Abstract:
A method is provided for presenting audio information related to scenic points of interest (POIs) to a user traveling along a predetermined route. The predetermined route is guided by a navigation device for providing audio navigation announcements that include turn-by-turn directions to the user. The predetermined route is defined between the starting location and a destination that includes scenic POIs. Audio navigation announcements are output to the user for selectively guiding the user along the predetermined route. An active region around each POI while traveling along the predetermined route is used to identify a current POI. Audio POI information is reproduced relating to the current POI while the user is within the active region of the current POI. Audio POI information reproduced to the user is selectively scheduled at a time not conflicting with the audio navigation announcements output to the user.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     An embodiment relates generally to reproduction of audio for a scenic tour. 
     Scenic tours often include a predetermined scenic route having predetermined points of interest (POIs) that are observable to a party of interest traveling along the predetermined route. Audio files are often used to supplement information relating to points of interest observed. The audio content of the audio files are blindly played when in close proximity to a POI. 
     In addition, navigation devices are utilized on scenic tours to guide the user along the predetermined scenic route. The navigation devices provide turn-by-turn instructions directions in the form of audio output to guide the user along the predetermined route. An issue with utilizing a device or system where audio navigation instructions and audio information relating to the POIs is output from a same output device is the interruption of one of the audio outputs if both are played at a same time. That is, when a point of interest is being observed and when the predetermined route requires a turn or similar maneuver. If both audio outputs are scheduled for playback by the same device, then either the navigation instructions will not be announced or the audio information relating to the POIs will be interrupted. If POI information takes priority, then it is possible that navigation instructions will not be announced thereby potentially missing a turn instruction. If the navigation information takes priority, then it is possible that POI information may be missed or interrupted, such that the user does not hear information about the POI, or hears the content but does not understand it because of the interruption. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     An advantage of an embodiment is the cooperative and complimentary reproduction of audio POI information and navigation instruction announcements which are linearly reproduced to the party of interest without overlapping the audio output of either announcement. Audio POI information is output at a time when the navigation instruction are not being reproduced to the user. Moreover, audio POI information is automatically prioritized and scheduled when multiple POIs are in close proximity to one another. 
     An embodiment contemplates a method of presenting audio information related to scenic points of interest to a user traveling along a predetermined route. The predetermined route is guided by a navigation device for providing audio navigation announcements that include turn-by-turn directions to the user. The predetermined route is defined between the starting location and a destination that includes scenic points of interest. Audio navigation announcements are output to the user for selectively guiding the user along the predetermined route. An active region is identified around each point of interest while traveling along the predetermined route. Audio point of interest information that relates to the current point of interest is reproduced to the user while the user is within the active region of the current point of interest. The audio point of interest information reproduced to the user is selectively scheduled at a time not conflicting with the audio navigation announcements output to the user. 
     A guided tour output system is provided for outputting audio point of interest information relating to scenic points of interests for a user traveling along a predetermined route. The output system includes a navigation module for generating turn-by-turn directions that provide audio navigation announcements for guiding the user to each point of interest along the predetermined route. A point of interest information module generates the audio point of interest information relating to the respective point of interest while the user is within an active region corresponding to the point of interest. The active region encompasses an area that is within a respective distance from the respective point of interest. An audio output device reproduces the audio navigation announcements and the audio point of interest information to a user. The audio point of interest information reproduced to the user is selectively scheduled at a time not conflicting with the audio navigation announcements output to the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a guided tour audio output system. 
         FIG. 2  is an exemplary diagram of a scenic navigation route of a geographical location. 
         FIG. 3  is a timeline section of the scenic navigation route. 
         FIG. 4  is a timeline section illustrating audio navigation announcements and POI active regions. 
         FIG. 5  is a timeline section illustrating audio POI information reproduction. 
         FIG. 6  is a timeline section illustrating multiple overlapping POI information reproduction. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     There is shown in  FIG. 1  a block diagram of a guided tour audio output system. The guided tour audio output system outputs audio points of interest (POI) information to an interested party traveling along a predetermined route. POIs are locations that a party of interest traveling along the predetermined route is interested in observing. POIs may be located on the road of travel of the predetermined route or may be a distance from the road of travel, yet observable to the interested party from the road of travel. 
     The guided tour audio output system  10  includes a navigation module  12  for generating turn-by-turn directions. The turn-by-turn directions provide navigation instructions for guiding the interested party along the predetermined route. 
     The guided tour audio output system includes a POI information module  14  for reproducing audio POI information while the interested party is within the active region associated with the respective POI. The active region encompasses an area up to a respective distance (e.g., radius) from the respective POI. 
     A controller  16  is communicably coupled to the navigation module  12  and the POI information module  14  for determining a time when the audio POI information should be reproduced to the interested party. The controller  16  determines time slots for reproduction of audio POI information as a function of the predetermined route, a time when the active regions will be reached, a time duration of the active regions, a time when the navigation announcements will be output, and a duration of the navigation announcements. 
