TW201028663A - Mapping system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A navigation or mapping system comprises a display device (240) and a processing resource (210, 490) arranged to process map data, traffic data and location data representative of the location of a vehicle, to produce an output representative of a traffic animation sequence, wherein the traffic animation sequence comprises a traffic indicator (530) on a map, the traffic indicator (530) is representative of traffic and the traffic indicator (530) varies to represent the variation of traffic between a start time and an end time, the processing resource is configured to vary at least one feature of the animation sequence in dependence upon the variation of the location of the vehicle between the start time and the end time, and the display device is responsive to the output from the processing resource to display the traffic animation sequence.

Description

201028663 VI. Description of the Invention: [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a navigation or mapping system and method, and a detailed navigation or ground 2 system and method for providing a user with an indication of traffic conditions. • [Prior Art] ^ A portable navigation device (PND) that includes Global Positioning System (GPS) signal reception and processing functionality is well known and widely used as an in-vehicle or other transportation tool navigation system. In general, modern touches include a processor, memory (at least one of volatile memory and non-volatile memory, and usually both) and map data stored in the memory. The processor cooperates with the memory to provide an execution environment in which a software operating system can be built and, in addition, often - or multiple additional software programs are provided to enable the functionality to be controlled' and provide various other functions. Typically, these 11 steps include allowing the user to interact with the device and controlling one or more input interfaces and one or more output interfaces of the device through which the information relay can be relayed To the user. Illustrative examples of the output media include a visual display and a speaker for the audio output. An illustrative example of the $° input interface includes one or more entities for controlling the on/off operation or eight features of the device. Buttons (if the device is built into the vehicle, the buttons are not necessarily on the device itself, but on the side, on the disk) and the microphone used to detect the user's words. In one configuration, the output interface display can be configured as a touch sensitive display (by touch 137838.doc 201028663 inductive overlay or otherwise) to provide an input interface by which the user can touch To operate the device. Devices of this type will also include one or more physical connector interfaces through which power signals and optionally data signals can be transmitted to and received from the device. Receiving data signals as appropriate; and, where appropriate, one or more wireless transmitters/receivers that allow for cellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks (eg, Wi_Fi, Wi-Max GSM, and the like) Communication on. This type of PND device 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 device can also include an electronic gyroscope that generates a signal and an accelerometer that can be processed to determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in conjunction with positional information derived from the GPS signal to determine the device. And thus the speed and relative displacement of the vehicle on which the device is mounted. Usually 'these features are most commonly provided in the navigation system of the transport, but can also be provided in the PND device (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). A ^ standing can be input by the user of the device by any of a variety of different methods, for example, by postal code, street name and house number, previously stored, well-known " Destinations (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. 137838.doc 201028663 In general, the PND has the ability to calculate the software of the "best" or "best" route between the location of the departure address and the location of the destination address based on the map data. The "best" or "best" route is determined based on predetermined criteria and is considered to be the fastest or shortest route. The choice of route to guide the driver can be very complex and the route selected can be Consider existing, forecasted and dynamically and/or wirelessly received traffic and road information, historical information about road speeds, and driver's own preferences for determining road alternatives (eg, driver-designated routes should not include highways) Or toll roads. In addition, the device continuously monitors roads and traffic conditions, and provides or chooses to change routes due to changing conditions, on which the rest of the trip will be carried out. Based on various technologies (eg, mobile phone data exchange) Instant traffic monitoring system for fixed cameras, GPS fleet tracking) is used to identify traffic delays and feed information into the notification system. This type of PND can usually be installed on the dashboard or windshield of the vehicle, but also Can be formed as part of the onboard computer of the vehicle radio or actually formed as the control system of the vehicle itself The navigation device can also be part of a palm-sized system, such as a pDA (portable digital assistant), a media player, a mobile phone, or the like, and in such cases, the conventional functionality of the handheld system is The software is installed on the device to perform route calculations and to be extended along the calculated route. Route planning and navigation functionality can also be provided by desktop or mobile computing resources that operate on appropriate software. For example, Royal The Auto Club (rac) provides online route planning and navigation facilities at http://www.rac.co.uk, which allows users to type in the starting point and destination, so the server (using 137838.do, 201028663 PC) Connect to it) calculate the route (the aspect of which can be specified by the user), generate a map' and generate a detailed set of navigation instructions for directing the user's choice to the selected destination. The facility also provides calculations Pseudo-three-dimensional rendering and route preview functionality of the route, the route preview functionally simulates the user traveling along the route, and thereby The user provides a preview of the calculated route.

In the case of a PND, once the route is calculated, the user interacts with the navigation device to select the desired calculated 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 particular journey. The route calculation aspect of the PND forms a major function, and navigation along this route is another major function. During the navigation of the calculated route, these pNDs often provide visual and/or audio commands to direct the user to the end of the route, i.e., the desired destination, along the selected route. The PND also often displays map information during the navigation period, which is periodically updated on the screen so that the displayed map information indicates the #front position of the device and thus the current location of the user or user's vehicle ( If the device is being used for navigation within the vehicle). The display that does not appear on the screen usually indicates the current device position, and is centered. ', and the map information and other map features of the current and surrounding roads that are not near the device location. In addition, depending on the situation, the navigation information may be displayed in the status bar above the displayed map information, the lower level, the side or the side, and the navigation information example includes the current road to be selected from the user. A 137838.doc 201028663 Deviation distance, the nature of the deviation, this property can be represented by a further graphical representation of the type of deviation (eg 'left turn or right turn'). The navigation function also determines the content, duration, and timing of the voice commands that can be used to guide the user along the route. As you can see, simple instructions such as, after, turn left " need a lot of processing and analysis. As previously mentioned, the user's interaction with the device can be by touch (four) screen, or otherwise or by using a lever mounted remote control, by voice activation, or by any suitable method.

