76 results about "Navigational aid" patented technology

A novel mapping paradigm is provided for the visual display of information in the form of an improved navigational aid. Unlike today's road maps which use a point-arc-polygon paradigm, the new mapping paradigm uses a compressed linear-pictographic-topological design that typically depicts roads as vertical linear pictograms. Further, the display has a columnar layout, whereby the descriptive elements are grouped together by type, and displayed one above the other in columns. In this manner, the mapping paradigm also serves to increase traveler safety, provide navigation assistance during address-less trips, create valuable advertising space and new promotional opportunities, and dramatically increases the travelers' communications and entertainment options.

A navigational aid including an intelligent display mode and a communication system communicates with a vehicle's sensor system and/or historical- or time-based information to reduce the number of businesses that are displayed on the map by filtering out unneeded or less preferred services. When the vehicle's fuel level sensor detects that the fuel tank is almost empty, a message can be sent from the sensor system to the navigational aid such that the navigational aid can then begin showing a visual indication (e.g., text or graphical information such as an icon) of the location of fuel stations on the screen. Additionally, the location receiver indicates to the filter when the navigational aid is close to the programmed destination. At that point, the filter can be informed that it should start showing garages or areas where the vehicle can be parked without having cluttered the screen with parking garages that were not close to the destination. Similarly, when in need of other services (e.g., hotel or restaurant services), the navigational aid can display preferred brands (while omitting non-preferred brands) and make reservations when a communication system is included which is capable of communicating with the service provider. Additionally, prices or relative prices for the services may also be indicated.

A method for aiding emergency vehicle navigation includes a first step (100) of calculating a travel route for the emergency vehicle from a starting point to a destination point. A next step (102) includes establishing a location of any non-emergency vehicle in proximity to the emergency vehicle. A next step (104) includes determining a likelihood of the non-emergency vehicle and emergency vehicle encountering each other. A next step (106) includes providing navigational information to the non-emergency vehicle to re-route the non-emergency vehicle out of the path of the emergency vehicle if the vehicles are likely to encounter each other. Likelihood can be based on whether the vehicles are on the same navigational road segment or by a time or distance when the vehicles will intercept each other.

A quickly deployable and reconfigurable light emitting diode (LED) lighting apparatus with high output intensity and precisely controlled beam property is disclosed for navigational aids. The lighting apparatus comprises an array of high intensity LED units with their light beams individually controlled by secondary optical systems. The transformed light beams mix in a pre-determined manner to produce an illumination pattern with desired intensity distribution. The LED lighting apparatus may further comprise a micro-controller, a plurality of sensor elements, and a wireless transceiver for remote monitoring and control. The lighting apparatus can be powered by rechargeable batteries for temporary or semi-permanent lighting. It can also be powered by standard power lines for permanent lighting.

A non-scaled, linearly compressed pictographic mapping system is provided for the visual display of information in a navigational aid. Unlike today's road maps which use a point-arc-polygon paradigm, the new mapping uses a non-scaled, linearly-compressed pictographic design that shows roads as linear pictograms. The display has a columnar layout, whereby the descriptive elements are grouped together by type, and displayed one above the other in columns. The maps may also contain icons representing points of interest arranged in a cloud fashion. In this manner, the mapping paradigm also serves to increase traveler safety, provide navigation assistance during address-less trips, create valuable advertising space and new promotional opportunities, and dramatically increases the travelers' communications and entertainment options.

Systems, devices and methods are provided to display or otherwise provide addresses in proximity to the device, and to periodically update the addresses as the navigational aid device is transported along a road. The device is adapted to be transported on a road. The device includes a processor and a memory adapted to communicate with the processor. The processor and the memory are adapted to cooperate to provide an address that is proximate to the device. Another aspect includes a method. According to one method embodiment, an address proximate to a navigational aid device is estimated and displayed on the navigational aid device. Other aspects are provided herein.

A navigational aid for use as an AIS apparatus includes a memory for storing information about previous use of individual time slots synchronized with transmission schedules of other stations and a signal detector for judging whether an information signal exists in a time slot specified in accordance with a synchronization timing signal based on the information stored in the memory and a result of monitoring of the behavior of a baseband signal obtained from a received signal on an IQ-plane. The navigational aid transmits information about own station based on a result of judgment by the signal detector. The monitoring of the behavior of the received baseband signal plotted on the IQ-plane can be accomplished by performing pattern recognition operation, for which a carrier sense technique, such as a support vector machine, subspace method or neural network, can be used.

