Abstract: A route guidance system for vehicles comprises central computing apparatus (6), transmitting apparatus (1) by way of which the central computing apparatus (6) is informed of the positions of respective vehicles on a road network and by way of which the vehicles are supplied with route guidance data calculated by the central computing apparatus as to the best routes for the respective vehicles to take to respective desired destinations, the transmitting apparatus (1) including transmitting devices (4) for carrying by the respective vehicles and by way of which the central computing apparatus (6) is informed as to the desired destinations, computing apparatus (8) serving to inform the central computing apparatus (6) as to traffic congestion on the network, and speech synthesisers (4) for carrying by the respective vehicles and arranged to speak instructions to the drivers of respective vehicles as to the routes to be taken to their respective desired destinations.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for finding the location of a mobile device user, and using the location to customize the information and to determine the way of delivering such information to the user. The mobile device user may request the information either with an interactive series of one or more requests, or by pre-selecting the type of message to be delivered. The customized information is transmitted only to the mobile device from which the request is originated. It can also be displayed at a public display unit (such as an electronic billboard), sent to a public broadcaster, posted on the Internet, or sent to a fax machine or a modem. The present invention also provides a method for determining traffic density and speed information that can be continuously updated. The traffic information together with a variety of traffic services can be transmitted to mobile devices users, displayed at inanimate devices (such as electronic billboards), publicly boradcasted, or posted on the Internet.

Abstract: A navigation system (20) having a service center (24) and a navigation unit (22) and a method of transmitting data to reduce the complexity of the navigation unit (22) and minimize the transmitted data. The navigation unit (22) transmits (202) a current location (or starting point (102)) and a desired destination (or destination point (104)). The service center (24) receives (204) the starting point and the destination point and selects (206) a route (100) between the two points. The service center (24) then generates (210, 212, 214) and transmits (216) data associated with a plurality of points on the selected route (100). These points may include items such as preparation points (140, 142, 144, 146), warning points (130, 132, 134, 136), instruction points (120, 122, 124, 126) and confirmation points (150, 152, 154, 156, 160, 162, 164, 166).

Abstract: A CDMA receiver for measuring spatial signal information corresponding to several user transmitters comprises a bank of coherent receivers coupled to an antenna array, a bank of signal buffers for recording samples of the received signal data, and a bank of I/Q despreaders for despreading selected signal samples. The receiver also comprises a buffer control circuit for selecting active power control groups in the recorded signal samples for despreading, and a despreader control circuit for selecting PN despreading sequences required to despread the selected power groups. Selected data samples from the signal buffers are fed into the despreaders. The output of the despreaders is a set of spatially correlated I/Q data streams divided into temporal frames, where each frame contains active power control groups from different user transmitters.

Abstract: A system for easily and inexpensively distributing real time location information of cellular telephone users to various third party information subscribers comprises an HTTP server machine which maintains a dynamic database of current cellular users. The database has a list of caller entries, where each entry typically comprises a user ID number, such as a phone number, mobile ID number, and/or handset serial ID. The entry also includes, for each user ID number, a user location identifier such as a latitude and longitude, a sector number, a caller or called phone number and/or a street address. The HTTP server is connected to the internet so that registered third party information subscribers have access to the database by means of standard HTTP protocols that ensure authentication and provide encryption for security.

Abstract: A method of monitoring traffic flow comprises reading registration plates of the vehicles of a multiplicity of series of vehicles passing respective locations on a road network, if necessary selecting samples of readings from the readings relating to the vehicles of the series, and determining whether readings of the samples are deemed to contain matching readings. The samples are used as probes or targets to measure average journey times which are compared with reference journey times. The selecting of the samples at the respective reading locations is performed according to an algorithm common to all of the locations.