Another important function provided by the device is automatic route recalculation in the following situations: the user deviates from the previously calculated route during navigation (accidentally or intentionally); the instant traffic condition means that the (four) generation route will be more advantageous and The device can automatically recognize such conditions as appropriate, or if the user actively causes the device to perform route recalculation for any reason. It is also known to allow for the calculation of routes by user-defined criteria; for example, the user may prefer a scenic route calculated by the device, or may wish to avoid any roads that may occur, are expected to occur, or are currently occurring. The H piece of software will then calculate the various routes and prefer the route along its route including the highest number of points of interest (called Ρ0Ι), which are marked as (for example) with a view' or use to indicate positive on a particular road The traffic conditions that have occurred have been stored (4), and the calculated routes are sorted according to the possible blockage or the level of delay due to blockage. Other route calculations and navigation criteria based on (10) and traffic information 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 device purely for information display or "free driving", which only shows 137838.di>c 201028663 map information not 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 is aware of the route along which the trip is to travel and does not require navigation assistance. Devices of the above type (e.g., Model 720T manufactured and supplied by T〇mT〇m international B.V.) provide a reliable means for enabling a user to navigate from one location to another. Although the latest traffic information can be used by a navigation device of the type described above to plan a route or estimate the time or speed of a travel of 50, and although the information is also available via a publicly accessible website, the known system does not provide intuitive access to the user. Or an effective way to access this information. Moreover, the known systems do not provide an intuitive or efficient way for the user to determine changes in traffic conditions over time. Some transportation websites provide maps that display traffic information, but this traffic information usually only represents recent information and only provides a static snapshot of traffic conditions. The user confirms the static traffic situation, but cannot determine the trend or change of the traffic condition over time. For example, how does the length of the traffic jam increase or decrease or the length of the traffic jam increases or decreases? On the move, or the average speed is increasing or decreasing. The traffic website www.anwb.nl displays a graphical representation in the form of a triangle on the map to indicate traffic congestion and makes the illustration green or near the size of the traffic jam if the size of the traffic jam has recently decreased. The illustration is red in the case of an increase. However, the website only provides a static view, and the user is not able to determine the extent to which the traffic jam has increased or decreased, or is unable to determine any movement of the location of the traffic jam. Or the speed of movement of the vehicle. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, a navigation or mapping system is provided, comprising: - a display device; and a processing resource configured to process map data and traffic data And indicating location information of the location of the vehicle and generating an output indicative of a sequence of traffic animations, wherein the traffic animation sequence includes a traffic indicator on a map, the traffic indicator indicating traffic, and the traffic indicator changes To indicate a change in traffic between a start time and an end time, the processing resource is configured to change at least one of the animation sequences depending on a change in the position of the vehicle between the start time and the end time A feature, and the display device displays the traffic animation sequence in response to the output from the processing resource. The traffic indicator can represent traffic flow at the location. The traffic flow at a location may include the average travel speed of the vehicle at the location and/or the throughput of the vehicle at the location and/or the presence or absence of traffic jams at the location. The change in the traffic indicator can include changing the appearance of the traffic indicator and can include changing the location and/or size of the traffic indicator. The output can include display material suitable for processing by the one or a display device to display the sequence of traffic animations. The or each location of the vehicle may include a measured location and/or a predicted location or other potential location. The system can include a position determining unit for determining the position of the vehicle and for providing location information indicative of the location of the vehicle. The position determination unit can be permanently installed in the transport or permanently installed in the I37838.doc • i0- 201028663 transport. Or can be used for temporary installation and can be self-propelled by the user

The position confirmation unit can provide a vertical data indicating the determined position. The system can further include a memory for storing the location data and/or the map data and/or the traffic data. The duration of the traffic animation sequence may be shorter than the difference between the start time and the end time. Therefore, the traffic animation sequence can be a non-instant animation sequence. The difference between the start time and the end time may be at least one of 10 times, 100 times or 1 times the duration of the traffic animation sequence. K changes 彳 including changing the area represented by the ground circle and/or the relative position or orientation of one of the maps. The traffic sequence can include a vehicle indicator indicating the location of the vehicle, and the change package 3 of the at least one feature of the animation sequence changes the position of the vehicle indicator on the map to indicate A change in the position of the vehicle between the start time and the end time. The traffic animation sequence can further include another vehicle indicator indicating the expected location of one of the vehicles. The location of the other vehicle indicator can be changed to indicate a change in the expected position of the transport tool between the start time and the end time. If the wheel tool travels along a predetermined route at an expected speed, the desired location of the vehicle may be the location that the vehicle is looking for. The traffic sequence can include a plurality of vehicle indicators, each of which indicates the location of a respective vehicle. The traffic sequence can include a display of each of the individual display time views, and for each view, the series represents each view at that location at a different different traffic determination time. For a static view circle. For each view :: set. The position of the transmission at the time when the corresponding traffic is determined

The time difference between the first intersection of the traffic and the second traffic break time when the traffic is not trafficted by the next view in the series can be substantially equal to - a predetermined step time or multiple of the advance time. The multiple of the predetermined step time may be an integer multiple of the interval. The step time may be greater than the display time. The stepping time may be at least one of 10 times larger, 100 times larger, or 1000 times larger than the display time. The traffic sequence may further include a traffic indicating each view of the moving sequence. A time indicator of time is determined and the time indicator changes to indicate a change in the traffic determination time during the dynamic sequence. Changing the time indicator can include changing the appearance of the time indicator and/or changing the value of at least one display number. The display number indicates the time at which the communication was indicated. The time indicator can include a time indicator area and a moveable marker, and the position of the marker relative to the time indicator area represents the traffic determination time of the displayed view. Therefore, the time stamp is changed relative to the time index 137838.doc • 12· 201028663. The location of the marker relative to the location of the indicator relative to the direction of the indicator during the sequence of animations may be the location of a pre-indicator region during the sequence of animations. The position of the OR-movable marker relative to the or one of the time indicator regions may indicate (iv) the sequential speed. The animation sequence speed may be the ratio of the duration of the animation sequence to the difference between the start time and the end time.

