WO2009143903A1 - Navigation apparatus and method that adapt to driver' s workload - Google Patents

Abstract

A navigation and/or mapping apparatus (200) comprises a processing resource (202), and at least one communication device (206) operably coupled to the processing resource, for communication with a user, the processing resource (202) being configured to determine the workload of the user and provide or alter communication with the user dependent on the workload of the user.

Description

NAVIGATION APPARATUS AND METHOD THAT ADAPT TO DRIVER¹ S WORKLOAD

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to navigation devices and methods for operating navigation devices that adapt to suit a user's workload.

Background to the Invention

Portable computing devices, for example Portable Navigation Devices (PNDs) that include GPS (Global Positioning System) signal reception and processing functionality are well known and are widely employed as in-car or other vehicle navigation systems.

In general terms, a modern PND comprises a processor, memory (at least one of volatile and non-volatile, and commonly both), and map data stored within said memory. The processor and memory cooperate to provide an execution environment in which a software operating system may be established, and additionally it is commonplace for one or more additional software programs to be provided to enable the functionality of the PND to be controlled, and to provide various other functions.

Typically these devices further comprise one or more input interfaces that allow a user to interact with and control the device, and one or more output interfaces by means of which information may be relayed to the user. Illustrative examples of output interfaces include a visual display and a speaker for audible output. Illustrative examples of input interfaces include one or more physical buttons to control on/off operation or other features of the device (which buttons need not necessarily be on the device itself but could be on a steering wheel if the device is built into a vehicle), and a microphone for detecting user speech. In one particular arrangement, the output interface display may be configured as a touch sensitive display (by means of a touch sensitive overlay or otherwise) additionally to provide an input interface by means of which a user can operate the device by touch. Devices of this type will also often include one or more physical connector interfaces by means of which power and optionally data signals can be transmitted to and received from the device, and optionally one or more wireless transmitters/receivers to allow communication over cellular telecommunications and other signal and data networks, for example Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, GSM, UMTS and the like. PNDs of this type also include a GPS antenna by means of which satellite- broadcast signals, including location data, can be received and subsequently processed to determine a current location of the device.

The PND may also include electronic gyroscopes and accelerometers which produce signals that can be processed to determine the current angular and linear acceleration, and in turn, and in conjunction with location information derived from the GPS signal, velocity and relative displacement of the device and thus the vehicle in which it is mounted. Typically, such features are most commonly provided in in-vehicle navigation systems, but may also be provided in PNDs if it is expedient to do so.

The utility of such PNDs is manifested primarily in their ability to determine a route between a first location (typically a start or current location) and a second location (typically a destination). These locations can be input by a user of the device, by any of a wide variety of different methods, for example by postcode, street name and house number, previously stored "well known" destinations (such as famous locations, municipal locations (such as sports grounds or swimming baths) or other points of interest), and favourite or recently visited destinations. PNDs of this type may be mounted on the dashboard or windscreen of a vehicle, but may also be formed as part of an on-board computer of the vehicle radio or indeed as part of the control system of the vehicle itself. The navigation device may also be part of a hand-held system, such as a PDA (Portable Digital Assistant), a media player, a mobile phone or the like, and in these cases, the normal functionality of the hand-held system is extended by means of the installation of software on the device to perform both route calculation and navigation along a calculated route.

During navigation along a calculated route, it is usual for such PNDs to provide visual and/or audible instructions to guide the user along a chosen route to the end of that route, i.e. the desired destination. It is also usual for PNDs to display map information on-screen during the navigation, such information regularly being updated on-screen so that the map information displayed is representative of the current location of the device, and thus of the user or user's vehicle if the device is being used for in- vehicle navigation.

An icon displayed on-screen typically denotes the current device location, and is centred with the map information of current and surrounding roads in the vicinity of the current device location and other map features also being displayed. Additionally, navigation information may be displayed, optionally in a status bar above, below or to one side of the displayed map information, examples of navigation information include a distance to the next deviation from the current road required to be taken by the user, the nature of that deviation possibly being represented by a further icon suggestive of the particular type of deviation, for example a left or right turn. The navigation function also determines the content, duration and timing of audible instructions by means of which the user can be guided along the route. As can be appreciated a simple instruction such as "turn left in 100 m" requires significant processing and analysis. As previously mentioned, user interaction with the device may be by a touch screen, or additionally or alternately by steering column mounted remote control, by voice activation or by any other suitable method.

Although the route calculation and navigation functions are fundamental to the overall utility of PNDs, it is possible to use the device purely for information display, or "free-driving", in which only map information relevant to the current device location is displayed, and in which no route has been calculated and no navigation is currently being performed by the device. Such a mode of operation is often applicable when the user already knows the route along which it is desired to travel and does not require navigation assistance.

Devices of the type described above, for example the 920T model manufactured and supplied by TomTom International B. V., provide a reliable means for enabling users to navigate from one position to another. Such devices are of great utility when the user is not familiar with the route to the destination to which they are navigating.

As mentioned above, the memory of the PND stores map data used by the PND not only to calculate routes and provide necessary navigation instructions to users, but also to provide visual and audible information to users through the visual display of the PND.

Road safety is major consideration in automotive applications. However, despite the introduction of safety features such as the anti-lock breaking system (ABS), driver error is still responsible for many automotive accidents. The use of a PND to navigate increases the safety of drivers when compared to using instructions written on paper or no instructions at all. The subjective and objective workload of drivers is reduced and such drivers experience less stress. However, devices that increase the safety of drivers even further are desirable.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided navigation and/or mapping apparatus comprising a processing resource and at least one communication device operably coupled to the processing resource, for communication with a user, the processing resource being configured to determine the workload of the user and provide or alter communication with the user dependent on the workload of the user. The apparatus may be adapted to be mounted in a vehicle.

As the workload and/or stress of a user increases, the user can generally attend to less information. Attending to information from the PND rather than the primary driving task in situations where the user is under increased workload and/or stress can potentially lead to unsafe situations. By determining the workload of the user and altering the communication provided by the PND accordingly, the PND can take the condition of the user into account and can alter the communication between the apparatus and the user depending on the ability of the user to safely assimilate and act on the information, and thereby increase the safety of the user. The workload of a user may be an objective workload (for example representative of external factors such as traffic flow rates, traffic speed, congestion and/or weather and other environmental factors) and/or a subjective workload representative of the physiological and/or psychological state of the user. The workload may be representative of the attention that a user is able to pay to communications and/or the user's ability to process successfully (for example react to correctly or comply with) such communications, for example communications from the navigation and/or mapping apparatus.

