Vehicle navigator for calculating distance based on mean acceleration

• US 5,986,583 A
• Filed: 05/09/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakano, Kenichi, Ikeda, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): SWARTHOUT, BRENT
• Application Number:
  US08/853,720
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 340/988, 340/990, 340/995, 701/200, 701/207, 701/208, 701/217, 701/300, 73/178 R, 73/490, 702/165
• US Class Current: 340/988
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 22/02 by conversion into electric waveforms and subsequent integration, e.g. using tachometer generator G01C22/002, G01C22/004, G01C22/006 take precedence

Abstract

In a vehicle navigator using an acceleration sensor for detecting a running distance, the precision of measuring the running distance is intended to be improved. Output data of the acceleration sensor during a predetermined time duration is stored in an output storage, and the average value or "mean acceleration" of output data is calculated by a mean acceleration calculator A running distance calculator calculates a difference between the acceleration measured with the acceleration sensor and the mean acceleration calculated by the mean acceleration calculator, and this difference is double integrated to obtain the running distance.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigator for calculating a running distance of a vehicle by measuring an acceleration of the vehicle, comprising

acceleration measuring means for measuring the acceleration of the vehicle;

storage means for storing a plurality of output data sets output from said acceleration measuring means;

mean acceleration calculation means for calculating a mean value of output data sets stored in said storage means; and

running distance calculation means for calculating a running distance of the vehicle on the basis of the acceleration measured by said acceleration measuring means and the mean acceleration calculated by said mean acceleration calculation means.

3. A vehicle navigator according to claim 1, wherein said running distance calculation means uses as a real acceleration of the vehicle a difference between the acceleration measured by said acceleration measuring means and the mean acceleration calculated by said mean acceleration calculation means.

5. A vehicle navigator according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores data output from said acceleration measuring means during a predetermined time duration.

7. A vehicle navigator according to claim 1, wherein said mean acceleration calculation means calculates the mean acceleration as an approximate value by adding the result of multiplying the previous mean acceleration by a predetermined value to the result of multiplying an output of said acceleration measuring means by a predetermined value.

9. A vehicle navigator according to claim 1 further comprising stop judging means for judging a stop state of the vehicle, wherein if said stop judging means judges that the vehicle is in the stop state, output data of said acceleration measuring means is inhibited to be stored in said storage means.

10. A vehicle navigator according to claim 9, wherein said stop judging means judges the stop state of the vehicle on the basis of a change of the output from said acceleration measuring means.

13. A vehicle navigator according to claim 1 further comprising acceleration/deceleration judging means for judging a state of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, wherein said mean acceleration calculation means calculates the mean acceleration by using data output from said acceleration measuring means obtained during a short time duration if said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges that the ratio of acceleration/deceleration is smaller than a predetermined value, and calculates the mean acceleration by using data output from said acceleration measuring means obtained during a long time duration if said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges that the ratio of acceleration/deceleration is larger than a predetermined value.

14. A vehicle navigator according to claim 13, wherein said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges the state of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle on the basis of a difference between maximum and minimum values of output data of said acceleration measuring means.

15. A vehicle navigator according to claim 13, wherein said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges the state of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle on the basis of a standard deviation value of output data of said acceleration measuring means.

2. A vehicle navigator for calculating a running distance and a position of a vehicle by measuring an acceleration of the vehicles comprising:

acceleration measuring means for measuring the acceleration of the vehicle;

storage means for storing a plurality of output data sets output from said acceleration measuring means;

mean acceleration calculation means for calculating a mean value of output data sets stored in said storage means;

running distance calculation means for calculating a running distance of the vehicle on the basis of the acceleration measured by said acceleration measuring means and the mean acceleration calculated by said mean acceleration calculation means;

angular velocity measuring means for measuring an angular velocity of the vehicle;

running azimuth calculation means for calculating a running azimuth of the vehicle on the basis of the angular velocity measured by said angular velocity measuring means; and

position calculation means for calculating a position of the vehicle on the basis of the calculation results by said running distance calculation means and said running azimuth calculation means.

4. A vehicle navigator according to claim 2, wherein said running distance calculation means uses as a real acceleration of the vehicle a difference between the acceleration measured by said acceleration measuring means and the mean acceleration calculated by said mean acceleration calculation means.

6. A vehicle navigator according to claim 2, wherein said storage means stores data output from said acceleration measuring means during a predetermined time duration.

8. A vehicle navigator according to claim 2, wherein said mean acceleration calculation means calculates the mean acceleration as an approximate value by adding the result of multiplying the previous mean acceleration by a predetermined value to the result of multiplying an output of said acceleration measuring means by a predetermined value.

11. A vehicle navigator according to claim 2 further comprising stop judging means for judging a stop state of the vehicle, wherein if said stop judging means judges that the vehicle is in the stop state, output data of said acceleration measuring means is inhibited to be stored in said storage means.

12. A vehicle navigator according to claim 11, wherein said stop judging means judges the stop state of the vehicle on the basis of a change of the output from one of said acceleration measuring means and said angular velocity measuring means.

16. A vehicle navigator according to claim 2 further comprising acceleration/deceleration judging means for judging a state of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle, wherein said mean acceleration calculation means calculates the mean acceleration by using data output from said acceleration measuring means obtained during a short time duration if said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges that the ratio of acceleration/deceleration is smaller than a predetermined value, and calculates the mean acceleration by using data output from said acceleration measuring means obtained during a long time duration if said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges that the ratio of acceleration/deceleration is larger than a predetermined value.

17. A vehicle navigator according to claim 16, wherein said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges the state of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle on the basis of a difference between maximum and minimum values of output data of said acceleration measuring means.

18. A vehicle navigator according to claim 16, wherein said acceleration/deceleration judging means judges the state of acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle on the basis of a standard deviation value of output data of said acceleration measuring means.