EP0261132A1

EP0261132A1 - Process for acquiring navigating data

Info

Publication number: EP0261132A1
Application number: EP19860905741
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Knoll; Winfried KÖNIG; Franz Pachner; Peter Rapps
Original assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Current assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
Priority date: 1986-01-24
Filing date: 1986-10-10
Publication date: 1988-03-30
Also published as: WO1987004516A1; AU6528586A

Abstract

Un procédé de saisie de données de navigation de véhicules à partir d'une carte routière (12) utilise des feuilles minces transparentes pourvues d'une couche conductrice (15, 16) sur un de leurs côtés et un crayon (25) pour exécuter des trajets en introduisant dans un appareil de navigation (28) la position du crayon (25). Une entrée de données rapide, précise et résistante à l'usure est obtenue en utilisant deux feuilles minces (13, 14) dont les couches conductrices (15, 16) se font face et qui sont posées l'une sur l'autre, légèrement séparées par une pièce d'écartement (17). Lorsque l'on pose le crayon (25) sur la feuille supérieure (14), on met en contact électrique les couches conductrices (15, 16) des deux feuilles à un point (A) situé sous le crayon (25). En appliquant une tension réversible de mesure à une des feuilles, on obtient les coordonnées du crayon (25) par l'intermédiaire du point de contact (A) et de son potentiel.A method of capturing vehicle navigation data from a road map (12) uses thin transparent sheets having a conductive layer (15, 16) on one side and a pencil (25) to execute routes by entering the position of the pencil (25) into a navigation device (28). Fast, precise and wear-resistant data entry is obtained by using two thin sheets (13, 14) whose conductive layers (15, 16) face each other and which are laid slightly on top of each other separated by a spacer (17). When the pencil (25) is placed on the upper sheet (14), the conductive layers (15, 16) of the two sheets are brought into electrical contact at a point (A) located under the pencil (25). By applying a reversible measurement voltage to one of the sheets, the coordinates of the pencil (25) are obtained via the contact point (A) and its potential.

Description

Procedure for collecting navigation data

State of the art

The invention is based on a method for recording navigation data of vehicles according to the preamble of the main claim.

A large number of navigation methods for vehicles have recently become known in which the coordinates of the starting point of a travel route and a coupling navigation system carried in the vehicle continuously determine the current location of the vehicle and the respective location is displayed in a map using a display device. Such a navigation method is known for example from DE-OS 29 36 774. There, the vehicle location is shown in the map or in a map section by an arrow pointing in one direction, for example upwards in the direction of travel. When driving the vehicle, the measured direction and path signals are used to move the map against the arrow indicating the direction of travel, and if necessary rotated around the location of the vehicle. For the viewer, the arrow indicating the location and direction of travel thus appears to move along the desired streets and is always directed upwards. This type of representation is mechanically very complex, therefore prone to failure and also confusing.

From DE-OS 33 41 679 it is also known to set the desired travel route by tracing it with a coding pen and to store the location of a number of points on the travel route by means of a coding device and a card inserted into this device before starting the journey. During the journey, the desired route, at least in the area of the current location and at least temporarily, is marked by means of the display of the device in addition to the location display. To code the intended route, a coding device is used, which is used to travel from the location to the destination along the existing road network of the map by means of a pin which is attached to two thread rollers. The position of the coding pin is determined from the respective length of the two threads at defined time intervals. The route can be saved with the results obtained in this way. The arrangement shown there is extensive in its structure and therefore expensive. In addition, the use of threads for position detection of the coding pin is unwieldy and prone to failure.

In the German patent application P 34 28 847.3, a device was therefore proposed in which a coding pin is provided for entering the desired route, which is only connected to an electrical evaluation circuit with a connecting cable, which is used in the coding pin when following the desired route on a road map generated Imnulsa processed. These pulses are generated by a sensor in the coding pin as soon as the coding pin for inputting the driving route is moved over a line grid which is applied essentially in the form of a grid on the map. The grid-like grating is preferably coded by a different structure in the longitudinal and transverse directions, so that the respective position of the coding pin can be recorded and stored from the starting point in the evaluation circuit from the pulse train of the sensor when following the desired travel route with the coding pin. With solutions of this type, however, it has been found to be disadvantageous that the structures on the top of a road map or a film placed on the road map are subject to heavy wear due to frequent use and can be easily scratched by the coding pen or other sharp-edged objects. This also applies to the embodiment shown in German patent application P 34 28 847.3, in which the line grille is replaced by a uniform, continuous and transparent resistance layer which is applied to a glass plate or film to be placed on the card.

