Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for navigating vehicle

US5046011A · kind A · utility

188Cited by
4References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 30, 1989
Grant dateSep 3, 1991
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 30, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01C21/30
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Disclosed is a navigation apparatus for showing a driver the current position of his vehicle by estimating the vehicle position on the basis of the travel direction and travel distance thereof and matching the current vehicle position thus estimated to map information stored previously. The apparatus disclosed is capable of navigating a vehicle with accuracy even if it is traveling on a road which is not stored in memory; in that case, the apparatus repeats comparison of the vehicle travel direction with the directions in which lie the current vehicle position and respective nodes stored in memory, and accumulates the comparison results so as to infer the arrival of the vehicle at its destination which corresponds to one of the nodes stored in memory.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.