Providing destination suggestions

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing one or more destination suggestions by a vehicle, said method comprising: receiving a request from the vehicle to provide the destination suggestion; determining a set of destination clusters from the vehicle; adapting an activity indicator for each destination cluster from among the set of destination clusters according to a temporal density of instances in which one destination cluster from among the set of destination clusters is traveled to with the vehicle; temporarily removing one or more destination clusters from the set of destination clusters according to the corresponding activity indicator for a destination cluster from among the set of destination clusters in order to produce a modified set of destination clusters; and providing a destination cluster from among the modified set of destination clusters as the destination suggestion offered by the vehicle.

Description

[0001] 24-2861 1

[0002] Method for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, computer-readable medium, system, and vehicle

[0003] The invention relates to a method for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle. The invention further relates to a computer-readable medium for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, a system for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, and a vehicle comprising the system for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle.

[0004] Methods for predicting navigation destinations are known from the prior art. These methods can utilize statistics that describe when a user has driven from destination A to destination B. The destinations can be grouped into navigation destination clusters. A single user can drive to a large number of destinations, for example, several hundred or several thousand.

[0005] The large number of destinations can reflect the user's mobility behavior with the vehicle. This can lead to a navigation destination being predicted with only a low probability. Furthermore, if the user's local mobility behavior changes and new destinations are added, old, no longer relevant destinations may still be more likely than new ones, so that old, no longer relevant destinations are suggested more frequently than new ones.

[0006] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a navigation destination suggestion by a vehicle more efficiently. In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a navigation destination suggestion by a vehicle more precisely.

[0007] This problem is solved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention result from the dependent claims.

[0008] According to a first aspect, the invention is characterized by a method for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle. The method can be a computer-implemented method and / or a control unit-implemented method. 24-2861 2

[0009] The method comprises receiving a request from the vehicle to provide the navigation destination suggestion, determining a set of the vehicle's navigation destination clusters, and adjusting an activity indicator for each navigation destination cluster based on the frequency of the vehicle's approach to that cluster. The method further comprises temporarily removing one or more navigation destination clusters from the set based on the respective activity indicator of each cluster to generate a modified set of navigation destination clusters, and providing one of these modified clusters as the navigation destination suggestion.

[0010] Advantageously, navigation destination suggestions can be provided more effectively. Navigation clusters that are no longer being visited can be temporarily removed from the set of navigation clusters. These temporarily removed navigation destination clusters are not considered when a navigation destination suggestion is currently being provided, but they become available again as navigation destination suggestions if the activity indicator shows that a temporarily removed navigation destination is being visited again. By using a time-based density to adjust the activity indicator, short-term changes in a user's mobility behavior can be efficiently taken into account, allowing navigation destination clusters to be temporarily removed from the set. This method can thus provide navigation destination suggestions with higher relevance.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment, the method can further include detecting when the vehicle approaches a temporarily removed navigation destination cluster, adjusting the activity indicator of the temporarily removed navigation destination cluster, adding the temporarily removed navigation destination cluster to the modified set of navigation destination clusters based on the adjusted activity indicator to generate a further modified set of navigation destination clusters, and providing a navigation destination cluster from the further modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle. This allows a temporarily removed navigation destination cluster to be efficiently added back to the set of navigation destination clusters from which the navigation destination suggestion is provided. 24-2861 3

[0012] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the method can also include: detecting an approach to a temporarily distant navigation target cluster from the set of navigation target clusters with the vehicle; identifying one or more temporarily distant navigation target clusters from the set of navigation target clusters at a predetermined distance from the temporarily distant navigation target cluster with the detected approach; adjusting the activity indicator of the temporarily distant navigation target cluster with the detected approach and the respective activity indicators of the identified navigation target clusters at the predetermined distance; and adding the temporarily distant navigation target clusters to the modified set of navigation target clusters depending on the adjusted activity indicators to generate a further modified set of navigation target clusters.and include providing a navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters as the suggested navigation destination by the vehicle. This allows multiple temporarily removed navigation destination clusters to be efficiently added back to the set of navigation destination clusters from which the suggested navigation destination is provided.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the set of navigation destination clusters for the vehicle can comprise one or more navigation destination clusters for destinations previously visited by the vehicle. This allows the set of navigation destination clusters to be determined efficiently.

[0014] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the provision of the navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion, or the provision of the navigation destination cluster from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion, by the vehicle can include providing the navigation destination cluster with the highest destination probability from the modified set of navigation destination clusters or the navigation destination cluster with the highest destination probability from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters. This allows for the efficient provision of a navigation destination suggestion.

[0015] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the method can also include determining the current position of the vehicle and current time information, and providing a navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters as described in 24-2861 4

[0016] The navigation destination suggestion, or a navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters, is selected as the navigation destination suggestion with the highest probability of reaching the destination based on the vehicle's current position and the current time information provided by the vehicle. This allows for the efficient provision of a navigation destination suggestion.

