Abstract: A satellite navigation system using multiple antennas for providing the position of multiple fiduciary points on an object even when fewer than four satellites are visible to some or all the antennas. Satellite signals from the multiple antennas are fed into at least one receiver. The receiver or receivers utilize constraint information, which is independent of the satellite signals. These external constraints are used to augment the signals received from the satellites, to obtain the position solution for each antenna. In a preferred embodiment, a common reference clock is used to provide an external constraint. Examples of other external constraints that can be used in the current invention are distance between the antennas, inertial measurement of attitude, rotational or linear position sensors, etc.

Abstract: An aircraft flight management system having a flight management computer that stores a pre-planned lateral route of flight of the aircraft comprising a plurality of successive waypoints to be overflown, the next proximate waypoint being an active waypoint, a method providing a return-to-path maneuver in the event that the aircraft deviates from the pre-planned route, including selecting a new active waypoint, calculating a return-to-path route to overfly the new active waypoint, and selectably accepting the calculated return-to-path route.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for managing variation in acceleration values obtained from a vehicle acceleration sensor for use in on-board computer based crash evaluation algorithm. Sources contributing to the variation are identified and a determination is made of the magnitude of the variation from each source to a selected multiple of a standard deviation, for example, 3 to 6 ?. The variation for each source is suitably combined to produce a database of acceleration-time history with the combined variations for use in calibrating and or validating a candidate crash algorithm.

Abstract: When a car navigation unit receives a remotely inputted command transmitted from a personal digital assistant (PDA), the remotely inputted command is interpreted to generate display data. The display data is transmitted to the PDA.

Abstract: An image forming system and apparatus are provided which utilizes a portable terminal such as a cellular phone when printing and outputting map data, etc. on a network by separating the operation through the cellular phones from the operation through a terminal printer. The system includes a portable terminal that is connected to a network via a gateway through radio communication and provides a desired map destination data to a server. The server receives the destination data via the network and stores the destination data in a prescribed area. A printer that is connected to the server provides its position data to the server and receives a map data comprising the position data of the printer as a starting point and the destination data as an ending point and prints this map data.

Abstract: A method and implementing computer system are provided in which route mapping for vehicles is determined between starting and destination points designated by an operator. Selected mapping is determined in accordance with operator selected travel-related criteria and augmented with traffic-related information. In one embodiment, after an initial route is set, the route is automatically updated whenever the vehicle strays from the set course, or whenever there is a change detected in related traffic conditions, or whenever subsequent changed travel points are input by the operator. The travel route and other related messaging may be conveyed to the operator by audio and/or visual devices onboard the vehicle.

Abstract: A location of a vehicle is monitored using a predefined geo-fencing boundary within a coordinate system. An angle between a selected straight edge of the boundary and an axis of the coordinate system is determined, and the boundary is rotated by the angle such that the selected straight edge of the rotated boundary is parallel to the axis of the coordinate system. Subsequently, a set of coordinates associated with a particular location of a monitored device are identified and rotated by the previously determined angle. The rotated set of coordinates is then compared to the rotated boundary to determine a location of the monitored device with respect to the selected boundary. This information can be used to determine whether the vehicle remains within the predefined geo-fencing boundary.

Abstract: A map data processing unit includes a batch update section and dynamic update section. A type of update data fed from an update data input section is decided using header information. If the update data is route search data, the batch update section collectively updates all the map data to latest version map data according to the update data from the update data input section. If the update data is not the route search data, the dynamic update section updates the map data to the latest version map data according to the update data every time the map data becomes necessary. Thus performing the collective or dynamic update according to the type of the update data enables the update to the latest map data without affecting the operation speed of a navigation function, with minimizing the time precluding the use of the navigation function.

Abstract: A vehicle information system which includes an in-vehicle system and a centralized server system. The in-vehicle system communicates with the server system using a wireless communication link. The vehicle receives a reference signal from a positioning system, computes position data related to the location of the vehicle using the received reference signal, and transmits the position data to the server. The vehicle receives from the server position correction data and determines estimated coordinates of the vehicle, including combining data computed from the received reference signal and the position correction data. Computing the position data and determining the estimated coordinates are performed repeatedly for an interval of time using the same received position correction data, and subsequent to the interval of time, are performed repeatedly without using the received correction data.

Abstract: In an apparatus and a method for indicating initial distance to empty (DTE) at completion of fueling, the initial DTE is calculated based on a fluctuating fuel consumption rate and is compensated by a compensation value so that DTE can be determined with more accuracy compared with an initial DTE calculated based on the fixed fuel consumption rate. The DTE to be confirmed can be thereby prevented from abruptly changing.

