Vehicle navigation system

• US 7,299,128 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fukui, Kunihiko, Funayose, Yusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG H
• Application Number:
  US10/891,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 340/905, 340/995.13, 340988-989, 701/200, 701/117, 701/20, 455/507
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/40 Correcting position, velocity or attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/47 the supplementary measurement being an inertial measurement, e.g. tightly coupled inertial

Abstract

To provide a vehicle navigation system that can accurately display a position of a vehicle that has the navigation system mounted thereon and a target direction even when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at low speed. The vehicle navigation system includes a device that senses a traveling state of a vehicle, a device that judges whether or not the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed, and a device that smoothes GPS positioning data so that error components contained in the GPS positioning data are canceled out or compensated for when the vehicle is stopped or traveling at a low speed. The navigation system further includes a device that calculates the current position based on the smoothed GPS positioning data. The smoothing device outputs new positioning data, for example, based on current GPS positioning data and previous GPS positioning data.

Claims

1. A vehicle navigation system that executes a GPS positioning calculation based on radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites to obtain a current position based on positioning data, the vehicle navigation system comprising:

means for sensing a traveling speed of a vehicle;

means for judging whether the traveling speed of the vehicle is greater than, less than or equal to a reference speed, based on a result of the sensing;

means for averaging GPS positioning data when the traveling speed is judged to be less than or equal to the reference speed; and

means for calculating the current position based on the averaged GPS positioning data.

2. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the averaging means averages the positioning data based on current GPS positioning data and previous GPS positioning data.

3. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2, wherein the averaging means averages the positioning data by taking a weighted average of the current GPS positioning data and previous GPS positioning data so that priority is given to one of the previous positioning data and the current positioning data.

4. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, wherein when the means for judging judges that the traveling speed is greater than the reference speed, the means for calculating calculates the current position based on only current GPS positioning data.

5. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2, wherein when the means for judging judges that the traveling speed is greater than the reference speed, the means for calculating calculates the current position based on only the current GPS positioning data.

6. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 3, wherein when the means for judging judges that the traveling speed is greater than the reference speed, the means for calculating calculates the current position based on only the current GPS positioning data.

7. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 1, further comprising means for determining whether positioning is possible, and wherein the means for calculating only calculates the current position when the means for determining determines that positioning is possible.

8. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 2, further comprising means for determining whether positioning is possible, and wherein the means for calculating only calculates the current position when the means for determining determines that positioning is possible.

9. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 3, further comprising means for determining whether positioning is possible, and wherein the means for calculating only calculates the current position when the means for determining determines that positioning is possible.

10. A vehicle navigation system that executes a GPS positioning calculation based on radio waves transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites to obtain a current position based on positioning data, the vehicle navigation system comprising:

a sensor that senses a traveling speed of a vehicle;

a judging device that judges whether the traveling speed of the vehicle is greater than, less than or equal to a reference speed, based on a result of the sensing;

an averaging device that averages GPS positioning data when the traveling speed is judged to be less than or equal to the reference speed; and

a calculating device that calculates the current position based on the averaged GPS positioning data.

11. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 10, wherein the averaging device averages the positioning data based on current GPS positioning data and previous GPS positioning data.

12. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 11, wherein the averaging device averages the positioning data by taking a weighted average of the current GPS positioning data and previous GPS positioning data so that priority is given to one of the previous positioning data and the current positioning data.

13. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 10, wherein when the judging device judges that the travel speed is greater than the reference speed, the calculating device calculates the current position based on only current GPS positioning data.

14. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 11, wherein when the judging device judges that the travel speed is greater than the reference speed, the calculating device calculates the current position based on only the current GPS positioning data.

15. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 12, wherein when the judging device judges that the travel speed is greater than the reference speed, the calculating device calculates the current position based on only the current GPS positioning data.

16. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 10, further comprising a device that determines whether positioning is possible, and wherein the calculating device only calculates the current position when the determining device determines that positioning is possible.

17. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 11, further comprising a device that determines whether positioning is possible, and wherein the calculating device only calculates the current position when the determining device determines that positioning is possible.

18. The vehicle navigation system according to claim 12, further comprising a device that determines whether positioning is possible, and wherein the calculating device only calculates the current position when the determining device determines that positioning is possible.