The movable marker can be movable in response to the user input, and the movement of the movable marker can change the displayed view of the series or the speed of the animation sequence. At least one of the start time and the end time may be a future time. Estimation of traffic flow at a location at a future time may include extrapolation based on current traffic flow and/or traffic flow in the past, and/or depending on historical traffic flow data and/or Estimate traffic flow by traffic flow data at other locations. Estimation of the location of the vehicle at a future time may include extrapolation based on current vehicle location and/or location of the vehicle at a time in the past, and/or estimating vehicle location based on traffic flow data . The output may represent at least one display feature' which varies depending on whether the time when the traffic was in the past or in the future. The change in the traffic indicator can include changing at least one of a color, a size, and a shape of the traffic indicator or an associated text. Additionally or alternatively, the change in the traffic indicator can include causing the traffic indicator to appear or disappear. The traffic indicator can represent a traffic queue at the location. The traffic 137838.doc -13- 201028663 can be a list of traffic that is either stagnant or moving at a speed below a predetermined threshold (eg, 5 miles per hour, or 10 miles per hour). The change in the traffic indicator may indicate a change in the length of the traffic queue and/or a change in the rate of change of the length of the traffic queue. The traffic indicator or each portion of the traffic indicator may be overlaid on the map in a manner that is one-to-one with the location of the map representing the location indicated by the traffic indicator or represented by the other portion of the traffic indicator The opposite should be. The moving sequence can include a plurality of vehicle indicators, each of which indicates traffic at a respective location. At least some of the traffic indicators can be connected. The display device can be included or included in a user terminal. The display device can be included in a portable navigation device (PND). The processing resources can be included in a server and/or the portable navigation device. The processing resource can be partially implemented in the server and partially implemented in the portable navigation device. The display device can be remote from the server and can be included in the tape navigation device. The system can further include communication circuitry for transmitting at least one of the map material, the location material, the traffic data, and the round trip between the server and the tape navigation device. In another independent aspect of the present invention, a navigation or mapping device is provided, comprising: a position determining unit for mounting in a vehicle and for determining a position of the vehicle; Regardless of the device; and a processing resource, the processing resource is configured to process the map, the traffic data, and the location data to generate an output representing a traffic animation sequence, wherein the traffic sequence includes a traffic indicator on a map and a vehicle indicator indicating traffic, the vehicle indicator indicating the location of the vehicle, the traffic indicator changing to indicate a start time and an end time a change in traffic between the vehicle indicator changes to indicate a change in the position of the vehicle between the start time and the end time, and the display device displays the output in response to the output from the processing resource Traffic animation sequence. In another independent aspect of the present invention, a method of mapping traffic is provided, comprising: displaying a traffic indicator and a vehicle indicator on a map, the traffic indicator indicating traffic and the vehicle indicator Representing the location of a vehicle; and changing the location of the traffic indicator and the vehicle indicator in a traffic sequence to indicate the traffic and the location of the vehicle between a start time and an end time change. The method can further include receiving user input and selecting at least one of the start time, the end time, the displayed view or the speed of the animation sequence depending on the user input. In another independent aspect of the invention, a computer program product is provided, comprising computer readable instructions executable to implement the methods as claimed or described herein. In another aspect of the invention, a traffic information overlay is provided that varies according to time (e.g., in an cymbal). The animation can be so stopped that it will not stop in the current situation, but the fact is that it can continue to some time in the future. If the animation changes from history to prediction, the background color can be changed. Can be used for a time I37838.doc -15- 201028663 == time. The user may be able to indicate the motion (4) 2: support prediction in the time column, and the user can indicate the stop time. Select 昼 &- point to start at this point in time. This animation can also be used to indicate where the animation is currently. Use the - control to select the speed of the action. The control item can be, for example, a second dimension of the time column, and for example, the left and right positions can represent time and the up and down position can represent speed (thus, for example, selecting the upper half of the time column may select a fast animation,

Selecting the lower half of the time column may indicate slow animation). The user may be able to manually control the animation by manipulating one of the sliders on the time column (e.g., moving the slider forward or backward). Any feature of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention in any suitable combination. In particular, device features can be applied to method features, and method features can be applied to device features. [Embodiment] At least one embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to PNDs. However, it should be remembered that the teachings of the present invention are not limited to PNDs, but rather are generally applicable to any type of processing device configured to execute navigation software to provide route planning and navigation functionality. Thus, it can be seen that, in the context of the present application, 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 navigation device built into the vehicle' or In fact, computing resources for route planning, navigation, and/or map green software (such as desktop or portable personal computers 137838.doc •16· 201028663 (PC), mobile phones, or portable digital assistants (pda). As will become apparent hereinafter, the teachings of the present invention are effective even when the user does not seek guidance on how to navigate from one point to another and only wishes to supply a view of a given location. In such cases, use The "destination" position chosen by the person does not have to have the corresponding departure location from which the user wishes to navigate, and therefore, in this article, the destination "location or actually the "destination" References should not be interpreted as meaning that the route is necessary, travel to "destination" must occur, or indeed the existence of the destination Specify the corresponding departure location.Remember the above conditions, Figure i illustrates an example diagram of a Global Positioning System (GPS) that can be used by navigation devices. These systems are known and used for a variety of purposes. In general, GPS is based on A satellite radio navigation system capable of determining continuous position, speed, time and, in some cases, direction information for an unlimited number of users. GPS previously referred to as NAVSTAR incorporates orbiting the earth in extremely precise orbits Multiple satellites. Based on these precise orbits, GPS satellites can relay their position to any number of receiving units. Implement GPS when devices that are specifically equipped to receive GPS data begin to scan for RF signals for GpS satellite signals. System. After receiving a radio signal from a GPS satellite, the device determines the exact position of the satellite via one of a plurality of different conventional methods. In most cases, the device will continue to scan the signal until it At least three different satellite signals have been obtained (note that 'usually not (but can) use other triangulation techniques) Two signals are used to determine the position.) After performing the geometric triangulation, the receiver uses the three known positions of i37838.doc 201028663 to determine its own two-dimensional position relative to the satellite. This can be done in a known manner; t. Obtaining the fourth satellite signal will allow the receiving device to calculate its three-dimensional position in a known manner by homo-geometric calculation. The position and velocity data can be continuously updated in real time by an unlimited number of users. As shown in Figure 1, the GPS system is generally The reference number _ indicates that a plurality of satellites m are in orbit around the earth 124. Each satellite's 12-inch orbit is not necessarily synchronized with the orbits of other satellites 12G, and is likely to be different

Step GPS Receiver 14 is an exhibition* for receiving spread spectrum Gps satellite signals 160 from various satellites. The spread spectrum signal 16 continuously transmitted from each satellite 120 utilizes a highly accurate frequency standard achieved by an extremely accurate atomic clock. Each satellite transmits a data stream indicating a specific satellite 12〇 as part of its data signal transmission. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the GPS receiver device 140 typically obtains the spread spectrum GPS satellite signal 1 from at least two satellites 12 for the GPS receiver device 140 to calculate its two-dimensional position by triangulation. The acquisition of additional signals, which cause a signal 160 from a total of four satellites, 12, allows the GPS receiver device 140 to calculate its three-dimensional position in a known manner. 2 is an illustrative representation of an electronic component of a navigation device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a block component format. It should be noted that the block diagram of navigation device 200 does not include all of the components of the navigation device, but only a number of example components. The navigation device 200 is located within a housing (not shown). The housing includes a processor 210. The processor 210 is coupled to an input device 22 and a display screen 240. The input device 220 can include a keyboard device, a voice input device, a touch panel, and/or a control panel. Any other known input device that inputs information; and display screen 240 can include any type of display screen, such as an lcd display. In one configuration, the input device 220 and the display screen 240 are integrated into an integrated input and display device. The integrated input and display device includes a touch pad or touch screen input, so that the user only needs to touch the display screen 240. Part of it can select one of a plurality of display options or launch one of a plurality of virtual buttons. The V-Hai navigation device may include an output device 2600', such as an audio output device (eg, a speaker). Since the output device 260 can generate audio information for the user of the navigation device 200, it should be understood that the input device 24A can also include a microphone and software for receiving input voice commands. In navigation device 200, processor 210 is operatively coupled to input device 220 via connection 225 and is configured to receive input information from input device 220 via connection 225 and is operatively coupled to display screen 240 via output connection 245 and At least one of the output devices 260 outputs information to the to ^^. In addition, the processor 210 is operatively consuming to the § memory resource 230 via the connection 235 and is further adapted to receive information from the input/output (I/O) 270 via the connection 275/to send information to the I/O.