Navigation system using intent zone

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are described for effectively satisfying user requirements that occur dynamically during travel. Satisfying the user demand comprises an identification demand; negotiating a plurality of attributes related to meeting the demand; determining at least one spatio-temporal intent zone for satisfying the demand based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of attributes; detecting points of interest in one or more regions of the at least one spatio-temporal intent region for satisfying requirements; and on the basis of optimizing the travel satisfaction of the user, returning the interest point superior to other interest points for meeting the demand to the user to serve as a path point to be added into the travel so as to meet the demand.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of navigation, and more particularly, to systems and methods for using one or more intent zones to meet dynamically emerging user needs. Background Art

[0002] Existing navigation systems allow a user to navigate to a destination, including the ability to set one or more waypoints along a route. During a trip, one or more needs may arise for a vehicle occupant. It may be difficult for a user to anticipate, identify, and / or satisfy such needs. Accordingly, there is a need in the art to coordinate and effectively meet dynamically generated user needs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure combine need satisfaction with vehicle movement and user preferences to optimize user trip satisfaction.

[0004] Advantageously, a navigation system is capable of combining an expected path of a vehicle with explicit or implicit user preferences to provide a user with timely options at locations along the vehicle's predetermined path to meet needs that arise during the trip, and using one or more intent zones to optimize the pathfinding function for meeting these needs. This optimizes vehicle operation, reduces energy consumption, reduces the time to complete a set of tasks to meet the needs, and / or increases user trip satisfaction.

[0005] Each intent zone may represent a quantification of a user's intent in a decision, such as a desire to deviate from a trip given at least one condition. For example, a first intent zone may be conditioned on the travel time of the vehicle, a second intent zone may be conditioned on the geographical distance from the vehicle, a third intent zone may be conditioned on the elapsed travel time, a fourth intent zone may be conditioned on the user's need for food, and a fifth intent zone may be conditioned on the lag time between vehicle arrival and need satisfaction. In some aspects, these intent zones can be used to identify points of interest along the user's path to meet the user's need for food while minimizing or eliminating the wait time between the user's arrival at the location and obtaining the food (e.g., pre-ordering the food so that the order is ready when the user arrives).

[0006] In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, a system includes a demand recognizer, a search attribute negotiator, a point of interest recognizer, and a navigation display. The demand recognizer is configured to recognize a demand that occurs during a trip of a vehicle user. The search attribute negotiator is configured to negotiate a plurality of attributes related to meeting the demand based on a status of the trip. The point of interest recognizer is configured to determine at least one spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the demand based on an expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of attributes; detect a point of interest for meeting the demand within one or more of the at least one spatio-temporal intention area; and, based on optimizing user trip satisfaction, return the point of interest as being superior to other points of interest for meeting the demand to the user for addition as a waypoint to the trip to meet the demand. The navigation display is configured to guide the user along a navigation route to the waypoint.

[0007] In accordance with additional aspects of the present disclosure, the demand recognizer is configured to passively recognize a demand by: obtaining a status of the trip, determining a probability that a user's demand occurs based on the obtained status of the trip, and, in response to the probability exceeding a predetermined threshold, prompting the user to confirm at least one detail of the demand.

[0008] In accordance with additional aspects of the present disclosure, the plurality of attributes includes an urgency for meeting the demand, which is based on a type of the demand.

[0009] In accordance with additional aspects of the present disclosure, the urgency for meeting the demand is further based on unprompted user input.

[0010] In accordance with additional aspects of the present disclosure, the demand is a first demand, the point of interest is a first point of interest, and the point of interest recognizer is further configured to recognize a second demand that occurs during the trip; negotiate a plurality of second attributes related to meeting the first demand and the second demand; determine at least one second spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the first demand and the second demand based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of second attributes; detect a second point of interest for meeting the second demand within one or more of the at least one second spatio-temporal intention area; and, based on optimizing user trip satisfaction, return the second point of interest to the user for addition as a waypoint to the trip to meet the second demand.

[0011] In accordance with additional aspects of the present disclosure, the waypoint is a first waypoint, a second demand is recognized during navigation to the first waypoint, and the point of interest recognizer is further configured to detect a third point of interest for meeting the first demand within one or more of the at least one second spatio-temporal intention area; determine that the third point of interest provides a higher user satisfaction than the first point of interest based on meeting the second demand at the second point of interest and based on the plurality of second attributes; and return the third point of interest to the user as a third waypoint to replace the first waypoint.