The communication device(s) may comprise at least one of an audio device and/or a display and/or a vibration device. The apparatus may further comprise a positioning device, such as a GPS.

The processing resource may be adapted to cooperate with at least one input means and/or data store to determine physiological properties of the user and/or psychological properties of the user and/or external factors and/or dynamic factors.

The input means may comprise at least one of a camera and/or a microphone and/or a positioning system and/or wireless receiver (for example a Bluetooth receiver) and/or a touch screen and/or a physiological sensor and/or a keyboard and/or an interface for communicating with a computer, server and/or network.

The processing resource may be adapted to determine the workload of the user using at least one physiological property of the user and/or at least one psychological property of the user and/or at least one external factor and/or at least one dynamic factor.

The processing resource may be adapted to determine a user profile, which may be stored in a data store coupled with the processing resource. The processing resource may be adapted to determine the workload of the user using the user's profile. The processing resource may be adapted to determine the user profile using the at least one physiological property of the user and/or the at least one psychological property of the user and/or the at least one external factor and/or the at least one dynamic factor.

The determination of user workload may comprise determining at least one workload parameter, and the processing resource may be configured to provide or alter communication with the user dependent on a comparison between the workload parameter or at least one of the workload parameters and at least one threshold.

The apparatus may be coupled to the at least one physiological sensor for measuring at least one physiological property of the user. The at least one physiological sensor may be attached to the user's body. The at least one physiological sensor may be adapted to be located in or on a structural feature of a vehicle. The physiological sensor may be adapted to be located in or on the steering wheel of a vehicle. By incorporating physiological sensors into structural features of vehicles, the physiological properties of the user can be determined unobtrusively whilst the user operates the vehicle. The sensor may be a galvanic skin response sensor and/or a blood pressure sensor and/or a heart rate sensor.

The processing resource may be arranged to use the physiological properties to determine a physiological profile for the user, which may be at least part of the user's profile. The processing resource may be adapted to determine and/or receive data indicative of psychological properties of the user, which may include external factors and/or explicit measures and/or implicit measures. The data indicative of psychological properties of the user may be used to determine a psychological profile for the user. The psychological profile may be at least a part of the user's profile. The processing resource may be adapted to cooperate with at least one of the input means to obtain subjective input of the user and derive at least some of the explicit psychological properties from the subjective input. The processing resource may be adapted to cooperate with at least one of the communications devices to provide profiling questions to the user and receive data indicative of psychological properties of the user in response to the profiling questions. The processing resource may be adapted to cooperate with the input means to receive feedback input from the user after use of the apparatus, and update the user's psychological profile accordingly.

The data indicative of psychological properties of the user may comprise the type of vehicle the user is using. The processing resource may be adapted to determine actions of the user and derive data indicative of psychological properties from the actions of the user. The actions may be driving actions. The processing resource may determine the driving actions of the user in cooperation with the positioning device and/or mapping data stored in the data store and/or a camera arranged to provide driving actions and/or sensors for monitoring at least part of the vehicle. The processing resource may be adapted to derive data indicative of psychological properties from the external factors.

The external factors may be indicative of the context of use of the apparatus.

The external factors may include driving conditions, which may be driving speed of the user and/or vehicle(s) in the vicinity of the user. The processing resource may determine the driving conditions in cooperation with the positioning device and/or mapping data stored in the data store and/or a camera arranged to provide driving actions and/or sensors for monitoring at least part of the vehicle.

The processing resource may be adapted to identify potentially stressful situations from map data stored in the data store. The external factors may include the potentially stressful situations.

The processing resource may be adapted to cooperate with at least one of the input means to determine environmental factors. The external factors may include the environmental factors.

The environmental factors may include passenger noise. The processing means may cooperate with at least one microphone in order to determine the passenger noise.

The environmental factors may include regions of slow moving traffic and/or traffic congestion and/or regions having a high traffic level. The environmental factors may include weather conditions. The processing resource may be arranged to cooperate with at a traffic database and/or a weather database in order to determine the environmental factors.

The processing resource may cooperate with a camera to receive visual indicators. The environmental factors may comprise the visual indicators.

The processing resource may be adapted to determine a duration that the user has been driving for. The external factors may comprise the duration that the user has been driving for.

The dynamic factors may be indicative of interaction between the user and the apparatus.

The processing resource may be adapted to resume a default communication level upon receiving an appropriate input from the user via at least one of the input means. The processing resource may be adapted to derive dynamic factors based upon use of the resume input. The processing resource may be adapted to dynamically update the user profile.

The processing resource may be adapted to store historical parameters and/or factors and/or user profiles in the data store. The processing resource may be arranged to compare historical profiles and/or actions and/or factors with current profiles and/or actions and/or factors in order to determine user workload.

The processing resource may be arranged to determine the workload of the user by determining a change in the user's profile and/or comparison of recently or presently determined measures with the user's profile.

The processing resource and communication device may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by adjusting instructions given by the apparatus and/or adjusting a parameter of at least one of the communication devices.

The processing resource and communication device may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by adjusting the number of instructions given by the apparatus. The processing resource and communication device may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by giving specific warnings and/or altering instructions given by the apparatus to the user and/or giving audible warnings and/or suggesting a driving break and/or determining and suggesting places to stop to the user.

The processing resource and communication device may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by altering the timing of a communication based on the speed of the vehicle relative to a decision point.

The processing resource and audio device may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by altering the tone and/or pitch and/or speed of an audible communication. The processing resource and vibration device may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by providing vibrations to the user using the vibration device, which may be located in or on a structure of a vehicle such as a steering wheel. The processing resource and display may be arranged to adjust communication with the user by disabling and/or enabling non-essential features from the display and/or adjusting a zoom level and/or an amount of detail provided by the display.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a navigation system comprising: a navigation apparatus as set forth above in relation to a first aspect of the invention; wherein a data store is remotely located from the navigation apparatus and accessible by the navigation apparatus via a communications network.

