TW201028657A - Navigation apparatus, server apparatus and method of collecting parking location information - Google Patents

Abstract

A navigation apparatus(200) comprises a processing resource(202) operably coupled to a receiver(224) for location-related data and arranged to perform, when in use, location determination. The processing resource(202) supports a parking location determination module (266)he parking location determination module(266) is arranged to determine when the location determined is substantially unchanged and to determine that the location determined constitutes a candidate parking location in response to the location determined remaining substantially unchanged relative to a predetermined period of time.

Description

201028657 VI. Description of the Invention: [Technical Field] The present invention relates to a navigation device which is, for example, of a type capable of performing position determination. The present invention is also directed to a servo device that is, for example, a type of location data relating to changes in the position of the navigation device over time. The invention further relates to a method of collecting parking location information, for example, to analyze the type of location data associated with changes in the location of the navigation device over time. [Prior Art] Portable computing devices, such as portable navigation devices (PNDs) including Global Positioning System (Gps) signal receiving and processing functionality, are well known and widely used as in-vehicle or other vehicle navigation systems. In general, modern PNDs include a processor, memory, and map data stored in the memory. The processor cooperates with the memory to provide an execution environment, typically a software operating system is established in this environment, and in addition, one or more additional software programs are often provided to enable the functionality of the PND to be controlled and provide various other functions. Typically, the devices further include one or more input interfaces and one or more output interfaces that allow the user to interact with the device, and the information relay can be relayed to the output interface by using the output interface. By. Illustrative examples of the wheeled interface include a visual display and a speaker for voice output. Illustrative examples of input interfaces include one or more of the actual buttons used to control the on/off operation or other features of the device (if the device is built into the vehicle) the buttons are not necessarily on the device itself. Instead, it can be used on the side of the 137833.doc 201028657 and the microphone used to detect the user's words. In a particular configuration, the output interface display can be configured as a touch sensitive display (via touch sensitive overlay or other) to additionally provide an input interface through which the user can operate by touch device. This type of device will also include one or more physical connector interfaces through which the power signal and the circumstance data nickname can be transmitted to and received from the device. Information card No. 0; and, where appropriate, one or more wireless transmitters/receivers that allow for cellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks (eg, Bluetooth (BlUet〇〇th) Wi-Fi, Communication over Wi-Max GSM 'UMTS and its similar networks. This type of PND also includes a GPS antenna with which satellite broadcast signals including location data can be received and subsequently processed to determine the current location of the device. The PND may also include an electronic gyroscope (gyr〇sc〇pe) and an accelerometer that generate signals that can be processed to determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in conjunction with positional information derived from the GPS signals. The speed and relative displacement of the equipment and therefore the vehicle on which the equipment is installed. Often, these features are most commonly provided in the navigation system within the vehicle, but can also be provided in the PND (if this is advantageous). The utility of such PNDs is primarily manifested in their ability to determine the route between the first location (typically, the departure or current location) and the second location (usually the destination). Such locations may be entered by a user of the device by any of a wide variety of different methods, for example, by postal code, title name, and 137833.doc 201028657 house number, previously stored "well-known" Land (such as famous locations, municipal locations (such as stadiums or swimming pools) or other points of interest) and favorite destinations or destinations that have recently been visited. Usually, the PND has the function of calculating the "best" or "best" software between the location of the departure address and the destination address based on the map data. "Best" or " The route is determined based on predetermined criteria and is not the fastest or shortest route. The choice of the route along which the driver is guided can be very complex and the selected route can be considered existing, predictive and dynamic. And/or wirelessly received traffic and road information, historical information about road speeds, and driver's own preferences for determining road alternatives such as 'driver-designated routes should not include highways or toll roads. Continuously monitor roads and traffic conditions, and provide or choose to change routes due to changing conditions, on which the remaining trips will be made.