[0012] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, other points of interest for satisfying a first need include a third point of interest.

[0013] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the second need is the need of a second user.

[0014] According to aspects of the present disclosure, a method includes: identifying a need that occurs during a trip of a user of a vehicle; negotiating a plurality of attributes related to satisfying the need; determining at least one spatio-temporal intent area for satisfying the need based on an expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of attributes; detecting a point of interest for satisfying the need within one or more of the at least one spatio-temporal intent area; and returning, based on optimizing user trip satisfaction, the point of interest as being superior to other points of interest for satisfying the need, to the user for addition as a waypoint to the trip to satisfy the need.

[0015] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, via a need recognizer, a need is passively recognized by: obtaining a status of a trip; determining a probability that a need of the user occurs based on the obtained status of the trip; and in response to the probability exceeding a predetermined threshold, prompting the user to confirm at least one detail of the need.

[0016] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the plurality of attributes includes an urgency for satisfying the need, the urgency being based on a type of the need.

[0017] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the urgency for satisfying the need is further based on unprompted user input.

[0018] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the need is a first need, the point of interest is a first point of interest, and the method further includes identifying a second need that occurs during the trip; negotiating a plurality of second attributes related to satisfying the first need and the second need; determining at least one second spatio-temporal intent area for satisfying the first need and the second need based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of second attributes; detecting a second point of interest for satisfying the second need within one or more of the at least one second spatio-temporal intent area; and returning, based on optimizing user trip satisfaction, the second point of interest to the user for addition as a waypoint to the trip to satisfy the second need.

[0019] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the waypoint is a first waypoint, a second need is identified during navigation to the first waypoint, and the method further includes detecting a third point of interest for satisfying the first need within one or more of the at least one second spatio-temporal intent area; determining, based on satisfying the second need at the second point of interest, that the third point of interest provides a higher user satisfaction than the first point of interest based on the plurality of second attributes; and returning the third point of interest to the user as a third waypoint to replace the first waypoint.

[0020] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, other points of interest for meeting the first need include a third point of interest.

[0021] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the second need is the need of a second user.

[0022] According to aspects of the present disclosure, a vehicle includes a need recognizer, a search attribute negotiator, a point of interest recognizer, and a navigation display. The need recognizer is configured to recognize the needs that occur to the user of the vehicle during a trip. The search attribute negotiator is configured to negotiate a plurality of attributes related to meeting the need based on the state of the trip. The point of interest recognizer is configured to determine at least one spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the need based on the expected travel vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of attributes; detect points of interest for meeting the need in one or more of the at least one spatio-temporal intention area; and, based on optimizing the user trip satisfaction, return the points of interest that are superior to other points of interest for meeting the need to the user to be added as waypoints to the trip to meet the need. The navigation display is configured to guide the user along a navigation route to the waypoint.

[0023] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the need is a first need, the point of interest is a first point of interest, and the point of interest recognizer is further configured to recognize a second need that occurs during the trip; negotiate a plurality of second attributes related to meeting the first need and the second need; determine at least one second spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the first need and the second need based on the expected travel vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of second attributes; detect second points of interest for meeting the second need in one or more of the at least one second spatio-temporal intention area; and, based on optimizing the user trip satisfaction, return the second points of interest to the user to be added as waypoints to the trip to meet the second need.

[0024] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, the waypoint is a first waypoint, a second need is recognized during navigation to the first waypoint, and the point of interest recognizer is further configured to detect a third point of interest for meeting the first need in one or more of the at least one second spatio-temporal intention area; determine that the third point of interest provides a higher user satisfaction than the first point of interest based on the satisfaction of the second need at the second point of interest and based on the plurality of second attributes; and return the third point of interest to the user as a third waypoint to replace the first waypoint.

[0025] According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, other points of interest for meeting the first need include a third point of interest.