埠27〇, where I/O iteration 270 can be connected to the 1/〇 device 28〇 outside the navigation device 2〇〇. By way of example, memory resource 230 includes: volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM); and non-volatile memory, such as digital memory, such as flash memory. External I/O device 280 can include, but is not limited to, an external listening device, such as an earpiece. The connection to the I/O device 280 can additionally be wired or wireless to any other external device (such as a car stereo unit) 137838.doc 19 201028663, for example for hands-free operation and/or for voice-activated operation, For connection to an earpiece or a headset, and/or to (4) a connection to a mobile phone, where a mobile phone connection can be used to establish information between the navigation device and, for example, the Internet or any other network. Connections, and/or operations for establishing a feed test via, for example, the Internet or some other network, further illustrate the operation between the processor 21A and the antenna/receiver 250 via connection 255. The sexual connection 'where the antenna/receiver 250 can be, for example, a GPS antenna/receiver. It will be understood that the antenna and receiver, indicated by reference numeral 250, are schematically combined for purposes of illustration, but the antenna and receiver may be jaw-clamped components, and the antenna may be, for example, a Gps patch antenna or a helical antenna. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the electronic components shown in Figure 2 are powered by - or multiple power sources (not shown) in a conventional manner. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, it is understood that the various configurations of the components shown in Figure 2 are within the scope of the present invention. For example, the components shown in Figure 2 can be in communication with one another via wired and/or wireless connections and the like. Thus, the scope of the navigation device 200 of the present application includes a portable or palm-type navigation device 200. Furthermore, the portable or handheld navigation device of FIG. 2 can be connected to or "connected to" Bicycle, bicycle, car or boat 2 transport. This navigation device can then be removed from the location for portable or handheld navigation purposes. Referring now to Figure 3, the navigation device 200 can be coupled to the server 302 via a mobile device (not shown in the figure 137838.doc • 20· 201028663, such as a mobile phone, PDA, and/or any device with mobile phone technology). "action" or telecommunications network connection to establish a digital connection (such as 'via a digital connection such as known Bluetooth technology). The mobile device can then establish a network connection with the server 3 (e.g., via the Internet) via its network service provider. Thus, an "action" between the navigation device 200 (when it travels alone and/or while traveling in a vehicle) and the server 302 is established, the network connection provides information for the " Instant "or at least very" new "gateway. It can be done in a known manner (via a service provider) and such as a server 3〇2 using, for example, the Internet (such as the World Wide Web) The establishment of a network connection between another device. This may include, for example, the use of a TCP/IP layered protocol. The mobile device may utilize any number of communication standards, such as CDMA, GSM, WAN, etc. thus being available (eg) An internet connection is made via a data connection, via a mobile phone or a mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200. For this connection, an internet connection between the server 302 and the navigation device 200 is established. For example, via Mobile phone or other mobile device and GPRS (Integrated Packet Radio Service) connection (GpRS connection is a high-speed data connection for mobile devices provided by telecom operators; GPRS is This is done in a way that is connected to the Internet. The navigation device 200 can further complete the data connection with the mobile device and finally complete the data connection with the Internet and server 302 via, for example, existing Bluetooth technology in a known manner. 'Where the data agreement can utilize any number of standards' such as GSRM, the data agreement standard for the GSM standard. 137838.doc • 21· 201028663 The navigation device 200 can include its own mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 itself (including for example An antenna, or optionally an internal antenna of the navigation device.) The mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can include internal components as specified above, and/or can include an insertable card (eg, a user identity module) (SIM) card), which is equipped with, for example, the necessary mobile phone technology and/or antenna. Thus, the mobile phone technology within the navigation device 2 can similarly establish navigation via, for example, the Internet. The network connection between device 2 and server 302 is similar to that of any mobile device. For GPRS phone settings, a Bluetooth enabled navigation device can be used to work correctly with the ever-changing spectrum of mobile phone models, manufacturers, etc. 'For example, model/manufacturer specific settings can be stored on the navigation device 200. The information stored for this information may be updated. In Figure 3, the navigation device 200 is depicted as being in communication with the server 302 via a general communication channel 318, which may be implemented by any of a number of different configurations. When establishing a connection between the server 3〇2 and the navigation device 2〇〇 via the communication channel 318 (note that the connection may be a data connection via a mobile device, a direct connection via a personal computer via the Internet, etc.) At this time, the server 302 can communicate with the navigation device 2A. The server 302 includes (in addition to other components not otherwise described) a processor 304 ' operatively coupled to the memory 3 〇 6 and further operatively coupled to a large via wired or wireless connection 314 Capacity data storage device 312. The processor 304 is further operatively coupled to the transmitter 308 and the receiver 310 for transmitting information to the navigation device via the communication channel 318 and receiving information from the navigation device 200. The signals transmitted and received may include data, communications, and/or other propagating signals. Transmitter 308 and receiver 310 may be selected or designed in accordance with communication requirements and communication techniques used in the communication design of navigation system 200. Additionally, it should be noted that the functions of transmitter 308 and receiver 310 can be combined into a signal transceiver. The server 302 is further coupled to (or includes) a large capacity storage device 312. Note that the mass storage device 312 can be consuming to the server 302 via the communication link 314. The mass storage device 3 12 contains storage of navigational data and map information, and may also be a separate device from the server 302 or may be incorporated in the server 302. The navigation device 200 is adapted to communicate with the server 3〇2 via the communication channel 318 and the navigation device 200 includes the processor, memory, etc. as described previously with respect to FIG. 2, and the transmitter 320 and the receiver 322 to communicate via the communication channel 318. Signals and/or data are transmitted and received, noting that such devices can be further utilized to communicate with devices other than server 302. In addition, transmitter 320 and receiver 322 are selected or designed in accordance with communication requirements and communication techniques used in the communication design of navigation device 200, and the functions of transmitter 32 and receiver 322 can be combined into a single transceiver. The software stored in the server memory 〇6 provides instructions to the processor 〇4 and allows the server 302 to provide services to the navigation device. A service provided by the server 〇2 includes processing from the navigation device. The request and the navigation material are transmitted from the large-capacity data storage 312 to the navigation device 2〇〇. Another service provided by server 302 includes the use of various algorithms for processing the navigation data for the desired application and the results of such calculations to the navigation device 137838.doc • 23· 201028663 200 ° communication channel 318 generally indicates the connection of the navigation device 2〇〇 Propagation media or path with server 3〇2. Both the server 032 and the navigation device 2A include a transmitter for transmitting data via a communication channel and a receiver for receiving data that has been transmitted by the communication channel. Communication channel 318 is not limited to a particular communication technology. In addition, communication channel 318 is not limited to a single communication technology; that is, channel 318 can include several communication links using various techniques. For example, communication channel 丨8 may be adapted to provide a path for electrical, optical, and/or electromagnetic communication, etc. Thus, communication channel 318 includes, but is not limited to, one of: Combinations, circuits, electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, converters, radio frequency (RF) waves, atmosphere, white space, and the like. In addition, communication channel 318 can include intermediate devices such as routers, repeater buffer transmitters, and receivers. In an illustrative configuration, communication channel 318 includes a telephone network and a computer φ network. In addition, communication channel 318 can be capable of accommodating wireless communications, such as radio frequency, microwave frequency, infrared communications, and the like. Additionally, communication channel 318 can accommodate satellite communications. The communication signals transmitted via communication channel 318 include, but are not limited to, signals that are required or desired for a given communication technology. For