Magellan Dis, Inc.

Mitac International Corporation

Navigation Solutions, LLC

Magellan Navigation, Inc.

Beacon Navigation Gmbh

Larry E Spencer

Jeffrey Alan Millington

Michael O Kirkhart

Steven R Croyle

Roger Stevens

Ernie R Sittaro

Mike Mouser

John D Begin

Karunanidhi Upparapalli

David W Allen

Donald Joe Long

Christopher J Hook, Deceased

Michael G Lambie

Richard Eklund

William F Hook, Legal Representative

Christopher P Hook

Donald J Long

Christopher Di Hook

Roger A Stevens

A navigation system provides sensors and a user interface mounted in a single unit while allowing individual users to make adjustments to the user interface without affecting the functionality of the device. This is accomplished by mounting the orientation sensitive sensors (e.g. accelerometers, gyros, etc) rigidly to a mounting bracket rigidly mounted to the vehicle (such as to the dashboard). The sensors are mounted within a ball rigidly mounted to the bracket and the ball is secured within a rotatable socket on the user interface enclosure. In this manner, the user interface enclosure can rotate on the ball, but the orientation of the sensors relative to the vehicle will remain the same.

Navigation system with swivel sensor mount

A navigation system includes an operator interface module (OIM) including a display and keypad. A computer module (computer module) includes a CPU, map database and the motion and position sensors. A docking station is fixedly mounted in each of a plurality of vehicles. The docking station includes an electrical connector connected to the vehicle power supply and an electrical connector connected to a GPS antenna and an electrical connector connected to a display extension harness. The computer module and OIM are transportable among each of the vehicles. The computer module slides into the docking station and simultaneously makes electrical contact with the vehicle power supply, GPS antenna and display extension harness. The OIM is connected to the display extension harness, thereby connecting the OIM to the computer module. The OIM and computer module are thus transportable among multiple vehicles having the appropriate docking station.

Portable vehicle navigation system

An off-board navigation system includes a remote unit and a supply location. In operation, a navigation system user requests a desired route to a destination. Capability information relating to the user's CPU and storage device capacities are also preferably provided to the supply location. Using the extensive database available at the supply location, the supply location calculates a recommended route to the desired destination in relation to the desired POIs. If the estimated size of the requested route meets the capabilities of the remote unit the supply location creates a filter using the requested parameters and applied to the extensive database at the supply location. In one embodiment, the filtered map area includes a width vector W defined substantially perpendicular to the recommended route R. In another embodiment, the filtered map area is defined in relation to a plurality of nodes N along the recommended route R. A perimeter P is defined around each node N along the recommended route R. Moreover, the type of road can be adjusted to meet the capability information relating to the user's CPU and storage device.

Off-board navigation system with personalized navigation database

A vehicle navigation system includes a vehicle displacement sensor comprising a wireless transmitter generating a signal indicating rotational displacement of a vehicle component. A complementary wireless transmitter receives the signal from the transmitter. A computer calculates vehicle speed or displacement based upon the rotational speed or displacement of the vehicle component. In a preferred embodiment, the transmitter is secured to a wheel of the vehicle and generates an RF signal upon each revolution of the wheel.

Vehicle speed sensor for navigation system

A navigation system switches to a different operational mode based upon a figure of merit determination of the current position solution by the navigation system relative to the map database. If the vehicle navigation system is guiding a driver along a recommended route, and the figure of merit drops below a first predetermined threshold, the navigation system disables an automatic route recalculation routine. If the figure of merit drops below a second predetermined threshold while the vehicle is in route guidance mode, the navigation system displays a textual display of the turn-by-turn instructions along the recommended route to the destination. If the vehicle navigation system is not in a route guidance mode and the figure of merit drops below a third predetermined threshold, the navigation system displays a map of the area surrounding the last current position solution, without displaying the current position of the vehicle.