[0026] When combined with the accompanying drawings, the above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings are illustrative and not intended to limit the subject matter defined by the claims. Exemplary aspects are discussed in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0028] Figure 1 A system for vehicle navigation according to one aspect of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figures 2A - 2D An example intended area for meeting the combined requirements of vehicle speed and implementation location density according to one aspect of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Specifically, Figure 2A is shown relative to Figure 2B and Figure 2C a first intended area for a vehicle traveling at a higher speed and medium density;

[0031] Specifically, Figure 2B is shown relative to Figure 2A and Figure 2C a second intended area for a vehicle traveling at a medium speed and low density;

[0032] Specifically, Figure 2C is shown relative to Figure 2A and Figure 2B a third intended area for a vehicle traveling at a lower speed and high density;

[0033] Specifically, Figure 2D a fourth intended area for a vehicle in an emergency situation is shown;

[0034] Figures 3A - 3D A representation of a search with multiple filter layers depicted on a map according to one aspect of the present disclosure is shown;

[0035] Specifically, Figure 3A is a depiction of a vehicle traveling along a road on a map;

[0036] Specifically, Figure 3B is a depiction of the first intended area overlaid on the map;

[0037] Specifically, Figure 3C is a depiction of the second intended area overlaid on the map;

[0038] Specifically, Figure 3D is a depiction of a vehicle traveling along a road with the first and second intended areas overlaid on the map;

[0039] Figure 4 A search result filter according to one aspect of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 5Depicting an illustrative scenario for satisfying a user's need for food according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 6 Depicted is an illustrative scenario for satisfying refueling / charging needs according to an aspect of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 7A , 7B An example search implementation according to an aspect of the present disclosure is shown;

[0043] Figure 8 According to one aspect of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a search performed by the system in response to a proactively determined user need; and

[0044] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of a method for optimizing demand satisfaction in travel according to an aspect of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and use. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, summary or the following detailed description.

[0046] Figure 1 A system 100 for vehicle navigation is shown. The system is configured to combine the satisfaction of user needs with vehicle movement and user preferences to optimize user travel satisfaction.

[0047] System 100 includes a vehicle 102 having at least one controller 104, a need identifier 106, a search attribute negotiator 108, a point of interest identifier 110, and a navigation display 112. Navigation display 112 is configured to display navigation to a selected point of interest to a user while traveling.

[0048] To properly control the operation of the coupled components, the controller 104 may include a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) and at least one memory, at least some of which is tangible and non-transitory. The memory may store a controller-executable instruction set, and the processor may execute the controller-executable instruction set stored in the memory. The memory may be a recordable medium that participates in providing computer-readable data or processing instructions.

[0049] A recordable medium can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. The non-volatile media for the controller 104 can include, for example, optical or magnetic disks and other permanent memories. The volatile media can include, for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which can constitute the main memory. The memory of the controller 104 can also include solid state media, floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, other magnetic media, CD-ROMs, DVDs, other optical media, combinations thereof, etc.

[0050] The controller-executable instruction set can be transmitted through one or more transmission media, including coaxial cables, copper wires or traces, optical fibers, combinations thereof, etc. For example, the transmission media can include a system bus that couples two or more components of the system 100, such as the demand recognizer 106, the search attribute negotiator 108, the point of interest recognizer 110, the navigation display 112, and the controller 104.

[0051] The controller 104 can be configured or equipped with other required computer hardware, such as a high-speed clock, the required analog-to-digital (A / D) and / or digital-to-analog (D / A) circuits, input / output circuits and devices (I / O), and appropriate signal conditioning and / or buffering circuits. Any algorithms required by or accessible to the controller 104 can be stored in the memory and automatically executed to provide the required functions for related components, such as the demand recognizer 106, the search attribute negotiator 108, and the point of interest recognizer 110. In addition, components such as the demand recognizer 106, the search attribute negotiator 108, and the point of interest recognizer 110 can be implemented on one or more controllers 104.

[0052] The demand recognizer 106 is configured to recognize at least one demand of a user in a vehicle in transit. As will be discussed in further detail below, the demand recognizer 106 can recognize demands actively or passively. In addition, the demand recognizer 106 can also be configured to recognize the user associated with the demand. For example, the demand recognizer can use one or more of identification data, role data, historical response data, biometric data, credential information, associated devices, associated individuals, relationships, usage history, and behavior information to determine the identity of the user.

[0053] The search attribute negotiator 108 is configured to receive and negotiate multiple attributes related to meeting a need. These attributes can include contemporaneous input from the user (e.g., voice input or text input), stored user preferences and / or demographic data, weather conditions (e.g., known or predicted conditions), the number and / or identity of vehicle occupants, the time of day, the used and / or remaining travel time, the vehicle speed, the road type, the road condition, the type and / or urgency of the need, and the original search area. The search attribute negotiator 108 can screen and prioritize the received data for a need, based on stored preferences, the original search area, available input, and available constraints, to negotiate the attributes.