An instant traffic monitoring system based on various technologies (eg, mobile phone data exchange, fixed camera, GPS fleet tracking) is being used to identify traffic delays and feed ❷ information into the notification system. This type of _ can usually be installed on the dashboard or airborne glass of the transport guard, but can also be formed as part of the onboard computer of the transport radio or as part of the control system of the transport itself. The navigation device k can also be part of a portable system, such as a PDA (portable digital assistant), a media player, a mobile phone or the like, and under these conditions, the conventional functionality of the portable system is borrowed. It is extended by installing the software on the device to perform route calculations and navigation along the calculated route. Route planning and navigation functionality can also be provided by the desktop or 137833.doc 201028657 running computing resources. For example, the Royal Motors Club provides online route planning and navigation facilities at httP://www.rac.co.uk. This allows users to enter the starting point and destination, so the server (user's computing resources and The communication) calculates the route (the aspect of which can be specified by the user), generates a map, and generates a detailed set of navigation instructions for directing the user from the selected starting point to the selected destination. The facility also provides pseudo two-dimensional rendering and route preview functionality for the calculated route, which simulates the functionality of the user traveling along the route and thereby provides the user with a preview of the calculated route. In the case of PND, once the leaf has calculated the route, the user interacts with the navigation device to select the desired route from the list of proposed routes, as appropriate. Depending on the situation, the user may intervene or direct the route selection process, for example by specifying certain routes, routes, locations or guidelines for a given journey. The route calculation of the PND forms a major function' and navigation along this route is another major function. During the navigation along the calculated route, these PNDs often provide visual and/or audio commands to direct the user along the selected route to the end of the route, i.e., the desired destination. PND also often displays map information on the screen during navigation, which is periodically updated on the screen so that the displayed map information represents the current location of the device and thus the current location of the user or user's vehicle (if the device It is being used for navigation within the vehicle). The icon displayed on the screen usually represents the current device location and is centered, which is also showing the current and surrounding roads near the current device location. 137833.doc -6- 201028657 Map information and other map features. In addition, depending on the situation, the navigation information may be displayed in the status bar above, below or on one side of the displayed map information. Examples of the navigation information include the distance from the current road that the user needs to select to the next deviation, and the deviation from Nature, this property can be represented by another representation of a particular class that indicates deviation, such as 'left turn or right turn,'. The navigation function also confirms the content, duration and timing of the voice commands, which can be used to guide the user along the route. As you can see, simple instructions such as "turning left after "i〇〇m" require a lot of processing and analysis. As mentioned earlier, the interaction between the user and the device can be driven by touch screen, or by other or other driving Rod-style remote control n, by voice activation or by any other method. Another important function provided by the device is automatic route recalculation under the following conditions: the user deviates from the previous calculation during navigation or Deliberately; immediate traffic conditions indicate that the alternative route will be more advantageous and enable the device to properly recognize such conditions, or if the latter actively causes the device to perform route recalculation for any reason. As mentioned above, It is known to allow user-defined criteria to route m users who may prefer the windwire calculated by the device' or may wish to avoid any traffic jams that may occur, and any roads that are currently occurring are expected to occur. The device software will then calculate Various routes and prefer to include the highest number of points of interest along their route (known routes, such points of interest are marked as (for example) with beautiful views, specific roads The stored information on the traffic conditions that are occurring, sorting the calculated route by the blockage of = or due to the delay of the blockage. 匕137833.doc 201028657 Other POI-based and traffic-based route calculation and navigation Guidelines are also possible. Although the route calculation and navigation functions are important for the overall utility of the PND, it is possible to use the equipment purely for information display or "free driving", which only displays map information related to the current device location, and The route has not been calculated and the device is currently not performing navigation. This mode of operation is often applicable when the user knows the route to travel along and does not require navigation assistance. ❿ The above types of equipment (for example, by TomTom International Β· ν·Manufactured and supplied by the GO 930 Traffic Type) provides a reliable means of enabling the user to navigate from one location to another. When the user is unfamiliar with the route to the destination to which they are navigating, such The device has great utility. As indicated above, 'by the user of the PND after a journey or during a trip about To start the journey, select one or more p〇I. In order to select the POI during a journey, the user usually uses the menu structure of the PND user interface to select the category of the desired POI, such as a supermarket or a parking lot. The application software then uses the data stored on the local end to identify a number of POIs of the type selected by the user (eg, a parking lot), and presents the identified parking lot to the user via the use of the user. In addition, as a "value added, Service, I hope that PND will provide more information about the parking lot or even the parking space. In this regard, the conceptual "parking service" can be used about whether a parking space can be parked and (possibly) the parking space is empty. Suggestions. In fact, you can configure only this service to show empty parking spaces if needed. Typically, the parking service presents the user with the closest parking space. To assist the user, the PND application software typically sorts the identified parking spaces by distance from the current location of the pND 137833.doc 201028657 and indicates the associated distance value adjacent to the listed parking lot. The user can then select one of the identified parking lots by the user interface and other portions of the application software. In response to the user selecting one of the identified parking lots by the application software, the application software sets the selected parking lot as a waypoint (waypoint) or final destination, and the PND then appropriately calculates a selected Parking lot or route to selected parking lot. Regarding the functionality of the PNd, the parking lot is similarly selected as a destination or a navigation point along the way to prepare a route or a journey. Of course, if the user is already on the way and the PNd is already providing navigation assistance, the PND integrates the selected parking lot into the calculation. In the existing route, the integration is taken into account, for example, by recalculating the existing route to take into account the choices made by the user. However, while the above conceptual parking service is ideal, the actual implementation in the above aspects is problematic because the knowledge of the occupancy status of a given parking space or a parking lot is absolutely unknown, since pND is not omniscient. . The above parking service is extremely useful in helping users reach their destination most conveniently. However, the above service presupposes that the PND has a POI database stored by the pND at the local end, which contains an accurate, complete and up-to-date record of parking opportunities (e.g., parking lot or parking space). Similar considerations apply even if the P0I information is stored remotely with respect to the PND and the PND obtains information about the parking opportunity from the remote server via a communication network (e.g., a Wide Area Network (WAN)). In fact, the 'new parking opportunity' was created over a period of time and is therefore not a feature of the P0I database until the provider of the POI database decides to publish an update to the POI database. There may be a considerable delay between the publications of 137833.doc 201028657, which may result in pnd having access to a database of incomplete and/or refusal to park information. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, a navigation apparatus is provided, comprising: a processing resource operatively coupled to a receiver for location related material and configured to execute at the time of use Position determination, the processing resource 'supports a parking location determining module; wherein the parking location determining module is configured to: determine when the determined location is substantially unchanged, and responsive to the determined location relative to a predetermined The time period remains substantially constant and it is determined that the determined position constitutes a candidate parking position. The predetermined period of time can be about 2 minutes or more, such as about 5 minutes, about 1 minute, about 15 minutes, about 3 minutes, about 1 hour, or about 2 hours. The parking position determination module can be configured to determine that the determined position constitutes the candidate parking position in response to the determined position remaining substantially constant for the predetermined time period or more. φ The device can further include a user interface for communicating with a user. The processing resource and the user interface can be configured to request input from the user as to whether the candidate parking location is an actual parking location. The processing resource can be configured to obtain an identification code that shares the candidate parking location. Permitted. The processing resource can be configured to communicate the identification of the candidate parking location in response to obtaining the grant to the identification code sharing the candidate parking location. The identification code of the candidate parking location can be represented as a coordinate. 137833.doc •10- 201028657 The parking position determination module can be configured to determine if the candidate parking location is a roadside location. The parking position determining module can be configured to store the substantially constant position and identify reoccurrence of use of the candidate parking position; and the parking position determining module can be configured to be greater than one of the recurring frequencies Or equal to a predetermined event value to infer that the candidate parking position is an actual parking position. - the parking position determination module is configurable to store the substantially constant position Φ 4 and to identify instances of other stored substantially constant positions within the pre-distance of the substantially constant position; The parking position determination module can be configured to identify one of the substantially unchanged positions stored, the pattern indicating a set of parking locations, thereby inferring that the candidate parking location is an actual parking position. The set of parking locations can be arranged in a column. The parking position determination module can be configured to identify different substantially unchanged locations for use over a period of time. • According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable navigation device comprising a navigation device as set forth above in relation to the first aspect of the invention. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising a navigation device as set forth above in relation to the first aspect of the invention. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a navigation information system is provided, comprising: a servo device; a navigation device as set forth above in relation to the first aspect of the present invention; and a communication network through which the navigation device is A communication network is in communication with the servo device; wherein the navigation device is configured to communicate the identification code of the candidate parking location to the servo device. 137833.doc -11 - 201028657 The servo device can be configured to respond to a request from the navigation device for a pair of parking locations that meet a predetermined criterion. The predetermined criterion can be a distance from a specified location. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a server device for enriching a parking location information database is provided, the device comprising: an input terminal for receiving log data associated with movement of a navigation device; A processing resource is configured to support a parking location determination module that determines a model and a red configuration to determine when the determined location is substantially constant and responds to the log and data. The determined position has been maintained substantially constant with respect to a predetermined period of time to determine that the determined position constitutes a candidate position. According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of collecting parking location information is provided, the method comprising: analyzing location data related to a change in location of a navigation device over time; determining when a location of the navigation device is substantially absent And determining that the determined position constitutes a candidate parking position in response to the determined position remaining substantially constant with respect to a predetermined time period φ. The method can further include requesting a user as to whether the candidate parking location is an actual parking location. The method may further include obtaining permission to identify the shared (four) selected parking location. The method can further include determining if the candidate parking location is a roadside location. The method may further comprise: storing the substantially constant position; identifying I37833.doc • 12-201028657 reoccurrence of use of the candidate parking location; according to which one of the recurring frequencies is greater than or equal to a predetermined event value It is inferred that the candidate parking position is an actual parking position. The method can further include: storing the substantially constant location; identifying instances of other stored substantially constant locations within a predetermined distance of the substantially constant location; identifying the generally stored a pattern in an invariant position indicating a set of parking locations; and inferring that the candidate parking position is an actual parking position. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program component comprising computer program means for causing a computer to perform the method as set forth above in relation to the fourth aspect of the invention. The computer program component can be embodied on a computer readable medium. The advantages of the embodiments are set forth below, and additional details and features of each of these embodiments are defined in the accompanying separate items and elsewhere in the following embodiments. Thus, it is possible to provide a navigation device, a servo device and a method of collecting parking location information that enable the creation and/or maintenance of a parking location database to provide for any number of parking related services that can be supported by the navigation device. A complete parking location repository may be available. The method and apparatus provide a low cost and minimally invasive way of constructing and/or maintaining map data regarding parking locations. [Embodiment] At least the embodiments of the present invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. 