Magnetic azimuth sensor compensation apparatus for vehicle navigation system and method thereof

• US 5,485,385 A
• Filed: 04/05/1995
• Issued: 01/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Mitsugi, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US08/417,277
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 364/449, 364/444, 364/454, 364/450, 364/443, 364/571.02, 364/457, 364/571.05, 364/460, 340/995, 340/988, 340/990, 340/870.32, 73/178 R, 318/587, 342/451, 342/452, 342/457, 342/357
• US Class Current: 701/214
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A motor vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus comprising an input section adapted for inputting data based on GPS positioning, an azimuth sensor and distance sensor adapted for establishing independent navigation signal input sections for inputting data relating to a present position of motor vehicle and an azimuth thereof based on self-determining type navigation. The motor vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus further includes a control unit for determining the present position of the motor vehicle based on the obtained data through the input sections as described above, whereby error correction for the azimuth sensor is implemented by feeding back an output signal the control unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus comprising:

a magnetic azimuth sensor for establishing first azimuth data by detecting magnetic field of the earth;

a distance sensor establishing distance data indicative of a moving distance of a vehicle;

means for calculating first position data indicative of a calculated present position of said vehicle by using said magnetic azimuth sensor and said distance sensor;

means for calculating biased center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor based on said first position data;

a global positioning system establishing second position data indicative of an actual present position of said vehicle;

means for calculating second azimuth data indicating an azimuth of said vehicle by using said biased center data and said second position data established by said global positioning system;

means for comparing said first position data and said second position data; and

means for establishing compensation data for compensating said biased center data based on said second azimuth data and said first position data to obtain new center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor when said first position data and said second position data are not substantially equal.

2. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said compensation data is fed back to said magnetic azimuth sensor via a digital/analog converter.

3. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 1, further including memory for storing geographical data.

4. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 1, further including display means for displaying the calculated present position of said motor vehicle and surrounding data.

5. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 4, wherein said display means includes a liquid crystal display unit.

6. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 1, wherein said compensation data is represented by a circle of radius R, centered about a point (Xb, Yb) indicative of said calculated present position as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(Xb-CxB'"'"').sup.2 +(Yb-CyB'"'"').sup.2 =R.sup.2

where

CxB'"'"'=RcosK+x B,

CyB'"'"'=RsinK+Yb, and

K=a Constant.

7. A method of compensating a navigation system having a magnetic azimuth sensor for detecting magnetic field of the earth and a global positioning system, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing first azimuth data by said magnetic azimuth sensor;

(b) establishing distance data indicative of a moving distance of a vehicle;

(c) calculating first position data indicative of a calculated present position of said vehicle by using said first azimuth data and said distance data;

(d) calculating biased center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor based on said first position data;

(e) establishing second position data indicative of an actual present position of said vehicle by said global positioning system;

(f) calculating second azimuth data indicating an azimuth of said vehicle by using said biased center data and said second position data established by said step (e);

(g) comparing said first position data and said second position data; and

(h) establishing compensation data for compensating said biased center data based on said second azimuth data and said first position data to obtain new center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor when said first position data and said second position data are not substantially equal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said compensation data is fed back via a digital/analog converter.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of:

displaying said calculated present position of the vehicle and surrounding geographical data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said calculated present position of the vehicle and surrounding geographical data is displayed on a liquid crystal display unit.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein said compensation data is represented by a circle of radius R, centered about a point (Xb, Yb) indicative of said calculated present position as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(Xb-CxB'"'"').sup.2 +(Yb-CyB'"'"').sup.2 =R.sup.2

where

CxB'"'"'=RcosK+x B,

CyB'"'"'=RsinK+Yb, and

K=a Constant.

12. A vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus comprising:

a magnetic azimuth sensor for establishing azimuth data by detecting earth'"'"'s magnetism;

a distance sensor for establishing distance data indicative of a moving distance of a vehicle;

means for calculating first position data indicative of a calculated present position of said vehicle by using said magnetic azimuth sensor and said distance sensor;

means for calculating biased center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor based on said first position data;

a global positioning system establishing second position data indicative of an actual present position of said vehicle;

means for determining whether the second position data established by said global positioning system is within a predetermined range of said biased center data;

means for calculating second azimuth data indicating an azimuth of the vehicle from said second position data and said biased center data when said first position data is within a predetermined range;

means for comparing said second azimuth data with said first position data;

means for outputting said first position data when said second position data and said first position data are substantially equal;

correcting means for correcting a magnetization error introduced in said first position data caused in a magnetic environment by calculating new center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor from said first position data and said second azimuth data; and

means for outputting said new center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor if the new center data is within a dynamic range of said magnetic azimuth sensor, and applying a correcting voltage to said new center data if the new center data is outside said dynamic range of said magnetic azimuth sensor so that the new center data is kept within said dynamic range.

13. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the new center data is fed back to said magnetic azimuth sensor via a digital/analog converter.

14. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 12, further including memory means for storing geographical data.

15. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 12, further including display means for displaying a present position of a motor vehicle including said sensor means and surrounding data.

16. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 15, wherein said display means includes a liquid crystal display unit.

17. The vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the new center data is represented by a circle of radius R, centered about point (Xb, Yb) as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(Xb-CxB'"'"').sup.2 +(Yb-CyB'"'"').sup.2 =R.sup.2

where

CxB'"'"'=RcosK+x B,

CyB'"'"'=RsinK+Yb, and

K=a Constant.

18. A method of compensating a navigation system having a magnetic azimuth sensor for detecting magnetic field of the earth and a global position system, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing magnetic azimuth data by said magnetic azimuth sensor;

(b) establishing distance data indicative of a moving distance of a vehicle;

(c) calculating first position data indicative of a calculated present position of said vehicle by using said magnetic azimuth data and said distance data;

(d) calculating biased center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor based on said first position data;

(e) establishing second position data indicative of an actual present position of said vehicle by said global positioning sensor;

(f) determining whether the second position data established by said step (e) is within a predetermined range of said biased center data;

(g) calculating said second azimuth data indicating an azimuth of the vehicle from said second position data and said biased center data when said first position data is within a predetermined range;

(h) comparing said second azimuth data with said first position data;

(i) outputting said first position data when said second position data and said first position data are substantially equal;

(j) correcting a magnetization error introduced in said first position data caused in a magnetic environment by calculating new center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor from said first position data, and said second azimuth data; and

(k) outputting said new center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor if the new center data is within a dynamic range of said magnetic azimuth sensor, and applying a correcting voltage to said new center data if the new center data is outside said dynamic range of said magnetic azimuth sensor so that the new center data is kept within said dynamic range.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the new center data is fed back via a digital/analog converter.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

f) displaying a calculated present position of the vehicle being navigated and surrounding geographical data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the calculated present position of the vehicle and surrounding geographical data is displayed on a liquid crystal display unit.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the new center data is represented by a circle of radius R, centered about point (Xb, Yb) as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(Xb-CxB'"'"').sup.2 +(Yb-CyB'"'"').sup.2 =R.sup.2

where

CxB'"'"'=RcosK+x B,

CyB'"'"'=RsinK+Yb, and

K=a Constant.

23. A vehicle-mounted navigation apparatus comprising:

a magnetic azimuth sensor for establishing first azimuth data by detecting magnetic field of the earth;

distance sensor for establishing distance data indicative of a moving distance of a vehicle;

means for calculating first position data indicative of a calculated present position of said vehicle by using said magnetic azimuth sensor and said distance sensor;

means for calculating biased center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor based on said first position data;

a global positioning system establishing second position data indicative of an actual present position of said vehicle;

means for calculating second azimuth data indicating an azimuth of said vehicle by using said biased center data and said second position data established by said global positioning system;

means for comparing said first position data and said second position data;

means for establishing compensation data for compensation said biased center data based on said second azimuth data and said first position data when said first position data and said second position data are not substantially equal; and

means for providing said compensation data to said magnetic azimuth sensor to compensate said first azimuth data of said magnetic azimuth sensor.

24. A method of compensating a navigation system having a magnetic azimuth sensor for detecting magnetic field of the earth and a global positioning system, comprising the steps of;

(a) establishing first azimuth data by said magnetic azimuth sensor;

(b) establishing distance data indicative of a moving distance of a vehicle;

(c) calculating first position data indicative of a calculated present position of said vehicle by using said first azimuth data and said distance data;

(d) calculating biased center data of said magnetic azimuth sensor based on said first position data;

(e) establishing second position data indicative of an actual present position of said vehicle by said global positioning system

(f) calculating second azimuth data indicating an azimuth of said vehicle by using said biased center data and said second position data established by said step (c);

(g) comparing said first position data and said second position data;

(h) establishing compensation data for compensating said biased center data based on said second azimuth data and said first position data when said first position data and said second position data are not substantially equal; and

(i) providing said compensation data to said magnetic azimuth sensor to compensate an output signal of said magnetic azimuth sensor.