Nissan Motor Company Limited

Masanori Mizote

Kiyoshi Yamaki

Hiroyuki Nomura

Takashi Oka

Hideoki Matsuoka

Takaaki Mogi

Teruo Kawasaki

Kazuyuki Mori

Hidetaka Suzuki

Hitoshi Takeda

Akitoshi Mimura

Yoshiro Morimoto

Hideo Hamada

Keizaburo Usui

Yasuyuki Uekusa

Tomio Itou

An air-conditioning method and system for an automotive vehicle for controlling passenger compartment air temperature under comfortable air control conditions, that is, under comfortable outlet duct air volume and temperature according to the perception of individual passengers, once the control conditions are adjusted by the passenger. The air-conditioning system according to the present invention comprises, in addition to a microcomputer, a temperature sensor, a temperature preset device, and the like, a blower-fan motor speed selector manually operated by the passenger, a non-volatile memory unit for storing the manually-adjusted blower-fan motor speeds classified on the basis of difference between detected air temperature and preset air temperature, vehicle travelling conditions, and the time elapsed since the system was turned on. In the first five minutes of operation the system can memorize a desired sequence of blower speeds selected by the occupant as well as the temperature difference between the compartment and outdoors and the vehicle speed. This information is stored in nonvolatile memory so that when the system is subsequently restarted, and the same environmental conditions exist, the desired blower speeds are implemented. The system also has an automatic mode in which blower speeds are selected from a pre-programmed table.

Air-conditioning method and system for an automotive vehicle with

A reference check bit pattern is stored in a nonvolatile storage medium of a vehicle-mounted microcomputer. A portion of a volatile storage medium is allocated for the purpose of storing the reference check bits. The microcomputer is programmed to compare the check bits stored in both the volatile and nonvolatile storage mediums. In response to a command signal, a mismatch is detected between the reference check bits of the volatile and nonvolatile mediums to indicate that data stored in the volatile memory have failed due to a power outage. The failed check data of the volatile memory is rewritten with the reference check data in the nonvolatile memory for later comparison. At the same time all data stored in the remaining portion of the volatile memory is erased so the remaining portion can accept a set of fresh input data. When a match occurs the computer proceeds with the normal computing functions.

Method of and apparatus for ensuring correct operation of a

A navigation instrument comprises a first counter for counting travelling distance from a start point, a second counter for counting travelling time from starting, a means for setting a scheduled average vehicle speed, an arithmetic means for calculating average vehicle speed, the deviation of travelling distance from the scheduled distance and the deviation of travelling time from the scheduled time, and a display means for displaying the result of calculation. The first counter is capable of subtractively counting travelling distance in response to switching operation of a switching means which is incorporated to the first counter. The first counter is also incorporated with a means for stopping navigating operation which is operative when the first counter counts down the travelling distance until a given value.

Navigation instrument

A navigation instrument for use with a roadway vehicle comprises an arithmetic means producing three data signals showing the average speed of the vehicle, the deviation of the travelling distance from a scheduled one, and the deviation of the travelling time from a scheduled one, and a display means for displaying the three data sequentially fed from the arithmetic means through a signal selector means. The arithmetic means includes travelling distance/time deviation accumulating means for adding the deviation of the travelling distance/time with respect to the average speed initially set to the deviations of the travelling distance/time whenever the average speed is altered. Thus, the navigation instrument of the present invention makes it possible to calculate and display the travelling distance/time deviation accumulated value when the average speed of the vehicle is altered on the way of vehicle travelling.

A gear shift control system for an automatic transmission comprises an air flow sensor for sensing the quantity of air taken into an internal combustion engine and supplying a corresponding electrical signal to a differentiator which provides a derivative of the sensed intake air quantity. A vehicle speed sensor senses the speed of rotation of the engine crankshaft to generate a corresponding signal. A gear shift decision circuit is receptive of signals from the air flow sensor and vehicle speed sensor to define a gear shift control line on a two-dimensional coordinate system as a function of the received input signals on respective coordinate axes. The derivative of the sensed air quantity is used to shift the gear shift control line to a higher speed side of the coordinate system to permit the transmission to effect downshift operation.

Gearshift control system for automatic transmissions using air flow

A fuel consumption measuring apparatus for an internal combustion engine equipped with an electromagnetic fuel injection valve, comprising a fuel injection control means which calculates a proper value of fuel to be injected into the engine, and which then corrects this value in accordance with the characteristics of the electromagnetic fuel injection valve and controls the valve thereby, and a totalling means, which, in synchronization with the signals for controlling the valve, totals the values of the amount of fuel to be injected. In an embodiment, the totalling means is capable of subtracting a first predetermined value from the total held therein, and the apparatus further comprises a decision means which at regular time intervals judges whether the totalled value in the totalling means is greater than a second predetermined value or not; and, if it is, outputs an output pulse signal and also controls the totalling means to cause it to perform the subtraction.

Fuel consumption measuring apparatus

A navigation information announcing system for a motor vehicle comprises a tape player, circuitry for measuring the distance actually travelled by the vehicle, circuitry for reproducing distance information pre-recorded on a magnetic tape, and a comparator. A distance indicated by a reproduced datum from a magnetic tape is compared with the distance actually travelled so that the tape player performs a pause operation until the two distances equal each other. When these distances equal each other, the normal playback operation is reestablished so as to reproduce oral information pre-recorded on the magnetic tape, supplying the vehicle driver with directional information.