137833.doc •13· 201028657 The same reference numerals will always be used in the following description to identify similar parts. One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to PNDs, however, it should be borne in mind that the teachings herein are not limited to PNDs, but rather are generally applicable to any type of processing device, such as (but not essential) A processing device configured to perform navigation software in a portable and/or mobile manner to provide route planning and navigation functionality. Thus, it can be seen that, in the context of the embodiments set forth herein, the navigation device is intended to include, without limitation, any type of route planning and navigation device, whether the device is embodied as a PND, a vehicle such as a vehicle. It is actually embodied as a portable computing resource (for example, a portable personal computer (PC), a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant (Pda) that performs, for example, route planning and navigation software). In fact, for some embodiments that do not have the benefits of route planning or navigation software, only mobile phones, smart phones, or the like can be used. Keep in mind the above conditions and use the Global Positioning System (GPS) and its analogues for various purposes. In general, GPS is a satellite radio based navigation system that is capable of determining continuous position, speed, time, and (in some cases) direction information for an unlimited number of users. The GPS, formerly known as NAVSTAR, incorporates a plurality of satellites orbiting the earth in extremely precise orbits. Based on these precise orbits, GPS satellites can relay their position to any number of receiving units. ^A device specially equipped to receive GPS data starts scanning for the radio frequency type of the GPS satellite. The GPS system is implemented. After receiving a radio signal from a GPS satellite, the device passes through 137,833 of a plurality of different conventional methods. .doc 201028657 One to confirm the exact location of the satellite. In most cases, the device will continue to scan the signal until it has obtained at least three different satellite signals (note that it is not usually (but can) use other triangulation techniques to determine position by only two signals) ^ After performing the geometric triangulation, the receiver uses two known locations to determine its own two-dimensional position relative to the satellite. This determination can be made in a known manner. In addition, obtaining the fourth satellite signal allows the receiving device to calculate its three-dimensional position in a known manner by the same geometric calculation. Location and speed data can be continuously updated in real time by an unlimited number of users. As shown in Figure 1, the GPS system 1 includes a plurality of satellites 102 operating around the earth 1 〇4. The GPS receiver 1〇6 receives the spread spectrum GPS satellite data signal 丨〇8 from a plurality of satellites of the plurality of satellites 102. The spread spectrum data signal 108 is continuously transmitted from each satellite 102. 'The transmitted spread spectrum data signals 1〇8 each contain a data stream that includes information identifying a particular satellite 102. The data stream is derived from the particular Satellite 1〇2. The GPS receiver 106 typically requires spread spectrum data signals 1 〇 8 from at least three satellites 102 to enable calculation of the two dimensional position. The receipt of the fourth spread spectrum data signal enables the GPS receiver 1 〇 6 to calculate the three dimensional position using a known technique. In FIG. 2, a navigation system includes a navigation device 2, which in an embodiment can communicate with a server 15 via a communication channel 152 supported by a communication network, if desired. The communication network can be implemented by any of a number of different configurations. The communication channel 丨 52 generally expresses the communication medium or path connecting the navigation device 200 and the server 15 . When the connection via the communication channel 152 is established between the server 150 and the navigation device 200 (note that this connection can be via a data connection via a mobile device, via a 137833.doc -15. 201028657 human computer (not shown) via The server 150 can communicate with the navigation device 200 when the Internet is directly connected or the like. Communication channel 152 is not limited to a particular communication technology. In addition, communication channel 152 is not limited to a single communication technology; that is, 'channel 152 may include several communication links using various techniques. For example, communication channel 1 52 can be adapted to provide a path for electrical, optical, and/or electromagnetic communication signals, and the like. Thus, communication channel 152 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of the following: circuits, electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial electrical gauges, fiber optic gauges, converters, radio frequency (RF) waves, atmosphere, freedom Space, etc. In addition, communication channel 152 can include intermediate devices such as routers, repeaters, buffers, transmitters, and receivers. In an illustrative configuration, communication channel 52 is supported by the telephone network and the computer network. In addition, communication channel 152 may be capable of accommodating wireless communications, such as infrared communications, radio frequency communications (such as microwave frequency communications), and the like. In addition, communication channel 152 can accommodate satellite communications if desired. Communication signals transmitted via communication channel 152 include, but are not limited to, signals that may or may be required for a given communication technology. For example, such signals may be suitable for use in cellular communication technologies, such as cellular communication technologies. , Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like. Both digital and analog signals can be transmitted via communication channel 152. These signals may be modulated, encrypted, and/or compressed for the communication. In this example, the navigation device 200 including the GPS receiver device 106 or the GPS receiver 137833.doc 201028657 device 106 can be via a wireless communication terminal (not shown) such as a mobile phone, PDA, and/or have Any device of the mobile phone technology) to establish a data session (if needed) with the network hardware of the communication network (eg, "action" communication network) to establish a digital connection (eg, via known Bluetooth) Digital connection of technology). Thereafter, the mobile terminal or user equipment can establish a network connection with the server 15 via its network service provider (eg, via the Internet, thus, in the navigation device 2 (when it is alone and/or Or travel in the transport _, which can be I often act) and establish an "action" network connection with the feeder 150 to provide information "instant" or at least very" new "gateway. In this example, the navigation device 2 is a navigation device with a Bluetooth function, so that the material navigation device (4) 0 can be unknown to the wireless communication terminal configuration, thereby enabling the navigation device to enable Work correctly with the ever-changing spectrum of mobile phone models, manufacturers, etc. Model/manufacturer-specific settings can be stored, for example, on the navigation device fan if needed. Information stored for this information can be updated. The illustration 'but instead requires that the wireless communication terminal provide access to the communication network, the navigation device 200 may of course include mobile phone technology (eg, it includes an antenna) or use the navigation device 2 as appropriate The mobile phone technology in the navigation device 2 can also include a pluggable card (eg, a user identity module) card. The mobile phone technology within the H navigation device can be similarly established via, for example, the Internet. The navigation device is connected to the server (9) in a manner similar to that of any wireless communication capable terminal. 137833.doc -17· 201028657 As explained above, the use of, for example, the Internet between a mobile device (via a service provider) and another device such as server 150 can be performed in any suitable manner known per se. The establishment of a network connection. In this regard, any number of suitable data communication protocols may be used, such as a TCPHP layered agreement. In addition, the mobile device can utilize any number of communication standards, such as CDMA2000, GSM, IEEE 802.11 a/b/c/g/η, and the like. Thus, it can be seen that an internet connection can be used, which can be achieved via a data connection using mobile phone or mobile phone technology. The server 150 includes (in addition to other components not otherwise described) a processor 154 'which forms a processing resource and is operatively coupled to the memory 156' and further operates via a wired or wireless connection 158 Sexually connected to a large number of data storage devices 160. The mass storage device 160 contains (especially.) navigation data and map information storage. Further details of this information will be set out later. The mass storage device 16 can also be a separate device from the server 150 or can be incorporated into the server 15A. The processor 154 is operatively coupled to the transmitter 162 and the receiver 164 in one step to transmit information to and from the navigation device 2 via the communication channel 152. The signals transmitted and received may include data, communications, and/or other a propagated signals. The transmitter 162 and the receiver 164 can be selected or designed in accordance with the communication requirements and communication techniques used in the communication design of the navigation system. In addition, it should be noted that the functions of transmitter 162 and receiver 164 can be combined into a single transceiver. As above, and the 'navigation device 200 can be configured to communicate with the server 150 via the communication channel 152, which uses the transmitter 166 and the receiver 168 to transmit and receive data from the communication channel 152 via 137833.doc -18. 201028657, Note that such devices can be further used to communicate with devices other than server 150. In addition, transmitter 166 and receiver 168 are selected or designed in accordance with communication requirements and communication techniques used in the communication design of the navigation system, and transmitter 166 can be implemented in a manner similar to that described above with respect to servo device 150. And the function of the receiver 168 is combined into a single transceiver. Of course, the navigation device 200 can include other hardware and/or functional portions', which will be described in more detail later herein. The software stored in the server memory 156 provides instructions to the processor 154 and allows the feeder 150 to provide services to the navigation device 2 and/or perform other data processing tasks. For example, the servo device 15 can provide a service including processing a request for parking position information from the navigation device 2 and transmitting the parking position information from the mass data storage device 16 to the navigation device 2 . Another service that may be provided by the server 15 includes processing the navigation data using various algorithms for the desired application and transmitting the results of such calculations to the navigation device 200. Of course, the servo device can support other functionality as described in more detail later in the following. Server 150 can be used as a remote source of data that can be accessed by navigation device 2 via, for example, a wireless channel. The server i 5 can include a network server located on a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a virtual private network (vpN), and the like. In fact, as mentioned above, a personal computer (PC) can be connected between the navigation device 200 and the server 15A to establish an internet connection between the server 15A and the navigation device 200. = Information from the server can be provided for the navigation device 2 via the information download, or the information can be periodically updated after the user connects the navigation device 2 to the server 15〇I37833.doc 19 201028657 And/or in the server via a wireless mobile device! After a more constant or frequent connection between the 50 and the navigation device 2, the information download can be more dynamic. Referring to Figure 3, it should be noted that the block diagram of the navigation device 200 does not include all of the components of the navigation device, but rather represents only a number of example components. The navigation device 2 is located within a housing (not shown). The navigation device 200 includes a processor 202 coupled to an input device 2〇4 and a display device (eg, a display screen 206). Although reference is made herein to the singular form of input device 2〇4, those skilled in the art will appreciate that input device 2〇4 represents any number of input devices including keyboard devices, voice input devices, touch panels, and/or Any other known input device that enters information. Likewise, display 206 can include any type of display screen such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). In one configuration, one aspect of the input device 204 (touch panel) and display screen 206 are integrated to provide an integrated input and display device that includes a touch pad or touch screen input. 250 (FIG. 4) to realize information input (via direct input, menu selection, etc.) and information display via the touch panel screen, so that the user only needs to touch one part of the display screen 206 to select a plurality of display options. One of them may start one of a plurality of virtual or "soft" buttons. In this regard, the processor 2〇2 supports a graphical user interface (GUI) that operates in conjunction with a touch screen. In the navigation device 200, the processor 202 is operatively coupled to the input device 204 via connection 210 and is capable of receiving input information from the input device 204 via connection 210 and is operatively coupled to the display screen 206 via the individual output connection 212. And at least one of the output devices 208 to output 137833.doc • 20· 201028657. Output device 208 is, for example, an audio output device (eg, a speaker). Since the output device 208 can generate voice information for the user of the navigation device 200, it should be understood that the input device 204 can also include a microphone and software for receiving input voice commands. Moreover, navigation device 200 can also include any additional input device 204 and/or any additional output device, such as audio input/output device processor 222 operatively coupled to § memory resource 214 via connection 216 and further Adaptation to receive information/information from input/output (I/O) 218 via connection 220 to 218, where 1/〇埠 218 can be connected to 1/〇 device 222 external to navigation device 2 . Memory resource 214 includes, for example, 'volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM); and non-volatile memory, such as digital memory, such as flash memory. External I/O device 222 may include, but is not limited to, an external listening device such as an 'album. The connection to I/O device 222 may additionally be a wired or wireless connection to any other external device, such as a car stereo unit, such as for hands-free operation and/or for voice-activated operation, for use in an earpiece Or a connection to a headset and/or a connection to a mobile phone, wherein the mobile phone connection can be used to establish a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the server 150 via, for example, the Internet or any other network. 3 further illustrates an operative connection between processor 202 and antenna/receiver 224 via connection 226, where antenna/receiver 224 can be, for example, a GPS antenna/receiver. It will be understood that the antenna and receiver represented by reference numeral 224 are schematically combined for purposes of illustration, but the antenna and receiver may be separately positioned components, and the antenna may be, for example, a GPS patch antenna or a helical antenna. 137833.doc 21 201028657 It is understood that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the electronic components shown in Figure 3 are familiar to the art by one or more power sources (not shown). It will be appreciated that various configurations of the components shown in circle 3 are contemplated. By way of example, the components shown in Figure 3 can communicate with one another via wired and/or wireless connections and the like. The described navigation device 200 can be a portable or handheld navigation device. Referring to Figure 4, the memory resource 214 stores a boot loader program φ (not shown), the boot loader program Executed by the processor 202 to load a job system 262 from the memory k source 214 for execution by the functional hardware component 26, the operating system 262 provides an environment in which the application software 264 can operate. The operating system 262 is used to control The functional hardware component 26 resides between the application software 264 and the functional hardware component 26. The application software 264 provides a working environment that includes the core functions of the navigation device (eg, map inspection). The GUI of the view, route plan, navigation function, and any other functions associated therewith. The portion of the application software 264 includes a φ parking position determination module 266 and a route calculation module 267 that supports route calculation functionality. Further details of the computing module 267 will be described later in this context with respect to subsequent embodiments. Referring to Figure 5, the parking location determination module 266 includes a data preprocessor 3 〇〇 beta data preamble that can communicate with an inference engine 302. The processor 3 can be operatively coupled to a remote map data sharing database 304, a remote travel material database 306, and a remote POI database 308 via the WAN mentioned above. 302 can also access the remote POI database 308. The map data sharing database 307 is a database of map related information, and the user of the navigation device 137833.doc -22· 201028657 can contribute information to the database, for example, roadblocks, New road

