Abstract: Detection means are provided which detect the rotational movements of the wheels, a variable which represents the steering angle, and at least one variable which represents the lateral movement and/or the yawing movement of the vehicle. Signals for influencing actuators for braking the wheels are formed by controller means as a function of the detected data in such a way that a control variable which is dependent on at least the detected lateral movement or yawing movement of the vehicle is adjusted to a desired range of control variables, that is to say the actuators are influenced in such a way that the control variable is kept within a desired range. This desired range is defined by two specific limit values.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for designing and editing a distribution system for a building is disclosed. Elements of such distribution systems and requirements of relevant standard, are stored in a computer's memory. Building parameters are entered into a computer manually. The user identify the standard to be followed and the element to be optimized. The system divides the building into sections as appropriate to the user identified standard. The system then computes layout needed to comply with the selected standard. The layout is routed and sized to avoid building structural members, yet the elements of the layout are optimized for size and length. The apparatus prints out a hard copy of the design layout which can include an elements listing needed to complete the system. The design layout as well as the building parameters can be edited. The edited layout is checked for compliance with the identified standard as well as avoidance of building parameters.

Abstract: A vehicle navigation device provides route guidance by voice or the like in accordance with a preset route. The system includes data storage for storing data such as data relating to a map and route guidance voice data. The system reads out the route voice guidance data from storage and outputs the route voice guidance data directly as voice guidance. An input device allows for inputting information for setting or instructing the route guidance. A current position detector detects current position of the vehicle and a controller sets a route from the current position to a destination, with temporary storage of that set route. A voice data editor edits the combination of phrases of the guidance message relating to an intersection, a diverging point, etc., on the set route in temporary storage. The controller controls the reading out of the voice data from storage in sequential fashion and outputs the read voice data at a predetermined distance before a guide point utilizing the edited combination of phrases.

Abstract: The present invention is an autorouting navigation system for directing one or more visually impaired persons to a physical location. The present invention includes a portable autorouting navigation unit that includes an input device for selecting a target location corresponding to a physical location of a plurality of location beacons, a receiver configured to receive signals from the location beacons, a memory storing information correlating the locations of the location beacons, and an output device for communicating with the user. A microcontroller or microprocessor under program control processes the signals received from the location beacons, analyzes those signals and correlation data, and determines a routing path from the user's present position to the target location. The microcontroller may also provide an indication, such as an audible sound, to the user of whether or not the user is following the routing path to the target location.

Abstract: An anti-skid control system for an automotive vehicle, comprises a plurality of actuators each associated with one of front-left, front-right, rear-left and rear-right road wheels, for adjusting braking forces applied to the road wheels independently of each other, sensors for detecting wheel speeds of the road wheels to generate wheel-speed indicative signals, and a controller for controlling the actuators in response to the wheel-speed indicative signals. The controller selects a lower value of the wheel-speed indicative signal values of a controlled rear wheel, subjected to a braking-force control, and its diagonal front wheel located on the vehicle diagonally to the controlled rear wheel, and controls the actuator associated with the controlled rear wheel in accordance with the lower value, during braking-force control for the controlled rear wheel.

Abstract: An in-car navigation apparatus produces a concept of a voice message such as a guide of an advancing route or a guide of an arrival to be informed at a point on a set drive route where voice information is to be given by means of the control section thereof, and produces a message sentence from a table defining a sentence pattern corresponding to the concept of a voice message and an device storing voice waveform information by means of a detachable voice information memorizing section. Thereby, the changes of the sentence patterns of voice messages and so forth can easily be done without varying the program of the apparatus.