[0054] The point of interest identifier 110 is configured to determine at least one point of interest to meet a need, detect points of interest within one or more zones of a determined intent zone, and return at least one point of interest to the user to be added as a waypoint to the travel to meet the need, based on optimizing user travel satisfaction. Each intent zone can represent a quantification of the user's intent in a decision, such as the desire to deviate from the current navigation given at least one condition. For example, a first intent zone can be conditioned on the travel time of the vehicle, a second intent zone can be conditioned on the geographical distance from the vehicle, a third intent zone can be conditioned on the elapsed travel time, a fourth intent zone can be conditioned on the user's need for food, and a fifth intent zone can be conditioned on the lag time between vehicle arrival and need satisfaction.

[0055] Figures 2A - 2D An example intent zone 202 for meeting a need based on vehicle speed and implementation location density is shown. The intent zones 202a-d are of a shape that defines a perimeter 204a-d and can include an offset 206a-c from the vehicle 102. The perimeters 204a-d define the geographical time boundaries for returning points of interest that can meet the need. The offsets 206a-c space the respective intent zones 202a-d a certain distance from the vehicle. The offsets 206a-c are selected such that the near edge of the intent zone is sufficiently ahead of the vehicle 102 such that the user has enough time to decide whether to add a point of interest from within the intent zone without having to backtrack.

[0056] Figure 2A is shown relative to Figure 2B and Figure 2C a first intent zone 202a of a vehicle 102 traveling at a higher speed and medium density. The first intent zone 202a defines a shape having a generally elliptical rectangular perimeter 204a that extends along an expected travel vector 208 such that the expected travel vector 208 is aligned with the centerline of the elliptical rectangular shape. The first intent zone 202a includes a first offset 206a at a first predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 102.

[0057] Figure 2B shows a second intention area 202b of a vehicle 102 traveling at a medium speed and a low density relative to Figure 2A and Figure 2C The second intention area 202b defines a shape having a generally elongated perimeter 204b that extends along an expected travel vector 208. The second intention area 202b includes a second offset 206b at a second predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 102. The second predetermined distance of the second offset 206b is less than the first offset 206a. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 102 is located within the second intention area 202b and near the trailing edge of the second intention area 202b.

[0058] Figure 2C shows a third intention area 202c of a vehicle 102 traveling at a lower speed and a high density relative to Figure 2A and Figure 2B The third intention area 202c defines a shape having a generally oval perimeter 204c that extends along an expected travel vector 208. The third intention area 202c includes a third offset 206c at a third predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 102. The third predetermined distance is less than the second predetermined distance and the first predetermined distance. In the illustrated example, the vehicle 102 is located within the third intention area 202c, spaced a certain distance from the trailing edge of the third intention area 202c, and close to the third offset 206c.

[0059] Figure 2D shows a fourth intention area 202d of a vehicle 102 having an emergency. The fourth intention area 202d defines a shape having a circular perimeter 204d that is centered on the vehicle 102. In some aspects, in an emergency, points of interest that meet an emergency need within the fourth intention area 202d are ranked and returned based on an estimated travel time.

[0060] Figures 3A - 3D shows a representation of a search 300 having a plurality of filter layers depicted on a map 302.

[0061] Figure 3A is a depiction of the vehicle 102 traveling along a road 301 on the map 302. The map 302 includes an expected travel vector 208 of the vehicle 102 that extends in the direction of travel and follows the expected travel path of the vehicle 102 along the road.

[0062] Figure 3Bis a depiction of a first intention area 304 overlaid on a map 302. The first intention area 304 is generally oval in shape and follows an expected travel vector 208 along a road. The first intention area 304 is offset a certain distance in front of the vehicle VEH along the road. The perimeter of the first intention area 304 can define a space within which a user of the vehicle VEH can select a point of interest without having to backtrack when the selected point of interest is added as a waypoint.

[0063] Figure 3C is a depiction of a second intention area 306 overlaid on a map 302. The second intention area 306 is an irregular shape that follows roads and connected paths that the vehicle might take. The perimeter of the second intention area 306 defines a space of all points, for example, that vehicle 102 can travel to that are less than a predetermined threshold. For example, the second intention area 306 can be all locations within five minutes of vehicle 102's travel.