The system may comprise at least one input device. The input device may be a touch screen and/or camera and/or a physiological sensor and/or a microphone and/or a keyboard and/or an interface for communicating with a computer. The system may comprise a positioning device. The data store may be arranged to contain navigation and/or mapping and/or traffic and/or weather and/or averaged user data.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of operating a navigation apparatus, the method comprising: obtaining at least one workload parameter, determining the workload of a user using the at least one workload parameter and varying and/or providing communication with the user dependent on the workload of the user.

The navigation apparatus may be adapted to be mounted in a vehicle.

The method may comprise forming a user profile using the at least one workload parameter. The workload of the user may be determined using the user profile.

The method may comprise determining physiological parameters of the user and/or psychological parameters of the user and/or external factors and/or dynamic factors and determining the user profile using the physiological properties of the user and/or psychological properties of the user and/or external factors and/or dynamic factors.

The user profile may comprise a user physiological profile based on data representing physiological properties of the user and/or a user psychological profile based on psychological properties of the user and/or external factors and/or dynamic factors. The user profile may be dynamically updated.

The method may comprise comparing a historical user profile with current parameters and/or factors in order to determine user workload. The method may comprise determining changes in user profile in order to determine the workload. The historical workload data may be at least a part of the user profile. The workload of the user may be determined using physiological properties of the user and/or psychological properties of the user and/or external conditions and/or interaction between the user and the apparatus.

The method may comprise receiving subjective input from the user. The method may comprise providing profiling questions to the user, receiving input from the user in response to the profiling questions and updating the user profile accordingly. The method may comprise receiving feedback input from the user after periods of use and updating the user profile accordingly. The method may include determining a type of vehicle the apparatus is being used with and updating the user profile accordingly.

The method may comprise determining actions of the user and updating the user profile accordingly. The actions may be driving actions.

The method may comprise determining driving conditions, which may be a user's driving speed and/or the driving speed of traffic in the vicinity of the user, and updating the user's profile accordingly.

The method may include identifying potentially stressful situations from map data, and adjusting communication with the user when the stressful situations are imminent.

The method may comprise determining environmental factors and adjusting the communication of the apparatus with the user in response to the environmental factors.

The environmental factors may include a level of passenger noise. The environmental factors may include slow moving traffic and/or traffic congestion and/or high traffic level. The environmental factors may include weather conditions and/or driving duration.

The method may comprise providing the apparatus with visual indicators. The environmental factors may include the visual indicators.

The method may comprise determining a duration that a user has been driving for and adjusting the communication of the apparatus with the user dependent on the driving duration.

The method may comprise adjusting communication between the apparatus and the user in response to the workload of the user by adjusting instructions given by the apparatus and/or adjusting a parameter of at least one of the communication devices. Adjusting communication may comprise adjusting the number of instructions given by the apparatus. Adjusting communication may comprise giving specific warnings and/or suggesting a driving break and/or determining and suggesting places to stop to the user.

Adjusting communication may comprise altering the tone and/or pitch and/or speed of an audible communication. Adjusting communication may comprise providing vibrations to the user using a vibration device, which may be located in or on a structure of a vehicle such as a steering wheel. Adjusting communication may comprise disabling and/or enabling non-essential features from an apparatus display and/or adjusting a zoom level and/or an amount of detail provided by of an apparatus display. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program element comprising computer program code means to make a computer execute the method as set forth above in relation to the third aspect of the invention.

The computer program element may be embodied on a computer readable medium.

In another independent aspect of the invention there is provided a computer program product comprising computer executable instructions for performing a method as claimed or described herein.

Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention, in any appropriate combination. In particular, apparatus features may be applied to method features and vice versa.

Brief Description of the Drawings

At least one embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary part of a Global Positioning

System (GPS) usable by a navigation device;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a communications system for communication between a navigation device and a server;

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of electronic components of the navigation device of Figure 2 or any other suitable navigation device;

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of mounting and/or docking a navigation device;

Figure 5 is a schematic representation of an architectural stack employed by the navigation device of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a high level diagram of the operation of a navigational device constituting a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 7 is a schematic of an exemplary navigation system implementing the overview shown in Figure 6; and

Figures 8 to 10 are views of the interface of the navigation device of Figures 6 and 7;

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Throughout the following description identical reference numerals will be used to identify like parts. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to a PND. It should be remembered, however, that the teachings of the present invention are not limited to PNDs but are instead universally applicable to any type of processing device that is configured to execute software so as to provide mapping, route planning and/or navigation functionality, particularly in a portable manner. It follows therefore that in the context of the present application, a navigation device is intended to include (without limitation) any type of route planning and navigation device, irrespective of whether that device is embodied as a PND, a vehicle such as an automobile, or indeed a portable computing resource, for example a portable personal computer (PC), a mobile telephone or a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) executing route planning and navigation software. It will also be apparent from the following that the teachings of the present invention even have utility in circumstances where a user is not seeking instructions on how to navigate from one point to another but merely wishes to be provided with a view of a particular region. In such circumstances the "destination" location selected by the user need not have a corresponding start location from which the user wishes to start navigating, and as a consequence references herein to the "destination" location or indeed to a "destination" view should not be interpreted to mean that the generation of a route is essential, that travelling to the "destination" must occur, or indeed that the presence of a destination requires the designation of a corresponding start location.

With the above provisos in mind, the Global Positioning System (GPS) of Figure 1 and the like are used for a variety of purposes. In general, the GPS is a satellite-radio based navigation system capable of determining continuous position, velocity, time, and in some instances direction information for an unlimited number of users. Formerly known as NAVSTAR, the GPS incorporates a plurality of satellites that orbit the earth in extremely precise orbits. Based on these precise orbits, GPS satellites can relay their location to any number of receiving units.

The GPS system is implemented when a device, specially equipped to receive GPS data, begins scanning radio frequencies for GPS satellite signals. Upon receiving a radio signal from a GPS satellite, the device determines the precise location of that satellite via one of a plurality of different conventional methods. The device will continue scanning, in most instances, for signals until it has acquired at least three different satellite signals (noting that position is not normally, but can be determined, with only two signals using other triangulation techniques). Implementing geometric triangulation, the receiver utilizes the three known positions to determine its own two-dimensional position relative to the satellites. This can be done in a known manner. Additionally, acquiring a fourth satellite signal allows the receiving device to calculate its three dimensional position by the same geometrical calculation in a known manner. The position and velocity data can be updated in real time on a continuous basis by an unlimited number of users.