[0017] According to a further advantageous embodiment, a navigation target cluster from the modified set of navigation target clusters can be provided as the navigation target proposal, or a navigation target cluster from the again modified set of navigation target clusters can be provided as the navigation target proposal, if the target probability of the navigation target cluster exceeds a predefined minimum target probability. This allows for the efficient provision of a navigation target proposal.

[0018] According to a further aspect, the invention is characterized by a computer-readable medium for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises instructions which, when executed on a computer and / or a control unit, perform the method described above.

[0019] According to another aspect, the invention is characterized by a system for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, wherein the system is configured to perform the method described above.

[0020] According to another aspect, the invention is characterized by a vehicle comprising the system described above for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by the vehicle.

[0021] Further features of the invention will become apparent from the claims, the figures, and the description of the figures. All features and combinations of features mentioned above in the description, as well as those subsequently mentioned in the description of the figures and / or shown in the figures alone, are usable not only in the combinations specified, but also in other combinations or individually. 24-2861 5

[0022] A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further details, preferred configurations, and further developments of the invention will be derived from this. Specifically, Fig. 1 schematically shows an exemplary method for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, and

[0023] Fig. 2 Examples of activity indicators for two navigation destination clusters.

[0024] Figure 1 shows in detail an exemplary method 100 for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle. For example, the method 100 can provide a navigation destination suggestion to a user of the vehicle or a vehicle function, such as a navigation function of the vehicle, at or after the vehicle is started. The method 100 can receive a request from the vehicle to provide the navigation destination suggestion 102. For example, the method can receive the request from the vehicle at or after the vehicle is started.

[0025] Furthermore, the procedure can determine a set of navigation destination clusters for the vehicle. The set of navigation destination clusters for the vehicle can include one or more navigation destination clusters for historically visited destinations. A navigation destination cluster includes a geographic coordinate, such as latitude and longitude, which defines the location of the navigation destination cluster on a digital map. A navigation destination cluster can be determined, for example, using density-based spatial cluster analysis with noise for historical destinations of the vehicle. The set of navigation destination clusters can, for example, include all navigation destination clusters for the vehicle that were determined using density-based spatial cluster analysis with noise. Each navigation destination cluster can be associated with an activity indicator.The activity indicator can be representative of the activity with which the vehicle approaches the navigation destination cluster. The activity of approaching a navigation destination cluster can, for example, be measured via its temporal density.

[0026] Method 100 can adjust an activity indicator for each navigation destination cluster from the set of navigation destination clusters depending on the temporal density of approaches to a navigation destination cluster from the set of navigation destination clusters with the vehicle 106. The activity indicator can be reduced if the temporal density of approaches decreases for a given period because no further approaches to the navigation destination cluster are detected 24-2861 6. For example, the activity indicator can continuously decrease to 0 if no further approaches to the navigation destination cluster are detected for a period. The period can be dynamically controlled by a function depending on the temporal density of the approaches to the navigation destination cluster. The activity indicator can be increased if an approach to the navigation destination cluster is detected again.For example, the activity indicator can be abruptly increased to a value of 1 if an approach to the navigation destination cluster is detected again. The activity indicator can retain a value of 1 as long as the temporal density of approaches to the navigation destination cluster remains essentially the same for the specified period and / or one or more approaches to the navigation destination cluster can be detected within the specified period.

[0027] Procedure 100 can temporarily remove one or more navigation target clusters from the set of navigation target clusters, depending on the respective activity indicator of a navigation target cluster, to generate a modified set of navigation target clusters 108. For example, a navigation target cluster can be temporarily removed from the set of navigation target clusters if the activity indicator is 0.

[0028] Method 100 can provide a navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle 110. For example, the navigation destination cluster with the highest destination probability from the modified set of navigation destination clusters can be provided as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle. The navigation destination cluster with the highest destination probability could, for example, be the navigation destination cluster with the most frequent approaches by the vehicle.

[0029] For example, a user might be at a vacation destination with their vehicle. Alternatively, the user might be someone who commutes daily between their home and workplace. This is the user's first trip to the vacation destination. In other words, one or more navigation destination clusters at the vacation destination are added to the set of navigation destination clusters. The user starts the vehicle at a time when they typically travel from their workplace to their home. Without using activity indicators, the vehicle would provide a home destination cluster as a suggested navigation destination. With the use of activity indicators, the 24-2861 7

[0030] The navigation destination clusters "Home" and "Work" have been temporarily removed from the set of navigation destination clusters. Therefore, these two clusters can no longer be provided as suggested destinations. The user will be presented with a navigation destination cluster with the highest probability of being located at their vacation destination. As soon as the user is again traveling to the "Home" destination cluster, the system can add the "Home" and "Work" destination clusters back to the set of navigation destination clusters, depending on the activity indicator, and temporarily remove the navigation destination clusters at the vacation destination, again depending on the activity indicator. The user will then be presented with the correct navigation destination clusters as suggested destinations.