A temporary data storage 310.

The navigation device 200) is configured to collect travel information (including time information) regarding the planned or unplanned journey or journey of the navigation device. Saki can maintain the change of position (4). The recording of such events (if required) may be conditional on the satisfaction of a criterion, for example, the calculated position is greater than a minimum pre-$ period. The travel data is recorded in a log (e.g., log file) stored by the digital memory of the navigation device 200. A communication session is then established between the navigation device 200 and the server i 50 (eg, using a TomTomHOME system whereby the navigation device 2 is coupled to a personal computer φ (PC) or other computing device) and the communication session is When the Internet connection to which the PC is coupled is established, the log is communicated to the server device 150. Data transfer can therefore occur between the navigation device 2 and the server 150. In this example, the data transfer includes transmitting the travel log mentioned above and generated by the navigation device 200 to the feeding device 15 and the contents of the files are stored in the travel material database 3.6. The travel profile database 306 will therefore contain (especially) location data and time data (eg, time stamps or other indications) in order to identify the location information stored in the 137833.doc -23· 201028657 (such as 'the navigation device is in one A point in time or time slave when given a position. In this example, location data is recorded as longitude and latitude coordinates. Of course, if the navigation device 2GG is properly equipped to support the wireless communication L on the WAN (for example, if the navigation device 200 is equipped with a cellular phone module or an operative ground connection to a mobile phone), the navigation device 200 can Periodic updates are sent to the server 15 without having to wait to interface with the pC. In the operation of the first embodiment (Fig. 6), it is assumed that the navigation device 2 is powered on and the traveling navigation device 200 can travel along a route (the navigation device 200 is providing navigation support for the route) And the mobile, or navigation device 200, may only provide navigation support because the navigation device 2 is powered on, but the user does not require navigation support (eg, when the user and/or the driver of the vehicle is committed to the above mentioned Move while driving freely. Since this aspect is not essential for understanding this example, the selection of the destination location for route calculation purposes (if needed) will not be described in more detail with respect to this example. • At a point on the journey, for example, at the end of the journey or at the on/off navigation point, the vehicle can stop for a varying amount of time, depending on the nature of the stop. Usually, the vehicle The driver parks the vehicle in a parked position, for example, on a roadside, in a ground floor or in a parking lot, or in a multi-level parking lot or parking lot. As mentioned above, this time may vary, but typically, in this example, if the vehicle remains substantially stationary for a predetermined period of time or more, the vehicle is considered to be in a &quot;parking&quot; state. In this example, the predetermined time period is about clock, but if desired, the predetermined time period may be a shorter time period, I37833.doc • 24-201028657 2 minutes. However, the shorter the predetermined time period, regarding the parking position The more likely the detection is, the so-called false positives (false_p〇shive). If necessary, the predetermined time period can also be larger, for example, about 5 minutes, about 3 minutes, about 1 hour, or about 2 hours. In order to detect the parking position, the data preprocessor 3 determines (step 4) the current position of the navigation device 200. This information is used by the application software 264 by the GPS receiver 224 and other components (eg, acceleration). The received data is calculated based on the dead reckoning technique and is therefore available to the data preprocessor 300. The data preprocessor 3 (10) then determines (steps) whether the current position has changed. Of course, the initial position determination will not have a corresponding previous position to compare with&apos; but subsequent position determinations will not suffer from this minor hindrance. The application software 264 periodically calculates the current location, and this information is also periodically acquired by the data preprocessor 3QG. Therefore, when the data preprocessor assumes that the field position is substantially constant, the data preprocessor only continues to periodically acquire the current position. However, when the field material pre-processor 300 determines (step 4〇2) that the current position of the seat is not changed on the lower body, the data preprocessor 300 then confirms that the 4(H)# position has been maintained substantially unchanged (in In this example) at least the predetermined time period X (eg, about 5 minutes if the current position does not remain large I for at least the predetermined time period (eg, 'If sufficient time has not elapsed then the data preprocessor 300 continues as above Monitoring the current 400, 402) 〇 or t field position remains substantially constant for at least the predetermined time period X' then the data preprocessor 300 is then (eg, by coordinates) will be when I37833.doc - 25- 201028657 The identification code of the just position is communicated to the inference engine 3〇2. The inference engine 3〇2 then refers, for example, to the local p〇I database (not shown) stored in the memory resource 214 or the remote POI database. 308 to assess whether the current location should be considered a candidate parking location. In this case, 'if the current location corresponds to a location that is known to be illegally parked (eg, 'in a parked illegal area, such as the so-called red route in London, England, UK &quot;or The bus lane is further considered to ignore the current location and repeat the above process (steps 400 to 406). Similarly, the inference Φ engine 302 queries the local P01 database or the remote POI database 308 for determination (step 4〇). 8) Whether it is known that the current position corresponds to a parking position. If it is determined that the position corresponds to a known parking position, then the current position does not have to be regarded as a candidate parking position because the database is from the local (1) database and/or The far-end P0I database 308 clearly knows the parking location. The right inference engine 302 determines that the current location is not known to be associated with a known parking location, and the inference engine 3〇2 therefore stores the current location local (step 410) In (in this example) a candidate location database (not shown), for later communication to the server device 150, for example, when other log data is communicated to the server device 15 as described above. The location identification # can also be represented as a coordinate. In this example, the data preprocessor then proceeds back to the manner already described above to monitor the current position (steps 4 to 4). 08). At the feeding garment X15〇, the current position may be stored for further analysis to verify the current location, for example by manual investigation or by verification of other reports constituting the same candidate parking location of an actual parking position. It does correspond to the actual parking position. Once the candidate parking position has been verified, the candidate parking position can be added to the P〇I database 3〇8 in the 137833.doc •26- 201028657. In the above embodiment, the candidate parking position will be Communicating to the servo device without further verification at the user end. However, in another embodiment, the navigation device 200 can provide additional optional functionality (step 412) to request the candidate parking location once the request has been identified Input from the user. In this regard (Fig. 7), the inference engine 3〇2 interacts with the user interface to interrogate (step 414) whether the candidate parking location is an actual parking location, for example, by displaying a question And &quot;Yes&quot; and &quot;No&quot; virtual buttons (step 416) to collect responses from the user. If the user presses the "No" virtual button, the inference engine 302 removes the candidate parking location from the candidate location database and returns to the manner already described above to monitor the current location (steps 4A through 41). . If the user has pressed the &quot;Yes&quot; virtual button, a strong indicator is provided for the inference engine 3〇2 (assuming the user's behavior is not malicious): the candidate parking position corresponds to an actual parking position. Acting through the user interface, the inference engine 302 can query (step 4 [8]) the user's permission to share the information (eg, the candidate parking location and the confirmation from the user to the servo device 15) ). Of course, the sharing of the data can be pre-configured, for example, during the initial configuration of the navigation device 2, and therefore, subsequent requests for the grant (step 418) can be avoided. However, it is assumed that the sharing is not initially obtained. Upon approval of the candidate parking location and user confirmation, the inference engine 3〇2 waits (step 420) for a response from the user. If the user decides not to grant the navigation device 4 200 permission to share the information, in this example, the candidate parking location remains in the candidate location database for use by the navigation device 2 in the future, and the data is pre- The processor 300 returns to the manner already described above to monitor the current location of the navigation device 200 (steps 400-410) 137833.doc • 27- 201028657. Alternatively, if the user-press &quot;yes&quot; virtual button (step 420), then flag (step 422) the entry in the candidate parking location database containing the candidate parking location and its user confirmation for use in the next available The opportunity (e.g., as described above, when periodic communication with the servo device 150 occurs) is communicated to the servo device 丨5 〇. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that within optional functionality 412, 'a request for permission to share material is also optional and need not be implemented in all embodiments. Once the entry in the candidate parking location database has been flagged and/or otherwise delivered for communication, the data preprocessor 3 returns to the manner already described above to monitor the current navigation device 2 Location (steps 4 to 410) to find any additional parking locations. In another embodiment, the anonymous key, data collected and communicated to the servo device 15 can be subjected to server side processing instead of the local end made by the navigation device 2 regarding whether the current position constitutes a candidate parking position. determine. Referring to Fig. 8, the analysis engine 155 constituting another parking position determining module is supported by the servo device 150, and the analysis engine 155 analyzes (step 43) the log data received with respect to the navigation device 200. The analysis engine 155 attempts to recognize ( Step 432) substantially unchanged (in this example) the recorded position of at least the predetermined time period 相对 relative to time. This process is repeated until the analysis engine 155 has found a location that is substantially constant for at least the predetermined time period X or has analyzed all of the data in the log (step 43 4). The analysis engine then evaluates (step 4 36) whether the found location (&quot;current position&quot;) should be considered a candidate parking location, for example, with reference to the ρ〇Ι database 308. In this regard, if the current location corresponds to an I37833.doc -28· 201028657 from the p〇I database, it is known to park as an illegal location (for example, as above; first, the embodiment has mentioned that 'parking is illegal Region </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> </ RTI> <RTIgt; All the information in the day (steps) has been analyzed. Similarly, the analysis engine 155 queries the P0I database 3〇8. It is more certain (steps whether it is known that the current position corresponds to a parking space. • If the known #pre-position corresponds to the known parking position, then it is no longer necessary "刖 position is considered as - candidate 4 辜 / / 番 番 m j., into the location of the London, because the parking location is known from the POI database 308. If the analysis engine 155 determines (step 4 called the current location is - unknown candidate parking Location 'The analysis engine stores the current location (step 440) in another candidate location database (not shown) at the local end of the feeder 150 for further analysis, for example by manual investigation or by Verification of the analysis results of the other navigation devices to verify that the current location does correspond to a parking location. Once the candidate parking location has been verified, the candidate parking location can be added to the POI database Mg. In one embodiment, the candidate parking position may undergo further analysis before accepting the candidate parking position as the actual parking position. In one example, the analysis engine 155 also supports a type of matching. An engine (not shown) that evaluates another candidate parking location database to perform pattern matching and/or reasoning with respect to candidate parking locations stored in the other candidate parking location database. In this regard, the pattern matching engine is configured to identify (step 450) clusters 137833.doc • 29· 201028657 or groupings of candidate parking locations within a predetermined distance. The analysis then attempts to identify (step 452) the usual and parking positions. Collecting the distribution of associated candidate parking locations, for example, a list of candidate locations may indicate a set of roadside parking spaces, and a set of generally regularly arranged candidate parking locations may indicate a parking lot ^actually, self-navigation The location information obtained by device 200 can be used to more confidently determine whether a candidate parking location is one of a side parking location or a number of roadside parking locations. Additionally or other 'type matching engine 155 can detect time Patterns, examples • such as 'repetition of the same or adjacent candidate parking locations associated with the same navigation device. In this regard, The matching engine compares the repetition of the same or adjacent candidate parking locations with a predetermined event or occurrence value (eg, 3, 4, or 5) and reasoning in response to the actual occurrence of meeting or exceeding the predetermined event or occurrence: The candidate parking location is an actual parking location. In another example, the pattern matching engine is configured to: identify other candidate parking locations within a predetermined distance of the candidate parking location (with navigation device 2 and/or other navigation devices) Relevant other candidate parking locations occur) and identify any type associated with the identified individual location of the candidate parking location. The pattern indicates a collection of parking locations, such as a parking lot or a group or row of roadsides The parking position, and thus, the presence of the candidate parking location in the pattern indicates that the candidate parking location is an actual parking location. In another example, the analysis can include a combination of pattern matching, for example, using different candidate parking locations for a period of time, wherein the different candidate parking locations are in a pattern that constitutes one of the parking locations. arrangement. For analysis including time, the time period for which the log data relates may be one or more months, for example about two months or about three months. 137833.doc • 30- 201028657 If the analysis engine 155 fails to identify any space and/or time pattern in the cluster or group of candidate parking locations, then the analysis engine 155 may decide to reject (step 454) the cluster of candidate parking locations. Or clustering the cluster of candidate parking locations for further (eg, manual) surveys, such as site visn. Thereafter, the analysis engine 155 determines (step 456) the candidate parking locations, and whether the cluster analysis is still required. Of course, if a pattern is identified (step 452), the analysis engine 155 updates another candidate parking location database prior to analyzing any additional: outer set of candidate parking locations (step 456) as mentioned above. In order to indicate that the identified candidate parking location is associated with one of the candidate parking locations. Although not shown in Fig. 9, the sets of candidate parking locations identified by the pattern matching engine are used to update the p〇I database 3〇8. Once the parking position has been identified and a parking location database has been created to obtain an existing parking location database, or an existing parking location database has been expanded by some of the above processes, a parking lot can be generated to enrich the consideration. The statistical information of the location of the library. It should be understood that any parking location database may be in the form of a portion of a P01 database (e.g., POI database 308). In this regard, and in another embodiment, the navigation device 2 (and other navigation devices) includes (as already mentioned above) a data recording facility that records the time of the month b, for example by geographical location (ge〇l〇cati〇n) coordinates and time stamps to record (especially) location and time. In some instances, the recorded data is compressed for storage and/or efficient transmission. In this example, the recorded crust is stored in a log file and communicated to the server 150 for processing in the manner that will be described in the following 137,833.doc -31 - 201028657. The recorded data constitutes a data set, and it should be understood that the server 150 receives a plurality of pending data sets. In order to harvest useful information from the Zhizhi file, the server! The processing resource 154 is supported (FIG. 1A) - a dwell duration analyzer module 320 that is operatively capable of accessing a large number of storage devices, and a bedding storage module 3 capable of accessing a large number of storage devices 16 22. A probability generator module 324 capable of accessing a plurality of storage devices and a parking modeler module 326 capable of accessing a plurality of storage devices.