     The guided tour audio output system further includes an audio output device  18  (e.g., speaker) for reproducing the audio navigation announcements and the POI information to the interested party. The controller  16  outputs the audio POI information via the audio output device  18  when the interested party is within the active region for the POI, and more importantly, when the audio navigation announcement is not being output to the interested party. 
     The navigation module  12 , POI information module  14 , controller  16  may be integrated as a single unit that can be a portable unit carried by the interested party or may be a device that is fixed within the transportation apparatus of the interested party (e.g., vehicle-based). Moreover, the audio output device  18  may be integrated as part of the single unit or may be a speaker system for the transportation apparatus in which the navigation announcements and POI announcements are cooperatively reproduced to the interested party. 
     There is shown in  FIG. 2 , an exemplary map of a geographical location having a plurality of points of interest (POI)  20 - 30 . The plurality of POIs are respective geographical sites having some relevance or interest to a user (i.e., an interested party) traveling along a predetermined route  32  that is illustrated by a darkened line. The predetermined route  32  may be a route designed by the interested party intending to the travel along the predetermined route. Alternatively, the predetermined route  32  may be generated by professional entities, organizations, or individuals who have an interest in generating scenic tours concerning a particular subject matter. For example, historical societies may develop a predetermined route than that includes historical sites; sports societies may develop a predetermined route that includes sporting event sites; or automobile enthusiasts may develop a predetermined route that includes roads that are deemed fun or exciting to drive on. The interested party may be a driver and/or passengers of the vehicle, or a pedestrian utilizing any mode of transportation including, but not limited to, non-motorized transportation such as bicycling or walking. 
     The following are exemplary POIs that a person may desire to see along the predetermined route  32 . The POIs include, but are not limited to, a college campus  20 , a history museum  21 , an art exhibit  22 , a historical building  23 , a city capital building  24 , a justice building  25 , a performance theatre  26 , a sporting location  27 , a zoo  28 , a park  29 , a historical battle ground  30 . 
     A navigation device may be used to provide turn-by-turn directions to the user when traveling along the predetermined route  32 . The turn-by-turn directions are audibly announced to the interested party. In addition to the turn-by-turn directions, information relating to each of the POIs is audibly reproduced to the interested party. 
     The audio POI information is reproduced when an interested party is within an active region of a respective POI. An active region encompasses an area that is within a respective distance from the respective POI. The active region is defined by the entity, group, or individual generating the predetermined route and associated POIs. It is desirable to have the audio POI information reproduced while the interested party is observing the POI. It is essential that the audio POI information is not reproduced at a time when the audio turn-by-turn navigation instructions are announced; otherwise, the reproduction of audio POI information will be interrupted. Therefore, audio POI information must be selectively reproduced over a time period when the interested party is within an active region of a POI and when the audio navigation instructions are not being announced. 
     To selectively reproduce the audio POI information for each respective POI along the predetermined route, the predetermined route is mapped as a timeline  40  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Each POI is mapped as a respective point in time that will be reached based on a current location and travel speed of the interested party. Similarly, each turn in the route is mapped as a respective point on the timeline based on the same criteria. The timeline may be continuously updated to account for changes in speeds, traffic flow, and stops. 
     To determine a time when each active region or turn is reached, a current location of the interested party is determined. The current location may be determined by utilizing a global positioning device (GPS) or similar device. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates two respective turns t i  and t i+1  along the timeline. A time to travel between respective turns is determined based on the vehicle current position, the distance, and average velocity. The formula for determining the time between respective turns is as follows: 
               t   i     =       t     i   -   1       +       d   i       v   i               
where t i  is a time to reach the next turn from a current location, d i  is a distance between points (i-1) and (i), and v i  is an average velocity between points (i-1) and (i). It should be understood that when the system updates the time, (i-1) may be a current position if the current position is not at a turn or point of interest. An estimated time of arrival is determined for each of the turns on the predetermined route.