example, the signals may be suitable for use in cellular communication technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. Both digital and analog signals can be transmitted via the overnight channel 318. Such signals may be 137838.doc -24- 201028663 which may be the desired modulated, encrypted and/or compressed signal for communication techniques. The feeder 302 includes a remote server accessible by the navigation device 2 via a wireless channel. Server 302 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. The server 302 can include a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer and the communication channel 318 can be a connection between the personal computer and the navigation device. Alternatively, a personal computer can be connected between the navigation device 200 and the servo 302 to establish an internet connection between the server 302 and the navigation device 200. Alternatively, a mobile phone or another handheld device can establish a wireless connection to the Internet to connect the navigation device 200 to the server 302 via the Internet. The information from the server 302 can be provided to the navigation device 2 via the information download 'automatically or after the user connects the navigation device 2 to the server 3〇2, the information download can be periodically updated, and/or The information download can be more dynamic after a more constant or frequent connection between the server 3〇2 and the navigation device 2〇〇 via, for example, a wireless mobile connection device and a TCP/IP connection. For many dynamic calculations, the processor 3〇4 in the server 3〇2 can be used to handle large-capacity processing needs, however, the processor 21〇 of the navigation device 2 can also be independent of the connection to the server 302 from time to time. Dispose of many processes and calculations. As indicated above in FIG. 2, the navigation device 2A includes a processor 21A, an input device 220, and a display screen 240. Integrating the input device 220 and the display screen 240 into an integrated input and display device to enable, for example, information input via a touch panel screen (via direct input, menu selection, etc.) and information 137838.doc -25- 201028663 . As is well known to those skilled in the art, the screen can be, for example, a touch input LCD screen. In addition, navigation device 200 can also include any additional input device 220 and/or any additional output device 241, such as an audio input/output device. 4A and 4B are perspective views of the navigation device 200. As shown in FIG. 4α, the navigation device 200 can be an integrated input and display device 29 (eg, a touch panel screen) and other components of FIG. 2 (including but not limited to internal GPS receiver 250, microprocessor 210, Unit of power supply, memory system 230, etc.). The navigation device 200 can be located on the arm 292, and the arm 292 can be self-fastened to the vehicle dashboard/window/etc. using the suction cup 294. The arm 292 is an example of a docking station to which the navigation device 200 can be coupled. As shown in Figure 4B, the navigation device 2 can be coupled or otherwise coupled to the arm 292 of the docking station by attaching the navigation device 2A to the buckle of the arm 292. The navigation device 200 can then be rotated on the arm 292 as shown by the arrow in Figure 4b. For example, a button on the navigation device 200 can be pressed in order to release the connection between the navigation device 2 and the docking station. Other equally suitable configurations for engaging the navigation device to the docking station and decoupling the navigation device from the docking station are well known to those skilled in the art. Referring now to Figure 5a of the accompanying drawings, a memory resource 230 stores a boot loader program (not shown) that is executed by the processor 21 to load a load from the memory resource 230. The operating system 470 is configured to be executed by the functional hard component 460 to provide an environment in which the operating system 47 provides application software. Operating system 470 is used to control functional hardware component 46 and is resident between application software 480 and functional hard component 460. The application software 137838.doc -26 - 201028663 480 provides a working environment that includes a GUI that supports the core functions of the navigation device 200 (eg, map view, route planning, navigation functions, and any other functions associated therewith). . The application software includes a traffic mapping module 49〇. As shown in Figure 5b, the server processor 304 also includes an application software layer 492, a hardware layer 494, and an operating system layer 494. The application software also includes a traffic mapping module 497. When the user turns on the device 2, the device 200 acquires the GPS position and calculates (in a known manner) the current position of the device 2〇〇. The position is determined by using a position determining unit including an antenna/receiver 25A, a connection 255, and a position determining module included in the processor 21A (not shown in FIG. Then, on the touch screen display 24, the user is pseudo-three-dimensionally presented with a view of the local environment 502 in which the navigation device 200 is determined, and in a region 5〇4 of the display 24 below the local environment. Presenting a series of control and status messages. Device 2 provides route planning, mapping, and navigation to the user depending on user input provided by a series of interconnected soft or virtual buttons and menu screens that can be displayed on display 240. Navigation function. The user can use the buttons and the menu screen to select a destination, and the device 200 calculates a route to the destination. Once the user begins their journey, the device 200 is based on the determined change in the location of the device 200. The map is updated, and if a destination or route has been selected, the device 2 provides the user with visual navigation commands and optionally audio navigation commands. As mentioned above, the 'server 302 is capable of providing services to the navigation device i37838.doc • 27· 201028663 200, which includes processing maps and other navigational materials and transmitting them to the device 200. The server 302 is also capable of mapping the map Or other navigational materials are provided to other devices. In an operational mode, the server 3〇2 acts as a web server and generates web pages through which the user can access maps or other navigational materials. Figure 1 to Figure 5 An important feature of an embodiment is that the server 3〇2 and/or the navigation device 200 can provide traffic under the control of the traffic map drawing module 490 and/or the traffic map drawing module 497 shown in FIGS. 5a and 5b. Traffic map drawing. The server 302 is operatively coupled to: receive maps and traffic data (as illustrated in summary in Figure 7, where the map and traffic data are indicated by arrows) and communicate the data to the traffic The mapping module 497 receives the map data from the large-capacity data storage 312 and directly or through the traffic control center 500 from the plurality of navigation devices 2 (^ to 2〇〇6 or Flow measurement devices 498a through 498e (eg, traffic cameras or sensors) obtain historical or current traffic data ◎ traffic data can be fed directly into traffic map rendering module 490 or traffic data can be processed first and stored The mass map storage module 312 is operable to process map data and traffic data to provide an output in the form of one or more display signals graphically on a traffic map Representing traffic. The output can be time-varying and can be in any suitable display data format. Traffic map drawing module 497 can also be operative to display the traffic map on a web page and/or provide the output to navigation device 200 so that The traffic 137838.doc • 28 - 201028663 map is displayed on display 240. The traffic map typically includes at least one traffic indicator (the or each traffic and display indicates traffic at a location), and the traffic map drawing module 497 changes at least one traffic flow indicator in a traffic sequence to indicate The change in traffic over time. In an embodiment, the output from the traffic mapping module 497 is transmitted to the navigation device 200 and subjected to further processing by the traffic map drawing module 490 included in the navigation device 2, the traffic map drawing module 49〇 The location data is received from the memory 230. The location data represents the location of the navigation device as determined by the location determination unit at different times. The traffic map rendering module 490 processes the output received from the traffic mapping module 497 to change the appearance of at least one feature of the animation sequence depending on the location of the vehicle. Therefore, the traffic map drawing module 49〇 cooperates with the traffic map drawing module 497 to generate the animation sequence. In another embodiment, the traffic data and/or map data is transmitted from the server 302 to the navigation device 2, and the animation sequence is generated by the traffic map rendering module 490 alone. In another embodiment, the traffic data and/or map data is transmitted from the server 302 to the navigation device 2, and the dynamic sequence is generated by the traffic map drawing module 497 alone. The operation of the traffic map green modules 490, 497 is illustrated in an overview manner in the flow chart of FIG. The traffic mapping module 490, 497 provides a view of the traffic 'this view is not static, but the fact is a traffic information overlay' that changes the traffic information to indicate changes in traffic over time. For example, the traffic in the last hour can be represented in a 10-second animation. It has been found that 'moving visual representations can be more easily perceived than static views 137838.doc • 29· 201028663 understands and helps people predict future conditions based on past conditions. An example of a traffic sequence is illustrated in Figures 9a through 9d. The traffic sequence is generated at the current time of 9.50 am, and Figures 9a to 9d represent the traffic at times 9.15 am, 9.30 am, 9.45 am and 10.00 am, respectively. The traffic animation sequence of Figures 9a through 9d shows the development of traffic between the start time of 9.15 am and the end time of 10 am for a selected area of a city.

