Abstract: A sensing apparatus comprises a sensing unit and a supporting unit. The sensing unit detects a direction and an amount of physical quantity applied thereto. The sensing unit has a detection reference axis along which the direction and the amount of the physical quantity are detected. The supporting unit stationarily supports the sensing unit. The sensing unit is inclined relative to the supporting unit by a predetermined angle so that a difference in angle between the detection reference axis and the direction of the physical quantity actually applied to the sensing unit when detecting the direction and the amount of the physical quantity is minimized.

Abstract: An on-vehicle navigation system is provided with a radio wave positioning apparatus (18) and a vehicle speed sensor (13) for a dead reckoning positioning. A method of detecting a vehicle speed pulse drop of a vehicle speed pulse generated by the vehicle speed sensor is provided with: a first calculation process of calculating a first physical quantity of a predetermined type such as a velocity or the like from radio wave positioning data of the radio wave positioning apparatus; a second calculation process of calculating a second physical quantity of the same type as the first physical quantity from the vehicle speed pulse; and a detection process of detecting the vehicle speed pulse drop by using a contradiction caused between the calculated first physical quantity and the calculated second physical quantity as a detection condition.

Abstract: A velocity information acquisition section 21 acquires velocity information on the velocity of a vehicle and records this acquired information in a velocity information recording section 27. A state judgment section 23 judges start and stop states of the vehicle based on state information indicating the start and stop states of the vehicle that was acquired at a state information acquisition section 22. After this judgment, a minimum output velocity computing section 24 accurately computes, based on the velocity information recorded in velocity information recording section 27, a minimum output velocity in a period in which a vehicle velocity detection circuit 10 cannot detect velocity information.

Abstract: A sensing apparatus comprises a sensing unit and a supporting unit. The sensing unit detects a direction and an amount of physical quantity applied thereto. The sensing unit has a detection reference axis along which the direction and the amount of the physical quantity are detected. The supporting unit stationarily supports the sensing unit. The sensing unit is inclined relative to the supporting unit by a predetermined angle so that a difference in angle between the detection reference axis and the direction of the physical quantity actually applied to the sensing unit when detecting the direction and the amount of the physical quantity is reduced.

Abstract: A mounting angle processor for determining a mounting angle of a vehicle-mounted device based on an acceleration sensor, a gyroscopic sensor and GPS receiver mounted in the vehicle mounted device, and a comparator for comparing the determined mounting angle and a permissible range corresponding thereto are provided. If the determined mounting angle is out of the permissible range, it is determined that the mounting angle is abnormal. Thus, a mounting angle detection device is provided for preventing the vehicle-mounted device such as a navigation device from being mounted at an improper angle, or for maintaining the accuracy of the vehicle-mounted device even in a case where the mounting angle of the vehicle-mounted device has been changed.

Abstract: A correction device determines, by calculation, a real acceleration based on output from a velocity sensor 4. GPS mediated signal receiving portion 2 receives radio navigation waves from plural GPS satellites. The device detects a frequency change of the radio waves evoked as a result of Doppler effect, acquires horizontal and vertical velocity components based on the frequency change, and determines, by calculation, a gradient angle. Then, the device determines, by calculation, the gravitational acceleration sine of the gradient angle (G. sin &thgr;). The device adds the real acceleration and the gravitational acceleration sine of the gradient angle (G. sin &thgr;) to provide a theoretical acceleration of the acceleration sensor. The device divides the theoretical acceleration of the acceleration sensor with the sensitivity of the acceleration sensor 6, and subtracts the result from output from the acceleration sensor 6, to provide a right offset value.

Abstract: A velocity information acquisition section 21 acquires velocity information on the velocity of a vehicle and records this acquired information in a velocity information recording section 27. A state judgment section 23 judges start and stop states of the vehicle based on state information indicating the start and stop states of the vehicle that was acquired at a state information acquisition section 22. After this judgment, a minimum output velocity computing section 24 accurately computes, based on the velocity information recorded in velocity information recording section 27, a minimum output velocity in a period in which a vehicle velocity detection circuit 10 cannot detect velocity information.

Abstract: A sensing apparatus comprises a sensing unit and a supporting unit. The sensing unit detects a direction and an amount of physical quantity applied thereto. The sensing unit has a detection reference axis along which the direction and the amount of the physical quantity are detected. The supporting unit stationarily supports the sensing unit. The sensing unit is inclined relative to the supporting unit by a predetermined angle so that a difference in angle between the detection reference axis and the direction of the physical quantity actually applied to the sensing unit when detecting the direction and the amount of the physical quantity is minimized.

Abstract: An on-vehicle navigation system is provided with a radio wave positioning apparatus (18) and a vehicle speed sensor (13) for a dead reckoning positioning. A method of detecting a vehicle speed pulse drop of a vehicle speed pulse generated by the vehicle speed sensor is provided with: a first calculation process of calculating a first physical quantity of a predetermined type such as a velocity or the like from radio wave positioning data of the radio wave positioning apparatus; a second calculation process of calculating a second physical quantity of the same type as the first physical quantity from the vehicle speed pulse; and a detection process of detecting the vehicle speed pulse drop by using a contradiction caused between the calculated first physical quantity and the calculated second physical quantity as a detection condition.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus provided with: a vertical movement detecting device for detecting a presence or absence of a movement in a vertical direction of a moveable body associated with the movement of the movable body; a judging device for judging a position in the vertical direction of the movable body on the basis of the presence or absence of the movement in the vertical direction detected by the detecting device; and a notifying device for notifying a present position of the movable body on the basis of the position in the vertical direction judged by the judging device.

Abstract: A method and system for deriving a travel distance of an object which travels. As one aspect, a travel velocity of the object producing a pulse signal in response to travel of the object on the basis of a number of pulses of the pulse signal per unit time is calculated, and a plurality of unit travel distances corresponding to a plurality of travel states of the object every travel state are calculated. The plurality of travel states are different from each other and the unit travel distance is a travel distance per pulse calculated by dividing the calculated travel velocity by the number of the pulses of the pulse signal per unit time. And the plurality of calculated unit travel distances are memorized individually, from the plurality of memorized unit travel distances, the unit travel distance corresponding to the travel state of the object which is under travel is selected, and the travel distance of the object on the basis of the selected unit travel distance and the pulse signal is derived.