Abstract: A vehicle travel control apparatus makes an own vehicle automatically follow a vehicle in front by setting a target acceleration/deceleration G0 using travel data expressing behavior of the vehicle, travel environment, driving operations and others. Here, during vehicle travel based on driver control, multiple travel data are sampled a predetermined number of times to perform multiple regression analysis on that sampled data. Preference data expressing preferences of the driver (multiple regression coefficients) are thereby obtained, and target acceleration/deceleration computation data are updated using these multiple regression coefficients. As a result, it is possible to control the behavior of the vehicle in accordance with preferences of the driver during automatic following control execution.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and to a device for evaluating driver performance, comprising the continuous detection of the actual state of travel and the actual traffic situation and determining a reference state of travel pertaining to the actual traffic situation. Said reference state of travel is the state of travel desired in the respective traffic situation according to a predetermined evaluation criterion. According to the invention, the actual state of travel detected is evaluated according to said evaluation criterion by comparing it with the pertaining detected reference state of travel. Subsequently, one or more pieces of feedback information regarding driver performance during a preceding traffic situation are given. The invention also refers to the use of the inventive device for the instructive evaluation of the driver performance of road vehicle users.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a method of external object sensing for an automobile. The method comprises the steps of establishing a vehicle operational criteria for initiating a vehicle operational safety feature, determining a sensor beam coverage area for the vehicle operational criteria or the vehicle operational safety feature, receiving a status parameter representing the operational status of the vehicle and activating the sensor for scanning the sensor beam coverage area when the status parameter meets the vehicle operational criteria.

Abstract: A computerized method, containable in a computer memory device, is disclosed for tristimulus color space coordinate data nonlinear storage, retrieval, and interpolation, and, more specifically to memory mapping and data interpolation for 24-bit L*H*C* to 24-bit RGB color mapping (three 8-bit words to each coordinate). Predetermined output tristimulus color space coordinate data points are stored in nodes of a memory construct based upon use of input values of a cylindrical-based tristimulus color space coordinate system, where a non-linear selection of stored data points is provided in the memory construct. The number of linear interpolations of each of the coordinates is determined by the number of available bits in each data word after providing sufficient bits to address the surrounding stored nodes.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a preferred method for operating a adaptive clutch system of the type used in a motor vehicle power transfer assembly by employing a dithered control signal. One aspect of the present invention superimposes a dithering signal onto a control signal by nulling consecutive blocks of control signal pulses. Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for generating a dithered control signal by providing a wave function with which to systematically vary a duty cycle of the dithered control signal. A method for varying the output force of a clutch actuator assembly in response to the dithered control signal is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention involves a method and system of initial aligning wheels of vehicle steer-by-wire systems with two independent front road wheels in the real time. The method comprises providing a steering wheel control sub-system and a road wheel control sub-system, providing an initial alignment unit and procedure to align the road wheels and steering wheel, and receiving relative and absolute steering wheel angles and road wheel angles. The method further includes generating wheel aligning reference angles based on the relative and absolute wheel angle, generating the switch control signal based wheel aligning reference angles using the logic operation with the threshold, and determining the steer-by-wire systems in the control state or in the initial alignment state.

Abstract: In a vehicle-onboard dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) apparatus for the DSRC communication system, a command judgment unit of an electronic toll communication-security application module (ETC-SAM) judges the type of command included in a communication signal transmitted between a HOST and an IC card with user information held therein. A command control unit of the ETC-SAM controls whether the command is to be analyzed, according to a result of judgment by the command judgment unit. Therefore, it is possible to simplify a communication procedure and reduce a communication time.

Abstract: A method for determining a polygonal intersection of a first polygon and a second polygon. An intersection of the boundary of the first polygon with the boundary of the second polygon is located by finding a point from which at least three portions of boundaries extend. From this point, a first portion of the boundary of the polygonal intersection is determined by identifying a portion of the boundary of the first polygon that is located inside the second polygon. Each subsequent portion of the boundary of the polygonal intersection is determined by selecting that portion of the boundary of either the first polygon or the second polygon that (1) connects to a leading end of a current portion of the boundary of the polygonal intersection and (2) forms the least angle with the current portion of the boundary of the polygonal intersection.

Abstract: In a method for side impact sensing in a vehicle, a side impact is recognized using acceleration signals, the acceleration signals from the left and right sides of the vehicle being subtracted from one another, integrated or added up, and the triggering threshold is formed as a function of this differential acceleration signal. If the integrated differential acceleration signal exceeds this threshold, a side impact is recognized.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing the stepping disturbances generated by a stepping mechanism is disclosed. The method is to select a desired stepping rate to step the stepping mechanism. The method further selects two desired disturbance stepping rates, one fast stepping rate and one slow stepping rate to alternate stepping of the mechanism with the two stepping rates to generate an average stepping rate that is required for the mechanism, and thereby the stepping mechanism will not significantly excite the spacecraft structural mode, and the stepping disturbance is significantly reduced while the mechanism still perform nominally its desired stepping maneuvers.