Nissan Motor Company Limited

Niles Parts Company, Ltd.

Toshiyuki Itoh

Hiroshi Ueno

Hiroshi Tsuda

Okihiko Nakayama

Masakazu Tsunoda

Katsuhiko Mizushima

Seiichi Tohjyo

Yasushi Kawakami

Kiyomichi Yamada

Kenji Takano

Makoto Iwabuchi

Kouichi Ide

Shuei Tamura

Katuhiko Mizushima

Satoshi Araki

A system for measuring a traveling direction of a vehicle includes a geomagnetic sensor and a gyro sensor. The system utilizes first and second indicies for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The first index is indicative of disturbance of a geomagnetic field on a short interval basis, and the second index is indicative of disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a long interval basis. The system further utilizes a correction value indicative of a drift error caused by the gyro sensor for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The system varies a rate of dependence upon an output of the geomagnetic sensor and an output of the gyro sensor based on the first and second indicies and the correction value when calculating the vehicle traveling direction.

Vehicular traveling direction measuring system

A navigation system for an automotive vehicle includes a map data storage unit. The storage unit stores first known target points and adjoining target points preselected for each of the first target points from the first target points. The storage unit further stores a first data group associated with each of the first target points. Each of the first data groups includes a second data group corresponding to each of the adjoining target points of the corresponding first target point. Each of the second data groups includes an abstract configuration of the corresponding first target point and a travel information required at the corresponding first target point for going to the corresponding adjoining target point. The system selects second target points from the first target points to define a vehicle travel route. The system further selects one of the second data groups based on third and fourth target points selected from the second target points. The third target point is a next forward target point for the vehicle and the fourth target point is one of the adjoining target points of the third target point and positioned forward of the third target point. The third target point is used as the target point and the fourth target point is used as the adjoining target point for identifying the one of the second data groups. The system displays the corresponding travel information along with the abstract configuration of the third target point before the vehicle reaches the third target point.

Navigation system for automotive vehicle

A system for measuring a traveling direction of a vehicle includes a geomagnetic sensor and a gyro sensor. The system utilizes first and second indices for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The first index is indicative of a disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a short distance basis, and the second index is indicative of a disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a long distance basis. The system varies a rate of dependence upon the geomagnetic sensor and the gyro sensor based on values of the first and second indices when calculating the vehicle traveling direction.

A system measures a traveling direction of a vehicle based on a direction toward a coordinate position defined by outputs of a geomagnetic sensor from a first coordinate position of a center of a corresponding output circle. The system utilizes a preliminary coordinate position as a preliminarily corrected value of the first coordinate position, a first value indicative of accuracy of the preliminary coordinate position and a second value which is variable depending on a variation in a magnetization level on a vehicle body. The system derives a finally corrected value of the first coordinate position based on the preliminary coordinate position and a latest value of the finally corrected value which has been derived in a prior execution of the system, by changing a rate which determines a point of the current finally corrected value between the latest finally corrected value and the preliminary coordinate position.

A system and method for measuring a position of a moving object such as a vehicle using a hybrid-type navigation apparatus. In the system and method, at least two measurement results of an electromagnetic wave position measuring apparatus (such as a GPS position measuring apparatus) are evaluated to determine whether they are reliable with respect to the those derived by an integration calculation position measuring apparatus incorporated in the system together with the electromagnetic wave position measuring apparatus on the basis of the corresponding measurement results by means of the integration calculation position measuring apparatus. When they are determined to be highly reliable, a measurement result of the electromagnetic wave position measuring apparatus subsequent to those evaluated is set to a reference position on the basis of which the integration calculation position measuring apparatus measures the position of the moving object. Consequently, a highly reliable measurement of the position of the moving object can always be achieved.

