Claims
- 1. A direction finding apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
- a terrestrial magnetism sensor mounted on the vehicle, having two sensor elements arranged orthogonally to each other and mounted on the vehicle in a vertical plane with respect to one another for detecting a terrestrial magnetism and producing a signal indicative of terrestrial magnetism;
- magnetization intensity data storing means for determining a first intensity of magnetization of said vehicle on the basis of outputs of said two sensor elements of said terrestrial magnetism sensor in an X-Y coordinate system based on a 360.degree. turning of said vehicle on the ground and for storing said first intensity as a magnetization intensity;
- foreign magnetic field sensing means for sensing a direction of a foreign magnetic field which is caused by a current flowing through electricity transmission lines, such as a railroad track, when the vehicle passes through said foreign magnetic field;
- course finding means for determining a course of said vehicle on the basis of the signal indicative of terrestrial magnetism and the intensity of magnetization;
- direction determining means for determining an assumed direction based on the course of said vehicle determined by said course finding means and said first intensity of magnetization calculated before said vehicle passed through said foreign magnetic field after each time the vehicle has passed through said foreign magnetic field;
- magnetization intensity determining means for determining a new intensity of magnetization after each time the vehicle passes through said foreign magnetic field by deriving an intersection of a first straight line, representing the direction of the foreign magnetic field detected by said foreign magnetic field sensing means and a second straight line, representing a course of said vehicle after said vehicle has passed through said foreign magnetic field detected by said direction determining means, on a plane including an output circle of a terrestrial magnetism, at which a center of said output circle of the terrestrial magnetism is positioned,
- data renewal means for storing the new intensity of magnetization obtained by said magnetization intensity determining means in said magnetization intensity data storing means as a new magnetization intensity after each time the vehicle has passed through said foreign magnetic field, and
- output means connected to the output of the direction determining means for continuously outputting data indicative of a direction of the vehicle based on the signal indicative of terrestrial magnetism and the magnetization intensity.
- 2. A direction finding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein
- said magnetization intensity data storing means comprises calculation means for calculating said first intensity of magnetization and memory means for storing the renewed intensity of magnetization by said data renewal means.
- 3. A direction finding apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein
- said direction determining means comprises an angular velocity sensor for detecting turning of said vehicle, and said direction is computed using the output of said angular velocity sensor and said course derived by said course finding means before passing through said foreign magnetic field.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
1-287003 |
Nov 1989 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/605,789, filed Oct. 30, 1990, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
63-204112 |
Aug 1988 |
JPX |
8805153 |
Jul 1988 |
WOX |
2141551 |
Dec 1984 |
GBX |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
605789 |
Oct 1990 |
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