U.S. patent application number 12/736766 was filed with the patent office on 2011-05-05 for navigation device & method for providing parking information.
This patent application is currently assigned to TomTom International B.V.. Invention is credited to Frederic Bruteneau, Mark Huijnen, Jeroen Trum.
Application Number | 20110106425 12/736766 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41056274 |
Filed Date | 2011-05-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110106425 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Trum; Jeroen ; et
al. |
May 5, 2011 |
NAVIGATION DEVICE & METHOD FOR PROVIDING PARKING
INFORMATION
Abstract
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a navigation
device including a parking place notification module. In at least
one embodiment, the navigation device is arranged to wirelessly
receive a message indicating a location of a parking place and, in
response, the parking place notification module is arranged to
either display on a display device an indication of the location of
the parking place, or to select as a destination location the
location of the parking place.
Inventors: |
Trum; Jeroen; (Eindhoven,
NL) ; Bruteneau; Frederic; (Amsterdam, NL) ;
Huijnen; Mark; (Rotterdam, NL) |
Assignee: |
TomTom International B.V.
Amsterdam
NL
|
Family ID: |
41056274 |
Appl. No.: |
12/736766 |
Filed: |
June 25, 2009 |
PCT Filed: |
June 25, 2009 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2009/058005 |
371 Date: |
January 5, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61129413 |
Jun 25, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
701/533 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08G 1/096888 20130101;
G01C 21/34 20130101; G01C 21/3614 20130101; G08G 1/0969 20130101;
G08G 1/141 20130101; G01C 21/3685 20130101; G08G 1/096775 20130101;
G01C 21/3476 20130101; G08G 1/091 20130101; G08G 1/09675 20130101;
G08G 1/096883 20130101; G08G 1/096716 20130101; G08G 1/096844
20130101; G08G 1/096861 20130101; G01C 21/3682 20130101; G08G
1/096827 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
701/201 ;
701/200 |
International
Class: |
G01C 21/36 20060101
G01C021/36; G08G 1/14 20060101 G08G001/14 |
Claims
1. A navigation device, comprising: a parking place notification
module, wherein the navigation device is arranged to wirelessly
receive a message indicating a location of a parking place and, in
response, the parking place notification module is arranged to
either display on a display device an indication of the location of
the parking place, or to select as a destination location the
location of the parking place.
2. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein: the message indicates
a time at which the parking place became available and the parking
place notification module is arranged to display on the display
device the indication of the location of the parking place and an
indication of the time at which the parking place became
available.
3. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the parking place
notification module is arranged to only display on the display
device one or more indications of parking places which became
available less then a predetermined duration ago.
4. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the parking place
notification module is arranged to indicate the location of the
parking place on a representation of map data displayed on the
display device.
5. The navigation device of claim 4, wherein the representation of
the map is displayed on the display in perspective and the
indication of the location of the parking place is displayed on the
map according to the perspective.
6. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the message indicates
a number of parking places available and the parking place
notification module is arranged to display on the display device an
indication of the number of parking places available.
7. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the indication of the
location of the parking place is an indication of a distance from a
current location of the navigation device.
8. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein the indication of the
location of the parking place is operable by a user to select the
location of the parking place as a destination location for route
guidance.
9. The navigation device of claim 1, wherein parking place
notification module is arranged to transmit a message indicating a
current location of the navigation device to request notification
of the available parking place according to the current
location.
10. A method for use in a navigation device, comprising: receiving
a message indicating a location of an available parking place; and
displaying on a display device an indication of the location of the
parking place, or selecting the location of the parking place as a
destination location.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the message comprises time
information for indicating when the parking place became available,
and the method comprises providing an indication on the display
device representing a duration since the parking place became
available based upon the time information.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication representing the
duration is one or more of textual or colour information indicating
the duration since the parking place became available.
13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a user
input for selecting an available parking place as a destination
location for route guidance.
14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining,
according to a perspective applied to a map displayed on the
display device, a size of the indication of the location of the
parking place; and displaying the indication on the display device
with the map.
15. The method of claim 10, comprising: selecting the location of
the parking place as a destination location if a current location
of the navigation device is within a predetermined distance of the
parking place.
Description
[0001] This is a National Phase of PCT Patent Application No.
PCT/EP2009/058005, filed on Jun. 25, 2009, which claims priority
under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.365(c) and 119(e) to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/129,413, filed on Jun. 25, 2008, the contents of
each of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to navigation devices and to methods
for providing parking information. Illustrative embodiments of the
invention relate to portable navigation devices (so-called PNDs),
in particular PNDs that include Global Positioning System (GPS)
signal reception and processing functionality. Other embodiments
relate, more generally, to any type of processing device that is
configured to execute navigation software so as to provide route
planning, and preferably also navigation, functionality.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0003] Portable navigation devices (PNDs) that include GPS (Global
Positioning System) signal reception and processing functionality
are well known and are widely employed as in-car or other vehicle
navigation systems.
[0004] In general terms, a modern PNDs comprises a processor,
memory (at least one of volatile and non-volatile, and commonly
both), and map data stored within said memory. The processor and
memory cooperate to provide an execution environment in which a
software operating system may be established, and additionally it
is commonplace for one or more additional software programs to be
provided to enable the functionality of the PND to be controlled,
and to provide various other functions.
[0005] Typically these devices further comprise one or more input
interfaces that allow a user to interact with and control the
device, and one or more output interfaces by means of which
information may be relayed to the user. Illustrative examples of
output interfaces include a visual display and a speaker for
audible output. Illustrative examples of input interfaces include
one or more physical buttons to control on/off operation or other
features of the device (which buttons need not necessarily be on
the device itself but could be on a steering wheel if the device is
built into a vehicle), and a microphone for detecting user speech.
In a particularly preferred arrangement the output interface
display may be configured as a touch sensitive display (by means of
a touch sensitive overlay or otherwise) to additionally provide an
input interface by means of which a user can operate the device by
touch.
[0006] Devices of this type will also often include one or more
physical connector interfaces by means of which power and
optionally data signals can be transmitted to and received from the
device, and optionally one or more wireless transmitters/receivers
to allow communication over cellular telecommunications and other
signal and data networks, for example Wi-Fi, Wi-Max GSM and the
like.
[0007] PND devices of this type also include a GPS antenna by means
of which satellite-broadcast signals, including location data, can
be received and subsequently processed to determine a current
location of the device.
[0008] The PND device may also include electronic gyroscopes and
accelerometers which produce signals that can be processed to
determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in turn,
and in conjunction with location information derived from the GPS
signal, velocity and relative displacement of the device and thus
the vehicle in which it is mounted. Typically such features are
most commonly provided in in-vehicle navigation systems, but may
also be provided in PND devices if it is expedient to do so.