[0064] Figure 3D is a depiction of vehicle 102 traveling along a road with the first intention area 304 and the second intention area 306 overlaid on the map 302. The depiction includes a point of interest 308 that meets the user's needs and is shared by the first intention area 304 and the second intention area 306.

[0065] Figure 4 Shows a search result filter 400. The search result filter 400 includes an attribute negotiator 402, a persistence layer 404, and an attribute object 406.

[0066] The attribute negotiator 402 is configured to prioritize search results based on collected attributes and preferences related to user needs. The attribute negotiator 402 can constrain each active piece of information to optimize the ranking and selection of relevant points of interest that meet the identified user needs.

[0067] The persistence layer 404 is configured to maintain or store information about at least one system state. The persistence layer 404 includes a point of interest data store 408, a preference data store 410, a preference filter 412, and one or more preference libraries 414.

[0068] The point of interest data store 408 is configured to store information related to points of interest that are available to meet user needs. The stored information can include, for example, operating hours, historical usage information, efficiency, business, and visitors.

[0069] The preference data store 410 is configured to store information related to the user and / or occupants of vehicle 102. The stored information can include, for example, identification data, role data, historical response data, biometric data, credential information, associated devices, associated individuals, relationships, usage history, and behavior information.

[0070] The preference filter 412 is configured to process data received from the preference library 414 and provide the filtered data to the preference data store 410. The preference filter 412 may use the system state to remove or promote certain preferences based on the specificity of the preferences relative to other preferences (e.g., promote the use of historical user preferences relative to demographic user preferences).

[0071] The preference library 414 is configured to contain information related to preferences. This information may correspond to the preferences of individuals, groups, locations, tasks, travel types, conditions, combinations thereof, etc. For example, the preference information may include a user's preferences for restaurants, cuisine, service, environment, activities, etc.

[0072] The attribute object 406 is configured to save transient attributes for constraining and / or ranking search results provided to the user. The attribute object includes an urgency determination 416, a passenger environment determination 418, an external environment determination 420, a vehicle state determination 422, a vector determination 424, and search area attributes 426 of at least one intended region 02.

[0073] The urgency determination 416 is configured to provide a measure of the determined urgency for meeting a related need. For example, when the need has a high urgency, the system 100 may prioritize satisfaction conditions that are close in time over those that are far in time, and when the need has a low urgency, the system 100 may use little or no weight for the time difference in satisfaction conditions.

[0074] The passenger environment determination 418 is configured to provide a measure of the determined passenger environment related to meeting a related need. For example, the number of passengers within the environment, the known / unknown identities of the passengers, the personal preferences or demographic data of each passenger, etc. may be used to increase or decrease the weight of an interest point to meet the need based on optimizing the satisfaction of all passengers.

[0075] The external environment determination 420 is configured to provide a measure of the external environment related to meeting a related need. For example, adverse weather conditions may be used to reduce the weight of unprotected interest points relative to protected interest points.

[0076] The vehicle state determination 422 is configured to provide a measure of the vehicle and related needs. For example, the vehicle range may be used to filter out interest points outside the vehicle's contemporaneous range. In a further example, a low fuel condition or altered fuel consumption may be used to increase or decrease the urgency of one or more needs.

[0077] The vector determination 424 is configured to provide a measure of the expected travel vector 208. For example, an interest point that deviates from the expected travel vector 208 by more than a predetermined threshold may be filtered out of the search results or have its associated weight reduced.

[0078] The search area attribute 426 of the intent area 202 is configured to provide a measure of the shape and / or configuration of the search area. In some aspects, in response to the number of points of interest in the filtered results exceeding a predetermined value or the rankings being too similar, the system 100 may update the attribute object 406 and / or assign greater or lesser weights to certain attributes.

[0079] Figure 5 and Figure 6 An example travel scenario is shown. The example travel scenario includes a user's need for food 500 and a user's need for refueling / charging 600.

[0080] Figure 5 A schematic scenario that satisfies the user's need for food 500 is depicted. At block 502, the user begins a trip. In the illustrated embodiment, the user uses an integrated navigation application or a connected navigation application to provide the system 100 with the destination of the trip, and a route from their location to the destination is provided to the user. While traveling along the route, it is determined that the user will need food 500 at a future time.