Abstract: A public transit system uses a plurality of intracell vehicles to service transit requests in individual transit cells, and the transit cells are connected by intracell vehicles which travel between cell terminals located within the respective transit cells. The intracell vehicles are automatically dispatched by a dispatching system (12) which assigns each transit request to an intracell vehicle servicing a matching transit route or soft route comprising a geographical area and a route travel direction. The dispatching system (12) uses a process for selecting the most appropriate vehicle to handle a transit request where no prior route matches the request. This initial transit request then defines a new soft route for the vehicle to which it is assigned. Transit requests are preferably communicated to the dispatching system via a local telephone system and locations within the transit cell are defined by telephone numbers or other suitable identifiers.

Abstract: A test driver generator is provided for generating test drivers. The test driver generator receives test expressions designating execution sequences of test functions of software interfaces and corresponding attribute value specifications for the designated test functions' parameter attributes. Each test expression designating a number of test functions to be executed in a certain sequence, and each corresponding attribute value specification specifies selected attribute values of the test functions' parameter attributes. For each test expression and corresponding attribute value specifications of a software interface, the test driver generator, in response, generates a test driver that can execute the specified test functions in the designated order with all combinations of the selected attribute values of the test functions' parameter attributes.

Abstract: In order to calculate the traveling distance and heading of a vehicle in highly accurate fashion, a navigation system is provided with a distance sensor for outputting pulses in proportion to rotation of a wheel, a GPS receiving unit for calculating vehicle speed by GPS reception, acquisition unit for acquiring the number of pulses at the same time as GPS reception, distance correction coefficient calculating unit for calculating GPS traveling distance from the GPS-reception vehicle speed and a time difference between any two points, and calculating a distance correction coefficient from the GPS traveling distance and a pulse difference between two points, and present position calculating unit for calculating present position based upon a corrected distance correction coefficient.

Abstract: Disclosed is a slip detecting device for a motor vehicle mounted with an automatic transmission. The slip detecting device is provided with a device for detecting a rotational speed of the specific part in a driving system, whereby occurrence of a driving wheel slip is detected based on the speed variation state in the rotational speed such as the gradient of variation in the output shaft rotational speed when shifting. Therefore, a driving wheel slip can be detected at a low cost, regardless of the accelerator pressed condition.

Abstract: A moving object navigation apparatus includes an input section, a map information memory section, a database, a coordinate retrieval section, a route calculation section, and an output section. The input section inputs institution names indicating the present location of a moving object and a destination by using a natural language. The map information memory section stores a map including information of roads and institutions. The database stores the relationship between the institution names on the map stored in the memory and position indexes. The coordinate retrieval section retrieves the institution names indicating the present location and the destination, which are input by the input section, from the database, and outputs corresponding position indexes. The route calculation section obtains the shortest route between the position indexes of the present location and the destination, which are output from the coordinate retrieval section, by referring to the map stored in the memory.

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has a housing sized to be mounted in a vehicle dashboard or other appropriate location, a computer mounted within the housing, and an open platform operating system which executes on an open hardware architecture computer. The open platform operating system supports multiple different applications that can be supplied by a vehicle user. For instance, the operating system can support applications pertaining to entertainment, navigation, communications, security, diagnostics, and others. The computer has one or more storage drive (e.g., CD drive, floppy disk drive, cassette player, or hard disk drive) which permits the vehicle user to download programs from a storage medium (e.g., CD, diskette, cassette, or hard disk) to the computer. In the described implementation, the computer has two independent processors.

Abstract: A system for visually representing the location of an item on a television. In one embodiment, a user of the present system telephonically requests that a visual representation of the location of an item be transmitted from a telephone company and displayed on the user's television. In the present embodiment, the user's television is connected with the telephone company by a telephone line and a modem. Once the request is received at the telephone company, position information indicative of the location of the item is transmitted from the item to a receiver. The position information is then transmitted from the receiver to the telephone company. The acquired position information is then transmitted from the telephone company to the user's television. A visual representation of the position of the item is then displayed on the user's television.