[0009] The utility of such PNDs is manifested primarily in their
ability to determine a route between a first location (typically a
start or current location) and a second location (typically a
destination). These locations can be input by a user of the device,
by any of a wide variety of different methods, for example by
postcode, street name and house number, previously stored "well
known" destinations (such as famous locations, municipal locations
(such as sports grounds or swimming baths) or other points of
interest), and favourite or recently visited destinations.
[0010] Typically, the PND is enabled by software for computing a
"best" or "optimum" route between the start and destination address
locations from the map data. A "best" or "optimum" route is
determined on the basis of predetermined criteria and need not
necessarily be the fastest or shortest route. The selection of the
route along which to guide the driver can be very sophisticated,
and the selected route may take into account existing, predicted
and dynamically and/or wirelessly received traffic and road
information, historical information about road speeds, and the
driver's own preferences for the factors determining road choice
(for example the driver may specify that the route should not
include motorways or toll roads).
[0011] In addition, the device may continually monitor road and
traffic conditions, and offer to or choose to change the route over
which the remainder of the journey is to be made due to changed
conditions. Real time traffic monitoring systems, based on various
technologies (e.g. mobile phone data exchanges, fixed cameras, GPS
fleet tracking) are being used to identify traffic delays and to
feed the information into notification systems.
[0012] PNDs of this type may typically be mounted on the dashboard
or windscreen of a vehicle, but may also be formed as part of an
on-board computer of the vehicle radio or indeed as part of the
control system of the vehicle itself. The navigation device may
also be part of a hand-held system, such as a PDA (Portable Digital
Assistant) a media player, a mobile phone or the like, and in these
cases, the normal functionality of the hand-held system is extended
by means of the installation of software on the device to perform
both route calculation and navigation along a calculated route.
[0013] Route planning and navigation functionality may also be
provided by a desktop or mobile computing resource running
appropriate software. For example, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC)
provides an on-line route planning and navigation facility at
http://www.rac.co.uk, which facility allows a user to enter a start
point and a destination whereupon the server to which the user's PC
is connected calculates a route (aspects of which may be user
specified), generates a map, and generates a set of exhaustive
navigation instructions for guiding the user from the selected
start point to the selected destination. The facility also provides
for pseudo three-dimensional rendering of a calculated route, and
route preview functionality which simulates a user travelling along
the route and thereby provides the user with a preview of the
calculated route.
[0014] In the context of a PND, once a route has been calculated,
the user interacts with the navigation device to select the desired
calculated route, optionally from a list of proposed routes.
Optionally, the user may intervene in, or guide the route selection
process, for example by specifying that certain routes, roads,
locations or criteria are to be avoided or are mandatory for a
particular journey. The route calculation aspect of the PND forms
one primary function, and navigation along such a route is another
primary function.
[0015] During navigation along a calculated route, it is usual for
such PNDs to provide visual and/or audible instructions to guide
the user along a chosen route to the end of that route, i.e. the
desired destination. It is also usual for PNDs to display map
information on-screen during the navigation, such information
regularly being updated on-screen so that the map information
displayed is representative of the current location of the device,
and thus of the user or user's vehicle if the device is being used
for in-vehicle navigation.
[0016] An icon displayed on-screen typically denotes the current
device location, and is centred with the map information of current
and surrounding roads in the vicinity of the current device
location and other map features also being displayed. Additionally,
navigation information may be displayed, optionally in a status bar
above, below or to one side of the displayed map information,
examples of navigation information include a distance to the next
deviation from the current road required to be taken by the user,
the nature of that deviation possibly being represented by a
further icon suggestive of the particular type of deviation, for
example a left or right turn. The navigation function also
determines the content, duration and timing of audible instructions
by means of which the user can be guided along the route. As can be
appreciated a simple instruction such as "turn left in 100 m"
requires significant processing and analysis. As previously
mentioned, user interaction with the device may be by a touch
screen, or additionally or alternately by steering column mounted
remote control, by voice activation or by any other suitable
method.
[0017] A further important function provided by the device is
automatic route re-calculation in the event that: a user deviates
from the previously calculated route during navigation (either by
accident or intentionally); real-time traffic conditions dictate
that an alternative route would be more expedient and the device is
suitably enabled to recognize such conditions automatically, or if
a user actively causes the device to perform route re-calculation
for any reason.
[0018] It is also known to allow a route to be calculated with user
defined criteria; for example, the user may prefer a scenic route
to be calculated by the device, or may wish to avoid any roads on
which traffic congestion is likely, expected or currently
prevailing. The device software would then calculate various routes
and weigh more favourably those that include along their route the
highest number of points of interest (known as POIs) tagged as
being for example of scenic beauty, or, using stored information
indicative of prevailing traffic conditions on particular roads,
order the calculated routes in terms of a level of likely
congestion or delay on account thereof. Other POI-based and traffic
information-based route calculation and navigation criteria are
also possible.
[0019] Although the route calculation and navigation functions are
fundamental to the overall utility of PNDs, it is possible to use
the device purely for information display, or "free-driving", in
which only map information relevant to the current device location
is displayed, and in which no route has been calculated and no
navigation is currently being performed by the device. Such a mode
of operation is often applicable when the user already knows the
route along which it is desired to travel and does not require
navigation assistance.
[0020] Devices of the type described above, for example the 720T
model manufactured and supplied by TomTom International B.V.,
provide a reliable means for enabling users to navigate from one
position to another.
[0021] Whilst navigation devices are able to direct users to car
parks, which are often stored in or alongside map data as points of
interest, often car parks, especially in busy cities, may be full.
Furthermore, available on-street parking spaces are particularly
difficult to find, especially in busy cities.
[0022] It is an aim of the present invention to address this
problem, in particular to attempt to assist users in finding
vehicle parking spaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] In pursuit of this aim, a presently preferred embodiment of
the present invention provides: a navigation device comprising a
parking place notification module wherein the navigation device is
arranged to wirelessly receive a message indicating a location of a
parking place and, in response, the parking place notification
module is arranged to either display on a display device an
indication of the location of the parking place, or to select as a
destination location the location of the parking place.
[0024] A further preferred embodiment of the invention provides a
method for use in a navigation device comprising receiving a
message indicating a location of an available parking place; and
displaying on a display device an indication of the location of the
parking place, or selecting the location of the parking place as a
destination location. The message may indicate a number of
available parking places and the method may comprise displaying an
indication of the number of available parking places based upon the
indication in the message.