A navigational aid system for fishermen comprises a computer that is connected to the Internet. The computer accesses a high resolution map in the vicinity of a fishing boat. The map depicts the ocean temperature and depth profile in relation to marked latitude and longitudinal indicators. A specialized GPS system in communication with the computer depicts the latitudinal and longitudinal position of the fisherman's boat. The computer executes a separate program that has a transparent window overlaying the map. A user selects two points, one point at a time, on the map and enters corresponding latitude and longitude bearings consistent with those shown on the map. The separate program receives the GPS data and plots the boat position in an orthogonal coordinate system based on the two points selected and their corresponding coordinates. The map is optionally provided with data concerning weather and buoy or wreck hazards in the vicinity of the boat, together with details concerning the coastline.

Systems, devices and methods are provided for an improved navigational route planning device which provides more understandable, accurate and timely route calculation capabilities. The navigational aid device with route calculation capabilities includes a processor connected to a memory. The memory includes cartographic data and a desired destination, the cartographic data including data indicative of thoroughfares of a plurality of types. A display is connected to the processor and is capable of displaying the cartographic data. The device is adapted to process the device=s location and travel along a planned route. And, the device is adapted to dynamically calculate a new route to the desired destination with a preference for avoiding a particular portion of a thoroughfare or one or more different thoroughfares in a previous route.

Methods and computer products for establishing at least one of attitude, direction and position of a moving platform. At least one skymark of known ephemeris is imaged at each of a first set of discrete instants by means of an optical sensor coupled to the platform. A measurement is also obtained of the attitude of the platform at each of a second set of discrete instants by means of an inertial navigation system. A recursive of estimation filter is then applied to successive skymark position vectors to update an estimate of platform navigation state, with the measurement of attitude of the platform tightly coupled to the estimate of platform navigation state as updated by the recursive estimation filter. Various techniques of frame stacking and multi-hypothesis tracking may be applied to improve the robustness of navigation solutions.

Systems, devices and methods are provided to account for insignificant route segments to enhance a route guidance experience. An electronic navigational aid device is provided according to one aspect. The device includes a processor and a memory adapted to communicate with the processor. The processor and memory are adapted to cooperate to provide route guidance that accounts for insignificant route segments. According to various embodiments, insignificant route segments are accounted for by nullifying and/or modifying route guidance maneuvers associated with the insignificant route segments. Other aspects are provided herein.

An electronic personal navigational aid device configured to calculate a route and to automatically call a telephone number and deliver a message depending upon the location of the device along the route. The devices may further be configured, for example, to dial at a certain estimated time enroute to a delivery or pickup stop and/or to listen to an autodialed party to determine how many packages the autodialed party has for pickup.

A visual navigational aid for guiding the approach path of incoming aircrafts, ships or other vehicles. The visual navigational aid comprises high intensity light emitting diodes (LEDs) or LED arrays and optical beam shaping apparatus that produce multiple light beams with different colors or flash patterns to guide the incoming aircrafts, ships or other vehicles to a pre-determined approach path.

A power efficient, acoustical Helmholtz resonator foghorn including a plurality of electrical emitters, some of which are redundant, arrayed at one end of a blocked tube with a plurality of exhaust ports located therein surrounded by a standoff tubular member. The foghorn tuned to provide a high pitch thus providing a compact horn having an acoustical path capable of producing an exceptional wavelength in a generally concentric horizontal sound propagation the horn configurable for use as either a one-half mile or two mile marine navigational aid for offshore structures, buoys, and the like.

A wearable computing device is provided. The wearable computing device includes at least one processor, a display element configured to display augmented reality (AR) content to a wearer, a location sensor providing location information, and a task management engine executed by the at least one processor. The task management engine is configured to receive a task event identifying a task to be performed, identify a location associated with the task event, display a first AR content item to the wearer, the first AR content item is a navigational aid associated with the location, detect that the wearable computing device is proximate the location, determine a task object associated with the task event, and display a second AR content item to the wearer using the display element, the second AR content item identifies the task object to the wearer in a field of view of the display element.

A dock lighting system fixed adjacent to a doorway to provide navigational aid for truck operators has a substantially linear light source of low luminosity covered by a strip mounted over the linear light source of a brightly colored, translucent to transparent flexible material.