 
     After the time is generated between each respective turn, a time of arrival is estimated to reach a boundary of each active region for the route&#39;s POIs, so that a determination may be made when to reproduce the audio POI information for each POI. It should be understood that various methods may be used to determine when an active region is reached without deviating from the embodiment described herein. For example, the location of the boundary of the active region along the predetermined route may be determined utilizing timing parameters or distance parameters. Moreover, a direct calculation based on a latitude and longitude coordinate to the beginning (e.g., boundary) of the active region on the predetermined route may be a more precise calculation than described above if the latitude and longitude coordinate of the point of interest is not on the road of travel of the predetermined route (i.e., if the point of interest is set far back from the road of travel or on a private road that is not accessible but still visible from the road of travel). 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a timeline showing audio navigation announcements and active regions for reproduction of audio POI information. The audio POI information must be reproduced to the interested party at a time when a respective navigation announcement  44  is currently not being output. An active region  46  is a respective area which is optimal for reproducing the audio POI information for the interested party so that the interested party can listen to information relating to the POI while observing the POI. Reproduction of audio POI information outside of the active region  46  causes a disconnect between a time when the interested party views the POI and the time when the interested party listens to the audio POI information, which is undesirable and may be confusing. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  the estimated time period  44  when the navigation announcement is expected to be output to the interested party overlaps a portion of the active region  46 . Since the navigation announcement  44  has priority over the audio POI information as it would be unfavorable to miss a turn instruction and stray from the predetermined route, audio POI information should not be reproduced during this time period. Therefore, audio POI information should ideally be reproduced in the active region  46  either prior to or after the navigation announcement  44 . The navigation announcement is typically initiated when the interested party is a predetermined distance (e.g., 0.5 miles) from the POI, based on the algorithm used by the navigation device. The length of time for the navigation announcement is a function of both the number of words in the announcement and a rate at which the words of the navigation announcement are output. A formula for determining a time duration for a respective navigation audio instruction announcement is represented by the following formula: 
               t   a     =       w   a     wpm           
where t a  is a time duration of the navigation audio instruction announcement, w a  is a number of words in the announcement, wpm (“words per minute”) is a rate at which the words of the navigation audio instruction announcement are output.
 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a respective timeline having options for reproducing the audio POI information for a respective POI within the active region. The active region for reproducing the audio POI information is represented by  50 . The active region  50  represents a region in which audio POI information may reproduced for a POI  52 . It should be understood that the POI  52  is a location that may either be directly next to the road of travel or may be at a location that is distal from the road of travel but is observable to the interested party from the road of travel. Point t i  represents a location at which a turn maneuver or other type of steering maneuver is performed. As a result, it is the respective active region along the road of travel which is used to determine when to initiate the audio POI information. 
     Audio navigation turn announcements that are determined based on the respective number of words and the word rate output are represented by  54  and  56 . Turn announcement  54  represents first navigation announcement for approaching turn maneuver t i  as an initial notification to the interested party. Turn announcement  56  represents a next navigation announcement to remind the interested party of the approaching turn maneuver t i . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , an audio POI announcement may be reproduced over time period  58 , which is output in its entirety prior to the navigation announcement  54 . Alternatively, if the duration of time is not conducive for reproducing the audio POI information prior to navigation announcement  54 , the audio POI information may be reproduced over time period  59 , which is output in its entirety after the navigation announcement  54 . Preferably, the audio POI information for a single POI is initiated at an earliest possible start time when the interested party is within an active region of the single POI. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a respective timeline having multiple POIs with active regions that overlap one another. Active regions for reproducing the audio POI information for two POIs are represented by  60  and  62 , respectively. Audio navigation turn announcements that are determined based on the respective number of words and the word rate output are represented by  64  and  66 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , audio POI information for both POIs must be ‘best fit’ into a timeline either on a priority basis or other heuristic rules. For example, the audio POI announcement for active region  62  may be reproduced first based on predetermined rating, importance rating, a user rating (i.e., the user rates which are most important), or based on which audio POI information best fits the timeline taking into consideration the time constraints resulting from the navigation announcement. That is, if the active region  62  is of a duration that only allows audio POI announcement to fit prior to the navigation announcement  64  and if active region  60  is of a sufficient time period for reproducing audio POI information after the navigation announcement  64 , then each audio POI information announcement is selected to ‘best fit’ the timeline given the timing constraints of the navigation announcement and the active regions. 
     In  FIG. 6 , the audio POI information relating to POI  62  is reproduced within time period  68  that is prior to the navigation announcement  64 , whereas audio POI information relating to POI  60  is reproduced within time period  70  that is after navigation announcement  68 . For a small number of overlapping POIs, multiple prioritizations may be tested to determine which alternative provides successful results in reproducing all audio POI announcements while satisfying the priority requirements. If one or more POIs cannot be scheduled on the timeline, then one or more POIs may be dropped. The POIs to drop may be determined utilizing heuristic rules that set forth respective criteria for dropping POIs. 
     Other options for fitting the audio POI information announcement within the timeline may include splitting a single audio POI information announcement such that a first portion of the audio POI announcement is reproduced prior to the navigation announcement and a second portion of the audio POI announcement is reproduced after the navigation announcement. The location of where to split the single audio POI information announcement may be defined by the interested party. Moreover, extending the length of time for an active region for announcing audio POI information as a whole for a respective POI may also be reconfigured by the interested party. 
     It should be understood that although the examples illustrated herein are described in terms of time, the timeline based calculations may be described in terms of distance by reconfiguring each of the formulas for outputting a distance parameter. 
     While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention as defined by the following claims.