As shown in Figure 1 , the GPS system 100 comprises a plurality of satellites 102 orbiting about the earth 104. A GPS receiver 106 receives spread spectrum GPS satellite data signals 108 from a number of the plurality of satellites 102. The spread spectrum data signals 108 are continuously transmitted from each satellite 102, the spread spectrum data signals 108 transmitted each comprise a data stream including information identifying a particular satellite 102 from which the data stream originates. The GPS receiver 106 generally requires spread spectrum data signals 108 from at least three satellites 102 in order to be able to calculate a two-dimensional position. Receipt of a fourth spread spectrum data signal enables the GPS receiver 106 to calculate, using a known technique, a three-dimensional position.

Turning to Figure 2, a navigation device 200 comprising or coupled to the GPS receiver device 106, is capable of establishing a data session, if required, with network hardware of a "mobile" or telecommunications network via a mobile device (not shown), for example a mobile telephone, PDA, and/or any device with mobile telephone technology, in order to establish a digital connection, for example a digital connection via known Bluetooth technology. Thereafter, through its network service provider, the mobile device can establish a network connection (through the Internet for example) with a server 150. As such, a "mobile" network connection can be established between the navigation device 200 (which can be, and often times is, mobile as it travels alone and/or in a vehicle) and the server 150 to provide a "real-time" or at least very "up to date" gateway for information.

The establishing of the network connection between the mobile device (via a service provider) and another device such as the server 150, using the Internet for example, can be done in a known manner. In this respect, any number of appropriate data communications protocols can be employed, for example the TCP/IP layered protocol. Furthermore, the mobile device can utilize any number of communication standards such as CDMA2000, GSM, IEEE 802.1 1 a/b/c/g/n, etc. Hence, it can be seen that the internet connection may be utilised, which can be achieved via data connection, via a mobile phone or mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 for example.

Although not shown, the navigation device 200 may, of course, include its own mobile telephone technology within the navigation device 200 itself (including an antenna for example, or optionally using the internal antenna of the navigation device 200). The mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can include internal components, and/or can include an insertable card (e.g. Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card), complete with necessary mobile phone technology and/or an antenna for example. As such, mobile phone technology within the navigation device 200 can similarly establish a network connection between the navigation device 200 and the server 150, via the Internet for example, in a manner similar to that of any mobile device.

For telephone settings, a Bluetooth enabled navigation device may be used to work correctly with the ever changing spectrum of mobile phone models, manufacturers, etc., model/manufacturer specific settings may be stored on the navigation device 200 for example. The data stored for this information can be updated.

In Figure 2, the navigation device 200 is depicted as being in communication with the server 150 via a generic communications channel 152 that can be implemented by any of a number of different arrangements. The communication channel 152 generically represents the propagating medium or path that connects the navigation device 200 and the server 150. The server 150 and the navigation device 200 can communicate when a connection via the communications channel 152 is established between the server 150 and the navigation device 200 (noting that such a connection can be a data connection via mobile device, a direct connection via personal computer via the internet, etc.).

The communication channel 152 is not limited to a particular communication technology. Additionally, the communication channel 152 is not limited to a single communication technology; that is, the channel 152 may include several communication links that use a variety of technology. For example, the communication channel 152 can be adapted to provide a path for electrical, optical, and/or electromagnetic communications, etc. As such, the communication channel 152 includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of the following: electric circuits, electrical conductors such as wires and coaxial cables, fibre optic cables, converters, radio-frequency (RF) waves, the atmosphere, free space, etc. Furthermore, the communication channel 152 can include intermediate devices such as routers, repeaters, buffers, transmitters, and receivers, for example. In one illustrative arrangement, the communication channel 152 includes telephone and computer networks. Furthermore, the communication channel 152 may be capable of accommodating wireless communication, for example, infrared communications, radio frequency communications, such as microwave frequency communications, etc. Additionally, the communication channel 152 can accommodate satellite communication.

The communication signals transmitted through the communication channel 152 include, but are not limited to, signals as may be required or desired for given communication technology. For example, the signals may be adapted to be used in cellular communication technology such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc. Both digital and analogue signals can be transmitted through the communication channel 152. These signals may be modulated, encrypted and/or compressed signals as may be desirable for the communication technology.

The server 150 includes, in addition to other components which may not be illustrated, a processor 154 operatively connected to a memory 156 and further operatively connected, via a wired or wireless connection 158, to a mass data storage device 160. The mass storage device 160 contains a store of navigation data and map information, including point of interest (POI) information, and can again be a separate device from the server 150 or can be incorporated into the server 150. The processor 154 is further operatively connected to transmitter 162 and receiver 164, to transmit and receive information to and from navigation device 200 via communications channel 152. The signals sent and received may include data, communication, and/or other propagated signals. The transmitter 162 and receiver 164 may be selected or designed according to the communications requirement and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation system 200. Further, it should be noted that the functions of transmitter 162 and receiver 164 may be combined into a single transceiver.

As mentioned above, the navigation device 200 can be arranged to communicate with the server 150 through communications channel 152, using transmitter 166 and receiver 168 to send and receive signals and/or data through the communications channel 152, noting that these devices can further be used to communicate with devices other than server 150. Further, the transmitter 166 and receiver 168 are selected or designed according to communication requirements and communication technology used in the communication design for the navigation device 200 and the functions of the transmitter 166 and receiver 168 may be combined into a single transceiver as described above in relation to Figure 2. Of course, the navigation device 200 comprises other hardware and/or functional parts, which will be described later herein in further detail.

Software stored in server memory 156 provides instructions for the processor 154 and allows the server 150 to provide services to the navigation device 200. One service provided by the server 150 involves processing requests from the navigation device 200 and transmitting navigation data from the mass data storage 160 to the navigation device 200. Another service that can be provided by the server 150 includes processing the navigation data using various algorithms for a desired application and sending the results of these calculations to the navigation device 200. An example of such processing is determining densities of points of interest (POI) in various categories of point of interest.

The server 150 constitutes a remote source of data accessible by the navigation device 200 via a wireless channel. The server 150 may include a network server located on a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network (VPN), etc.

