Abstract: An improved system and method for personalizing the ride and/or handling characteristics of a motor vehicle are disclosed. An example system for personalizing or individualizing the ride and/or handling characteristics of a motor vehicle is disclosed, which includes a processing unit, a memory unit, an interface unit, and a plurality of electronic control modules coupled to each other by a high speed data rate communications bus. The interface unit is also coupled to a read unit and a wireless input unit. The system can be operated in a centralized mode or a distributed mode. The read unit and wireless input unit can read in or receive, and forward to the interface unit, an individual's personal motor vehicle ride and/or handling characteristics data stored in a memory component of a device in that individual's possession. For example, an individual (e.g., driver, etc.) may carry a palm device (e.g., PDA, Palm Pilot®, etc.

Abstract: A relative navigation system including a first unit responsive to the motion of a first position, a second unit responsive to the motion of a second position and a processing unit that generates a relative navigation solution as a function of first unit information and second unit information. The generated relative navigation solution is indicative of at least one of: a relative position vector of the second position relative to the first position, a relative velocity of the second position relative to the first position, and a relative attitude of the first unit at the first position relative to the second unit at the second position.

Abstract: An inertial navigation system includes a navigation component, such as an inertial measurement unit, a processor in communication with the navigation component, and a filter embedded in computer code implemented within the processor. The filter includes a model of the navigation component, and one or more parameters of the model are configured after startup of the inertial navigation system based upon performance characteristics of the individual navigation component included in the inertial navigation system.

Abstract: A navigation system used by a user includes a navigation unit and a portable device. The navigation unit generates navigation-related output. The navigation unit transmits the navigation-related output to the portable device over a wireless communication link. The portable device receives the navigation-related output and uses at least a portion of the navigation-related output for processing performed thereby. In one embodiment, the portable device includes an input interface to receive user input from a user of the portable device. In such an embodiment, the portable device transmits the navigation-related input to the navigation unit over the wireless communication link, and the navigation unit uses at least a portion of the navigation-related input to generate the navigation-related output.

Abstract: A navigation system includes an inertial navigation unit. The navigation system also includes a Kalman filter that generates corrective feedback for use by the inertial navigation unit. The Kalman filter generates the corrective feedback as a function of at least one of GPS/DGPS information, sensor information, user input, terrain correlation information, signal-of-opportunity information, and/or position information output by a motion classifier.

Abstract: A system and method for classifying and measuring human motion senses the motion of the human and the metabolism of the human. A motion classification unit determines the motion type being carried out by the human and provides the motion classification information to an energy estimator and a health monitor. The energy estimator also receives the metabolism information and therefrom provides an estimate of energy expended by the human. The health monitor triggers an alarm if health related thresholds are traversed. The motion classification is also provided to a processing unit that in turn provides the data to a Kalman filter, which has an output that is provided as feedback to the motion classification unit, the energy estimator and health monitor. Altimeter, GPS and magnetic sensors may also be provided for monitoring the human motion, and initial input and landmark input data inputs are provided to the system.