System and method for measuring a position of a moving object with a

A navigation system has a map memory storing map data. The road map stored in the map memory is divided into a plurality of pages further subdivided into continuous blocks. The map memory also stores identification data for the blocks and index data for various points within the map blocks. The index data includes position data for a plurality of known points. The navigation system also includes an input unit for entry of the identification data for a map memory block and/or the index data for known points, and a display unit for displaying a map block on a display monitor. A processor of the navigation system accepts entry of the index data for a travel starting point and a destination through the input unit. Based on the entered data, the processor searches for the map blocks containing the designated known points. The processor progressively expands the search area along a vector between the travel starting point and the destination. The process finds the known point closest to the travel starting point and the other known point closest to the destination along the vector and stores these as the navigation start point and the navigation end point.

Navigation system for automotive vehicle with automatic navigation start

A navigation system and method for guiding a vehicle along a selected route of travel to a destination from a starting point using a display unit. In the navigation system, a positional relationship between a start road branched from a first known branching point (a start intersection from which a guidance of the vehicle along the selected route of travel is initiated) and entrance direction of the vehicle toward the first known branching point is clearly and distinguishably displayed on the screen of the display unit after the selection of the route of travel from the starting point to the destination so that the vehicle can corectly enter the start road at the first known branching point even if it has reached the first known branching point via any arbitrary route of travel from the starting point.

System and method for navigating a vehicle

A navigation system comprises a vehicle position sensor for monitoring and updating vehicle position, a travel distance sensor monitoring vehicle travel distance, a memory means for storing position data of update points, distances between successive update points, and preset direction of travel of the vehicle at update points, an update zone setting means, responsive to a signal from the vehicle position sensor indicating that the vehicle has reached an update point to within a given range depending upon the distance between the last two update points, for comparing travel distance measured by the travel distance sensor and the distance between said two update points to derive the difference therebetween, and setting an update zone around the next update point based on the derived difference, and a detector means responsive to said signal from the vehicle position sensor for monitoring the direction of travel of the vehicle within the update zone and recognizing that the vehicle is at the update point when the vehicle direction of travel matches the preset direction at the corresponding update point.

Navigation system for automotive vehicle including feature of updating

A navigation system and method for guiding a vehicle along a selected route of travel to a destination from a start point using a display unit. In the navigation system, a registered intersection nearest to the present position of the vehicle, present on the set route of travel and registered in a roadmap data, is used as the first intersection on the route of travel through which the vehicle is to pass. The vehicle can be guided toward the first intersection and if the driver manually triggers the system upon reaching the first intersection, the guidance process for the selected route can begin. Otherwise, the system again checks to see which of the registered intersections is closest to the vehicle, and the above process is repeated.

Navigation system for a vehicle and method therefor

A navigation system for a vehicle generates a guide display in the form of a diagrammatic roadmap during travel on surfaces roads and in the form of a textual road-name display exclusively during travel on freeways. In addition, the navigation system has a manual reset switch which triggers the change of the display image back to the diagrammatic roadmap after freeway travel and replacement of a deduced vehicle position with the known position of a road feature at which a driver is prompted to push the reset switch.

Navigation system for a vehicle

A display board type switching device used for a vehicle or the like, in which pressure sensitive conducting rubber member (7) is integrally molded in a sheet (6) to form a substantially flat plate to rigidly fix the position of the pressure sensitive rubber member. A method for forming such sheet is also described.

Display board type switching device

A switching device comprises a flexible film of insulative material on which is printed a pictorial diagram or the like illustrating a plurality of controlled devices. A plurality of first conductive elements is arranged on a plane in contact with the illustration film and a plurality of second conductive elements is arranged on a second plane spaced from the first plane. In response to a pressure manually applied to the illustration film at a point corresponding to a desired controlled device, the first and second elements of the corresponding pair are brought into electrical contact to complete a circuit through a pair of terminals. Preferably, between each pair of corresponding first and second conductive elements is disposed an elastic element having resistance which varies from a non-conductive value to a conductive value in response to a pressure applied thereto.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Toshiyuki Itoh