Local Memory Direction Caching for Offline Navigation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile devices often face challenges in providing continuous navigation instructions when entering areas with unreliable wireless communication coverage, leading to potential loss of service or incurring roaming charges, as existing technologies rely heavily on network connectivity for route guidance.

Innovation Solution

A method implemented on mobile devices to cache navigation directions proactively in local memory based on expected wireless communication coverage, using crowd-sourced data and carrier information to determine areas of poor coverage, ensuring users receive adequate directions to and from destinations even without reliable network connectivity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If navigation directions are provided continuously over wireless network, then users receive real-time route guidance, but service may be lost in areas with unreliable wireless coverage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation service continuityVSAvoidwireless coverage dependency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by caching additional navigation directions (including directions to alternate destinations) in local memory before the user enters areas with unreliable wireless coverage. This proactive caching ensures that navigation service continues without interruption even when wireless connection is lost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system prepares compensatory measures in advance by determining and caching directions to multiple alternate destinations based on predicted user behavior patterns. When wireless coverage becomes unreliable, these pre-cached alternate directions serve as a buffer to maintain navigation service continuity without requiring real-time network connection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If navigation data is cached in local memory, then service continuity is maintained offline, but device memory resources are consumed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoffline navigation capabilityVSAvoidlocal memory usage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by selectively caching navigation data based on specific conditions - it caches additional directions to alternate destinations only for routes that are predicted to be taken, rather than caching all possible navigation data. This selective approach optimizes local memory usage while maintaining offline navigation capability for the most likely scenarios.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses partial action by caching only the necessary additional directions to alternate destinations rather than complete navigation datasets. The caching is performed partially - only for predicted alternate routes based on user behavior patterns - thereby balancing offline capability with memory resource constraints.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If additional directions to alternate destinations are cached, then navigation continuity is improved during poor coverage, but data storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenavigation availability in poor coverage areasVSAvoiddata storage capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system determines and caches directions to alternate destinations in advance, before the user actually needs them. By predicting which alternate destinations the user might visit based on historical behavior patterns, the system prepares the necessary navigation data beforehand, ensuring availability in poor coverage areas without requiring excessive storage for all possible destinations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of navigation data storage by dynamically determining which alternate destinations to cache based on predicted user behavior. Instead of storing fixed amounts of navigation data, the system adapts the storage parameters - caching directions to specific alternate destinations only when prediction algorithms indicate high probability of visitation, thereby optimizing the balance between reliability and storage usage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10959052B2Local memory direction caching

Publication Date: 2021.03.23 LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

A computer implemented method including receiving an original starting location and an original destination location at a processor of a mobile wireless device, determining a route, including directions, based on the starting location and destination, retrieving data for the mobile wireless device indicative of wireless communication coverage corresponding to the route, determining first additional directions to a first additional location from the original destination location, and caching the first additional directions in local memory of the mobile wireless device accessible by the processor to facilitate communication of the additional directions from the local memory to a user.