[0025] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a
system, comprising: at least one in-vehicle device for determining
a current location of a vehicle carrying the device and wirelessly
transmitting data, characterised in that the in-vehicle device is
arranged to determine the vehicle leaving a parking place and, in
response, to transmit a message indicating a location of the
parking place; and at least one navigation device comprising a
parking place notification module, wherein the navigation device is
arranged to wirelessly receive a message indicating the location of
the parking place and, in response, the parking place notification
module is arranged to either display on a display device an
indication of the location of the parking place, or to select as a
destination location the location of the parking place.
[0026] Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a
navigation device comprising a processor, a receiver for wirelessly
receiving data and a display; characterised in that the receiver is
arranged to receive a parking place available message indicating a
location of an available parking place; and the navigation devices
comprises a parking place notification module arranged to either
display on a display device an indication of the location of the
parking place, or to select as a destination location the location
of the parking place.
[0027] A further embodiment of the present invention relates to a
method for use in a navigation device, characterised by: receiving
a message indicating a location of an available parking place;
either displaying on a display device an indication of the location
of the parking place, or selecting as a destination location the
location of the parking place.
[0028] Yet another embodiment of the present invention relates to
computer software comprising one or more software modules operable,
when executed in an execution environment, to cause a processor to
receive a message indicating a location of an available parking
place; and either display on a display device (240) an indication
of the location of the parking place, or select as a destination
location the location of the parking place.
[0029] Advantages of these embodiments are set out hereafter, and
further details and features of each of these embodiments are
defined in the accompanying dependent claims and elsewhere in the
following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] Various aspects of the teachings of the present invention,
and arrangements embodying those teachings, will hereafter be
described by way of illustrative example with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a Global Positioning
System (GPS);
[0032] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of electronic components
arranged to provide a navigation device;
[0033] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the manner in which a
navigation device may receive information over a wireless
communication channel;
[0034] FIGS. 4A and 4B are illustrative perspective views of a
navigation device;
[0035] FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the software
employed by the navigation device;
[0036] FIG. 6 is an example screenshot taken from a display of a
navigation device according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0037] FIG. 7 is a graphical item displayed on a display of a
navigation device according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0038] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0040] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method according to
an embodiment of the invention; and
[0042] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0043] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described with particular reference to a PND. It should be
remembered, however, that the teachings of the present invention
are not limited to PNDs but are instead universally applicable to
any type of processing device that is configured to execute
navigation software so as to provide route planning and navigation
functionality. It follows therefore that in the context of the
present application, a navigation device is intended to include
(without limitation) any type of route planning and navigation
device, irrespective of whether that device is embodied as a PND, a
navigation device built into a vehicle, or indeed a computing
resource (such as a desktop or portable personal computer (PC),
mobile telephone or portable digital assistant (PDA)) executing
route planning and navigation software.
[0044] It will also be apparent from the following that the
teachings of the present invention even have utility in
circumstances where a user is not seeking instructions on how to
navigate from one point to another, but merely wishes to be
provided with a view of a given location. In such circumstances the
"destination" location selected by the user need not have a
corresponding start location from which the user wishes to start
navigating, and as a consequence references herein to the
"destination" location or indeed to a "destination" view should not
be interpreted to mean that the generation of a route is essential,
that travelling to the "destination" must occur, or indeed that the
presence of a destination requires the designation of a
corresponding start location. With the above provisos in mind, FIG.
1 illustrates an example view of Global
[0045] Positioning System (GPS), usable by navigation devices. Such
systems are known and are used for a variety of purposes. In
general, GPS is a satellite-radio based navigation system capable
of determining continuous position, velocity, time, and in some
instances direction information for an unlimited number of users.
Formerly known as NAVSTAR, the GPS incorporates a plurality of
satellites which orbit the earth in extremely precise orbits. Based
on these precise orbits, GPS satellites can relay their location to
any number of receiving units.
[0046] The GPS system is implemented when a device, specially
equipped to receive GPS data, begins scanning radio frequencies for
GPS satellite signals. Upon receiving a radio signal from a GPS
satellite, the device determines the precise location of that
satellite via one of a plurality of different conventional methods.
The device will continue scanning, in most instances, for signals
until it has acquired at least three different satellite signals
(noting that position is not normally, but can be determined, with
only two signals using other triangulation techniques).
Implementing geometric triangulation, the receiver utilizes the
three known positions to determine its own two-dimensional position
relative to the satellites. This can be done in a known manner.
Additionally, acquiring a fourth satellite signal will allow the
receiving device to calculate its three dimensional position by the
same geometrical calculation in a known manner. The position and
velocity data can be updated in real time on a continuous basis by
an unlimited number of users.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the GPS system is denoted generally by
reference numeral 100. A plurality of satellites 120 are in orbit
about the earth 124. The orbit of each satellite 120 is not
necessarily synchronous with the orbits of other satellites 120
and, in fact, is likely asynchronous. A GPS receiver 140 is shown
receiving spread spectrum GPS satellite signals 160 from the
various satellites 120.
[0048] The spread spectrum signals 160, continuously transmitted
from each satellite 120, utilize a highly accurate frequency
standard accomplished with an extremely accurate atomic clock. Each
satellite 120, as part of its data signal transmission 160,
transmits a data stream indicative of that particular satellite
120. It is appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art that
the GPS receiver device 140 generally acquires spread spectrum GPS
satellite signals 160 from at least three satellites 120 for the
GPS receiver device 140 to calculate its two-dimensional position
by triangulation. Acquisition of an additional signal, resulting in
signals 160 from a total of four satellites 120, permits the GPS
receiver device 140 to calculate its three-dimensional position in
a known manner.
[0049] FIG. 2 is an illustrative representation of electronic
components of a navigation device 200 according to a preferred
embodiment of the present invention, in block component format. It
should be noted that the block diagram of the navigation device 200
is not inclusive of all components of the navigation device, but is
only representative of many example components.
[0050] The navigation device 200 is located within a housing (not
shown). The housing includes a processor 210 connected to an input
device 220 and a display screen 240. The input device 220 can
include a keyboard device, voice input device, touch panel and/or
any other known input device utilised to input information; and the
display screen 240 can include any type of display screen such as
an LCD display, for example. In a particularly preferred
arrangement the input device 220 and display screen 240 are
integrated into an integrated input and display device, including a
touchpad or touchscreen input so that a user need only touch a
portion of the display screen 240 to select one of a plurality of
display choices or to activate one of a plurality of virtual
buttons.
[0051] The navigation device may include an output device 260, for
example an audible output device (e.g. a loudspeaker). As output
device 260 can produce audible information for a user of the
navigation device 200, it is should equally be understood that
input device 240 can include a microphone and software for
receiving input voice commands as well.