In the example of Figure 9a, traffic data is transmitted from the server 3〇2 to the navigation device 2 mounted in a vehicle and along with the map data and location information indicating the location of the vehicle over time. It is stored in the memory 230. The traffic mapping module 49 processes the traffic data, the mantle data, and the location data to generate an output display signal that is sent to the display 240 and processed by the display 240 to cause display of the map on the display 240. . The display signal can also be sent to any other suitable display device and displayed on any other suitable display device or displayed on a web page. As shown in Fig. 9a, a map containing the road network 51G in the selected area of the city is displayed on the display 24A. The road network includes a road 512 and a road 514 that meet at a junction. A vehicle indicator 515 is shown which refers to the position of the transport tool at 915 (10). The dotted arrow indicates the intended route along which the vehicle is traveling. Also shown is a time indicator in the form of time column 515 and a speed indicator in the form of a speed bar 516. The time indicator includes a 睹 社 - gg r b ^ time deduction area 517 and a movable time

Mark 518, and the clip + anger 'A speed bauble contains an animated speed indicator area and 137838.doc -30- 201028663 a moveable speed marker 522. A start/stop animation button 524 and a time frame 526 are also displayed, the time frame 526 indicating the time at which the traffic was indicated. A traffic indicator is not shown in Figure 9a, which indicates that there is no traffic queue in the selected area at 9 am. After the user operates only on the start/stop button 524, the animation sequence begins. Two seconds after the start of the animation sequence, the view shown in Figure 9a becomes a view of the outside of the graph, which shows traffic at 9.30 (10). As can be seen, the traffic indicator 530 is now overlaid on the map along the road 514 around the intersection between the roads 512, 514. In this example, traffic indicator 53A represents a traffic queue. The traffic indicator 530 covers the area on the map indicating the location of the traffic queue. Thus, the length and position of the traffic indicator 53 (> in this example represents the length and position of the traffic queue. As can be seen by comparing Figures 9a and 9b, the time stamp 518 has moved relative to the time indicator region 517. 'The view outside the indication indicates the traffic at a time later than the view. The transport indicator has also been moved on the map, which is not transported at 9·15 am and 9.3.am After the other 2 seconds of display time, the view shown in Figure 9b becomes the view shown in Figure 9c. This view represents traffic at 9.45 3111. It can be seen that • Traffic indicator 530 has Extending in both directions along the road 514, indicating that the traffic fr column has grown. Another traffic indicator 532 is also present on the road indicating the presence of another traffic queue and the vehicle indicator SB is overlaid On the traffic indicator 532, it indicates that the vehicle is in the traffic queue at (10) (10). The time stamp 518 has been progressively moved relative to the time indicator area 517 I37838.doc • 31 · 201028663, which means that the view is not Figure % and figure The view is at a later time of traffic. After another 2 seconds of display time, the view shown in Figure % changes to the view shown in Figure %. This view represents traffic at 1〇am. Fig. C is responsible for the color of the map compared to 'the background color of the map changes in Figure 9d (as indicated by the dots) to indicate that the view of Figure 9d represents the predicted traffic at a future time, rather than at the current or Traffic in the past time. It can be seen that the traffic indicator 530 has extended along the road 512 around the intersection between the if roads 512, 514, which indicates the predicted growth of the traffic (4). It is also predicted that the transportation tool will be in the In traffic (iv), if indicated by the vehicle indicator 515 over the traffic indicator 530, another traffic indicator... has disappeared, indicating that another traffic queue along the road 512 is predicted to disappear. It is decided to request an alternative route to the navigation device 2 after knowing that it is predicted to be in the traffic train or undergoing a considerable delay. Alternatively, the navigation device may automatically suggest an alternative route. φ In the embodiment of Figure 9. In a variant, 巅示复A number of vehicle indicators, each vehicle indicator indicating the location of a different vehicle. The user can select which vehicles will be represented by the vehicle indicators. A position determining unit associated with the vehicle is transmitted to the server 3〇2 for storage, processing, and/or onward transmission. In another variation of the embodiment of the circle 9, the position data indicates one or more The predicted position or other potential location of the vehicle 'is not the measured position. For example, the location data can indicate that the vehicle is traveling along a selected route given a selected departure time I37838.doc -32- 201028663 Forecast location. If the user does not operate the start/stop animation button 524, the view shown in Figure 9d will be replaced by the view shown in Figure 9a after another 2 seconds of display time and the sequence will start again and will be Loop between the views shown in Figures 9a to 9d. The position of the movable marker 522 relative to the speed indicator area 52 is unchanged between each of the graphs % to 9d' which indicates that the speed of the animation sequence does not change. If the display time for the display of the views of Figures 9a through 9d is increased (e.g., 'add to leap seconds) to provide a lower speed for the animation sequence, the moveable marker 522 will be relative to the speed indication. The region 52 is moved to a lower position. If the display time between the displays of the views of Figures 9a through 9d will be reduced (e.g., reduced to 0.5 seconds) to provide a higher speed for the animation sequence, the moveable marker 522 will be relative to the speed indicator. The area 52 is moved to the higher position. The movable markers 518 and 522 can be moved by the user to change the time at which the communication is made and the speed of the animation sequence. The user can also set the start time and end time. The movable marker 518 can act as a slider, and the user can press on the touch screen display 240 with his finger ' or an indicator at the position of the movable marker 518 and then maintain the touch screen display 24 The finger or the indicator is moved while the pressure is applied to slide the movable marker 5丨8 relative to the time indicator area 517. The view displayed on the display 24 is changed depending on the position of the movable mark. For example, if the moveable marker is moved to the left edge of the time indicator area 517, the view will change to the view shown in Figure 137838.doc -33- 201028663. The rate at which the view is changed on the display 24 is determined using the rate of the movable marker 518, and thus the movement of the movable marker 518 by the user can take precedence over the animation sequence speed represented by the movable marker 522. When the user releases the movable marker 518, if the animation is being played while the user moves the movable marker 518, the animation sequence is restarted with a view corresponding to the position of the movable marker 518. Alternatively, if the animation is not played when the user moves the movable marker 518, the view corresponding to the position of the movable marker is displayed until the user starts the animation by operating the start/stop animation sequence button 524. The movable marker 522 can also act as a slider' and the user can slide the movable marker 511 relative to the speed indicator region 52 to select the speed of the sequence of motions (the display time of each successive view, in this example Each successive view indicates that the pointing, clicking, and moving programs of the traffic use mouse at a step time behind the previous view may also be used to slide or otherwise move the movable markers 518, 522. Figure 10a Another example of a traffic sequence is illustrated in Figure 10d. The traffic animation sequence is generated at the current time of 7.05 pm, and Figures 10a through 10d represent time 6.30 pm, 6.40 pm, 6.50 pm, and 7 pm, respectively. In this example, each of the views is displayed on the web page 540. As shown in Figure 10a, a map representing the roads 542, 544 at the intersection 546 is displayed on the web page 540. The map can be further reduced or enlarged according to the user's order to display a smaller or larger area (up to an area covering the entire city or country, if required 137838.doc •34- 201028663 also displayed A combined time and animation sequence speed indicator including an indicator area 548 and a movable marker 55, and a time frame 552 indicating the time at which the traffic is indicated. The shade contains the shadows of the roads 542, 544. - The full shadow at the location (black) indicates stagnant traffic at the location, and the unshaded (white) at a location indicates traffic that is at a speed limit or above the speed limit at that location. And the intermediate shaded level (grayscale) at a position indicates the average speed of the vehicle at the location (greater than zero and less than the speed limit). The vehicle position is indicated by a vehicle indicator 545. Like Figure 9a As with the example of 9d, once the animation sequence has begun, the view displayed on display 5 40 changes after a display time (5 seconds in this case) to display the next view in the animation sequence, in the animation sequence. Each view is represented by one of Figures 9a through 9d. As can be seen from Figures 10a through 10d, at 6.30 pm, along the entire road 542, 544 The length, the traffic is stagnant, and at 6 4 ,, traffic is stagnant around the road 544 and around the intersection 546 on the road 542, but as the distance from the intersection 546 increases, the road 542 The traffic at the upper location moves more smoothly. At 65 pm, the traffic along road 542 is roughly the same as the traffic at 64 pm, along the road away from the fork 546. The traffic flow at 544 is getting more and more smooth, but the traffic on road 544 near the intersection 546 is stagnant. At 7 pm, the traffic along road 544 is roughly the same as the traffic at 65 pm, and along With the entire length of the road 542 displayed, traffic flows unimpeded. 