[0081] The system 100 can determine that the user will need food 500 via the demand recognizer 106 using active determination (e.g., at block 504), passive determination (e.g., at block 506), or a combination thereof. In some examples, active determination includes the system 100 receiving a user prompt action that indicates the user's need for food. The user prompt action can be, for example, a voice action of the user. The user prompt can indicate one or more conditions for satisfying the demand. For example, the user prompt can include the desired time to obtain food or other restrictions.

[0082] In some examples, the system 100 passively determines potential demands using a prediction model. The prediction model can determine the probability that the user will need food during the trip. If the probability exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system 100 can prompt the user to provide information about the demand. The requested information can be presented to the user in one or more prompts. For example, the system 100 can ask the user in a first prompt if they want to eat before arriving at the destination, and if the user answers affirmatively, provide a second prompt to find information such as the desired time or desired area to satisfy the demand.

[0083] At block 508, system 100 identifies multiple points of interest to optimize user satisfaction when using one or more intent areas 202 to meet user needs. In some aspects, system 100 implements a spatio-temporal model to reduce overall travel time. For example, system 100 can determine the amount of time required to prepare food at each point of interest from a set of points of interest that meet user needs. Points of interest that require a delay between the vehicle 102 arriving at the location and completing the order can be removed from the set of points of interest, such that the returned search results include only points of interest where food can be ordered and the order is completed when vehicle 102 arrives at the point of interest.

[0084] Filtering points of interest can include system 100 determining the expected time between presenting a point of interest to the user and the user completing a reservation. Additionally or alternatively, system 100 can determine the latest available reservation time. The latest available reservation time is the latest time at which a user can reserve food such that the completion of the order coincides with arrival at the location. The system can notify the user of the latest available reservation time and / or hold the order until then. Advantageously, these actions optimize travel flexibility because if another need arises during the intervening time between performing the search and the latest available reservation time, the travel can be altered to accommodate the intervening need.

[0085] At block 510, system 100 can determine whether there are additional needs to be met. In some examples, system 100 can determine a refueling need that either coexists with or arises later than the determination of the food need, and then when determining points of interest that meet the food need, system 100 can consider points of interest that meet the refueling need. Additionally or alternatively, system 100 can consider points of interest that meet the food needs of other passengers in the vehicle. These additional needs can be considered such that the overall travel time is minimized while improving the travel satisfaction of one or more passengers.

[0086] At block 512, a reservation occurs while en route to the point of interest selected by the user, and at block 514, the order is completed while vehicle 102 arrives at the point of interest selected by the user.

[0087] Figure 6 A schematic scenario for meeting a refueling / charging 600 need is depicted. At block 602, the user begins a trip. Although this is the same as block 502, it is shown separately for convenience in Figure 6 During travel along the route, it is determined that the user needs to refuel 600 at a later point in time.

[0088] Similar to determining the user's food needs 500, determining whether refueling is needed 600 can be an active determination (e.g., at block 604), a passive determination (e.g., at block 606), or a combination thereof. Information that can be collected or considered when filtering points of interest can include available fuel types, prices, expected time between the arrival location and meeting the refueling 600 need, combinations thereof, and the like.

[0089] At block 608, system 100 uses one or more intent zones 202 to identify points of interest to optimize user satisfaction when meeting the refueling 600 need, similar to what was discussed above regarding block 508. For example, system 100 can determine, for each point of interest in a set of points of interest that can meet the refueling need, the amount of time required for vehicle 102 to reach that location and meet the refueling need. Then, at block 610, the system receives the user's selection of the desired point of interest to meet the refueling need.

[0090] At block 612, system 100 can determine whether there are additional needs to be met. Information regarding the refueling need and the additional need can be determined, and the user can be prompted to add or update one or more waypoints in the trip. For example, system 100 can determine that the user's existing food need can be met at a point of interest that is closer to the point of interest the user selected to meet the refueling need than the previously selected waypoint to meet the food need. In response to determining that the waypoint can be changed without cost, system 100 can prompt the user to replace the previously selected waypoint to meet the food need with a point of interest that is closer to the point of interest to meet the refueling need.

[0091] At block 614, vehicle 102 arrives at the point of interest selected by the user, where the user can refuel vehicle 102 and attend to any other identified needs that can be met at that location.

[0092] Figure 7A 、 7B Show the first part 700a and the second part 700b of an example search implementation. At block 702, a user need or desire occurs during a trip. The system identifies the user at block 704 and obtains the user need at block 706.