Referring to Figure 11, once the processing of the file is appropriate (for example, when a sufficient number of log files have been obtained), the "stay duration analysis module: 320 access (step 46) a first log file is convenient for analysis. The stay duration analysis module 320 then searches (step 462) the time information in the case of location information to identify a - time period during which the location information shows that the log file is associated with the same The position reaches - the predetermined time period - the predetermined time: mx (to reflect one of the minimum durations corresponding to - constituting the parking state. For example, the predetermined time period may be about 2 minutes or as a bell, about H) minutes, about 15 minutes, about 3Q minutes, about i: about 2 hours. However, it should be understood that, as mentioned above, the shorter the selection, the more likely the material interval may be misunderstood or misunderstood as being parked: the probability that the off (ie, misjudgment may occur) is greater. Stop: the first time period when the navigation device 200 is substantially stationary, so as to confirm (step 464) the parking location database (step 466) the position where the navigation device 2 is still at the step L analyzer 32G. Whether it is 137833.doc -32· 201028657 should be in a known parking position. In this regard, the position at which the navigation device has been stationary is not necessarily the same as the position of the known parking position, and the navigation device 2〇〇 only needs to be located at or within a predetermined distance from the position of the known parking position so that &quot;qualified&quot; for parking in the known parking location. In the event that the location where the navigation device has been substantially stationary is not present in the parking location database, the 'stay duration analyzer module 32' proceeds to continue analyzing the profile to identify (step 468) that the navigation device 200 is stationary. Another time period of the predetermined time period X or more. However, if a location in which the navigation device 200 is substantially stationary is found in the parking location database, the first time period is communicated to the data storage module 322 for storage of the first time period. In this regard, data storage module 322 is configured to maintain a count of received time periods based on a plurality of time intervals (step 47A). In this example, data storage module 322 maintains a plurality of 5-minute intervals over a 24-hour period. The data storage module 322 is incremented for each count spanned by the first time period. Of course, those skilled in the art should understand that a time interval will

The stored time information occupied by the storage is stored in the t instance, and the parking is continued therein, and the stay is continued 137833.doc -33· 201028657 The time analyzer module 320 continues to analyze the log file for identification as described above (step 468) Another time period during which the navigation device has been stationary for greater than or equal to the predetermined time period χ. In the event that another time period greater than or equal to the predetermined time period X is found, the additional time period (step 472)' is selected and the above process of processing the data associated with the use of the known parking position is repeated (step 464). Up to 472) until another time period corresponding to the navigation device being at least greater than or equal to the predetermined time period 不能 cannot be found. sentence

When the analysis of the first-day total slot has been completed, the dwell duration analyzer module 320 then determines (step 474) whether any other day files that can be analyzed are stored in the mass storage device 16(), And if other daily chain slots still need to be analyzed, the dwell duration analyzer module 32 accesses (step A%) another day storage stored by the mass storage device 16 and with respect to the next access The log file repeats the above procedure (steps 462 to 474). Once all available day tt files have been analyzed, the above analysis procedure is completed and a subsequent analysis phase can be used with respect to the stored data. Referring to Figure 12, once the time information has been pre-processed, the probability generator module 324 sequentially analyzes (steps) each of the items in the parking location database, which includes the identification of the parking location and is generated in the manner described above. The associated stored time information, for the first entry of the parking location database, the probability generator module 324 uses the stored time information to generate (step 482) the parking location being analyzed at the time interval/interval (four) The individual probability of being occupied during each time interval of the spanning cycle (24 hours in this example). This can be achieved, for example, by understanding the number of navigation devices associated with the analyzed log, broadcast, I37833.doc -34 - 201028657. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other statistical techniques can be used to generate individual chances.

