US 9,217,646 B2Granted

Semi-autonomous route compliance navigation system and method

AssigneeALK Technologies, Inc.

InventorsMichael Kornhauser, Mark Hornung, Mike Bodden, Igor Vodov, Craig Fiander

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Abstract

A method and system for detecting that an object, person or vehicle has deviated in space or time from its prescribed route, and guiding it back to the prescribed route, according to strictness criteria predefined by a controlling authority or authorities. The invention allows controlling authorities to pre-specify a level of strictness suiting the object, person or vehicle and purpose of travel, by which the object, person or vehicle is guided back to the prescribed route autonomously, enabling return to route according to established policies, without the necessity of further communication with controlling authorities. The method and system thus operate semi-autonomously, with strictness parameters predefined by the central authorities, and the object, person or vehicle operating with some degree of latitude within those strictness parameters.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method for detecting that an object, person or vehicle which receives a travel assignment for travel remote from the supervisory control of a controlling authority has deviated from its prescribed route in space or time and guiding it back to the prescribed route according to predefined criteria of strictness established by the controlling authority, comprising the following steps:

(a) operating a mobile client device used in association with the object, person or vehicle to obtain or determine an origin location and obtain a destination location for the object person or vehicle from a controlling authority server computer;
(b) obtaining or determining at the mobile client device a prescribed route to be traversed by the object, person or vehicle, the prescribed route defined in accordance with a graph of travel routes representing a network which may be traversed by the object person or vehicle, said prescribed route determined by minimizing the impedance from the origin location to the destination location, and setting at the mobile device the current route to be traversed equal to the prescribed route;
(c) receiving at the mobile client device proximity criteria and a return-to-route criteria, each selectively assigned by the controlling authority in accordance with at least one variable which can change in accordance with the travel assignment;
(d) determining the current location of the mobile client device using at least one location determining device provided at the mobile client device;
(e) using the location determining device to determine whether the current location of the mobile client device is proximate to the current route in space and time according to the proximity criteria;
(f) if the current location of the mobile client device is proximate to the current route according to the proximity criteria, extracting and displaying with the mobile client device the next maneuver along the current route, but if the current location is not proximate to the prescribed route, operating the mobile client device to determine a current route to the destination according to a degree of strictness as selectively specified by the return-to-route criteria;
(g) repeating steps d through f until either the destination is reached or the method is interrupted.

4 more elements

A system for detecting that an object, person or vehicle which receives a travel assignment for travel remote from the supervisory control of a controlling authority has deviated from its planned route in space or time and guiding it back to the planned route according to predefined criteria of strictness established by the controlling authority, comprising:

a server includes at least one data storage device for storing a database representing a physical network of travel routes, and includes at least one computer processing device arranged to facilitate obtaining or determining an origin location, obtaining a destination location, obtaining or determining a prescribed route from the origin location to the destination location along that network, predetermining proximity criteria, and predetermining return-to-route criteria;
a communication interface which facilitates the communication of information between the server and at least one client computing device used in association with the object, person or vehicle and remote from the server;
the client computing device configured to receive the prescribed route, the proximity criteria, and the return-to-route criteria from the server, set a current route equal to the prescribed route, and determine the client's current location;
wherein the client computing device is configured to determines whether the current location is proximate to the current route in space and time according to the proximity criteria and if so extract and display the next maneuver along the current route, but if the current location is not proximate to the current route, then the client computing device determines the current route to the destination according to the return-to-route strictness criteria;
and
wherein the proximity criteria and the return-to-route criteria are each selectively assigned by the server in accordance with at least one variable which can change in accordance with the travel assignment.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/836,399Filed 15 Mar 2013 · us provisional application
Priority: 17 Sep 2012
Published: US 2015/0253142 A110 Sep 2015
Granted: 22 Dec 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G01C 21/34
Specially adapted for navigation in a road network: route searching; Route guidance
G01C 21/3415
Specially adapted for specific applications: dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or…
G01C
Measuring distances, levels or bearings