Advantages of the invention

With the method according to the invention for acquiring navigation data, wear or scratching of the electrically conductive layers for driving route input can be avoided in an advantageous manner by placing these layers on the road map on the facing sides of two superimposed transparent foils at a short distance from one another. In addition, the spacers ensure that the conductive layers are only brought into electrical contact at that point. at which the coding pen or stylus is placed on the road map; Another important advantage is that the use of conductive layers allows the respective position of the coding stylus to be input into an evaluation circuit directly via the electrical connections of these layers in the form of electrical signals. This makes it possible to dispense with a connection cable for the coding stylus.

Advantageous further developments and improvements of the features specified in the main claim are possible through the measures listed in the subclaims. It is particularly advantageous, depending on the thickness of the foils used, to print the spacer on one of the two foils in a grid of approximately 5 mm. Clear contacting of the two conductive layers with the pressure customary in writing is achieved in that the layers of the two foils are held at a distance of approximately 0.3 mm from one another by the spacer. A solution that is easy to manufacture and works with high accuracy is that both foils are provided with a continuous conductive layer in their input area, which are each connected to a switchable measuring voltage on two opposite longitudinal sides with a low-resistance conductor track. The low-resistance conductor tracks of one film are rotated by 90 degrees to those of the other film and when the measuring voltage is applied to a film, the voltage potential at the point of the conductive layer contacted by the stylus is tapped off as a high-resistance analog voltage. A coordinate value can be derived from this voltage according to the voltage divider formula. Another advantageous alternative solution is that both foils are each provided with a resistance track running longitudinally or transversely to the card, from which a plurality of parallel conductor tracks branch at right angles in a comb-like manner. The resistance tracks of the two foils are arranged rotated by 90 degrees to each other and connected at their ends with low resistance to a switchable measuring voltage. When the measuring voltage is applied to a film, the voltage potential of the resistance track is tapped off with high resistance via the other film as the coordinate value, which leads the conductor track starting from the resistance track and which is contacted by the stylus with the other film. The comb-like conductor tracks can be produced in a particularly simple manner by etching them free from an electrically conductive layer vapor-deposited on the films and then contacting them laterally outside the input surface of the films with a homogeneous film resistor as a resistance track. To enter a distance, the X and Y coordinate values of the distance are continuously recorded by appropriately guiding the stylus placed on the card by cyclically switching the measuring voltage and the potential tap between the two foils.

drawing

Two embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and explained in more detail in the following description. FIG. 1 shows an input device for acquiring navigation data in cross section, FIG. 2 shows the foils arranged one above the other at an enlarged distance in a first exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 3 shows a corresponding foil arrangement in a second exemplary embodiment. Description of the embodiments

An input device for acquiring navigation data in vehicles is designated by 10 in FIG. It consists of a stable base 11 on which a road map 12 or a section of the road map required for input is placed. A film arrangement is then placed on the road map 12 and is formed from two transparent films 13 and 1 4 which are firmly connected to one another. The two foils 13 and 1 h are each provided on their mutually facing sides with an electrically conductive layer 15 and 16, which are spaced one above the other by spacers 17 located between them. The spacer 17 is printed in a grid of approximately 5 mm on the layer 15 of the lower film 13 in a thickness of approximately 0.3 mm, so that the conductive layers 15 and 16 of the two films 13 and 14 are at a distance of 0, 3 mm to each other. The two conductive layers 15 and 16 are each contacted on two opposite sides of the foils 13 and 14 with connecting conductors 18, 19 and 20, 21 which are connected to a multiplexer 23. The multiplexer 23 is also connected to a measuring voltage source 24, which is alternately switched to one of the two conductive layers 15 and 16 in time with the multiplexer, for example 100 Hz. With a stylus 25, which has a rounded tip 25a to protect the upper film 14, the desired driving route can be followed on the road map 12, in each case at point A, at which the tip 25a of the stylus 25 is located, by the pressure of the stylus 25, the conductive layer 16 of the upper film 1 4 is arched through between the spacers 17 and brought into contact with the electrically conductive layer 15 of the lower film 13. The potential at this contact point A of layer 15 or 16 presently applied to the measuring voltage is now called Given the coordinate value via the other layer 16 or 15 and its connecting conductor via the multiplexer 23 to an AD converter 26, which converts the tapped potential as an analog value into a digital value and feeds it via a bus line 27 into a navigation system 28, as is the case, for example in DE-OS 33 41 679 (Figure 1) is described in more detail.