Thereafter, in an example, there is no need to further process the individual chances. However, in another example, the parking modeler module 326 can be used to characterize (step 484) the distribution of the probability that the parking position is occupied as a function of time. 1 characterization can be achieved, for example, by using a least squares technique, interpolation techniques, or any other suitable modeling technique known to those skilled in the art, to fit the -function to the probability distribution. Interpolation technology is used when it is necessary to compensate for the lack of data points or the number of shortages. Alternatively, a plurality of predefined probability functions or models including, for example, a uniform probability function may be provided, and one of the plurality of probability functions may be selected by the parking modeler 326 'this function most closely fits the parking position Distribution of Probability In this example, the plurality of probability functions are a function of time, i.e., the function provides the probability that the parking position is occupied at a given time. If desired, in order to translate the selected probability function by a desired amount of time to translate the probability function with respect to time to better fit the actual distribution of the probability associated with the parking position, the selected probability can be experienced - translational, 1 Hour or _1 hours (or longer or shorter time period)) or associated with the translation component. Embodiments_, the probability = number generated according to any of the above techniques may be altered or incorporated with a priori knowledge of (e.g., arriving or using) a parking location. For example, the use of parking locations may be illegal during the days: hours (such as 2 pm to 3 Pm). In another case, the 'parking position may be located in a safe parking lot after a certain time (for example, 8 (four) 137833.doc •35· 201028657 =), the parking position is not available. In the above: otherwise, used to indicate the parking position The w technology that is unavailable or unusable at these times is set to 'the probability that the parking position is occupied in the interval within the time period considered to be 1 or another—a suitable value indicating a high probability. The modification of the probability function may occur. The probability distribution modeling order, but with respect to the generation of the probability distribution described above (ie, at computer rate), the same method can be applied. • The probability distribution has been characterized by the parking modeler module 326. The characterization (eg 'probability (IV) or its identification code) is stored to record, for example, the association between the parking location and the characterization in a related manner. Here, the input of the parking location is updated to include The characterization is to update the parking location database. Thereafter, the probability generator module 324 determines (step 488) whether the parking location database contains associated storage that needs to be processed. Any other parking location entry for time information. If the parking location database contains additional entries that need to be processed, repeat the above process (steps 瘫 480 to 488) until no additional entries have yet to be processed. Thereafter, (for example) The &quot;easy&quot; version of the stop-and-go database is generated (step 490) by an export function to create a parking location in the event of a lack of probability and/or stored time information. A version of the database. In this example, the cleaned version of the database also stores the derived statistics in a relevant manner. Therefore, as can be seen from the above examples, by analyzing the time information collected about the occupancy of the parking location. Export statistics about the occupancy of the parking location. In addition, repeat this process for other parking locations to enrich the parking space 137833.doc -36- 201028657. Although it has been generated by the probability of time interval and subsequent (can The above example is described in the case of modeling to derive statistical information, but those skilled in the art should understand that it is not necessary The probability is generated, and as such, it is not necessary to generate a model. In this embodiment, the stored time information or the like constitutes statistical information, rather than constitute an intermediate result or stage of derivation of statistical information (eg, probability function). The statistical information is processed in response to a query from the navigation device or by the navigation device to provide an indication of the likelihood that the parking location is available. In the above embodiment, one of the single transportation vehicles (eg, a car) is parked. It can be identified in the parking location database as only one area (for example, a rectangular area) constituting the parking position, or the parking position can be identified in the parking location database as a point representing one of the areas &quot;center&quot; s position. Thus, in determining whether the navigation device 200 is parked, an assessment of the location of the navigation device 2 needs to occur. In this regard, and assuming that the above time condition has been met, if the position of the navigation device 200 is within the region or within a predetermined distance (eg, 2 meters) from the point mentioned above, the navigation device 2 is considered The position of the cockroach is in the parking position. As an optional improvement to the quality of the statistical information, the statistical information can be further processed using any suitable known technique to cause the statistical information to reflect the average occupancy or availability of a given parking location. As will be described hereinafter, the availability of statistical information associated with the identification number of the parking location may be used to identify one or more parking locations for the user of the navigation device 2. In this regard, in this example, the cleaned version of the parking location data 137833.doc -37- 201028657 library is stored in the digital memory by the navigation device 200 at the local end (hereinafter referred to as "the local parking location database". Referring to FIG. 13, the route calculation module 267 of the application software 264 mentioned above includes a destination selection module 33 1 , a POI selection module 268 , a parking availability module 33 , and a route creation . The module 332 'parking availability module 330 can access the local parking location database 328. The parking availability module 330 and the route creation module 332 will now be described in connection with the embodiments set forth below in conjunction with the local parking location database 328. Further details of the operation. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the above components of the application software 264 need not be used, depending on the requirements of the particular embodiment. The European Patent Office's office in The Hague (at Patantlaan 2, Rijswijk) needs to go to TomT〇m Internati〇nal B V. at Rembrandtplein 35, Amsterdam In order to use the navigation device 200 to implement navigation to the above destination, the user configures a route for calculation as follows. Referring to Figures 14 to 23, the user uses a user interface to support one of the location browser functions. To assume (step 500, Figure 14) an illustrative destination location input process as described below. Although not shown, the user uses a setup menu option supported by the application software 264 to select (in this example The view is generated in the three-dimensional mode. When the user energizes the navigation device 2, the device 2 acquires the Gps data and performs its own position by calculating (in a known manner) the current position of the navigation device 2〇〇 OK, as shown in FIG. 15, a display 137833.doc • 38· 201028657 340 is then presented to the user, which pseudo-three-dimensionally shows that the navigation device 2 is determined to be in the local environment 'and in the local environment 342 A set of control and status messages in one of the regions 344 of the display 340 below. By touching the display at the local environment 342, the navigation device 2 The user interface updates the display 3 40 by displaying (as shown in FIG. 16) a series of virtual or soft buttons 3 46, by which the user can (especially) enter the user who wants to navigate to it. Destination In this example, the destination selection call module 331 is configured to facilitate input of a destination with respect to providing navigation assistance and provide an indication to the route creation module 332 of one of the selected destinations. &quot;Navigate to&quot; virtual button 348, the navigation device 200 initiates route calculation functionality, one of which includes implementing one of the route creation procedures via the route creation module 332 mentioned above. According to the route creation program and as supported by the destination selection module 331, the navigation device 2 displays (as shown in FIG. 17) φ a plurality of virtual buttons each associated with a different category of selectable destinations. In the case, the display shows a &quot;book&quot;button&quot; button that will set the destination to the stored home position when pressed. &quot;Favorite&quot; reveals that the user has previously stored in the navigation when pressed A list of destinations in device 200, and if one of these destinations is subsequently selected, then the destination of the route to be calculated is set to the selected previously stored destination. &quot;Recently, the soft button, when pressed, reveals a list of selectable destinations that are stored in the memory of the navigation device 200 and that the user has recently navigated to. The selection of one of the destinations that make up this list will set the destination location of this route to the selected (previously visited) position 137833.doc -39- 201028657. The &quot;point of interest&quot; button 351, when pressed, reveals a number of options by which the user can choose to navigate to a plurality of locations such as a parking lot (parking lot), an automated teller machine (ATM), a gas station, or a tourist attraction. In either case, the plurality of locations have been previously stored in the navigation device 2 as a location that the user of the navigation device 200 may wish to navigate to. The triangle &quot;arrow&quot; shaped virtual button provides access to additional sub-menu options for &quot;navigation to,&quot; menu options, and the &quot;address&quot; button 350 begins by the user to enter the user who wants to navigate to A process of destination street address. In this example, since the user knows that the user wants the navigation device 2 to navigate to the destination street address, it is assumed that the operation "address" button 350 (displayed on the touch screen by touch) Button) to select a location as a destination, then (as shown in Figure 18), present the user with a series of location input options: by "city center" for address entry, by &quot;zip code&quot; Address input, address input by &quot;crossroads or intersections&quot; (for example, the junction of two roads), and • street and house number &quot; address input. In this example, the user knows the street address and house number of the destination and therefore selects &quot;street & house number&quot; virtual button 352, which is then presented to the user (as shown in Figure 19): for typing A prompt 354 that the user wants to navigate to the name of the city, a flag button 356 by which the user can select the country in which the desired city is located, and a virtual one that can be operated by the user to input the name of the destination city if necessary Keyboard 358. In this case, the user starts to tap the &quot;Amsterdam&quot; and the navigation device responds by providing the user with a list 36 of selectable cities. I37833.doc 201028657 In this case, 'the user wants to navigate to Amsterdam, and after selecting Amsterdam from the list 360, as shown in FIG. 20, the navigation device 2 displays again the virtual keyboard 358 by which the user can enter the street name. And a prompt 362 for typing the street name. In this case, the user begins to play the name of the street where the destination is located&apos; and the navigation device 200 responds by providing the user with a list 364 of selectable street names. In this example, the user wishes to travel to the street Rembrandtplein, and therefore, the user selects &quot;Rembrandtplein&quot; from the displayed list 364. Once the street is selected, the navigation device 2 then displays (Fig. 21) limited. Mainly a digital virtual keyboard 366, and prompting the user to type the street number in the selected street and city that the user wants to navigate to by prompt 368. If the user has previously navigated to one of the street numbers in the street, the initial Show the house number. If the user wants to navigate to Rembrandtplein No. 35 in this case, the user only needs to use the virtual keyboard 366 to type the street number (&quot;35&quot;) and then touch the display to the right of the display 34〇 The lower corner of the &quot;Complete&quot; virtual button 370. If the user wants to navigate to a different house number on the Rembrandtplein, all the user has to do is operate the virtual keyboard 366 to enter the appropriate house number or street number. In the case of a decision to request navigation to the suggested house number, the user touches &quot;Complete&quot; virtual button 37. Application The software 264 then causes the user interface to present an inquiry message 372 (circle 22) asking the user if a specific arrival time is required. If the user touches the &quot;virtual button, the estimated travel is made to the destination. The time required (after the user has provided the required arrival time) and advises the user when he should leave (or 137833.doc 41 201028657 when the user is late, when should have left) their current location in order to arrive on time The functionality of its destination. In this case, the user does not care about arriving at a specific time and therefore selects &quot;No&quot; virtual button 374. Select &quot;No&quot; virtual button 348 causes the user interface to present another query Message 376 (Fig. 23), the query message 376 asks the user if he/she needs to park the location after arrival. If the user touches &quot;No, the virtual button, the call is made to calculate the route of the destination indicated by the first to the first. Functionality. In this example, the user is required to have a parking lot after reaching the selected destination. Therefore, the route creation module 332 is looking for one. Close to the parking position of the selected destination, and calculate an estimated arrival time with respect to the selected parking position by the route calculation functionality mentioned above. The route creation module 3 3 2 then selects the selected parking position together with the calculated The estimated arrival time (or the user-selected desired arrival time) is identified to the parking availability module 330 (step 502). Thereafter, the parking availability module 33 interprets the estimated arrival time as expected with the parking position. The associated start time. The stop φ availability module 330 then accesses (step 504) the local parking location database 328 to obtain statistical information associated with the parking location and with respect to the occupancy of the parking location. In this example, the statistical information is, for example, a Poisson distribution based probability function p(t) ' but may use different times within one of the time periods (eg, one day) of the type described above. Find the probability data for the interval. In the case of the probability function, the parking availability module 33 applies a probability function with respect to the start time in order to obtain the probability that the parking position is occupied. The parking availability module 330 then passes the probability that the parking location is occupied to the route 137833.doc • 42· 201028657 The creation of the module 332 serves as a concern for the possibility of re-use with the parking location. In this regard, the parking availability module 33 can provide statistical information in the form of a probability value as an indication of the likelihood of availability in order to be otherwise formalized (eg, as will be This document describes 'by classifying statistical information' to provide an indication of availability. Sound, in this example towel, the possibility of being issued is provided as a probability value.