Navigation system with figure of merit determination

A navigation system provides multimedia annotations based upon the present location of the vehicle. These presentations may comprise advertising or text or other information entered by the user and associated with a specific location or locations. The navigation system also provides a removable media reader which obtains additional information based upon which the navigation system operates. This additional information may include multimedia annotations which are location-based. The navigation system further includes a wireless communication system which interacts with and provides further location-based multimedia annotations.

Vehicle navigation system with location-based multi-media annotation

The improved vehicle navigation system uses a multiple, orthogonal axes accelerometer, such as two or three accelerometers which are mounted orthogonal to one another. The two axes whose acceleration are to be measured are the longitudinal (nose to rear bumper) axis and lateral (left to right side) axis. The tangential or longitudinal axis acceleration is integrated once to obtain longitudinal speed and is integrated again to produce a vehicle displacement. The lateral accelerometer measures the centripetal force that the vehicle is encountering which is used to compute a centripetal or lateral acceleration. The lateral acceleration is used to obtain a heading change derived from the lateral acceleration information and the longitudinal speed. Using the heading change and the longitudinal acceleration, the improved vehicle navigation system propagates a previous position to a current position. This is accomplished without the need for connection to the vehicle speed sensor and the heading sensor. If a third axis acceleration measurement sensor is used the improved vehicle navigation system can operate completely independent of vehicle sensors, further increasing flexibility in mounting. The third accelerometer provides pitch to assist in calibrating the other accelerometers or other sensors and in altering the longitudinal and/or lateral acceleration information by, for example, detecting a banked turn.

Vehicle navigation system and method using multiple axes accelerometer

A navigation system includes a driver presence sensor and engine running detection circuitry. When the detection circuitry determines that the engine of the vehicle is not running, the navigation system enters a low power mode. When the presence of the driver is detected, the navigation system begins power up, switching from a low power to a full power operational mode. If the detection circuitry does not determine that the engine is running within a predetermined time period, the navigation system reenters the low power mode. The detection circuitry monitors the vehicle's electrical system and determines that the engine is running when an AC content exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Vehicle navigation system with improved powerup performance

The improved vehicle navigation system and method uses information from a Global Positioning System (GPS) to obtain velocity vectors, which include speed and heading components, for propagating or 'dead reckoning' the vehicle position from a previous position to a current position. The improved vehicle navigation system has a GPS receiver which provides the GPS velocity information which is calculated from a full set of GPS delta range measurements. GPS position data alone is not accurate enough for certain applications, such as turn-by-turn route guidance in automobile applications, because its error may be 100 m and there is considerable position drift, even when stationary. GPS velocities are much more accurate than the position data, 1 m/s or thereabouts, and can be used to propagate a known position forward and be more accurate over time than the GPS position solution. These velocities are instantaneous and not those computed from differencing two positions. The current position is calculated by adding displacements obtained from the GPS velocities to the previous position.

Zero motion detection system for improved vehicle navigation system

The improved vehicle navigation system and method uses information from a Global Positioning System (GPS) to obtain velocity vectors, which include speed and heading components, for 'dead reckoning' the vehicle position from a previous position. If information from the GPS is not available, then the improved vehicle navigation system uses information from an orthogonal axes accelerometer, such as two or three orthogonally positioned accelerometers, to propagate vehicle position. Because the GPS information should almost always be available, the improved vehicle navigation system relies less on its accelerometers, thereby allowing the use of less expensive accelerometers. The improved vehicle navigation system retains the accuracy of the accelerometers by repeatedly calibrating them with the velocity data obtained from the GPS information. The improved vehicle navigation system calibrates the sensors whenever GPS data is available (for example, once a second at relatively high speeds). Furthermore, the improved vehicle navigation system does not need to rely on map matching to calibrate sensors. System flexibility is improved because map matching is oblivious to the hardware, and the system hardware can be updated without affecting map matching or a change in the map database.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Orion, MI, United States of America

Larry E Spencer