Navigation system of a vehicle

• US 5,760,713 A
• Filed: 03/03/1997
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Shoji, Miki, Nobuaki, Murase, Yoshitaka, Kusafuka, Muneo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US08/765,747
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 340/995, 340/988, 340/990, 340/905, 364/443, 364/444.1, 364/444.2, 364/449.3, 364/449.5, 701/200, 701/201, 701/202, 701/207, 701/208, 701/209, 701/211
• US Class Current: 340/995.19
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries

Abstract

To make it possible to search a route suitable to drive and provide guidance thereof in accordance with acceleration resistance of the vehicle, a load condition detection unit obtains reference acceleration on the basis of a throttle opening obtained by a throttle opening obtaining unit and torque of an engine obtainable from a rotational frequency of the engine detected by a first rotation sensor. The load condition detection unit compares the reference acceleration with real acceleration obtainable by differentiating a vehicle velocity obtainable by a vehicle velocity sensor to detect acceleration resistance of the vehicle. A main controller unit extracts an available road on the basis of the acceleration resistance of the vehicle and road data stored in a road data memory unit of a map data memory unit. The main controller unit searches a route by utilizing the available road thus extracted and provide guidance thereof.

Claims

1. A navigation system of a vehicle comprising:

input means for inputting information including a destination;

store means for storing road information necessary for searching a route and for guiding the route;

acceleration resistance detection means for detecting acceleration resistance of the vehicle;

route search means for extracting an available road on the basis of the acceleration resistance detected by the acceleration resistance detection means and the road information stored in the store means, and for searching a route to the destination input from the input means by utilizing the available road thus extracted; and

route guide means for providing route guidance according to the route searched by the route search means.

2. A navigation system of a vehicle set forth in claim 1, wherein the acceleration resistance detection means compares reference acceleration obtained from torque of an engine with real acceleration obtained from a velocity of the vehicle to detect the acceleration resistance of the vehicle.