Thus, the route creation module 332 then evaluates (steps 5-6) the indication by, for example, comparing the indication associated with the likelihood of availability with the predetermined probability threshold. In this example, (4) indicates that the predetermined probability threshold (such as 'about 4.4) is exceeded or equal to the value, and the route creation module adds that the parking position is not accepted as the candidate destination, and the route money set 332 selects ( Step 508) is next closest to the other parking location of the selected destination. The other parking position may be recent in time and/or space. In any case, the route calculation program calculates another estimated arrival time with respect to the other parking position, and repeats the above process with respect to the other parking position (steps 5〇2 to 506). Therefore, the above process is repeated (step 5〇2) Up to 5〇8) until an acceptable parking position is found or there is no additional parking position within the predetermined distance of the parking position. However, assuming the other parking location is acceptable, the route creation module 332 provides an additional query message 378 (Fig. 24) via the user interface to interrogate (step 510) whether the user is acceptable for the other parking location. If the user responds by confirming that the other parking location is acceptable, the route calculation program uses (step 512) the location of the selected other parking location for route calculation and subsequent navigation assistance. 137833.doc -43 201028657

The above process may terminate if the user refers to the (4)-parking position, or more advantageously, the application software 264 provides (step 514) - or multiple alternative actions to the user, for example, initially selecting the offer distance The permission to park the location farther away, or to modify the selected route (such as 'choose a completely different destination'). By way of example, if the post office that is actually parked in the Lai towel is not available, the user is allowed to select ^ (for example) - another post office in the immediate vicinity, where the actual parking location may be present. In fact, if desired, the application software can be configured to &quot;review,&quot; adjacent locations in such environments, and determine if it is more likely to find the available parking location than in the immediate vicinity of the search. Alternatively, if the user wants to view the location of the other parking location, the user can select the &quot;view location&quot; virtual button 379, and the application software 264 causes the user interface to provide (FIG. 25), for example, a rendered three-dimensional image. View 380, in this example, the three-dimensional view 38〇 includes the other parking position. It should be appreciated that the view of Figure 25 is provided for illustrative purposes to facilitate understanding and is not geographically absolutely accurate. Once the user has observed the location of the other parking location, the other parking location can be accepted by touching &quot;Complete&quot; virtual button 382, or the &quot;back&quot; virtual button 384 can be selected to enable the user to return The previous screen is to reject (or accept) the other parking position. The navigation device 200 then calculates the route between the current location and the selected (another) parking location and displays the calculated route 386 via the user interface, as shown in FIG. Also shown to the user: a &quot;Complete&quot; virtual button 388, which the user can press to indicate that the calculated route is acceptable; a &quot;find alternative&quot; virtual 137833.doc •44· 201028657 button 390, the user can press it to cause the navigation device 2 to calculate another route to the selected destination; and a &quot;detail&quot; virtual button 392 that the user can press to reveal a selectable option to display about More detailed information on the currently displayed route 386. In this case, assume that the user believes that the displayed route is acceptable, and once the &quot;Complete&quot; button has been pressed 388, that is, the user is presented with a three-dimensional view of the current and starting position of the navigation device (not shown). φ The user then starts his journey and the navigation device 200 guides the user. The navigation device 200 periodically acquires the GPS. The data and its own position determination is performed by calculating (in a known manner) the current position of the navigation device 200. Using the calculated current position information, the navigation device 2 is determined in a known manner according to the determined change in the position of the navigation device 200. To update the map and to direct the user by providing visual and (as appropriate) voice navigation commands until the selected destination is reached or the selected destination is reached. In another embodiment, the identified parking position is the parking position. In the case of a plurality of parking locations in a collection (eg, a parking deck), the parking availability module 330 can calculate the probability that one of the plurality of parking locations is available using any suitable statistical technique, the parking location It is not important to know the other J code. In fact, this technique can be suitably applied to any of the embodiments described herein. In yet another embodiment (圊27), the POI selection module 268 facilitates input by the user to the POI. The user selects a parking using the p〇I selection module 268 accessible via the screen of FIG. In this regard, after launching the "point of interest" virtual button 351, the application software 264 executes] 〇 1 selects the module 137833.doc • 45· 201028657 268 to allow the user to select (step 520) - close to the desired The point of interest of the destination. In this example, the point of interest is a parking location. For simplicity and conciseness of description, the desired destination is the destination described above with respect to the foregoing examples, namely TomTom International B.V.'s office at Rembrandtplein 35, Amsterdam. Since the technique for selecting a POI is known, the technique will not be described in more detail herein for the sake of simplicity and conciseness of the description. However, it should be understood that the user may be allowed to select a desired arrival time if needed. Once the user has selected (step 520) the destination, the identification code (e.g., including coordinates) of the selected POI is passed to the route creation modeling group 332 by the POI selection module 268. The route creation module 332 then accesses the local parking location database 328 to identify and select (step 522) a number of parking locations near (in this example, closest to) the selected destination. In this example, a predetermined distance criterion is used to limit the number of identified parking positions. The predetermined distance criterion is the distance from the selected destination. The predetermined criteria can be pre-configured by the user during the line selection or during the setting of the navigation device 200. For each identified parking location, the route creation module 332 uses the route calculation functionality (not shown) of the application software 264 to calculate the estimated time of arrival. Thereafter, the route creation module 332 identifies a number of selected parking locations along with (4) the calculated estimated arrival time to the parking availability module 33 (step 524). The parking availability module 33 then accesses (step 526) the local parking location database 328 to obtain information associated with each of the plurality of selected parking locations and with respect to each of the plurality of parking locations. In this example, the statistical information is the probability function ^(1), where n identifies 137833.doc -46 - 201028657 the parking position in a total of t selected parking positions. As with the previous embodiment, the probability function pn(t) is based on an individual Poisson distribution. However, as in the case of the prior embodiments, a lookup table of probability data associated with each of the parking locations or a probability profile that constitutes a probability model associated with the occupancy of a typical parking location may be used. Get a statistical lookup from the common lookup table. Of course, as with the previous embodiment, the statistics and/or probability • the model may include a metric for one or more of the parked locations, such as a time shift factor. A lookup table of, for example, probability data for different time intervals within one of the time periods of the type described above, such as one day, may be used. In the case of a probability function, the parking availability module 330 applies a probability function with respect to the start time derived from each estimated time of arrival in order to obtain the individual probability that each of the several parking positions is occupied, once parked for each The location acquisition statistics tfl, the parking availability module 330 sorts the parking locations by availability (step 528). In the case where two or more parking positions are available at the same probability or within the pre-definition limit (in detail, the parking positions have equal or close proximity to the available probability), the parking availability module may The ranking of the parking positions is sorted by performing a secondary ranking of a number of parking locations (〇rdering w to additionally distance from the selected destination or according to any other desired criteria (10), such as travel time). Thereafter, the parking availability module 330 passes the ordered parking locations along with the associated individually calculated probability to the route creation module 332, whereupon the route creation module 332 displays the parking I37833.doc via the user interface. -47· 201028657 Location-ordered list (Fig. 28), which identifies at least some of the parking positions. The user selects one of the listed parking locations and then the 'application software 264 continues in a manner similar to that described above with respect to Figures 25 and _. In the above embodiment where the navigation device 200 provides the user with an indication of the availability of one or more parking locations, the statistical information used is related to a particular start time 1 and in another embodiment, the parking availability module 330 Provides availability regarding - or multiple parking locations during the time period

An indication of the possibility 'because the user may arrive early or arrive late at the destination. In this example, the right user will arrive at the parking position during the start time period, then (4) start the time period to perform the pair - given parking position Calculated as the probability of availability. The start time period or tolerance is centered on the estimated arrival time/start time. However, the time margin used before and after the start time can be different from the time limit (for example, the first predetermined time adjustment time of 5 minutes before the start time, and the 八越+ after the start time) ^ &lt; The 旳 旳 15 is replaced by the second predetermined time adjustment time of the clock. Any suitable known statistical technique can be used. In another embodiment, any of the above embodiments that provide an indication of the likelihood of availability of a parking location, which is pre-stored material or a result of the calculation, may be modified to suit any suitable solution. Non-use of pure values to divide the chances that the parking position is occupied. Such as). Thus, statistical information about the occupancy of the parking location can be made, for example, by assigning a number from a range (such as between _) or by assigning a color (such as a portion of a "traffic light" scheme) The navigation device 137833.doc _48· 201028657 200 can provide classified statistical information instead of, for example, a probability to the server, thereby simplifying the user's understanding of the occupancy status of the parking position.