The server 150 may include a personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer, and the communication channel 152 may be a cable connected between the personal computer and the navigation device 200. Alternatively, a personal computer may be connected between the navigation device 200 and the server 150 to establish an internet connection between the server 150 and the navigation device 200.

The navigation device 200 may be provided with information from the server 150 via information downloads which may be periodically updated automatically or upon a user connecting the navigation device 200 to the server 150 and/or may be more dynamic upon a more constant or frequent connection being made between the server 150 and navigation device 200 via a wireless mobile connection device and TCP/IP connection for example. For many dynamic calculations, the processor 154 in the server 150 may be used to handle the bulk of processing needs, however, a processor (not shown in Figure 2) of the navigation device 200 can also handle much processing and calculation, oftentimes independent of a connection to a server 150. Referring to Figure 3, it should be noted that the block diagram of the navigation device 200 is not inclusive of all components of the navigation device, but is only representative of many example components. The navigation device 200 is located within a housing (not shown). The navigation device 200 includes a processing resource comprising, for example, the processor 202 mentioned above, the processor 202 being coupled to an input device 204 and a display device, for example a display screen 206. Although reference is made here to the input device 204 in the singular, the skilled person should appreciate that the input device 204 represents any number of input devices, including a keyboard device, voice input device, touch panel and/or any other known input device utilised to input information. Likewise, the display screen 206 can include any type of display screen such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), for example.

In one arrangement, one aspect of the input device 204, the touch panel, and the display screen 206 are integrated so as to provide an integrated input and display device, including a touchpad or touchscreen input 250 (Figure 4) to enable both input of information (via direct input, menu selection, etc.) and display of information through the touch panel screen so that a user need only touch a portion of the display screen 206 to select one of a plurality of display choices or to activate one of a plurality of virtual or "soft" buttons. In this respect, the processor 202 supports a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that operates in conjunction with the touchscreen.

In the navigation device 200, the processor 202 is operatively connected to and capable of receiving input information from input device 204 via a connection 210, and operatively connected to at least one of the display screen 206 and the output device 208, via respective output connections 212, to output information thereto. The navigation device 200 may include an output device 208, for example an audible output device (e.g. a loudspeaker). As the output device 208 can produce audible information for a user of the navigation device 200, it is should equally be understood that input device 204 can include a microphone and software for receiving input voice commands as well. Further, the navigation device 200 can also include any additional input device

204 and/or any additional output device, such as audio input/output devices for example.

The processor 202 is operatively connected to memory 214 via connection 216 and is further adapted to receive/send information from/to input/output (I/O) ports 218 via connection 220, wherein the I/O port 218 is connectible to an I/O device 222 external to the navigation device 200. The external I/O device 222 may include, but is not limited to an external listening device, such as an earpiece for example. The connection to I/O device 222 can further be a wired or wireless connection to any other external device such as a car stereo unit for hands-free operation and/or for voice activated operation for example, for connection to an earpiece or headphones, and/or for connection to a mobile telephone for example, wherein the mobile telephone connection can be used to establish a data connection between the navigation device 200 and the Internet or any other network for example, and/or to establish a connection to a server via the Internet or some other network for example. Figure 3 further illustrates an operative connection between the processor 202 and an antenna/receiver 224 via connection 226, wherein the antenna/receiver 224 can be a GPS antenna/receiver for example. It should be understood that the antenna and receiver designated by reference numeral 224 are combined schematically for illustration, but that the antenna and receiver may be separately located components, and that the antenna may be a GPS patch antenna or helical antenna for example.

It will, of course, be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the electronic components shown in Figure 3 are powered by one or more power sources (not shown) in a conventional manner. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, different configurations of the components shown in Figure 3 are contemplated. For example, the components shown in Figure 3 may be in communication with one another via wired and/or wireless connections and the like. Thus, the navigation device 200 described herein can be a portable or handheld navigation device 200.

In addition, the portable or handheld navigation device 200 of Figure 3 can be connected or "docked" in a known manner to a vehicle such as a bicycle, a motorbike, a car or a boat for example. Such a navigation device 200 is then removable from the docked location for portable or handheld navigation use.

Referring to Figure 4, the navigation device 200 may be a unit that includes the integrated input and display device 206 and the other components of Figure 2 (including, but not limited to, the internal GPS receiver 224, the microprocessor 202, a power supply (not shown), memory systems 214, etc.). The navigation device 200 may sit on an arm 252, which itself may be secured to a vehicle dashboard/window/etc, using a suction cup 254. This arm 252 is one example of a docking station to which the navigation device 200 can be docked. The navigation device 200 can be docked or otherwise connected to the arm 252 of the docking station by snap connecting the navigation device 200 to the arm 252 for example. The navigation device 200 may then be rotatable on the arm 252. To release the connection between the navigation device 200 and the docking station, a button (not shown) on the navigation device 200 may be pressed, for example. Other equally suitable arrangements for coupling and decoupling the navigation device 200 to a docking station are well known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. Turning to Figure 5, the processor 202 and memory 214 cooperate to support a

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) 282 that functions as an interface between functional hardware components 280 of the navigation device 200 and the software executed by the device. The processor 202 then loads an operating system 284 from the memory 214, which provides an environment in which application software 286 (implementing some or all of the above described route planning and navigation functionality) can run. The application software 286 provides an operational environment including the GUI that supports core functions of the navigation device, for example map viewing, route planning, navigation functions and any other functions associated therewith.

The navigation device 200 is operable to determine a user's workload and vary the demands placed on the user by the device 200 accordingly. In this regard, as shown in Figure 6, the device 200 is adapted to receive input indicative of physiological 602, psychological 604, behavioural 606, external 608, interactive 610 and historical 61 1 factors. These factors 602-61 1 are logged in a memory 612 of the device 200 and used to determine a user profile 614. The user profile 614 is updated dynamically in real time in order to keep the profile 614 current and relevant. The user profile 614 is monitored over time and used to determine a current workload for the user. Changes in the profile 614 may be indicative of an increase or decrease in the workload of the user. The user's workload is then compared to pre-determined thresholds in order to determine if the user's workload is abnormally high (i.e. the user may be under stress) or abnormally low (i.e. the user may be fatigued). The device 200 then adjusts its interaction with the user 616 accordingly to take account of the user's workload.