[0052] In the navigation device 200, processor 210 is operatively
connected to and set to receive input information from input device
220 via a connection 225, and operatively connected to at least one
of display screen 240 and output device 260, via output connections
245, to output information thereto. Further, the processor 210 is
operably coupled to a memory resource 230 via connection 235 and is
further adapted to receive/send information from/to input/output
(I/O) ports 270 via connection 275, wherein the I/O port 270 is
connectible to an I/O device 280 external to the navigation device
200. The memory resource 230 comprises, for example, a volatile
memory, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) and a non-volatile
memory, for example a digital memory, such as a flash memory. The
external I/O device 280 may include, but is not limited to an
external listening device such as an earpiece for example. The
connection to I/O device 280 can further be a wired or wireless
connection to any other external device such as a car stereo unit
for hands-free operation and/or for voice activated operation for
example, for connection to an ear piece or head phones, and/or for
connection to a mobile phone for example, wherein the mobile phone
connection may be used to establish a data connection between the
navigation device 200 and the internet or any other network for
example, and/or to establish a connection to a server via the
internet or some other network for example.
[0053] FIG. 2 further illustrates an operative connection between
the processor 210 and an antenna/receiver 250 via connection 255,
wherein the antenna/receiver 250 can be a GPS antenna/receiver for
example. It will be understood that the antenna and receiver
designated by reference numeral 250 are combined schematically for
illustration, but that the antenna and receiver may be separately
located components, and that the antenna may be a GPS patch antenna
or helical antenna for example.
[0054] Further, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in
the art that the electronic components shown in FIG. 2 are powered
by power sources (not shown) in a conventional manner. As will be
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, different
configurations of the components shown in FIG. 2 are considered to
be within the scope of the present application. For example, the
components shown in FIG. 2 may be in communication with one another
via wired and/or wireless connections and the like. Thus, the scope
of the navigation device 200 of the present application includes a
portable or handheld navigation device 200.
[0055] In addition, the portable or handheld navigation device 200
of FIG. 2 can be connected or "docked" in a known manner to a
vehicle such as a bicycle, a motorbike, a car or a boat for
example. Such a navigation device 200 is then removable from the
docked location for portable or handheld navigation use.
[0056] Referring now to FIG. 3, the navigation device 200 may
establish a "mobile" or telecommunications network connection with
a server 302 via a mobile device (not shown) (such as a mobile
phone, PDA, and/or any device with mobile phone technology)
establishing a digital connection (such as a digital connection via
known Bluetooth technology for example). Thereafter, through its
network service provider, the mobile device can establish a network
connection (through the internet for example) with a server 302. As
such, a "mobile" network connection is established between the
navigation device 200 (which can be, and often times is mobile as
it travels alone and/or in a vehicle) and the server 302 to provide
a "real-time" or at least very "up to date" gateway for
information.
[0057] The establishing of the network connection between the
mobile device (via a service provider) and another device such as
the server 302, using an internet (such as the World Wide Web) for
example, can be done in a known manner. This can include use of
TCP/IP layered protocol for example. The mobile device can utilize
any number of communication standards such as CDMA, GSM, WAN,
etc.
[0058] As such, an internet connection may be utilised which is
achieved via data connection, via a mobile phone or mobile phone
technology within the navigation device 200 for example. For this
connection, an internet connection between the server 302 and the
navigation device 200 is established. This can be done, for
example, through a mobile phone or other mobile device and a GPRS
(General Packet Radio Service)-connection (GPRS connection is a
high-speed data connection for mobile devices provided by telecom
operators; GPRS is a method to connect to the internet).
[0059] The navigation device 200 can further complete a data
connection with the mobile device, and eventually with the internet
and server 302, via existing Bluetooth technology for example, in a
known manner, wherein the data protocol can utilize any number of
standards, such as the GSRM, the Data Protocol Standard for the GSM
standard, for example.
[0060] The navigation device 200 may include its own mobile phone
technology within the navigation device 200 itself (including an
antenna for example, or optionally using the internal antenna of
the navigation device 200). The mobile phone technology within the
navigation device 200 can include internal components as specified
above, and/or can include an insertable card (e.g. Subscriber
Identity Module or SIM card), complete with necessary mobile phone
technology and/or an antenna for example. As such, mobile phone
technology within the navigation device 200 can similarly establish
a network connection between the navigation device 200 and the
server 302, via the internet for example, in a manner similar to
that of any mobile device.
[0061] For GPRS phone settings, a Bluetooth enabled navigation
device may be used to correctly work with the ever changing
spectrum of mobile phone models, manufacturers, etc.,
model/manufacturer specific settings may be stored on the
navigation device 200 for example. The data stored for this
information can be updated.
[0062] In FIG. 3 the navigation device 200 is depicted as being in
communication with the server 302 via a generic communications
channel 318 that can be implemented by any of a number of different
arrangements. The server 302 and a navigation device 200 can
communicate when a connection via communications channel 318 is
established between the server 302 and the navigation device 200
(noting that such a connection can be a data connection via mobile
device, a direct connection via personal computer via the internet,
etc.).
[0063] The server 302 includes, in addition to other components
which may not be illustrated, a processor 304 operatively connected
to a memory 306 and further operatively connected, via a wired or
wireless connection 314, to a mass data storage device 312. The
processor 304 is further operatively connected to transmitter 308
and receiver 310, to transmit and send information to and from
navigation device 200 via communications channel 318. The signals
sent and received may include data, communication, and/or other
propagated signals. The transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be
selected or designed according to the communications requirement
and communication technology used in the communication design for
the navigation system 200. Further, it should be noted that the
functions of transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be combined into
a signal transceiver.
[0064] Server 302 is further connected to (or includes) a mass
storage device 312, noting that the mass storage device 312 may be
coupled to the server 302 via communication link 314. The mass
storage device 312 contains a store of navigation data and map
information, and can again be a separate device from the server 302
or can be incorporated into the server 302.
[0065] The navigation device 200 is adapted to communicate with the
server 302 through communications channel 318, and includes
processor, memory, etc. as previously described with regard to FIG.
2, as well as transmitter 320 and receiver 322 to send and receive
signals and/or data through the communications channel 318, noting
that these devices can further be used to communicate with devices
other than server 302. Further, the transmitter 320 and receiver
322 are selected or designed according to communication
requirements and communication technology used in the communication
design for the navigation device 200 and the functions of the
transmitter 320 and receiver 322 may be combined into a single
transceiver.
[0066] Software stored in server memory 306 provides instructions
for the processor 304 and allows the server 302 to provide services
to the navigation device 200. One service provided by the server
302 involves processing requests from the navigation device 200 and
transmitting navigation data from the mass data storage 312 to the
navigation device 200. Another service provided by the server 302
includes processing the navigation data using various algorithms
for a desired application and sending the results of these
calculations to the navigation device 200.