137838.doc -35· 201028663 The combined time and moving sequence speed indicator indicates the time at which the traffic is indicated by the position of the movable marker 550 in the horizontal direction relative to the indicator area 548, and by the movable marker The 550 indicates the speed of the animation sequence relative to the position of the indicator area 548 in the vertical direction. In a manner similar to that described with respect to the embodiment of Figures 9a through 9d, the user can slide or otherwise move the movable marker relative to the indicator area to change the time and/or speed of the animation sequence. For the sake of clarity, the traffic indicators in Figures 9 and 1 represent only traffic in a single direction of each road. In a variation of the embodiment of Figures 9 and 1 , a traffic indicator is provided for each direction and the traffic indicators can be displayed in parallel. These traffic indicators may be color coded or have arrows or text to indicate the direction of traffic flow. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 9 (where the traffic indicator indicates the size and location of the traffic queue), the text (eg, "eastward" or "westward") or one or more arrows may be associated with Traffic indicators are associated to indicate the direction of traffic flow at the location of the queue. The traffic indicators of Figures 9 and 10 represent the traffic queue size or the average speed of the vehicle. In an alternate embodiment, the traffic indicator may Indicates any other aspect of traffic. For example, a traffic indicator can indicate the size of a traffic queue or the rate of change of traffic speed, or the throughput of a vehicle (for example, the number of vehicles passing per minute). In the embodiment of Figure 10, the animation sequence includes a series of static views displayed one after the other within a display time. In an alternate embodiment, the animation sequence is continuous 'or the display time between successive views is short enough that The impression to the user is that the views are continuous. In the alternative 137838.doc -36 - 201028663 embodiment, the traffic flow for each successive view may be based on earlier The measured traffic flow is extrapolated at a later time. The traffic flow indicator can take any suitable form, and the change in traffic can be by, for example, the size, shape, color, number or associated text of the traffic indicator or For example, Figure 1 la to Figure 1 ld illustrates a variant of the embodiment of 囷 9a to 9d, in 囷 11a to 11d, a traffic indicator in the form of a triangular diagram 560 to indicate the traffic queue at the time and location illustrated in 囷9a through 9d, the traffic indicators 560 being resized to indicate a change in the size of the traffic queue. Indicated by the vehicle indicator 515 The position of the vehicle at each time. If the vehicle has traveled along the route at an expected speed determined prior to the journey along the scheduled route, the vehicle is also indicated by another vehicle indicator 532. The expected position. It can be seen that when the vehicle encounters a delay, the actual (or predicted) position of the vehicle gradually lags behind the vehicle determined before the journey along the route begins. In the embodiment of Figures 9 to 11, the position of a vehicle is indicated by a vehicle indicator included in the animation sequence, and the position of the vehicle indicator changes to indicate the transportation A change in the position of the tool. Additionally or alternatively, at least one other characteristic of the sequence of animations may vary depending on the location of the vehicle. For example, the map may be centered on the display at the location of the vehicle. The area indicated by the mantle may thus vary with the location of the vehicle. The orientation of the map may also vary depending on any changes in the orientation of the vehicle. In the embodiment of Figures 9-11, via the website The traffic indicator is displayed to the user via the portable navigation 137838.doc • 37- 201028663 device 200, but the traffic indicator can also be displayed via any suitable user terminal or user device (eg, a mobile phone). In another embodiment, a traffic indicator is displayed to a traffic manager in a traffic control center (e.g., traffic control center 500) and used to analyze traffic. Traffic indicators can also be used for accident detection. The features shown can be used to detect unexpected traffic characteristics. A traffic indicator may be displayed if the traffic conditions at a particular location and characteristic time are different from the expected traffic conditions at that location and time (which may be determined by comparison with the threshold of the location and time, for example). The parameters such as thresholds (which determine the conditions under which the traffic indicators are displayed)' and the appearance of the traffic indicators may be adjusted depending on user preferences and/or depending on historical data. It will also be appreciated that, although various aspects and embodiments of the invention have been described hereinabove, the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific configuration set forth herein, but rather extends to cover the scope of the appended claims. All Configurations and Modifications and Changes thereof For example, although the present invention is exemplified as a portable navigation device, it should be appreciated that the route planning and navigation functionality may also be provided by desktop or mobile computing resources that operate on appropriate software. For example, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) provides online route planning and navigation facilities at hUP://www.rac.co.uk, which allows users to type in the starting point and destination, so the server (user calculation) The resource communicates with it) calculating the route (which can be specified by the user), generating a map, and generating a detailed set of navigation instructions for directing the user from the selected starting point to the selected destination. 137838.doc -38- 201028663 Although the embodiment described in the foregoing detailed description refers to GPS, it should be noted that the navigation device may utilize cylinder position sensing technology as a substitute for GPSi (or indeed 'except k gamma S other than). For example, navigation devices may utilize other global satellite navigation systems, such as the European Galileo (GW) system. Similarly, it is not limited to satellite-based, but can be easily implemented using a ground-based beacon, 赤和仙, any 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. The computer program product is, for example, a series of computer instructions stored in, for example, a magnetic disk, cd_r〇m, r〇m or The tangible data recording medium of a fixed disk, or embodied in a computer data signal, transmitted via tangible media or wireless media (eg, microwave or infrared). The series of computer instructions may constitute the functionality described above. All or part of it, and can also be stored in any memory device (volatile or non-volatile) such as semiconductor simon devices, magnetic memory devices, optical memory devices or other memory devices. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the embodiments described herein implement a certain functionality by software, the functionality may equally be implemented only in hardware (eg, by one or more ASICs (special) The application of the integrated circuit)) is actually implemented by a mixture of a hard body and a soft body. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be considered to be limited to implementation in a software. It is to be understood that the invention has been described by way of example only, and modifications of the details are possible within the scope of the invention. The embodiments may be provided independently or in any suitable combination (if appropriate, 137838.doc •39. 