Ad-Hoc Navigation Guidance Using Cached Routes to Cut Distraction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems require users to initiate a navigation session to receive real-time information during a trip, consuming battery power, processing resources, and causing unnecessary distractions.

Innovation Solution

An ad-hoc navigation system that receives requests for navigation information without initiating a session, determining destinations based on user input or context data, and provides responses using cached directions or server-generated data, minimizing power consumption and distractions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a navigation session is initiated to provide real-time navigation information during a trip, then the user receives timely and accurate navigation directions, but battery power is consumed and processing resources are used

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation information accuracyVSAvoidbattery power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-generates and caches navigation directions before the user begins their trip. When the user later asks for navigation information, the system retrieves pre-computed directions from cache rather than generating new directions in real-time, thus avoiding the need to initiate a full navigation session and consuming less battery power

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides navigation information on-demand based on specific user questions rather than continuously providing full navigation directions. This localized approach delivers necessary information only when requested, reducing overall power consumption while maintaining reliability for specific navigation queries

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If a navigation session is initiated to provide real-time navigation information during a trip, then the user receives accurate route guidance, but processing power and bandwidth requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroute guidance accuracyVSAvoidprocessing power requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

Navigation directions are pre-computed and cached before the trip begins. When the user requests navigation information during the trip, the system retrieves pre-generated directions from cache rather than performing complex route calculations in real-time, significantly reducing processing power requirements while maintaining route guidance accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses cached copies of pre-generated navigation directions instead of regenerating them. This copying approach allows the system to provide accurate route guidance by retrieving stored direction data rather than performing intensive processing operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Loss of time

If a navigation session is initiated during a trip to answer navigation questions, then the user receives timely information, but user distraction increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresponse time to navigation queryVSAvoiduser distraction

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

By pre-computing and caching navigation directions before the trip, the system can provide immediate responses to user questions during the trip without initiating a full navigation session. This reduces response time while minimizing distraction because the system only activates briefly to retrieve and answer specific questions rather than continuously presenting full navigation directions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Loss of information

If the system provides comprehensive navigation directions throughout the trip, then the user has complete route information, but unnecessary distractions occur when the user is familiar with the route

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation information completenessVSAvoidunnecessary distraction

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides navigation information locally and on-demand based on specific user questions rather than continuously displaying comprehensive directions. This approach maintains information availability when needed while eliminating unnecessary distractions during segments of the trip where the user is already familiar with the route

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12566076B2Ad-hoc navigation instructions

Publication Date: 2026.03.03 GOOGLE LLC

AI summary

A computing device may implement a method for providing navigation information regarding a current trip by a user without the user having previously initiated a navigation session. The method may include receiving a request for navigation information regarding a current trip by a user prior to a user initiating a navigation session, and determining a destination for the current trip. The method may also include generating one or more sets of navigation directions for traveling from a current location of the user to the destination along one or more routes based on a current trajectory of the user, and providing a response to the request for navigation information based on the generated one or more sets of navigation directions.