Apparatus for visually indicating the travel route of an automotive

Abstract

A travel route indicating apparatus for use in an automotive vehicle, wherein a current travel route of the automotive vehicle in terms of two-dimensional coordinates may be obtained arithmetically by means of signal processing on the basis of the outputs from a travel distance detecting unit adapted to detect a current travel distance of the vehicle, and from a bearing detecting unit adapted to detect a resultant azimuth taken by the vehicle after travelling to a current point of travel, so that the thus obtained locational data on the location of the vehicle varying from time to time may be stored in sequence, and so that the travel path of the vehicle may be continuously visually indicated, as the vehicle travels, on the screen of a display from the thus-obtained travel data leading to the resulting current location of the vehicle. The apparatus comprises, in operative combination, a power supply control circuit adapted to detect the opening status of an ignition key switch and then output a power conducting command for a predetermined period of time and a power supply circuit adapted to self-hold the power conducting status to the signal processing unit upon the receipt of the command when the ignition key switch is opened, while holding the thus-stored data in the signal processing unit for a predetermined period of time even after the ignition key switch is opened.