[0093] The system can actively obtain the user need (e.g., at block 708) and / or passively obtain the user need (e.g., block 710), as discussed above regarding Figure 5 If the system 100 passively obtains the user need, then the system 100 can prompt the user to confirm the need at block 712.

[0094] At block 714, system 100 collects attributes related to the acquired user needs. These attributes for meeting the user needs can include, for example, personal preferences 716, urgency 718, environment 720, and vehicle state 722. Personal preferences 716 can include, for example, stored preferences regarding past fulfillment locations 724, and the lag time between the arrival location and the fulfillment of the need 726.

[0095] Urgency 718 can include, for example, the user's desire to meet the need 728 and the impact of delaying fulfillment on the user 730. Urgency 718 can be determined using one or more of voice analysis, word analysis, or need categories. The system can use a hierarchy of need types to determine the priority of fulfillment and / or change the intent zone 202. For example, the hierarchy of need types can include temporary needs, ideal needs, basic needs, urgent needs, and sudden needs.

[0096] Temporary needs refer to needs where the user's travel satisfaction is generally independent of the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of the need. Ideal needs refer to needs where fulfillment before the destination can improve the user's travel satisfaction, but fulfillment at the destination does not cause significant harm. Basic needs refer to those needs that must be met before the user can be satisfied with the travel. Urgent needs are those that are desired to be fulfilled more promptly and / or delays increase the user's discomfort. Sudden needs are those unexpected needs, and fulfilling sudden needs is the primary consideration. In some aspects, fulfilling sudden needs can take precedence over the fulfillment of other needs, which can extend to the extent of abandoning the current trip to support the fulfillment of sudden needs.

[0097] Environment 720 can include, for example, traffic conditions 732 and weather conditions 734. For example, congested traffic can have a significant impact on determining the intent zone 202, where user preferences indicate that the user will spend more time and / or distance detouring to avoid being stuck in traffic. In a further example, the user may want to avoid certain roads or road categories in bad weather, while preferring those same roads or road categories in good weather.

[0098] Vehicle state 722 can include, for example, proximity to the destination 736, elapsed / remaining travel time 738, time since last stop 740, vehicle operating conditions 742 (e.g., fuel level, fuel consumption, fuel range, liquid levels, etc.), and vehicle intent vector 744. For example, the user may prefer to reduce fuel consumption rather than reduce travel time, take breaks more frequently as the travel time increases, avoid certain roads based on maintenance history or vehicle age, etc.

[0099] At block 746, system 100 negotiates attributes using, for example, attribute negotiator 748. At block 750, system 100 uses the negotiated attributes to search for points of interest that meet the requirements. This search can apply the negotiated attributes to one or more objects 752. These objects can include, for example, original search area 754, filtered search terms 756, and actual search area 758. At block 760, the system returns the search results to the user.

[0100] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a search 800 performed by system 100 in response to actively determined user requirements. At block 802, system 100 identifies the user. The system then parses the request at block 804 to identify the user requirements and initiates a search at block 806.

[0101] The system sends a request to perform a search from vehicle 102 to remote server 808. Remote server 808 retrieves stored preferences 810 and passes them for parsing and processing of search attributes at block 812. Search attributes used by system 100 can include, for example, urgency attribute 814, passenger environment attribute 816, external environment attribute 818, vehicle state attribute 820, vector attribute 822, and search area attribute 824.

[0102] The search attributes are provided to attribute negotiator 826. Attribute negotiator 826 returns constraint information to each activity to optimize the ranking and selection of relevant points of interest that meet the identified requirements.

[0103] At block 828, the search is completed to obtain search results. The obtained search results can be filtered and / or sorted according to the identified intent area 202. At block 830, the search results are returned to vehicle 102.

[0104] At block 832, system 100 can apply additional discriminators to the search results and present the results to the user, and at block 834, system 100 can monitor the user's response to the presented results and update the user preferences accordingly.

[0105] Figure 9 Shows a flowchart of a method 900 for optimizing the satisfaction of requirements during a trip. Method 900 passively identifies the requirements of a vehicle user that occur during a trip by the following steps: obtaining the status of the trip at block 902, determining the probability that the user's requirements occur based on the obtained status of the trip at block 904, and prompting the user to confirm at least one detail of the requirements in response to the probability exceeding a predetermined threshold at block 906.

