Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoji Ito

Kiyoshi Hara

Yozo Inoue

Masahiro Matsuyama

Yoshihiko Tsuzuki

Tadao Nojiri

Shinji Shirasaki

Hiroshi Okazaki

Takayoshi Nishikawa

Masanobu Kobayashi

Yasuhiro Iwata

Kiyoshi Usami

Kenji Kanemaru

Yuzi Hirabayashi

Kunio Miura

Kazuo Muramoto

Kenji Kanamaru

A vehicle navigator is disclosed, in which in response to a storage command signal generated by the turning on of a storage switch, the present position data of a vehicle corresponding to the present cursor position is stored in a memory. In response to a set command signal subsequently generated by the turning on of a set switch, the running track data between the latest position stored and the present cursor position is stored in the memory, so that the running track is additionally displayed on a road map display device.

Navigator for vehicles

A demand for a change in the operating condition of at least one of a plurality of vehicle mounted devices is issued by means of a single push button switch attached to the center of the steering wheel. When the vehicle occupant intends to manipulate a device such as a radio, stereo unit or an air conditioner, he depresses the switch to supply a microcomputer with a demand signal. The microcomputer produces an instruction signal with which a sound synthesizer produces sequential vocal announcements which are emitted via a speaker. The occupant depresses the switch again within a predetermined period of time after the emission of a vocal announcement naming a device intended to control so that the sound synthesizer now provides various manipulative information relating to the available manipulations of the selected device. The driver depresses the switch to issue responsive instructions in response to an announcement of desired manipulation. The microcomputer thus operates to produce necessary control signals which are fed to a corresponding control unit of the selected device. A sound recognizer may be used in place of or together with the switch to detect the demand and responsive instructions from the driver.

Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle mounted devices and

A plurality of engine operating parameters and useful information items are monitored by respective sensors. A control unit receives signals from the sensors to display the monitored items in a varible format on a single viewing screen in accordance with the conditions of the monitored items. Abnormal condition of the monitored items is detected by the control unit to enlarge the display format to give an warning indication. A pushbutton is provided for each of the monitored items to generate a display command signal in response to a manual command to provide a display of a desired item in an enlarged format.

Method and system for displaying vehicle operating parameters in a

A warning system for vehicles monitors malfunctions in various items of a vehicle which are to be detected, such as, the failure of the tail lamps, headlamps, etc., whereby when a malfunction is detected in any one of the items, a visual indication corresponding to the malfunction of the item is given inside the vehicle compartment and then the indicated malfunction is indicated by voice inside the vehicle compartment when it is determined that a predetermined time has expired from the time of beginning the visual indication. The magnitude of the voice is controlled by the ambient sound level detected in the vehicle compartment.

Warning method and system for vehicles

The temperature of the interior of a motor vehicle is controlled by an air conditioner in relation to a temperature setting which is variable in response to an action of a vehicle occupant. A voice synthesizer (17) is supplied with vocal information data supplied from a microcomputer (13) in response to the entry thereto of a temperature resetting command. The voice synthesizer generates a vocal announcement of a new temperature setting. Vocal announcements of successively varying temperature values are generated to allow the vehicle occupant to take a second action when a desired temperature value is announced.

Method and system for controlling the setting temperature of a vehicle

A method for air conditioning for vehicles comprising a step of detecting a temperature of a passenger compartment of a vehicle, an atmospheric temperature and a preset temperature in the initial period of air conditioning, a step of judging the results of comparisons between said temperatures and a step of switching between air conditioning by the circulation of inside air and air conditioning by the introduction of outside air.

Method and an apparatus for air conditioning for vehicles by controlling

A vehicle-mounted air conditioner includes a compressor which, when powered by the vehicle engine, supplies pressurized refrigerant to an evaporator to increase its cooling capacity, a heating unit located downstream of the evaporator and partially occupying the passage of air cooled and directed toward vehicle interior by the evaporator, and a mixing damper pivoted at a point upstream of the heating unit to adjust the amount of cool air presented thereto in relation to the air directed toward the vehicle interior. The compressor is coupled to the engine when the temperature in the vehicle interior indicates a demand for a temperature decrement, or decoupled from the engine when the interior temperature indicates a demand for a temperature increment. A control system detects when the compressor is switched from a first operating state to a second state and initiates a timing action to measure the elapse of time from the time of detection of the occurrence of the transient condition. A time-varying signal is generated when the measured amount of time reaches a predetermined value for controlling the mixing damper to gradually vary the amount of air presented to the heating unit in relation to the air directed to the vehicle interior.

Method and system for controlling a vehicle-mounted air conditioner

In control of the cooling ability of an automobile air conditioner, an electric control method comprises the steps of detecting a deviation between the actual in-car temperature and a desired value upon each lapse of a predetermined period of time, comparing the detected deviation with a predetermined value and maintaining the cooling ability of the air conditioner when the detected deviation is larger than the predetermined value, comparing the detected deviation with the preceding detected deviation when the detected deviation is smaller than or equal to the predetermined value and maintaining the cooling ability of the air conditioner when the detected deviation is larger than or equal to the preceding detected deviation, decreasing the cooling ability of the air conditioner when the detected deviation is smaller than the preceding detected deviation, and increasing the cooling ability of the air conditioner when the detected deviation is larger than each of the predetermined value and the preceding detected deviation, thereby to reduce unnecessary engine power torque losses caused by operation of the air conditioner.

Electric control method and apparatus for air conditioners

A system for indicating an abnormal condition of an automobile in which the condition of inspection items relating to the driving of the automobile is detected, and running speed of the automobile is detected. The system decides that the condition of an inspection item has reached a first abnormal level, and upon detection of the stoppage of the automobile after the time point of the decision, a voice cautioning the driver of the abnormal condition of the inspection item is automatically generated. Upon detection of the fact that a second abnormal level higher than the first abnormal level has been reached, a voice warning the driver of the abnormal condition of the inspection item is generated regardless of the driving condition of the automobile.

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Kariya, Japan

Yoji Ito