[0067] The communication channel 318 generically represents the
propagating medium or path that connects the navigation device 200
and the server 302. Both the server 302 and navigation device 200
include a transmitter for transmitting data through the
communication channel and a receiver for receiving data that has
been transmitted through the communication channel.
[0068] The communication channel 318 is not limited to a particular
communication technology. Additionally, the communication channel
318 is not limited to a single communication technology; that is,
the channel 318 may include several communication links that use a
variety of technology. For example, the communication channel 318
can be adapted to provide a path for electrical, optical, and/or
electromagnetic communications, etc. As such, the communication
channel 318 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination
of the following: electric circuits, electrical conductors such as
wires and coaxial cables, fibre optic cables, converters,
radio-frequency (RF) waves, the atmosphere, empty space, etc.
Furthermore, the communication channel 318 can include intermediate
devices such as routers, repeaters, buffers, transmitters, and
receivers, for example.
[0069] In one illustrative arrangement, the communication channel
318 includes telephone and computer networks. Furthermore, the
communication channel 318 may be capable of accommodating wireless
communication such as radio frequency, microwave frequency,
infrared communication, etc. Additionally, the communication
channel 318 can accommodate satellite communication.
[0070] The communication signals transmitted through the
communication channel 318 include, but are not limited to, signals
as may be required or desired for given communication technology.
For example, the signals may be adapted to be used in cellular
communication technology such as Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division
Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications
(GSM), etc. Both digital and analogue signals can be transmitted
through the communication channel 318. These signals may be
modulated, encrypted and/or compressed signals as may be desirable
for the communication technology.
[0071] The server 302 includes a remote server accessible by the
navigation device 200 via a wireless channel. The server 302 may
include a network server located on a local area network (LAN),
wide area network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), etc.
[0072] The server 302 may include a personal computer such as a
desktop or laptop computer, and the communication channel 318 may
be a cable connected between the personal computer and the
navigation device 200. Alternatively, a personal computer may be
connected between the navigation device 200 and the server 302 to
establish an internet connection between the server 302 and the
navigation device 200. Alternatively, a mobile telephone or other
handheld device may establish a wireless connection to the
internet, for connecting the navigation device 200 to the server
302 via the internet.
[0073] The navigation device 200 may be provided with information
from the server 302 via information downloads which may be
periodically updated automatically or upon a user connecting
navigation device 200 to the server 302 and/or may be more dynamic
upon a more constant or frequent connection being made between the
server 302 and navigation device 200 via a wireless mobile
connection device and TCP/IP connection for example. For many
dynamic calculations, the processor 304 in the server 302 may be
used to handle the bulk of the processing needs, however, processor
210 of navigation device 200 can also handle much processing and
calculation, oftentimes independent of a connection to a server
302.
[0074] As indicated above in FIG. 2, a navigation device 200
includes a processor 210, an input device 220, and a display screen
240. The input device 220 and display screen 240 are integrated
into an integrated input and display device to enable both input of
information (via direct input, menu selection, etc.) and display of
information through a touch panel screen, for example. Such a
screen may be a touch input LCD screen, for example, as is well
known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, the
navigation device 200 can also include any additional input device
220 and/or any additional output device 241, such as audio
input/output devices for example.
[0075] FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views of a navigation device
200. As shown in FIG. 4A, the navigation device 200 may be a unit
that includes an integrated input and display device 290 (a touch
panel screen for example) and the other components of FIG. 2
(including but not limited to internal GPS receiver 250,
microprocessor 210, a power supply, memory systems 230, etc.).
[0076] The navigation device 200 may sit on an arm 292, which
itself may be secured to a vehicle dashboard/window/etc. using a
suction cup 294. This arm 292 is one example of a docking station
to which the navigation device 200 can be docked.
[0077] As shown in FIG. 4B, the navigation device 200 can be docked
or otherwise connected to an arm 292 of the docking station by snap
connecting the navigation device 292 to the arm 292 for example.
The navigation device 200 may then be rotatable on the arm 292, as
shown by the arrow of FIG. 4B. To release the connection between
the navigation device 200 and the docking station, a button on the
navigation device 200 may be pressed, for example. Other equally
suitable arrangements for coupling and decoupling the navigation
device to a docking station are well known to persons of ordinary
skill in the art.
[0078] Referring now to FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings, the
memory resource 230 stores a boot loader program (not shown) that
is executed by the processor 210 in order to load an operating
system 470 from the memory resource 230 for execution by functional
hardware components 460, which provides an environment in which
application software 480 can run. The operating system 470 serves
to control the functional hardware components 460 and resides
between the application software 480 and the functional hardware
components 460. The application software 480 provides an
operational environment including the GUI that supports core
functions of the navigation device 200, for example map viewing,
route planning, navigation functions and any other functions
associated therewith. In accordance with the preferred embodiment
of the present invention, part of this functionality comprises a
parking notification module 490, the function of which will now be
described in detail in connection with the following figures.
[0079] The parking notification module 490 operatively notifies a
user of available parking places or selects an available parking
place as a destination based upon wirelessly received information.
The parking notification module 490 may operatively provide a
visual indication of a location of a recently vacated parking
place, for example on a map which is displayed on the display
device 240. In some embodiments the visual indication may comprise
an indication of how recently the parking place was vacated. The
indication may be in the form a textual indication and/or a colour
indicating how recently the parking place became available.
Alternatively or additionally, the parking place notification
module 490 may select as a destination location the location of the
recently vacated parking place. The parking place notification
module may select location of the recently vacated parking place as
the destination location when it is within a predetermined distance
of a current location of the navigation device.
[0080] Information on vacated parking places may be provided from
in-vehicle devices, such as navigation devices, or from systems
including sensors for detecting when vehicles vacate parking
places.
[0081] An in-vehicle device is arranged to determine when the
vehicle in which it is located leaves a parking space. In response
thereto, the in-vehicle device notifies one or more navigation
devices of the available parking space. In some embodiments, the
in-vehicle device is a navigation device 200. However, the
in-vehicle device may also be another type of device, such as a
vehicle monitoring device, a road-toll monitoring device, or any
other device capable of monitoring the vehicle's location and
having access to a communications resource. The in-vehicle device
may also be a portable device located in the vehicle, such as a
portable navigation device. A parking notification module 490 of
the device is arranged to determine when the vehicle vacates, or
has recently vacated, a parking place. When the parking place has
been vacated, the parking notification module 490 is arranged to
notify at least one navigation device 200. The notification may be
communicated to a server 302 via the communications channel 318, or
may be communicated directly to one or more navigation devices 200.
The notification may be sent to all navigation devices 200
communicative with the device transmitting the notification, either
via the server or directly. Alternatively, the notification may be
sent to a subset of the communicative navigation devices 200. The
subset may be those navigation devices 200 within a predetermined
distance of the device transmitting the notification.