[0106] After the user confirms the details of the requirements, method 900 negotiates a plurality of attributes related to meeting the requirements at block 908. At block 910, at least one spatio-temporal intent zone for meeting the requirements is determined based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of attributes. At block 912, points of interest for meeting the requirements are determined within one or more of the at least one spatio-temporal intent zone. At block 914, the points of interest are returned to the user to add the points of interest as waypoints to the trip.

[0107] Although system 100 shows certain components as part of vehicle 102, it is contemplated that one or more of the shown components may be implemented remotely to vehicle 102.

[0108] The terms "controller", "control module", "control", "control unit", "processor" and like terms refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a central processing unit (preferably a microprocessor) and associated memory and storage devices (read only, programmable read only, random access, hard drive, etc.) that execute one or more software or firmware programs or routines, combinational logic circuits, sequential logic circuits for providing the described function(s) input / output circuits and devices, appropriate signal conditioning and buffering circuits, other components, combinations thereof, etc. "Software", "firmware", "program", "instruction", "routine", "code", "algorithm" and like terms represent a set of controller executable instructions including calibration and look-up tables.

[0109] Although the best mode for carrying out the present disclosure has been described in detail, those skilled in the art familiar with the field to which the present disclosure pertains will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the present disclosure within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system, comprising: A demand recognizer configured to recognize the demands that occur during the travel of a vehicle user; A search attribute negotiator configured to negotiate multiple attributes related to meeting the demands based on the status of the travel; A point of interest recognizer configured to: Determine at least one spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the demands based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated multiple attributes; Detect points of interest for meeting the demands in one or more areas of the at least one spatio-temporal intention area; And Based on optimizing the user travel satisfaction, return the point of interest as superior to other points of interest for meeting the demands to the user to be added as a waypoint to the travel to meet the demands; And A navigation display configured to guide the user along a navigation route to the waypoint.

2. A method, comprising: Recognize the demands that occur during the travel of a vehicle user; Negotiate multiple attributes related to meeting the demands; Determine at least one spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the demands based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated multiple attributes; Detect points of interest for meeting the demands in one or more areas of the at least one spatio-temporal intention area; And Based on optimizing the user travel satisfaction, return the point of interest as superior to other points of interest for meeting the demands to the user to be added as a waypoint to the travel to meet the demands.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein Passively recognize the demands via the demand recognizer by the following steps: Obtain the status of the travel; Determine the probability of occurrence of the demands of the user based on the obtained status of the travel; and In response to the probability exceeding a predetermined threshold, prompt the user to confirm at least one detail of the demands.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The multiple attributes include the urgency of meeting the demands, and the urgency is based on the type of the demands.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The urgency of meeting the demands is also based on unprompted user input.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein The demand is a first demand, the point of interest is a first point of interest, and the method further comprises: Recognize a second demand that occurs during the travel; Negotiate multiple second attributes related to meeting the first demand and the second demand; Determine at least one second spatio-temporal intention area for meeting the first demand and the second demand based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated multiple second attributes; Detect second points of interest for meeting the second demand in one or more areas of the at least one second spatio-temporal intention area; and Based on optimizing the user travel satisfaction, return the second point of interest to the user to be added as a waypoint to the travel to meet the second demand.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The waypoint is a first waypoint, and the second demand is recognized during the navigation to the first waypoint, and the method further comprises: Detect third points of interest for meeting the first demand in one or more areas of the at least one second spatio-temporal intention area; Based on meeting the second demand at the second point of interest, determine that the third point of interest provides higher user satisfaction than the first point of interest based on the multiple second attributes; and Return the third point of interest as the third waypoint to the user to replace the first waypoint.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The other points of interest for satisfying the first requirement include the third point of interest.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The second requirement is the requirement of the second user.

10. A vehicle, comprising: A requirement recognizer configured to recognize requirements that occur to a user of the vehicle during a trip; A search attribute negotiator configured to negotiate a plurality of attributes related to satisfying the requirements based on the status of the trip; A point of interest recognizer configured to: Determine at least one spatio-temporal intention area for satisfying the requirements based on the expected driving vector of the vehicle and the negotiated plurality of attributes; Detect points of interest for satisfying the requirements in one or more of the at least one spatio-temporal intention area; And Based on optimizing the user's trip satisfaction, return the point of interest that is superior to other points of interest for satisfying the requirements to the user to be added as a waypoint to the trip to satisfy the requirements; And A navigation display configured to guide the user along a navigation route to the waypoint.

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