The device 200 is shown in more detail in Figure 7. It will be appreciated that a skilled person may select only some of the described components or factors used when implementing the device or alternate components or factors not described here.

The device 200 comprises a processor 702 coupled to memory 612. The memory 612 is arranged to store mapping and navigational data 704 and also user profiles 614. The device 200 is coupled with input means 708-718 for collecting data indicative of factors for use in determining the user's workload. Such input means include physiological sensors 708, microphones 710, user input devices 712, links 714 to remote databases, wireless signal receivers 716 such as Bluetooth™ receivers and mobile phone signal receivers and cameras 718. The device is also provided with output devices such as a display 720, a vibrating alert device 722 and an audio output device 724. The input 712 and display output devices 720 are optionally incorporated into a single device, such as a touch-screen display.

The physiological sensors 708 are adapted to measure physiological properties of the user such as heart rate, blood pressure and galvanic skin response. The sensors 708 are mounted on a steering wheel of a vehicle. The user's hands then contact the wheel and thereby the sensors 708 in a fashion that is suitable for collection of the above physiological parameters in an unobtrusive fashion. In alternative embodiments, the physiological sensors are installed in on mounted on other parts of the vehicle and/or attached to the user's body.

The physiological properties of the user are recorded over time and used to create a physiological sub-profile of the user as part of the user's profile 614. The physiological profile thus contains typical parameters or ranges in which the user's physiological conditions vary. It can then be seen if recent physiological parameters are outwith or at the extremities of a user's normal parameter range. This data is cross- referenced with data indicative of other user related factors such as traffic data, psychological parameters, driving behaviour, etc, as described below, in order to increase the accuracy of the workload determination by the device 200.

By comparing the most recently measured physiological data with historical data stored in the user's profile 614, it can be seen if the physiological data is indicative of an abnormal increase or decrease in the user's workload. This determination is then considered in conjunction with the other factors contained within the user's profile in order to determine the user's current workload.

The device 200 is also adapted to collect, store and update a psychological sub-profile as part of the user's profile 614. The psychological profile is used to determine the user's workload, in combination with the other sub-profiles and user related factors within the user's profile 614. The psychological profile also provides calibration data that can be used, for example, to set workload thresholds at which the device will activate stress related or fatigue related actions.

The psychological profile is constructed by using the input devices 712 to receive subjective input from the user in response to set questions. Examples of suitable input devices include touch screens, a keyboard, buttons, roller balls, soft keys or virtual keys or a link to a personal computer. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 8, an interface 802 is presented via a personal computer to allow the user to provide subjective input for use in creating the user's psychological sub-profile. The interface 802 is operable to present prompts and questions 804, 806 to the user and obtain input representing personal preferences and characteristics from the user. Examples of such preferences include how important safety is to the user and whether or not the user is a thrill seeker or risk adverse. The interface is also arranged to prompt and obtain input from the user regarding what the user considers their driving style to be. The device is provided with a communications module, for example a USB port or wi-fi device, so as to allow the device to link to the personal computer to transfer details of the collected data from the computer to the device.

The display 720 of the device 200 is also arranged to present an interface 902, as shown in Figure 9, to the user via the touch-screen, which is operable to collect feedback input 904 from the user, such as how stressful the user found a particular situation or journey or what type of vehicle the device is fitted to.

The device 200 is arranged to utilise the subjective input and feedback to calibrate the device and in particular to set or alter thresholds at which the device 200 implements anti-stress or anti-fatigue measures. A further example of data that can be obtained in this manner is a vehicle type.

The device 200 is arranged to incorporate this information into the user's profile 614 and can factor in adjustments to suit the vehicle, for example by altering what the device 200 defines to be low speed if the device 200 is mounted into a slower than normal vehicle, such as a truck. In addition, the device 200 is adapted to offer refinement questions dependent on earlier feedback, for example, "do you want to avoid small roads", if the vehicle is heavy. The navigation device 200 is equipped with a positioning system 726 such as a GPS system or a mobile communication network triangulation system, as shown in Figure 7, for determining the current location of the vehicle. The device 200 is adapted to use such location information, in conjunction with mapping and navigation information 704 stored in the data store or memory 612, to monitor the driving behaviour of the user. In optional embodiments, the device 200 is connected to systems of the car such as a speedometer or tachometer or to additional navigation sensors such as an accelerometer. Such directly measured data is supplemented and cross referenced by data on external factors obtained from a server 728 or remote or centralised databases 730-734 or stored in the memory 612 of the device 200. Such external factor data includes historical average or typical speeds for the current section of road, the current average speed of traffic on that section of road, and traffic reports indicating congestion and traffic jams.

The driver behaviour is incorporated into the user's psychological profile 614 and used to build a record of the user's driving style. The presently determined driver behaviour is then compared with the user's typical driving behaviour as recorded in the user's profile 614 in order to determine if the user is acting inconsistently with the user's usual behaviour. Such inconsistent behaviour may be indicative of stress of fatigue.

For example, driver A is a steady and relaxed person his workload remains relatively constant. Driver B is a nervous person and his workload varies considerably during trips. Consequently, the user profile of A doesn't change much over time and the user profile of driver B does change over time. Such information (representing variability or volatility of the user profile itself) can be used as input for the user profile in order to ensure that the system (based on the user profile) adapts appropriately. A sudden change (steering wheel adjustment) for driver A is rare and is therefore an important indicator that the workload is suddenly raised. On the contrary, for driver B such steering behaviour is normal, and if it doesn't occur, it is indicative of fatigue. Thus, the history of the user profile (how variable/volatile is it) can be used to make more accurate determinations of workload. Examples of external factors or driver behaviour that may be indicative of stress or fatigue include the user being in a traffic jam, the user making a lot of u-turns, the user creating a road block and slowing traffic behind, the user deviating from the planned route, the user looking around, the user making u-turns or the user driving backwards.

