Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Navigation – Employing position determining equipment
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-30
2001-10-23
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Navigation
Employing position determining equipment
C701S213000, C701S214000, C701S216000, C701S221000, C701S200000, C340S457100, C340S995190, C340S990000, C343S823000, C343S823000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06308134
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to vehicle navigation systems using accelerometers. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved vehicle navigation system and method using multiple accelerometers mounted orthogonally to each other or an orthogonal axes accelerometer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Accelerometers have been used in airborne navigation systems in the past, but only in conjunction with gyros. The current route guidance and navigation systems that exist for automobiles today use the vehicle speed signal, rate gyro and a reverse gear hookup to “dead reckon” the vehicle position from a previously known position. This method of dead reckoning, however, is susceptible to sensor error, and therefore requires more expensive sensors for accuracy and dependability.
The systems that use odometers, gyros and reverse gear hookups also lack portability due to the required connections to odometers and the frailty of gyros. Moreover, these systems are hard to install in different cars due to differing odometer configurations which can have different connections and pulse counts in the transmission. Odometer data also varies with temp, load weight, tire pressure, speed. Alternative connections to cruise control or ABS sensors bring up safety concerns. This reduces the installation flexibility, increases installation costs and reduces the portability of the vehicle navigation system. Accordingly, there is a need for a vehicle navigation system with more freedom of installation which is portable and accurately determines vehicle position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The improved vehicle navigation system is smaller, more cost effective, potentially portable and allows for more freedom of installation. In certain embodiments, the zero motion detection system takes advantage of the recent availability of low cost micro-machined accelerometers.
The improved vehicle navigation system uses an orthogonal axes accelerometer, such as two or three accelerometers, which are mounted orthogonal to one another. The system can measure acceleration in 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.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3442140 (1969-05-01), Pelteson
patent: 3492465 (1970-01-01), Buscher et al.
patent: 3588478 (1971-06-01), Anthony
patent: 3597598 (1971-08-01), McAllister
patent: 3610900 (1971-10-01), Talwani
patent: 3702477 (1972-11-01), Brown
patent: 3749893 (1973-07-01), Hileman
patent: 3803387 (1974-04-01), Lackowski
patent: 3845289 (1974-10-01), French
patent: 3924824 (1975-12-01), Brodie et al.
patent: 3984806 (1976-10-01), Tyler
patent: 4032758 (1977-06-01), Lewis
patent: 4038527 (1977-07-01), Brodie et al.
patent: 4070674 (1978-01-01), Buell et al.
patent: 4086632 (1978-04-01), Lions
patent: 4107689 (1978-08-01), Jellinek
patent: 4135155 (1979-01-01), Kehl et al.
patent: 4173784 (1979-11-01), Health et al.
patent: 4253150 (1981-02-01), Scovill
patent: 4254465 (1981-03-01), Land
patent: 4262861 (1981-04-01), Goldstein
patent: 4301506 (1981-11-01), Turco
patent: 4312577 (1982-01-01), Fitzgerald
patent: 4351027 (1982-09-01), Gay et al.
patent: 4369441 (1983-01-01), Wohlmuth
patent: 4403291 (1983-09-01), Von Tomkewitsch
patent: 4483357 (1984-11-01), Evans et al.
patent: 4504913 (1985-03-01), Miura et al.
patent: 4513377 (1985-04-01), Hasebe et al.
patent: 4528552 (1985-07-01), Moriyama et al.
patent: 4543572 (1985-09-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 4546439 (1985-10-01), Gene Esparza
patent: 4571684 (1986-02-01), Tachi et al.
patent: 4608656 (1986-08-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 4646089 (1987-02-01), Takanabe et al.
patent: 4660037 (1987-04-01), Nakamura
patent: 4675676 (1987-06-01), Takanabe et al.
patent: 4692765 (1987-09-01), Politis et al.
patent: 4713767 (1987-12-01), Sato et al.
patent: 4758959 (1988-07-01), Thoone et al.
patent: 4796191 (1989-01-01), Honey et al.
patent: 4800501 (1989-01-01), Kinsky
patent: 4814989 (1989-03-01), Dobereiner et al.
patent: 4819175 (1989-04-01), Wuttke
patent: 4823626 (1989-04-01), Hartmann et al.
