System and Method to Enhance GPS Devices
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Del.icio.us| IP.com Number | IPCOM000184906D |
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| Dated | Jul 4, 2009 UTC | ||
| Size | 2 page(s) (21.7 KB) | ||
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Publication Summary
Disclosed is a method by which the operation of in-vehicle turn signal indicators is integrated with in-vehicle GPS-based navigation system.| Country | |
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| Language | English (United States) |
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System and Method to Enhance GPS Devices
Background
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Utilizing a constellation of at least 24 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, the system enables a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed, direction, and time. Developed by the United States Department of Defense, GPS is officially named NAVSTAR GPS. A typical GPS receiver calculates its position using the signals from three or more GPS satellites. Four satellites are needed since the process needs a very accurate local time, more accurate than any normal clock can provide, so the receiver internally solves for time as well as position. In other words, the receiver uses four measurements to solve for 4 variables - x, y, z, and t. These values are then turned into more user-friendly forms, such as latitude/longitude or location on a map, then displayed to the user. Each GPS satellite has an atomic clock, and continually transmits messages containing the current time at the start of the message, parameters to calculate the location of the satellite (the ephemeris), and the general system health (the almanac). The signals travel at a known speed - the speed of light through outer space, and slightly slower through the atmosphere. The receiver uses the arrival time to compute the distance to each satellite, from which it determines the position of the receiver using geometry and trigonometry.
A user's GPS receiver is the user segment of the GPS system. In general, GPS receivers are composed of an antenna, tuned to the frequencies transmitted by the satellites, receiver-processors, and a highly-stable clock (often a crystal oscillator). They may also include a display for providing location and speed information to the user. A receiver is often described by its number of channels: this signifies how many satellites it can monitor simultaneously. Originally limited to four or five, this has progressively increased over the years so that, as of 2006, receivers typically have between twelve and twenty channels. GPS Receiver's designed for automobile travel enable the user to route from the current location to a destination location.
Navigation Systems
While the North American automotive navigation systems market is in its early growth stage, exponential growth is expected in the future. Of the 270 light vehicle models sold in North America in 2006, only about 60 percent offered navigation as an option. Automakers in North America are increasingly using navigation systems as vehicle differentiators to influence the purchase decisions of consumers. Systems have become more advanced, with a number of capabilities that t...