustments accounting for both:
• (1) near obstructions of the sun at the first sun position that are caused by, or within, a vehicle traveling from the starting location to the ending location and (2) far obstructions of the sun at the first sun position that are external to the vehicle;
• and
• determining a first travel route to minimize a first cost function along the first travel route from the starting location to the ending location, the first cost function comprising the predicted glare index;
• and
• responsive to determining that sun glare is not likely:
• determining a second travel route to minimize a second cost function along the second travel route from the starting location to the ending location, the second cost function excluding sun glare.

A computing device comprising:

• one or more processing units;
• and
• one or more computer storage media comprising executable instructions that, when executed by at least some of the one or more processing units, cause the computing device to:
• determine a starting location and an ending location;
• determine a first time range during which travel will occur from the starting location to the ending location;
• determine a first sun position during at least a portion of the first time range;
• generate a basic glare index from the first sun position and a predetermined relationship between sun positions and corresponding glare indices;
• determine whether sun glare is likely while traveling from the starting location to the ending location based on the basic glare index;
• responsive to determining that sun glare is likely:
• generate a predicted glare index by modifying the basic glare index in accordance with environmental adjustments, the environmental adjustments accounting for both:
• (1) near obstructions of the sun at the first sun position that are caused by, or within, a vehicle traveling from the starting location to the ending location and (2) far obstructions of the sun at the first sun position that are external to the vehicle;
• and
• determine a first travel route to minimize a first cost function along the first travel route from the starting location to the ending location, the first cost function comprising the predicted glare index;
• and
• responsive to determining that sun glare is not likely:
• determine a second travel route to minimize a second cost function along the second travel route from the starting location to the ending location, the second cost function excluding sun glare.