Abstract: In optimization of combinatory optimization problems, it is possible to perform deterministic as well as more or less randomized searches. A new allocation matrix is generated, based on a more or less coincidentally selected, but valid allocation matrix. A check is made thereafter whether it constitutes a better solution than the old allocation matrix. If this is the case, this matrix is used as the new starting point for the further search. If this is not the case, the old allocation matrix is kept as the starting point for the further search. This process is continued until the time made available for the solution has expired, or until it is determined by the method itself that no better solution can be found in the course of the instantaneously realized search.

Abstract: A movement variable which represents the movement of a vehicle is controlled by actuating at least one actuator for applying a braking force to the wheels. Controller means use controller internal variables to form signals for influencing the actuators with the effect of adjusting a control variable. The controller means has a first area adapted to the respective selected sensor configuration in such a way that the controller-internal variables are formed on the basis of the sensor signals, and a second area for processing the controller-internal variables independently of the selection of the sensor configuration. As a result, simple adaptation with low development and application outlay to a wide variety of sensor configurations is possible.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for detecting torpedo guidance system failures which are likely to cause the torpedo to make a circular run. The method consists of measuring the yaw-axis angular velocity of the torpedo and comparing this measurement with a computed estimate of the yaw-axis angular velocity based on measurements of torpedo dynamics other than the yaw-axis angular velocity. If the difference between the measured and computed values exceeds a threshold value, the presumption is that the torpedo is in a circular run and should be destroyed. The invention envisions various levels of precision in computing the estimate of the yaw-axis angular velocity. The various levels of precision involve the measurement of one or more of the group of dynamics parameters consisting of the three components of acceleration and the two components of angular velocity along the pitch and roll axes.

Abstract: A diagnosis system has a main circuit for executing diagnosis by data communication with an electronic control unit installed in a vehicle using data read out of the control unit. The system has an interface circuit that converts input and output signal levels on the main circuit sent from and to the control unit into signal levels that match signal levels in the control unit. The interface circuit has a comparator and a transistor. A signal sent from the control unit and pulled up with a supply voltage supplied to the control unit is applied to the comparator at its inverting input terminal. A reference signal based on the supply voltage is also applied to the comparator at its non-inverting input terminal. An output signal of the comparator is applied to the main circuit. The transistor is supplied with the supplied voltage via a resistor at its collector. The transistor receives at its base an output signal of the main circuit. A signal appearing at the collector is applied to the control unit.

Abstract: An expense tracking system is provided for use with the portable computer having a computer memory, a computer keyboard, and a display screen, in a vehicle of the type which generates an electrical odometer signal corresponding to the distance traveled by the vehicle. A mileage tracking hardware module is electrically coupled to the portable computer for receiving the electrical odometer signals from the vehicle, and for generating a mileage signal which is readable by the portable computer. A computer program is resident in memory of the portable computer and is operable in a mileage tracking mode for receiving data relating to the trip purpose, trip contact, and trip time, and for receiving the mileage signal from the mileage tracking hardware module and grouping data of the mileage signal with the trip purpose, trip contact, and trip time data, and for storing the group data in the memory of the portable computer.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining the velocity of a platform includes a GPS receiver and inertial measurement unit (IMU) located at the platform. The GPS receiver provides GPS navigation data using a plurality of GPS satellites while the inertial measurement unit provides inertial navigation data. Acceleration computed from the GPS navigation data is combined with the inertial acceleration generated from the IMU using a Kalman filter to generate a substantially IMU-bias free acceleration of the platform. The resultant acceleration measurement and the GPS navigation data are used to calculate the velocity of the platform in conjunction with a second Kalman filter for removing GPS systematic errors that are normally removed by use of a ground reference station.

Abstract: An electro-optical detection system and method is provided for detecting the presence of an object on a portion of a railroad track. The system includes a scanning laser rangefinder for monitoring a predetermined volume or area over a length of railroad track and for sensing the presence of an object therealong. The position of the sensed object is determined from the scanning and sensing data, and a signal is provided that is indicative of the presence and position of the sensed object. The signal is used by an oncoming train to initiate avoidance measures and thereby prevent an accident.