patent: 4847769 (1989-07-01), Reeve
patent: 4870588 (1989-09-01), Merhav
patent: 4890104 (1989-12-01), Takanabe et al.
patent: 4899285 (1990-02-01), Nakayama et al.
patent: 4930085 (1990-05-01), Kleinschmidt
patent: 4949268 (1990-08-01), Nishikawa et al.
patent: 4989151 (1991-01-01), Nuimura
patent: 5001647 (1991-03-01), Rapiejko et al.
patent: 5014205 (1991-05-01), Sindlinger et al.
patent: 5023798 (1991-06-01), Neukirchner et al.
patent: 5046011 (1991-09-01), Kakihara et al.
patent: 5058023 (1991-10-01), Kozikaro
patent: 5075693 (1991-12-01), McMillian et al.
patent: 5109344 (1992-04-01), Kakihara et al.
patent: 5111209 (1992-05-01), Toriyama
patent: 5119102 (1992-06-01), Barnard
patent: 5166882 (1992-11-01), Stambaugh
patent: 5172323 (1992-12-01), Schmidt
patent: 5185610 (1993-02-01), Ward et al.
patent: 5233844 (1993-08-01), Mansell et al.
patent: 5276451 (1994-01-01), Odagawa
patent: 5278424 (1994-01-01), Kagawa
patent: 5301114 (1994-04-01), Mitchell
patent: 5301130 (1994-04-01), Alcone et al.
patent: 5311195 (1994-05-01), Mathis et al.
patent: 5337243 (1994-08-01), Shibata et al.
patent: 5339684 (1994-08-01), Jircitano et al.
patent: 5355316 (1994-10-01), Knobbe
patent: 5367463 (1994-11-01), Tsuji
patent: 5383127 (1995-01-01), Shibata
patent: 5442560 (1995-08-01), Kau
patent: 5450345 (1995-09-01), Raymer et al.
patent: 5479161 (1995-12-01), Keyes et al.
patent: 5526263 (1996-06-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5531115 (1996-07-01), Erdley
patent: 5570304 (1996-10-01), Mark et al.
patent: 6029111 (2000-02-01), Croyle
patent: 6038495 (2000-03-01), Schiffmann
patent: 3242904 A1 (1982-11-01), None
patent: 3912108 (1989-04-01), None
patent: 0 059 435 (1982-09-01), None
patent: 0 061 564 1 (1982-10-01), None
patent: 0 069 965 (1983-01-01), None
patent: 0 103 847 (1984-03-01), None
patent: 0110 171 (1984-06-01), None
patent: 0 118 886 (1984-09-01), None
patent: 0 471 405 (1992-02-01), None
patent: 0 496 538 (1992-07-01), None
patent: 0 514 887 (1992-11-01), None
patent: 0 544 403 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 0 567 268 (1993-10-01), None
patent: 1 470 694 (1977-04-01), None
patent: 2 014 309 (1979-08-01), None
patent: 2144 007 (1985-02-01), None
patent: 2 115 946 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 59-28244 (1957-10-01), None
patent: 57-158875 (1982-09-01), None
patent: 58-27008 (1983-02-01), None
patent: 58-111969 (1983-07-01), None
patent: 58-113711 (1983-07-01), None
patent: 58-178213 (1983-10-01), None
patent: 60-135817 (1985-07-01), None
patent: WO 92/10824 (1992-06-01), None
Brochure: Fleet-Trak: Fleet Management System.
McLellan, et al., Applicaiton of GPs Positioning to Management of Mobile Operations, pp. 1-16; 1991.
Stanley K. Honey; A Novel Approach to Automotive Navigation and Map Display, pp. 40-43.
Siemens, Ali-Scout System;.
G. C. Larson; Evaluation of an AVM System Implemented City-Wide in St. Louis. pp. 378-383.
Brochure: NavTrax 1000 Fleet Management System.
Lezniak, et. al.; A Dead Reckoning
Croyle Steven R.
Sittaro Ernie R.
Spencer, II Larry E.
Carlson & Gaskey & Olds
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Magellan Dis, Inc.
To Tuan C
LandOfFree
Vehicle navigation system and method using multiple axes... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Vehicle navigation system and method using multiple axes..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Vehicle navigation system and method using multiple axes... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2551420