[0031] Figure 2 shows examples 200 of activity indicators 202, 204 for two navigation destination clusters 206, 208 over time 210, 212. Figure 214 represents the vehicle's journeys to the respective navigation destination clusters. A user can visit a navigation destination cluster several times a day with the vehicle. Not visiting the navigation destination cluster for a given period, for example, one week, can be representative of a change in the user's mobility behavior. The activity indicator decreases. If a user visits a navigation destination cluster with the vehicle only once a week, for example, not visiting the navigation destination cluster does not represent a change in the user's mobility behavior. The activity indicator remains the same. The examples shown in Figure 2 demonstrate the influence of the temporal density of journeys to a navigation destination cluster with a linear weighting function on the activity indicator.

[0032] Navigation destination cluster 206, for example, can be representative of a user's place of residence. The frequency of visits to this cluster is high. If no visit is detected for even a short time, the activity indicator drops significantly. If a visit to the user's place of residence is detected again, the activity indicator is increased to 1. Navigation destination cluster 208 has a low frequency. If no visit to this cluster is detected, the activity indicator decreases slowly. If a visit to navigation destination cluster 208 is detected again, the activity indicator is increased to 1. 24-2861 8

[0033] Advantageously, adjusting the activity indicator allows for efficient control of temporarily removing navigation destination clusters from the set of navigation destination clusters. The set then only includes destination clusters that have been visited. This leads to improved precision in navigation destination suggestions. Navigation destination clusters already identified in the set do not need to be deleted; instead, they can be temporarily removed and quickly added back to the set when the vehicle visits them again. The vehicle can thus provide more accurate navigation destination suggestions with a higher probability of reaching the destination. The precision of navigation destination suggestions can therefore be efficiently increased.

[0034] 24-2861 9

[0035] Reference symbol list

[0036] 100 procedures

[0037] 102 Receiving a request from the vehicle

[0038] 104 Determining a set of navigation destination clusters

[0039] 106 Customizing an activity indicator for each navigation destination cluster

[0040] 108 Temporarily removing one or more navigation destination clusters

[0041] 110 Providing a navigation destination cluster

[0042] 200 examples

[0043] 202 Activity indicator

[0044] 204 Activity indicator

[0045] 206 navigation destination clusters

[0046] 208 navigation destination clusters

[0047] 210 Time

[0048] 212 Time

[0049] 214 Directions

Claims

24-2861 10 Patent claims 1. Method for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, the method comprising: Receiving a request from the vehicle to provide the navigation destination suggestion; Determining a set of the vehicle's navigation destination clusters; Adjusting an activity indicator for each navigation destination cluster from the set of navigation destination clusters depending on a temporal density of vehicle visits to a navigation destination cluster from the set of navigation destination clusters; Temporarily removing one or more navigation target clusters from the set of navigation target clusters, depending on the respective activity indicator of a navigation target cluster, to generate a modified set of navigation target clusters; and Providing a navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Detecting an approach to a temporarily distant navigation destination cluster with the vehicle; Adjusting the activity indicator of the temporarily removed navigation destination cluster; Adding the temporarily removed navigation target cluster to the modified set of navigation target clusters, depending on the adjusted activity indicator, to generate a further modified set of navigation target clusters; and Providing a navigation destination cluster from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle.

3. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises: Detecting an approach to a temporarily distant navigation destination cluster from the set of navigation destination clusters with the vehicle; Determine one or more temporarily distant navigation target clusters from the set of navigation target clusters at a specified distance to the temporarily distant navigation target cluster with the detected approach; 24-2861 11 Adjusting the activity indicator of the temporarily removed navigation target cluster with the detected approach and the respective activity indicators of the determined navigation target clusters at the specified distance; Adding the temporarily removed navigation target clusters to the modified set of navigation target clusters, depending on the adjusted activity indicator, to generate a further modified set of navigation target clusters; and Providing a navigation destination cluster from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the set of navigation destination clusters of the vehicle comprises one or more navigation destination clusters relating to historically visited destinations of the vehicle.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the provision of the navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion or of the navigation destination cluster from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion by the vehicle comprises: Providing the navigation destination cluster from the modified set of navigation destination clusters or the navigation destination cluster from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters with the highest destination probability as the navigation destination suggestion with the highest destination probability by the vehicle.

6. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises: Determining the vehicle's current position and time information; and providing a navigation destination cluster from the modified set of Navigation destination cluster as the navigation destination suggestion or of a navigation destination cluster from the again modified set of navigation destination clusters as the navigation destination suggestion with the highest destination probability with respect to the current position of the vehicle and the current time information provided by the vehicle.

7. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a navigation target cluster from the modified set of navigation target clusters is selected as the navigation target proposal, or a navigation target cluster from the again modified set of navigation target clusters is selected as the 24-2861 12 A navigation destination suggestion is provided if the destination probability of the navigation destination cluster exceeds a predefined minimum destination probability.

8. Computer-readable medium for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises instructions which, when executed on a computer and / or a control unit, execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. System for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by a vehicle, wherein the system is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. Vehicle comprising the system according to claim 9 for providing one or more navigation destination suggestions by the vehicle.

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