Alternatively, the subset may be one or more predetermined
navigation devices 200.
[0082] A parking management system may comprise one or more sensors
for detecting when a vehicle is parking in a corresponding parking
place. A control unit of the system receives information from each
sensor indicating whether a vehicle is parked in the corresponding
parking place. In response to a vehicle leaving a parking place or
the system determining that parking places are available, the
control unit is arranged to transmit a signal indicating the
availability of a parking place. The signal may be received by or
communicated to the parking place notification module of one or
more navigation devices which, in response thereto, may provide a
visual indication of a location of a recently vacated parking place
or select as a destination location the location of the recently
vacated or available parking place.
[0083] Operation of embodiments of the parking notification module
490 will now be explained in detail. The parking notification
module 490 is operative to aid a user of the navigation device 200
to find an available parking place. Available parking places are
determined by the parking notification module 490 from received
parking place available messages which indicate a geographical
location of one or more parking places. The parking place available
messages may be directly received from in-vehicle devices, such as
navigation devices or from a server computer, as will be
explained.
[0084] Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a screenshot of the
display device 240 of the navigation device 200 operative in a
first embodiment of a parking mode to display indications of
available parking places. In the parking mode, the navigation
device 200 is arranged to display on the display device 240 map
information 610 which is representative of a current location of
the device 200. An icon 620 denotes the current location of the
navigation device 200, and is centred with the map information 610
of current and surrounding roads in the vicinity of the current
device location and other map features also being displayed.
Navigation information 630 is displayed in a status bar below the
displayed map information. The navigation information 630 includes
a distance to the next deviation from the current road required to
be taken by the user, an icon suggestive of the particular type of
deviation, for example a left or right turn, a name of the current
road and various other information relating to the current journey
and an indication of a strength of satellite-broadcast signals
being received by the navigation device 200. The display 240
further indicates, using a plurality of symbols 640, 650, 660, 670,
a location of available parking places in the vicinity of the
current location of the navigation device 200. Each symbol 640,
650, 660, 670 comprises an indication that it is notifying the
availability of a parking place, which in the example is provided
by a letter P, and an indication of the time since that parking
place became available. In FIG. 6 the indication of the time since
that parking place became available is provided by means of a
textual label identifying a period of time since that parking place
became available. However, it is envisaged that this indication may
be provided in other ways, such as by varying a colour of the
symbol. For example, parking places which recently became available
may be indicated in a green colour which fades or changes to a red
colour as time elapses. The indication of the time since that
parking place became available is useful to assist the user
establishing how likely that parking place is still to be
available. Symbols indicating the availability of parking places
may be removed from the display 240 after a predetermined time to
prevent the display from becoming cluttered and because it may be
assumed that the parking place would no longer be available. The
predetermined time may depend upon the current location of the
navigation device. For example, in a city the predetermined time
may be relatively low, such as 5 minutes, whereas in small town the
predetermined time may be higher, such as 10 or 15 minutes. As
further shown in FIG. 6, the display provides visual instructions
680 to guide the user along a route to one of the available parking
places 640. The available parking place 640 to which the route has
been planned may be automatically determined by the parking
notification module 490, or may be selected by the user by
appropriate user input being received, such as a touch being
received on the display device 240 selecting one of the displayed
parking notifications 640, 650, 660, 670.
[0085] FIG. 7 illustrates a graphical item 700 displayed on the
display device 240 of a navigation device 200 operative in a second
embodiment of the parking mode in response to a received parking
place available message. As discussed above, the parking place
available message indicates the location of the vacated parking
place and the time at which the parking place was vacated. In this
embodiment of the invention, the parking notification module 490 is
arranged to display on the display device a visual indication that
a new parking place available message has been received by the
navigation device 200. The visual indication is in the form of a
"pop-up" or dialogue box 700 indicating the reception of the
parking place available message. In this embodiment, the indication
700 contains information conveying to the user that the parking
place available message has been received, for example with the
text "New Parking Place Available!". In some embodiments, the
dialogue box 700 further comprises distance information 710
indicating a distance from the current location of the navigation
device 200 to the parking place identified in the parking place
available message and/or time information 720 indicating how long
ago the parking place was vacated. In some embodiments, a graphical
control 730 may be included in the dialogue box by which is
operable by the user to select the parking place as a destination
location for route guidance, such that the navigation device 200
directs the user to the parking place. However, in other
embodiments, the parking place may be automatically selected as the
destination location by the parking place notification module 490
if the parking place meets one or more predetermined criteria e.g.
the parking place is within a predetermined distance or travelling
time of the current location, or is closer to the current location
than a previously selected parking place.
[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates a system 800 for notifying navigation
devices of available parking places according to an embodiment of
the present invention. The system comprises a server 810
communicatively coupled to a first navigation device 820 via a
communications channel as described in detail above. The server 810
is also communicatively coupled to one or more additional
navigation devices 831-836. The first navigation device 820
comprises a parking notification module 490 and may be identical to
those navigation devices 831-836 forming the group of navigation
devices.
[0087] The parking notification module 490 of the first navigation
device 820 is arranged to determine when the first navigation
device 820 is located within a vehicle which is leaving, or has
recently left, a parking space. The determination of when the
navigation device 820 is located in a vehicle which is leaving a
parking space may be achieved in a number of different ways, as
will be described.
[0088] In one embodiment, the parking notification module 490 may
determine that the navigation device 820 is in a vehicle when it is
turned-on at a location which is identical to a location at which
the navigation device 820 was shut-down. This would indicate that
the navigation device 820 is in a vehicle which was parked, the
navigation device 820 shut-down and then turned-on at the same
location in advance of the vehicle commencing a journey. In
addition, the parking notification module 490 may support this by
determining that the navigation device 820 previously travelled to
that location at greater than a predetermined speed, for example 20
kmh.sup.-1, prior to being shut-down. In another embodiment, the
navigation device 820 may comprise means, such as a pressure
switch, to detect when it is docked to the arm 292 of the docking
station, indicating that it is mounted to a vehicle windscreen. In
another embodiment, the parking notification module 490 may compare
the current location of the navigation device 820 against stored
map data to determine that its current location is in a parking
area. In yet another embodiment, the parking notification module
490 may determine when the navigation device 820 is supplied with
power from an external source, indicating that it is mounted in a
vehicle. In a further embodiment, the parking notification module
490 is arranged to determine when a route has been planned on the
navigation device 820 by a user and the navigation travels away
from the location at which the route was planned by greater than a
predetermined speed, such as 20 kmh.sup.-1, indicating that it is
in a vehicle which has commenced a journey. In a still further
embodiment, parking notification module 490 is arranged to
determine that the navigation device 820 is in a vehicle when it is
able to communicate with an electronic system of the vehicle, such
as a Bluetooth audio device of the vehicle, or an information bus,
e.g. CAN bus, of the vehicle. In the latter case, the parking
notification module 490 may determine that the navigation device is
located in a parked vehicle from information received over the CAN
bus, such as information indicative of engine start/stop, doors
locked/unlocked, handbrake on/off etc. Such information may be
useful in discriminating when the vehicle is parked or is simply
stopped waiting e.g. in traffic or at traffic lights, a bridge,
etc. In a further embodiment, audio data received from a microphone
220 of the navigation device 200 is analysed to determine when the
navigation device is located in a vehicle having a running engine.
