Description and Performance of NAVMATE, an In-Vehicle Route Guidance System

A joint effort of Diesel Kiki Co., Ltd. and Navigation Technologies Corp. has now (March 1990) succeeded in building and demonstrating a working prototype in-vehicle Route Guidance System (RGS) called NAVMATE*, which is now being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area. The NAVMATE RGS is a completely self-contained hardware / software / database system which incorporates the following major subsystems: ο Path Planning - Generates optimum routes in the road network, between the vehicle's present location (or a specified origin) and a specified destination, using a modified A* algorithm ο Vehicle Positioning - Determines the location of the vehicle as it travels, within very tight tolerances, using map matched dead reckoning ο Route Guidance - Presents real-time instructions to the driver for following the generated route This self-contained RGS contrasts sharply with some systems now being tested and marketed in Europe which employ centrally controlled traffic management infrastructures to provide approximate driving directions to equipped vehicles via two-way infrared beacons. This paper presents: (1) a functional and operational overview of an RGS from the viewpoint of the user (driver), (2) describes NAVMATE in terms of its principal hardware and software subsystems, and (3) describes NAVMATE characteristics and performance including current testing activities and their preliminary results.