As an example of the device's use of driver behaviour, the positioning system 726 of the device 200 is operable to monitor the change of a user's position over time and thereby determine the speed of the device 200. The communication module 714 of the device 200 is operable to obtain historical average or typical speeds for the current section of road or the current average speed of traffic on that section of road from server 728, for example, as determined from traffic flow measuring apparatus or information systems 730 or by aggregated data collected by monitoring the position and time of other road users via their mobile phone signals. The device 200 is then arranged to compare the user's speed with the average speed of surrounding traffic and the historical average traffic speed for that section of road. If the user's speed is more than the average speed of traffic around him or slower than the historical average speed for that section of road, then this can be indicative of stress. If the user's speed is slower than the average speed of traffic around him, then this can be indicative of fatigue. Historical relative user speed data in the user profile 614 can be cross-referenced with the user's current speed and the average speed of surrounding traffic and the historical average traffic speed for that section of road and used in the analysis of current data. For example, if a user generally drives slower than the average speed of traffic around him then a user speed that is less than the average speed is less indicative of a safety issue than if the user generally drives at or above the average traffic speed.

Map data 704 is also stored in the memory 612 of the device 200, a remote data store or server 728 or via remote databases or information services 732. The presence of potentially stressful situations, as extracted from the map data 704, is factored into the user's profile 614 and also used in the determination of workload of the user. Examples of potentially stressful situations that can be determined from map data 704 include many roads coming together, densely populated areas, slip roads that function as both acceleration and deceleration lanes, notorious accident black spots, road crossings, areas having typically heavy traffic, change of road type, change of speed limit, stretches of road where the historical average speed is lower than the maximum speed or where the difference between the maximum speed and the historical average speed of traffic shows a sudden drop, crossing a road where the other road has priority, approaching a pedestrianised area, approaching a sharp turn or approaching a school or place of worship. The device can also be used to identify other factors that indicate that the driver may be vulnerable to distraction or their workload is too high. For example, the device is adapted to determine if there are passengers on board. This can be achieved, for example, by using the Bluetooth™ receiver 716 of the device 200 to detect the number of Bluetooth devices within a specified radius, using a camera 718 to detect passengers or by interfacing with weight sensors built into the seats of the car. The microphone 710 is also operable to detect other passengers, for example by detecting children crying or conversation.

The device is provided with at least one camera 718, operable to monitor the user, the interior of the vehicle and the location and surroundings of the vehicle. The camera(s) 718 are used to obtain visual indications of stress or fatigue, for example by detecting when the vehicle does not keep in lane, when traffic around is slowing down, by monitoring what the user is looking at and for how long and detecting the presence of passengers.

The device is also adapted to monitor the time that the user has been driving for. This may be, for example, by detecting movement of the drivers position using the positioning module of the device, by monitoring the time since the user provided a "start navigating" input or by monitoring the ignition of the vehicle. A long driving time is usable by the device as an increased stress factor.

Furthermore, the device is adapted to acquire data relating to other contributing stress factors, such as adverse weather, via links to remote databases 734 and/or servers 728. This data can also be factored into the user's profile 614.

The device 200 is adapted to collect and, where appropriate, update the variables forming the user's profile 614. The entire profile 614 is analysed using algorithms in order to determine the user's workload. As described above, the workload is determined by comparing current factors with historical data, psychological profiles, typical data for the route and information from other sources such as traffic and weather data. By using a profile 614 indicative of a cross-referenced spread of factors, a more accurate determination of workload can be performed. Use of this profile technique is particularly advantageous in navigation devices, as existing components and functionalities of the device 200, as described above, can be used to derive the parameters used to construct the user profile, thereby reducing the burden of forming the profile 214.

The user's workload may be indicative of stress (i.e. workload above a predetermined threshold) or fatigue (i.e. workload below a pre-determined threshold). The thresholds are determined using acquired data such as the user's answers to the subjective questions, historical data used to determine baseline or normal response and other factors as described above. The device 200 is adapted to alter its communication with the user 616 dependent on the determination of workload. By accurately determining the workload by using a user profile and by appropriate setting of thresholds, the device 200 is better able to detect stress and fatigue and avoid frequent altering of its communications in response to false determinations.

The alterations to the communications provided by the device can be slight and subtle. The subtle communication changes in combination with the infrequency of the changes makes the changes more noticeable and effective in countering stress and/or fatigue. The change in communication involves the device 200 adapting its communications and interface in order to present information in a more condensed way. As an example of adaptation of the communication provided by the device 200, the device 200 can limit the number of instructions given to the user. The device 200 may also be adapted to provide specific warnings rather than starting a communication with an instruction, for example, by starting a communication with, "Note....", or "Attention " rather than starting with an instruction such as "Ahead..." or "In xxx metres ", or by adding a warning such as "and pay attention" after an instruction. A further example of a communication alteration is an audible warning after an instruction, such as a short command or sound. This is particularly suited for use when the device 200 has determined that the user is fatigued. Another example of adaptation of the communication of the device 200 is arranging the device to issue instructions for the user to stop driving or take a break. As a further example, the audio output device 724 of the navigation device 200 is arranged to alter the tone, pitch and/or speed of a spoken output dependent on the determination of workload. In this way, the device 200 can adapt to a determination that the user is stressed by making the voice sound more relaxed and the device 200 can adapt to a determination that the user is fatigued by making the voice sound less relaxed and more urgent. Other examples of communication changes that could be used include activating the vibration unit 722 to provide a vibrating warning to the user, disabling non-essential items from the display 720, such as non-essential POIs and adjusting the zoom level of the display 720. The zoom on the display 720 can be adjusted to lower the perspective if the workload is high. Figure 10 shows an example of altering the interface 1002 of the device 200 to provide a more condensed output by using a limited section of the display 720, such as the top 20 or 30 pixels 1004 of the screen of the display, to show the user's destination in a compass style representation. For example, the destination can be shown as a pictogram 1006 in destination areas to the centre 1008, left 1010 or right 1012 of the screen accordingly if the destination is ahead, to the right or to the left of the device 200. When the destination is indicated in one of the direction areas, for example the centre, the sections of the display used to indicate that the direction is left or right can be used to display other information 1014, for example, images of things to come, such as a bridge or water, train crossings, number of kilometres before a slip-road onto a highway, or number of kilometres until the destination will or won't be straight ahead, as appropriate. Cameras 718 are also used in the alteration of the communication of the device

200. For example, if the camera 718 detects a car in front and the device 200 determines that the user should follow the car in front, a representation of the car can be projected into the drivers view for the driver to follow the displayed car, thereby providing a less stressful communication.