Any of the above embodiments may be combined to increase a
confidence level of determining when the navigation device 820 is
in a vehicle. Advantageously, the parking notification module 490
determining that the navigation device 200 is leaving, or has left,
the parking space allows the availability of parking spaces which
are not equipped with physical sensors to determine the presence of
a vehicle in that parking space to be notified to users.
[0089] Once the parking notification module 490 determines that the
navigation device 820 is in a vehicle and the current location of
the navigation device 820 begins to change, the parking
notification module 490 is arranged to transmit a parking place
available message 825 to the server 810 indicating that a parking
place has become available. The message 825 may comprise
information identifying a location of the available parking place,
for example a location at which the parking notification module 490
determined that the navigation device 820 was located in a parked
vehicle, and may also indicate a time at which the parking place
became available. Furthermore, in some embodiments the message may
indicate a number of parking places which are available. In the
present example, the message would indicate that a single parking
place had been vacated or is available.
[0090] Upon receiving the parking place available message 825 from
the navigation device 820, the server 810 is arranged to notify the
group of navigation devices 831-836 of the parking place that has
become available by sending a parking place available message 830
to each navigation device 831-836 via the communications channel
318. The parking place notification message 830 may be a copy of
that generated by the first navigation device 820 and received by
the server 810. The parking place available message 830 sent to the
navigation devices 831-836 indicates the location of the parking
place and may also indicate the time at which it became
available.
[0091] In response to receiving the parking place available
notification message 830, each of the navigation devices 831-836
stores the information contained in the received parking place
notification message in memory 230. In some embodiments, if the
location of the available parking place is more than a
predetermined distance from the current location of the navigation
device 831-836, then the parking place available message 830 may be
discarded by the navigation device. If a user subsequently
activates the parking mode of the navigation device 831-836, the
parking notification module 490 is arranged to display an
indication of available parking places in the vicinity of the
navigation device, as described with reference to FIG. 6. If the
parking notification module 490 is configured to only display
indications of parking places which became available within a
predetermined amount of time, the information in the parking place
available message indicating the time at which each parking place
became available may be used to identify those parking places to be
indicated on the display device 240.
[0092] Whilst the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 8
includes a server 810 through which parking place available
messages are distributed to navigation devices 831-836, embodiments
of the present invention may be envisaged which do not require a
server 810. In these embodiments, each navigation device 820,
831-836 is capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data
to/from other navigation devices 820, 831-836. For example, each
navigation device may include a WiMax transmitter/receiver unit. In
this case, the first navigation device 820 is arranged to transmit
the parking place available message directly to other navigation
devices 831-836 in the local area using the transmitter/receiver
unit. Advantageously, this ensures that parking place available
messages 830 are only communicated to navigation devices 831-836
which are relatively local to the parking place.
[0093] FIG. 9 shows a system comprising a server 910, a first
navigation device 920, a communications channel 925 between the
server and the first navigation device 920, and a plurality of
other navigation devices 931-936 in communication with server via
communications channel 930, as previously described with reference
to FIG. 8. As previously described, the parking place notification
module 490 of the first navigation device 920 is arranged to
determine when the navigation device 920 is located in a vehicle
which leaves a parking place and to send a parking place available
message to the server 910. However, in these embodiments, only some
of the navigation devices 931-936 communicatively coupled to the
server 910 are notified of the available parking place.
[0094] In one embodiment, the server 910 determines which of the
plurality of navigation devices 931-936 are sent the parking place
available message 930, based upon a current location of each
navigation device 931-936. Each of the group of navigation devices
931-936 is arranged to periodically communicate location
information indicating their current location to the server 910 to,
for example, enable the provision of traffic information relevant
to the vicinity of each navigation device 931-936. Using the
location information, the server 910 is arranged to determine a
relative distance between each of the navigation devices 931-936
and the location of the parking place identified in the parking
place available message received by the server from the first
navigation device 920. If the distance is less than a predetermined
distance, then the server 910 is arranged to transmit a parking
place available message to that navigation device, such that only
those navigation devices within a predetermined distance of the
parking place are notified. As shown in FIG. 9, navigation devices
931, 934 and 935 have been determined by the server 910 to be
within the predetermined distance of the available parking place
and thus the server 910 communicates the parking place available
message 830 to only those navigation devices, but not the other
navigation devices 932, 933, 936 which are more than the
predetermined distance from the available parking place.
[0095] Again referring to FIG. 9, further embodiments of the
present invention in which the parking place available message 930
is transmitted by the server 910 to only a subset of navigation
devices 931-936 will now be described.
[0096] In one embodiment, the parking place available message 925
transmitted by the first navigation device 920 to the server 910
further comprises a private parking group identification number
(PPGID). The PPGID is used by the server 910 to identify one or
more navigation devices to which the parking place available
message 930 should be sent by the server 910. The server 910 stores
a navigation device group database identifying one or more
navigation devices with a PPGID. Upon receiving the parking place
available message 925 from the first navigation device 920, the
server 910 is arranged to determine the navigation devices
belonging to that PPGID from the navigation device group database
and to transmit the parking place available message to only those
navigation devices 931, 934, 935. This is useful, for example,
where the parking place is a private parking place used by a
plurality of users. Once one user leaves the private parking place,
its availability is only communicated to other legitimate users of
the parking place. Map data stored in the first navigation device
920 may identify the parking place as private and, in response to
the vehicle in which the first navigation device 920 is located
leaving the private parking place, the parking place notification
module 490 is arranged to transmit the parking place available
message containing the PPGID appropriate to that parking place.
[0097] In an alternative embodiment, the first navigation device
920 is arranged to transmit the parking place available message 925
to the server 810 irrespective of whether the parking place is
private, as in previous embodiments. The server 810 stores map data
in memory 306 which indicates a location private parking places and
one or more navigation devices 931, 934, 935 corresponding to each
parking place. Upon receiving the parking place available message
925 from the first navigation device 920, the server 910 is
arranged to determine from the stored map data whether the location
indicated in the message 925 corresponds to a private parking
place. If the location is a private parking place, the parking
place available message 925 is transmitted by the server 910 only
to those navigation devices 931, 934, 935 corresponding to that
private parking place.
