Selective Navigation Route Previews for Complex Maneuvers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing navigation systems provide limited visual and audio assistance for users, particularly in complex maneuvers, potentially distracting users during navigation and failing to prepare them adequately for upcoming route segments.

Innovation Solution

A navigation preview system selects a subset of route segments based on characteristics such as maneuver complexity, user familiarity, and interaction history, providing panoramic street-level imagery and detailed audio descriptions to assist users in preparing for upcoming maneuvers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If comprehensive visual and audio assistance is provided for all route segments, then user familiarity with the route is improved, but user distraction during navigation increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser familiarity with routeVSAvoiduser distraction
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the route into multiple route segments and selectively provides visual and audio assistance only for segments meeting specific criteria (complex maneuvers, user unfamiliarity, identified hazards) rather than providing comprehensive assistance for all segments. This segmentation approach maintains user familiarity while reducing unnecessary distraction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different levels of visual and audio assistance to different route segments based on their specific characteristics. Complex segments receive detailed previews while simple segments receive minimal or no assistance, creating local quality variations that optimize both information delivery and distraction reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If detailed previews are provided for all route segments, then navigation safety is improved, but information processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenavigation safetyVSAvoidinformation processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the route into segments and processes only those segments that require assistance based on predefined criteria. This selective processing approach maintains navigation safety for critical segments while significantly reducing the overall information processing time compared to analyzing all segments.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by providing detailed previews only for route segments that meet specific criteria (complexity, unfamiliarity, hazards) rather than providing excessive action (comprehensive previews for all segments). This balances safety improvements with time efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If selective subset of route segments is provided in preview, then processing efficiency is improved, but information completeness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing efficiencyVSAvoidinformation completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enhances local quality by providing enriched visual and audio information specifically for selected route segments that require assistance. While the preview covers only a subset of segments, the information provided for those segments is comprehensive and detailed, compensating for the selective approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary analysis of all route segments to identify which ones require assistance, then provides detailed previews only for those segments. This preliminary screening maintains processing efficiency while ensuring information completeness for the segments that actually need it.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4176233B1Navigation directions preview
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 GOOGLE LLC
  • EP4176233B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4176233B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4176233B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

To present a navigation directions preview, a server device receives a request for navigation directions from a starting location to a destination location and generates a set of navigation directions in response to the request. The set of navigation directions includes a set of route segments for traversing from the starting location to the destination location. The server device selects a subset of the route segments based on characteristics of each route segment in the set of route segments. For each selected route segment, the server device provides a preview of the route segment to be displayed on a client device. The preview of the route segment includes panoramic street level imagery depicting the route segment.