201028663 Whenever a feature is disclosed in the scope of the patent and the features disclosed in the drawings, finally, it should be noted that 'although the scope of the patent application is stated as a specific combination of the features described herein, the scope of the invention is not limited to the following claims. In particular, the scope of the present invention extends to include any combination of features or embodiments disclosed herein, regardless of whether a particular combination has been specifically recited in the scope of the accompanying claims. 1 is a schematic illustration of a Global Positioning System (Gps) that can be used by a navigation device; FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of electronic components of a navigation device; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a communication system including communication channels for communicating with a navigation device Figure 4a and Figure 4b are explanatory perspective views of the navigation device; Figure 5a is a schematic representation of the architectural stack of the navigation device of Figure 2; Figure 5b Figure 6 is an illustrative screen shot of the navigation device of Figure 2; Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of a traffic map drawing or navigation system; Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of the map display process Figure 9a to Figure 9d are views showing a schematic illustration of a sequence of traffic animations on a display; Figures 10a to 10d are views showing a schematic illustration of another sequence of traffic on a display; and Figure 11 A to the figure is a view showing a schematic description of another traffic sequence on the display. 137838.doc -40 - 201028663 [Key component symbol description] 120 Satellite 124 Earth 140 GPS receiver device 160 Spread spectrum GPS satellite signal 200 Navigation Device ' 200a Navigation Device 200b Navigation Device w 200c Navigation Device 200d Navigation Device 200e Navigation Device 210 Processor 220 Input Device 225 Connection 230 Memory Resource Qin 235 Connection 240 Display Screen / Touch Screen Display 245 Connection • 250 Antenna / Receive 255 Connection 260 Output Device 270 Input/Output (I/O) 埠 275 Connection 280 External I/O Device 137838.doc -41 - 201028663 302 Server 304 Processor 306 Memory 308 Transmitter 310 Receiver 312 Bulk Data Storage Device / Bulk Data Storage Device • 314 Wired or Wireless Connection/Communication Link 318 Communication channel w 320 Transmitter 322 Receiver 290 Integrated input and display device 292 Arm 294 Suction cup 460 Functional hardware component 470 Operating system 蛊 480 Application software 490 Traffic mapping module 492 Application software layer 494 Operating system layer 496 Hard Volume 498a Traffic Flow Measurement Device 498b Traffic Flow Measurement Device 498c Traffic Flow Measurement Device 498d Traffic Flow Measurement Device 137838.doc -42- 201028663 498e Traffic Flow Measurement Device 502 Local Environment 504 Region 500 Traffic Control Center 510 Road Network 512 Roads* 514 Roads 515 Transportation Indicators Stomach 515 Timeline 516 Speed Bar 517 Time Indicator Area 518 Movable Time Stamp 520 Speed Indicator Area 522 Movable Speed Marker 524 Start/Stop Animation Button Qin 526 Time Box 530 Traffic Finger 532 * 540 traffic indicator page 542 544 road 545 road fork in the road transport indicator 546 548 indicator area 137838.doc -43- 201028663 550 552 can move the marker time frame

137838.doc • 44·

Claims (1)

201028663 VII. Patent Application Range: 1. A navigation or mapping system comprising: a display device (240); and a processing resource (21 〇, 490) 'configured to process map data, traffic information and representation 1 Location data of the location of the vehicle to produce an output indicative of a sequence of traffic animations, wherein the traffic animation sequence includes a traffic indicator (530) on a map, the traffic indicator (5 3 〇) indicating traffic, And the traffic indicator (530) changes to indicate a change in traffic between a start time and an end time. The processing resource is configured to depend on the vehicle between the start time and the end time. The at least one feature of the animation sequence is changed by a change in position, and the display device displays the traffic sequence in response to the output from the processing resource. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the change in the at least one characteristic of the animation sequence comprises changing an area represented by the map and/or a relative position or orientation of the map. 3. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the traffic animation sequence includes a vehicle indicator (515) representing the location of the wheel tool, and the change in the at least one characteristic of the sequence includes a change The position of the vehicle indicator (5 15) on the map indicates the change in the position of the vehicle between the start time and the end time. 4. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the traffic animation sequence further comprises an additional vehicle indicator indicating one of the expected locations of the vehicle. 137838.doc 201028663 A system of monthly items 1 or 2, wherein the traffic animation sequence includes a display of each of the _ series views during each distinct time period, and for each view, the traffic indicator ( 530) indicates traffic at the time when the respective different traffic is determined. 6. For example, 'system of claim 5', wherein the traffic is represented by one of the views in the series - the first traffic is (four) and the second is viewed by the next view in the series. The time difference between the two traffic determination times is greater than a predetermined step time or a multiple of the step time. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the step time is greater than the display time. 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the traffic animation sequence further comprises a table: the time of the traffic determination time for each view of the dynamic sequence refers to the time indicator change to indicate that the traffic determination time is at the Changes during the animation sequence. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the time indicator comprises a time indicator area and a movement marker, and the position of the marker relative to the time indicator area represents a traffic determination time for the displayed view. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the position of the or-movable marker relative to the orbital time indicates the speed of the animation sequence. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the movable marker is movable in response to user input and the movement of the movable marker changes the displayed view or the sequence of motions in the series speed. m #System 1 or 2' wherein at least one of the start time and the end time is a future time. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the round-out represents at least one display feature, 137838.doc 201028663 The time of traffic is in the past or in the future, and the system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the traffic indicator ( 530) the change comprises changing at least one of a location, a color, a size and a shape, or an associated text of the traffic indicator (53〇). 15·&quot;°The system of claim 1 or 2&apos; wherein the traffic indicator (530) represents a traffic check. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the change indicator of the traffic indicator (other) changes one of the lengths of the traffic queue and/or one of the rate of change of the length of the traffic queue. 17. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the display device (24A) is included in a portable navigation device (200) for mounting in the vehicle, and the portable navigation device (200) Further included is a position determining unit (25〇, 255, 210) for determining the position of the vehicle. 18. A navigation or mapping device comprising: It depends on the representation of the change. a location determining unit (250, 255, 210) for determining a location of a vehicle and for providing location data indicative of the location of the location; a display device (240); and a processing resource (210, 490) </ RTI> configured to process map data, traffic data, and location data to produce an output indicative of a traffic sequence comprising a traffic indicator (530) and a vehicle on a map Indicator (5 15), the traffic indicator (5 3 0) represents traffic, the vehicle indicator (515) represents the location of the vehicle, 137838.doc 201028663 - 乂 乂 ^ ^ 7F (53G) change The change in position of the vehicle indicator (515) is changed to indicate a change in the position of the vehicle between the start time and the end time to indicate a change in parental time between the start time and the end time. A display device (24G) displays the traffic sequence in response to the output from the processing resource. 19. A method of map continuation and transportation, comprising: displaying a traffic indicator (53〇) and a transportation indicator (515) on a map. The traffic indicator (53〇) indicates traffic and the transportation The tool indicator (515) indicates the position of a vehicle; and changes the position of the traffic indicator (53〇) and the vehicle indicator (515) in a traffic animation sequence to indicate between the beginning and the end. The change in traffic between the time and the location of the vehicle. 20. A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions executable to implement the method of claim 19. 137838.doc -4-