Navigation system

• US 7,788,025 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems US Incorporated (Continental AG)
• Inventors: McLaren, Timothy V., Mickelson, Wilmer A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/348,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271295A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/213, 701/216, 701/217, 342/357.06, 342/357.12, 342/357.14
• US Class Current: 701/200
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

A navigation system includes a first navigation module having a first operational state wherein the first navigation module does not estimate a current location and a second operational state wherein the first navigation module estimates the current location. A second navigation module performs dead reckoning in response to the first operational state of the first navigation module.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a first navigation module having a first operational state wherein the first navigation module does not estimate the current location and a second operational state wherein the first navigation module estimates a current location; and

a second navigation module that performs dead-reckoning in response to the first operational state of the first navigation module, wherein the first navigation module and the second navigation module are each configured to perform independent dead-reckoning calculations.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first operational state is during the start-up period of the first navigation module and the second operational state is after the start-up period of the first navigation module.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first navigation module does not receive global positioning (GPS) signals in the first operational state and receives the GPS signals in the second operational state.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first navigation module estimates the current location in response to received global positioning system (GPS) signals and the second navigation module performs the dead-reckoning in response to an absence of the received GPS signals.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first navigation module includes a first microcontroller that estimates a current location in response to the second operational state and the second navigation module includes a second microcontroller different than the first microcontroller that performs the dead-reckoning in response to the first operational state.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the second navigation module includes a non-volatile memory in communication with the second microcontroller.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the second navigation module includes a turn rate sensor in communication with the second microcontroller.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein the second navigation module includes a temperature sensor in communication with the second microcontroller.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein the turn rate sensor and the temperature sensor are mounted on a common integrated circuit board.

10. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the first microcontroller and the second microcontroller receive an odometer signal.

11. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein at least the second microcontroller receives a signal from a vehicle reverse switch for performing the dead-reckoning.

12. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the first navigation module includes a GPS for estimating a current location in response to the second operational state.

13. A navigation system comprising:

a first navigation module having a first operational state wherein the first navigation module does not estimate the current location and a second operational state wherein the first navigation module estimates a current location; and

a second navigation module that performs dead-reckoning in response to the first operational state of the first navigation module, wherein the first navigation module is configured to instruct the second navigation module to perform operations other than dead-reckoning.