[0098] FIG. 10 shows a further embodiment of the present invention,
similar to that shown in FIG. 8. A system 1000 comprises a server
1010, an in-vehicle device 1020 and a plurality of navigation
devices 1031-1036. The in-vehicle device 1020 is a device capable
of determining its current location and transmitting a parking
place available message 1025 to the server 1010. Such an in-vehicle
device may, for example, be a vehicle security device, such as that
used for alerting a vehicle owner or security service of the
vehicle's location when it has been stolen, or for road charging
purposes. The device 1020 is arranged to determine when the vehicle
in which it is mounted leaves a parking place in the same way as
the parking notification module 490 previously described and to
transmit the parking place notification message 1025 to the server
1010. The server 1010, upon receiving the notification message 1025
from the device 1020, is arranged to transmit a parking place
notification message 1030 to either all communicatively coupled
navigation devices 1031-1036 as shown in FIG. 10, or to only some
of the navigation devices as previously described with reference to
FIG. 9.
[0099] FIG. 11 shows a method 1100 according to a further
embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a user
wishing to park activates a parking mode on their navigation device
200. In response, the navigation device 200 is arranged to notify a
server 810, 910, 1010 of the parking mode being activated,
signalling the user of the navigation device's intention to park,
by sending a parking request message to the server 810, 910, 1010
including a current location of the navigation device 200. The
server 810, 910, 1010 is arranged to receive parking place
available messages from navigation devices 200, as in previously
described embodiments. However, in this embodiment, the server 810,
910, 1010 is arranged to select a parking place to be notified to
the navigation device 200 of the user wishing to park. That is, the
server 810, 910, 1010 selectively notifies navigation devices 200
of available parking places, thus not all navigation devices 200
are notified of every parking place. The server 810, 910, 1010
selects the parking place to be notified to avoid a number of
vehicles converging on a single parking place. That is, the server
810, 910, 1010 is arranged to select the parking place to be
notified such that vehicles wishing to park in a geographical area
are distributed over available parking places. The method begins in
step 1110 and in step 1120 the server 810, 910, 1010 receives a
parking place available message from a navigation device leaving a
parking place. In step 1130, the server 810, 910, 1010 receives a
parking request message from another navigation device 200 whose
user wishes to park. In step 1140 the server 810, 910, 1010
determines whether any navigation devices 200 are to be notified of
the available parking place. A navigation device 200 is notified of
the available parking place if it is within a predetermined
distance of the parking place. If a number of navigation devices
200 within the predetermined distance of the parking place have
sent parking place request messages to the server 810, 910, 1010,
the server 810, 910, 1010 may only notify a sub-set, i.e. less than
a predetermined number determined on a first-com-first served
basis, of those navigation devices 200 in order to prevent too many
vehicles arriving at the parking place. The method ends in step
1160.
[0100] FIG. 12 shows a system 1200 for notifying navigation devices
of available parking places according to a further embodiment of
the invention. The system 1200 comprises one or more detectors
1201, 1202 for detecting when a vehicle is parked in a
corresponding parking place. The detectors 1201, 1202 may be any
form of detector capable of detecting the presence of a vehicle.
The detectors may be contact or non-contact detectors. For example,
optical vehicle detectors or electromagnetic induction-based
detectors may be used. The detectors 1201 1202 may be a combination
of various detection technologies i.e. each detector 1201, 1202
does not have to be the same technology. Each detector 1201, 1202
is arranged to output a vehicle detection signal indicating whether
a vehicle is present in a corresponding parking place. The vehicle
detection signals are received by a parking-management server 1210.
The server 1210 receiving the vehicle detection signals from the
vehicle detectors 1201, 1202 determines if a parking place is
available. The server 1210 may manage parking in one or more
parking facilities, such as multi-storey car parks. In response to
determining that a parking space is available, based upon the
received vehicle detection signals, the server 1210 is arranged to
transmit a parking place available 1220 message to one or more
navigation devices 1231, 1232, 1233 as previously described. The
parking place available message identifies the location of the
parking place, e.g. in the parking facility managed by the server
1210, and may also identify the location of the parking place
within the facility. Furthermore, the parking place available
message may also identify a number of parking places available in
the facility i.e. that X spaces are available. The server 1210 may
re-transmit the message 1220 periodically if the parking places
remain available, or may retransmit the message 1220 each time a
parking place becomes occupied whilst some parking places remain
available in the facility i.e. the newly transmitted message
indicates that X-1 parking places remain available. In response
thereto, the parking place notification module (490) of the one or
more navigation devices is arranged to display on the display
device a corresponding indication of the number of available
parking places. In some embodiments, the server 1210 utilises a
relatively short-range communication e.g. WiMAX to transmit the
parking place available message 1220 to only those navigation
devices 1231, 1232, 1233 within a relatively short distance to the
parking location. However, in other embodiments, the server 1210
communicates the parking place available message to a much larger
number of navigation devices, such that each navigation device
1231, 1232, 1233 determines whether to respond to the parking place
available message according to one or more criteria. In this way,
users of navigation devices 1231, 1232, 1233 can be notified of
parking places available in managed vehicle parking facilities.
[0101] It will be apparent from the foregoing that the teachings of
the present invention provide an arrangement whereby a user is
provided information concerning recently vacated parking spaces,
and/or automatically directed to an available parking place.
[0102] It will also be appreciated that whilst various aspects and
embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been
described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the
particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to
encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations
thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
[0103] For example, whilst embodiments described in the foregoing
detailed description refer to GPS, it should be noted that the
navigation device may utilise any kind of position sensing
technology as an alternative to (or indeed in addition to) GPS. For
example the navigation device may utilise using other global
navigation satellite systems such as the European Galileo system.
Equally, it is not limited to satellite based but could readily
function using ground based beacons or any other kind of system
that enables the device to determine its geographic location.
[0104] It will also be well understood by persons of ordinary skill
in the art that whilst the preferred embodiment implements certain
functionality by means of software, that functionality could
equally be implemented solely in hardware (for example by means of
one or more ASICs (application specific integrated circuit)) or
indeed by a mix of hardware and software. As such, the scope of the
present invention should not be interpreted as being limited only
to being implemented in software.
[0105] Lastly, it should also be noted that whilst the accompanying
claims set out particular combinations of features described
herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the
particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to
encompass any combination of features or embodiments herein
disclosed irrespective of whether or not that particular
combination has been specifically enumerated in the accompanying
claims at this time.
* * * * *
References