A camera 718 is adapted to monitor the relative positions of cars in the vicinity of the user's vehicle. The device 200 is adapted to provide appropriate instructions if the user's vehicle is too close to a neighbouring car. For example, the user can be instructed to "slow down" if their vehicle is too close to a car in front. If the device determines that a user's stress level is above a certain threshold or that the user is approaching a stressful situation, the device 200 is adapted to alert the driver by interrupting the interaction between the user and the device 200. When the device 200 is in interrupted mode, the input device(s) 712 of the device 200 are adapted to receive an appropriate pre-defined resume input from the user and resume conventional communication upon receipt of the resume input. Upon receiving the resume input from the user, the device 200 is adapted to consider that the user's workload was not as high as expected and the thresholds for determining stress or fatigue can be raised or adjusted appropriately. The device 200 is then arranged to assess the user's profile against the new thresholds until a pre-determined criterion has been met, for example, until the driving view is displayed again by the device 200, or until a set time has passed or until the new thresholds have been exceeded by the user's profile 614.

Historical user profile data can be used to provide a record of the variation in user workload throughout the road network. This can be used to form data maps. This is useful for various applications, such as Government organisations to improve road networks by providing indications of which roads are used and which points are most dangerous. Commercial organizations may use such data to optimally site advertising installations. Such data can also be provided in the form of data maps, to PNDs, in order to provide maps showing stressful areas, or for use in constructing other user profiles. Of course, such data is provided in anonymous or aggregated form in order to meet security and personal information concerns.

It will be appreciated that whilst various aspects and embodiments of the present invention have heretofore been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular arrangements set out herein and instead extends to encompass all arrangements, and modifications and alterations thereto, which fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, although the present invention may be exemplified as a portable navigation device, it would be appreciated that route planning and navigation functionality may also be provided by a desktop or mobile computing resource running appropriate software. For example, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) provides an on- line route planning and navigation facility at http://www.rac.co.uk, which facility allows a user to enter a start point and a destination whereupon the server with which the user's computing resource is communicating calculates a route (aspects of which may be user specified), generates a map, and generates a set of exhaustive navigation instructions for guiding the user from the selected start point to the selected destination. Whilst embodiments described in the foregoing detailed description refer to GPS, it should be noted that the navigation device may utilise any kind of position sensing technology as an alternative to (or indeed in addition to) GPS. For example the navigation device may utilise using other global navigation satellite systems such as the European Galileo system. Equally, it is not limited to satellite based but could readily function using ground based beacons or any other kind of system that enables the device to determine its geographic location.

Alternative embodiments of the invention can be implemented as a computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer program product being, for example, a series of computer instructions stored on a tangible data recording medium, such as a diskette, CD-ROM, ROM, or fixed disk, or embodied in a computer data signal, the signal being transmitted over a tangible medium or a wireless medium, for example, microwave or infrared. The series of computer instructions can constitute all or part of the functionality described above, and can also be stored in any memory device, volatile or non-volatile, such as semiconductor, magnetic, optical or other memory device.

It will also be well understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art that whilst the preferred embodiment implements certain functionality by means of software, that functionality could equally be implemented solely in hardware (for example by means of one or more ASICs (application specific integrated circuit)) or indeed by a mix of hardware and software. As such, the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited only to being implemented in software.

It will be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention. Each feature disclosed in the description, and (where appropriate) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination. Lastly, it should also be noted that whilst the accompanying claims set out particular combinations of features described herein, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the particular combinations hereafter claimed, but instead extends to encompass any combination of features or embodiments herein disclosed irrespective of whether or not that particular combination has been specifically enumerated in the accompanying claims at this time.

Claims

1. A navigation and/or mapping apparatus (200) comprising a processing resource (202), and at least one communication device (206) operably coupled to the processing resource, for communication with a user, the processing resource

(202) being configured to determine the workload of the user and provide or alter communication with the user dependent on the workload of the user.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the processing resource is adapted to determine a user profile and determine the workload of the user using the user profile.

3. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the processing resource is adapted to dynamically update the user profile.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the processing resource is adapted to compare historical profiles and/or factors and/or parameters with current profiles and/or factors and/or parameters in order to determine user workload.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is adapted to provide or alter communication between the apparatus and the user in response to the workload of the user by adjusting instructions given by the apparatus and/or adjusting a parameter of at least one of the communication devices.

6. A navigation and/or mapping apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the determination of user workload comprises determining at least one workload parameter, and the processing resource is configured to provide or alter communication with the user dependent on a comparison between the workload parameter or at least one of the workload parameters and at least one threshold.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the processing resource is arranged to cooperate with at least one input means and/or data store to determine physiological parameters of the user and/or psychological parameters of the user and/or external factors and/or dynamic factors and determine the user profile using the physiological properties of the user and/or psychological properties of the user and/or external factors and/or dynamic factors.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the input means comprises at least one of a camera, a microphone, a positioning system, a wireless signal receiver, a touch screen, a physiological sensor, a keyboard, and an interface for communicating with a computer, server and/or network.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one communications device comprises at least one of a display, an audio device, and a vibration device.

10. A navigation system comprising a navigation apparatus (200) as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, and a data store (160) remotely located from the navigation apparatus (200) and accessible by the navigation apparatus via a communications network (152).

11 . A navigation system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the system comprises at least one input device, and the at least one input device comprises at least one of a touch screen and/or a camera and/or a physiological sensor and/or a microphone and/or a wireless receiver.

12. A method of operating a navigation apparatus (200), the method comprising: obtaining at least one workload parameter, determining the workload of a user using the at least one workload parameter and varying and/or providing communication with the user dependent on the workload of the user.

13. A method according to claim 1 1 , wherein the workload of the user is determined using a user profile.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the method comprises determining at least one physiological parameter of the user and/or at least one psychological parameter of the user and/or at least one external factor and/or at least one dynamic factor and determining the user profile using the at least one physiological property of the user and/or the at least one psychological property of the user and/or the at least one external factor and/or the at least one dynamic factor.

15. A method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the method includes adjusting communication between the apparatus and the user in response to the workload of the user by adjusting instructions given by the apparatus and/or adjusting a parameter of at least one of the communication devices.

16. A method according to any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the method comprises comparing a historical user profile with current parameters and/or factors in order to determine user workload.