Car GPS Devices
An automotive navigation system is a satellite navigation system designed for use in automobiles. It typically uses GPS to acquire position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. more...
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Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations along roads also in its database. Dead reckoning using distance data from sensors attached to the drivetrain and a gyroscope can be used for greater reliability, as GPS signal loss and/or multipath can occur due to urban canyons or tunnels.
History
alpine claims they created the first automotive navigation system in 1981.
Honda claims to have created the first navigation system starting in 1983, and culminating with general availability in the 1990 Acura Legend. This analog system used an accelerometer to judge location, as the GPS system was not yet generally available.
Pioneer claims to be the first with a GPS-based auto navigation system, in 1990.
Magellan, a GPS navigation system manufacturer, claims to have created the first GPS-based vehicle navigation system in the U.S in 1995
Visualization
Navigation systems use a combination of:
top view for the map;
top view for the map with the map rotating like the automobile;
bird's-eye view for the map or the next curve;
linear gauge for distance, which is redundant if a rotating map is used;
numbers for distance;
Alternatives
Mobile phones equipped with GPS capabilities may be used as an alternative to an automotive navigation system. One such example is marketed by Verizon Wireless in the United States, and is called "VZ Navigator". The system uses gpsOne technology to determine a person's location, and then uses the mobile phone's digital connection to download maps and calculate automobile routes. Other similar systems are commercially available for most phones that can connect to an external GPS receiver (via serial or Bluetooth) or have an internal receiver (like the Siemens SXG75).
Controversy
Vehicles produced by Subaru and Lexus as well as parent company, Toyota, have a "feature" in their navigation systems that lock out many of the features when the vehicle is in motion. While the manufacturer claims that this is done for safety, many users have complained that passengers are not able to enter destinations while in motion even though it is safe to do so. Additionally, drivers have complained that it is often more dangerous to pull off a highway and stop than it would be to enter a destination into the system.
Road database
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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