As a further improvement with respect to the above related embodiments, the application software 264 (eg, 'Using Route Calculation Module 267') can be configured to permit the user to select a category of parking locations 'eg, free parking spaces, paid parking spaces, resident parking Space, disabled parking spaces, visitor parking spaces and/or restricted parking spaces. Regarding the stay-restricted parking space, the user may be permitted to specify the desired maximum or minimum stay duration for the parking position, if desired. With this information, the route calculation module 267 can limit the identified parking positions to only those parking positions designated by the user. The user can similarly specify other categories and/or attributes of the parking location, as appropriate. Although the statistical information stored and used in the above embodiments is as relevant as a single day, further details regarding statistical information (e.g., statistics for different days, months, or seasons) may be saved and used. In the above example, statistical information is obtained by accessing the local parking location database 328. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the remote data store (e.g., the data store 160 of the server 15) can be obtained from the remote server. At least support requests for statistical information. In fact, it should be understood that although some of the embodiments of the present invention are described above with respect to the navigation device in the case of information, those skilled in the art should understand that: the remote device can be provided away from the navigation device 200. Some or all of the features and navigation device 200 are configured to submit a request for 137833.doc • 49· 201028657 for the required information. For example, as suggested above, the local parking location database 328 can be located remotely from the navigation device 200 (eg, at the server), and the processing resources 154 of the server 150 can be configured to support (eg, At least a portion of the parking availability module 330 and/or the route creation module 332 necessary to identify the parking location is described with respect to the prior embodiments associated with the use of statistical information. In addition, it should be understood that the server 15 described herein is not necessarily intended to provide a single server for all of the functionality described above with respect to all embodiments. The truth is that those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more servers may be provided to support different functionality as needed. For example, one or more servers may be provided for processing of the harvested location information as described above, and - or a plurality of different feeders may be provided to support (if needed) the route of the navigation device 2 Determination of the merits of the calculations and the possibility of occupying the parking position. With regard to the use of the concepts of usability and occupation described in this paper, those skilled in the art should understand that the operational implications associated with a concept and another concept • The operation of the target. For example, statistical information such as the probability P associated with the parking position being occupied is obviously associated with statistical information such as the probability that the parking position is available. Further, the reference to the parking position in this X It is intended to cover all types of locations where transporters can be parked, including (but not limited to) one or more parking spaces in a parking lot or parking lot, a parking space or a collection of parking spaces (10) such as 'several Parking bay 'such as roadside parking spaces.' Although the embodiments described in the foregoing detailed description refer to (4), the • 4 navigation device can utilize any position sensing technology. In lieu of Gps 137833.doc -50- 201028657 (or in fact, in addition to GPS, navigation devices may utilize other global navigation satellite systems, such as the European Galileo (GalUe) system. Similarly, it does not Limited to satellite-based, but can be easily implemented using ground-based beacons or any other system that enables the device to determine its geographic location. An alternative embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a computer program for use by a computer system. The production of the computer program product is, for example, a series of computer instructions stored on a tangible data recording medium such as a magnetic disk, a CD-ROM, a ROM or a fixed disk, or embodied in a computer data. In the signal, the signal is transmitted via tangible media or wireless media (eg, microwave or infrared). The series of computer instructions may constitute all or part of the functionality described above' and may also be stored in any memory device (volatile Sexual or non-volatile) 'such as 'semiconductor memory devices, magnetic memory devices, optical memory devices or other memory It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the preferred embodiment implements a certain functionality by means of φ soft ,, the functionality can be equally only in hardware (eg, by one or more The ASIC (Special Application Integrated Circuit) is implemented or actually implemented by a mixture of hardware and software. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be considered to be limited to implementation in software. Finally, it should be noted that although attached The scope of the patent application states a particular combination of the features described herein, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific combinations set forth below, but the scope of the invention extends to include any of the features or embodiments disclosed herein. Combinations, whether or not the specific combination has been specifically listed in the accompanying claims. 137833.doc 51 201028657 [Simplified Schematic] FIG. 1 is an exemplary portion of a Global Positioning System (GPS) that can be used by a navigation device. 2 is a schematic diagram of a navigation system or a data collection system supporting communication between a navigation device and a servo device; FIG. 3 is a navigation device of FIG. 2 or Figure 4 is a schematic representation of the architectural stack used by the navigation device of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a more detailed schematic view of the parking position determining module of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a method for collecting parking position information according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a flow chart for the method of FIG. 6 and constituting another embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing another method of determining the position of the parking position of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the method for processing the parking position information of the fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a method for collecting parking duration information constituting the fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 12 is a flowchart for processing the parking duration collected according to FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a route calculation module 137833.doc -52- 201028657 group supported by the navigation device or the servo device of FIG. 3; FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the composition A flowchart of a method of providing an indication of the likelihood of occupancy of a parking position in another embodiment; FIGS. 15-26 are schematic screen views associated with operation of the navigation device of FIG. 3 for selecting a parking position Figure 27 is a flow chart showing another method of providing an indication of the likelihood of occupancy of a parking position in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 28 is a view of the navigation device of Figure 3 in relation to the method of Figure 27 Operate the associated schematic screen. [Main component symbol description] 100 GPS system 102 Satellite 104 Earth 106 GPS receiver 108 Spread spectrum GPS satellite signal 150 Server/servo 152 Communication channel 154 Processor 155 Analysis engine 156 Memory 158 Wired or wireless connection 160 Mass data storage Device/mass data storage 162 transmitter 164 receiver 137833.doc -53- 201028657 166 transmitter 168 receiver 200 navigation device 202 processor 204 input device 206 display screen 208 output device 210 connection

212 Connection 214 Memory Resources 216 Connection 218 Input/Output (I/O)埠220 Connection 222 I/O Device 224 Antenna/Receiver 226 Connection 260 Function Hardware Component 262 Operating System 264 Application Software 266 Parking Position Determination Module 267 Route calculation module 268 POI selection module 300 Data preprocessor 302 Inference engine 137833.doc -54- 201028657 304 Remote map data sharing database 306 Remote travel data database 308 Remote POI database 310 Temporary data storage 320 dwell duration analyzer module 322 data storage module 324 probability generator module 326 parking modeler module

328 Local parking location database 330 parking availability module 331 destination selection module 332 route creation module 340 display 342 local environment 344 area 346 virtual or soft button 348 &quot; navigate to &quot;virtual button 350 &quot;address&quot; Button 351 &quot;point of interest&quot; button 352 &quot;street & house number&quot; virtual button 354 to enter the name of the city to which it wishes to navigate 356 flag button 358 virtual keyboard 360 list 137833.doc -55- 201028657 362 Tips for Typing Street Names 364 List 366 Virtual Keyboard 368 Prompt 370 &quot;Complete&quot; Virtual Button 372 Inquiry Message 374 &quot;No" Virtual Button 376 Inquiry Message

378 query message 379 &quot;view location&quot; virtual button 380 render 3D view 382 &quot;complete&quot; virtual button 384 • 'return&quot; virtual button 386 calculated route 388 "complete" virtual button 390 "find alternative" virtual Button 392 &quot;Details&quot; virtual button 137833.doc -56-

Claims (1)

201028657 VII. Application for Patent®: A navigation device comprising: - processing, money-reducing to a receiver of poetry-position-related data and configured to enable (4) execution location determination, the processing resource support a parking position determining module; wherein the parking position determining module is configured to determine when the determined bit f is substantially constant and is determined to be substantially constant in response to the determined position relative to a predetermined time (four) The determined position constitutes a candidate stop P position. 2. As requested! The device, wherein the position determining module is configured to remain substantially constant for the predetermined time period or more than the predetermined time period, and determining that the determined position constitutes the candidate Parking location. 3. The device of claim 1 or 2 is included in the user interface for communication with the user. 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the processing resource and the user interface are configured to request input from the use for the candidate parking space as an actual parking location. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing resource is configured to obtain permission to share an identification code for the candidate parking location. 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the processing resource is configured to communicate the identification code of the candidate parking location in response to the granting the identification of the identification code of the candidate parking location. A device such as Kiss 1 or 2, wherein the parking position determination module is configured 137833.doc 201028657 to determine if the candidate parking location is a roadside location. 8. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the parking position determining module is configured to store the substantially constant position and identify reoccurrence of use of the candidate parking position; and the parking position determining module The candidate parking position is inferred to be an actual parking position based on a frequency of the recurrence that is greater than or equal to a predetermined event value. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the parking position determining module is configured to store the substantially constant position and identify other stored generals within the pre-turn distance of the substantially constant position An example of an invariant location; and the parking location determination module is configured to identify a pattern of the one of the substantially unchanged bits f indicating a parking location, thereby inferring that the candidate parking location is An actual parking position. 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the parking location determination module is configured to identify different substantially unchanged locations for use over a period of time. A portable navigation device comprising the navigation device of any of the preceding claims. 12. A vehicle comprising the navigation device of any of claims iiio. 13. A navigation information system, comprising: a servo device; a navigation device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; and a communication network via which the navigation device can communicate with the server 201028657 server communication; wherein the navigation device is configured to communicate the identification code of the candidate parking location to the server device. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is configured to respond to a request from the navigation device for an identifier of a parking location that meets a predetermined criterion. 15. A servo device for enriching a parking location information database, the device comprising: an input for receiving data associated with movement of a navigation device; a processing resource configured to support a parking position determining module configured to: determine, according to the log data, when the determined position is constant, and in response to the determined position being maintained relative to a predetermined time period Substantially unchanged, it is determined that the determined position constitutes a candidate parking position.瘫16. Method for collecting parking location information' The method includes: analyzing location data related to changes in the location of a navigation device over time; determining when one of the navigation devices is substantially unchanged; and responding to the location Determining that the position remains substantially constant with respect to a predetermined period of time 'determines that the determined position constitutes a candidate parking position. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: requesting a user as to whether the candidate parking location is an actual parking location. 137833.doc 201028657 18. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising: obtaining permission to share an identification code of the candidate parking location. 19. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising: determining whether the candidate parking location is a roadside location. 20. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising: storing the substantially unchanged location; identifying a reoccurrence of use of the candidate parking location; inferring based on the recurrence of a frequency greater than or equal to a predetermined event value The candidate parking position is an actual parking position. 21. The method of claim 16 or 17, further comprising: storing the substantially unchanged location; identifying instances of other stored substantially constant locations within a predetermined distance of the substantially constant location Identifying a pattern indicating a set of parking positions in the substantially unchanged position stored in the #; and inferring that the candidate parking position is an actual parking position. 22. A computer program component comprising computer program means for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 16 to 21. 23. The computer program component of claim 22, embodied in a computer readable medium carrier 0 137833.doc -4-