Navigational information announcing system for motor vehicle

An apparatus for adjusting the position and/or angle of each movable equipment of a motor vehicle comprises sensors to produce electrical signals indicative of the position and/or angle of each movable equipment, memory circuit including a plurality of memory units for respectively storing sensed information indicative of the optimal positions and/or angles of the equipment for each driver, comparators responsive to the sensed information and the stored information, and driving circuitry responsive to output signals of the comparators to adjust the positions and/or angles of the equipment. When the drivers are changed, the sensed information is compared with the stored information and then the position and/or angle of each equipment is adjusted until the sensed information equals the stored information to provide the driver with the optimal position and/or angle.

Apparatus for adjusting the position and/or angle of each movable

An electronic trip meter for an automotive vehicle comprises an up-down counter, a memory circuit, an adder-subtractor, a display circuit, and other auxiliary circuits. The up-down counter produces a signal indicative of a remaining distance to a goal by subtracting an actually travelled distance from a preset distance between two points for displaying the remaining distance by the display circuit. When the vehicle reaches the goal, the adder-subtractor produces a signal indicative of the actually travelled distance in accordance with the output signals of the up-down counter and the memory circuit in which the preset distance is stored. The adder-subtractor output signal is then fed to the up-down counter for displaying the actual distance between the two points and to the memory circuit for correcting the preset distance whereby a remaining distance to the starting point in a return trip is easily and accurately obtained. The trip meter may be also utilized for a trip beyond the goal.

Electronic trip meter for an automotive vehicle

First electrical pulses are generated in response to the quantity of air inducted per unit time and second electrical pulses are generated in response to the speed of revolution of an engine crankshaft. A counter is provided which counts the number of second electrical pulses for an interval between successive ones of the first electrical pulses. The counted number of second electrical pulses is fed into a computer where the signal is processed to derive a signal representative of the reciprocal of the counted number.

Method and apparatus for measuring air quantity in relation to engine

An electronic trip meter for a motor vehicle comprises an up-down counter, a memory circuit, display circuit, and other auxiliary circuits. The up-down counter produces an output signal indicative of a distance travelled by the vehicle by counting a number of pulses generated each time the vehicle travels a predetermined distance or a distance remaining to an objective point of a predetermined course by subtracting the travelled distance from a preset distance. The counting up and down functions of the up-down counter is manually controlled for compensating for a travelled distance along a wrong course. The output of the up-down counter is fed to the display circuit for displaying a distance indicated by the output signal thereof. A plurality of distances of legs of a predetermined course may be stored in the memory circuit so that each distance is fed to the up-down counter as the predetermined distance.

Electronic trip meter for a motor vehicle

An electronic trip meter with a correction circuit for an automotive vehicle comprises a counter for producing an ouput signal indicative of a measured distance, an error detector for deriving an error factor of the measured distance with respect to a reference distance, a correction circuit for correcting the measured distance by the error factor, and a display circuit for displaying the corrected distance.

Electronic trip meter with a correction circuit for an automotive vehicle

An electronic trip meter with an alarm for an automotive vehicle comprises a travelled distance sensing circuit, a memory circuit, a modification circuit, comparators, an alarm, first and second counters, a subtractor, a display circuit, and other auxiliary circuits. A plurality of sub distances defined by guide points along a course and a total distance of the course are respectively preset in the memory circuit and the second counter. The second counter output signal indicates a distance remaining to the goal of the course for displaying the remaining distance. The modification circuit output signal indicates a distance shorter than a sub distance while the first counter output signal indicates a distance actually travelled. When the vehicle travells over the distance shorter than the sub distance, the alarm is energized, by means of a comparison of the distances for informing the driver that a next guide point is near. Simultaneously, a distance remaining to the next guide point is displayed for a predetermined period of time.

Electronic trip meter with an alarm for an automotive vehicle

A navigational information indicator for supplying a vehicle driver with make-turn instructions comprises a first memory for storing each information indicative of each distance travelled by the vehicle as far as a point at which a turn is made, a second memory for storing each information indicative of the direction of each turn, and a display circuit for displaying a directional sign. When the vehicle travels from a first point toward a second point, the distances and directions of turns are respectively stored in the first and second memories in a sequence and these pieces of information are read out in the reverse sequence when the vehicle travels back to the first point from the second point along the same route. The stored information is read out to display each directional sign so as to supply the vehicle driver with make-turn instructions along the return trip.

Navigational information indicator for supplying a vehicle driver with

A speed alarm system for a motor vehicle comprises a speed sensor, a plurality of comparators responsive to the vehicle speed and respective preset reference speeds, and a plurality of lamps responsive to the output signals of the comparators. The threshold values which are defined by said reference speeds, are stepwisely arranged to change the number of the lamps energized. The number of energized lamps varies in accordance with the difference between the vehicle speed and a reference speed.

Growing community of inventors

Yokosuka, Japan

Masanori Mizote