In FIG. 2, in a first exemplary embodiment, the formation of the conductive layers 15 and 16 on the mutually facing sides of the two foils 13 and 14 is indicated by dashes. The slides 13 and 14 are shown at a large distance from one another to illustrate the mode of operation. The two foils 13 and 14 are vapor-coated in their input area on the mutually facing sides with a continuous conductive layer 15 and 16, which are each provided with a low-resistance conductor track 29 and 30 on two opposite longitudinal sides. The low-resistance conductor tracks 30 of the upper film 14 are rotated by 90 degrees to the conductor tracks 29 of the lower film 30.

In the example according to FIG. 2, the position of the stylus 25 placed on the upper film 14 is now to be detected. For this purpose, the coordinates X and Y are plotted above the film 14. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the measuring voltage source 24 should be applied to the conductive layer 15 of the lower film 13 via the connecting conductors 13 and 19 and the conductor tracks 29, the full measuring voltage of approximately

U _o = 5 V on the X axis corresponds to the coordinate value x _o . The measuring voltage is through the conductor tracks 29

U _o applied across the entire width of the film 13, so that there are equipotential lines running parallel to the conductor tracks 29 on the conductive layer 15. The Voltage potential of the conductive layer 15 on the lower film 13 therefore increases evenly from the left to the right side.

At point A, where the lower conductive layer 15 is contacted with the upper layer 16 by the stylus 25 placed on the upper film 14, the voltage potential U _x present there can be via the upper layer

16 and one of the conductor tracks 31 tap. The potential U _x can be determined via a high-impedance measuring device 31 connected to the connecting conductor 20 or 21 or processed via the AD converter 26 (FIG. 1). The measured potential U _x corresponds to the coordinate value x of the stylus 25. The coordinate value y of the stylus 25 can be determined in the same way by appropriately switching over the two conductive layers 15 and 16. By continuously repeating these measurements, the X and Y coordinate values of the stylus 25 are continuously ascertained when following the desired driving route and stored in the navigation system 28. The spacers 17 shown in FIG. 1 cannot be seen in FIG. 2. However, they are also applied to one of the foils 13 or 14 in a grid. The result of this is that when a driving route is entered, whenever the stylus 25 is guided over a spacer 17, no measured values are determined. The driving route followed on the road map 12 is therefore recorded as a line or point-like route by the input device 10 and stored in the memory of the navigation system 28. In a further exemplary embodiment, FIG. 3 shows the two foils 13a and 14a arranged one above the other at an enlarged distance. Here, too, a conductive layer was vapor-deposited on the sides of the two foils 13a and 14a facing one another, from which subsequently closely spaced, parallel conductor tracks 34 were etched free. At each end of these conductor tracks 34, a resistance track 35, 36 is applied to the films 13a, 14a outside the input surface of the films 13a and 14a, through which the conductor tracks 34 are contacted like a comb. The resistance tracks 35 and 36 of the two films 13a and 14a are arranged rotated by 90 degrees to one another, so that the lower film 13a has, for example, a resistance track 35 running along the street map and the upper film 14a is provided with a resistance track 36 running transversely to the map. Since from each of these resistance tracks 35 and 36 branches a plurality of the parallel conductor tracks 34 at right angles, these conductor tracks 34 lie crosswise one above the other in the loading area of the road map. The resistance tracks 35 and 36 are made of a homogeneous sheet or film resistor and have low-resistance connections at their ends to the switchable measuring voltage U _o .

Thus, the stylus 25 is, for example, when placed on the upper film 14a at the point A of the coordinate value of y on the Y-axis determined in that the measurement voltage U _o at the resistor track 36 of the upper foil is applied 14a via the measuring voltage source 2 4, which corresponds to the coordinate value y _o . The potential of the resistance track 36 is now picked up in a high-omega manner via the high-profile measuring device 31 via the lower film 13a as the coordinate value y of the stylus 25 attached, which carries the conductor track 34a starting from the resistance track 36 which is contacted by the stylus 25 with the underlying conductor track 34b. The potential U _y present there is thus tapped off with high impedance via the conductor track 34 b and the associated resistance track 35 and processed as coordinate value y in the measuring device 31.

Here too, a corresponding cyclical switching of the measuring voltage U _o and the tapped

Potential U _y or U _x the position of the stylus 25 in the navigation system 28 recorded during the driving route input and stored. In this embodiment, the spacer 17 can advantageously be applied as a line or dot-shaped grid on one of the foils 13a and 14a between the parallel conductor tracks 34. Just like the conductive layers 15 and 16 on the films 13 and 14 in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, the conductor tracks 34 are also evaporated onto the films 13a and 14a in a layer thickness which is barely perceptible to the eye, so that the road map 12 through the two films 13 and 14 or 13a and 14a remains clearly visible.

The films used are preferably 0.1 mm thick polyester films, the conductive layers of tin indium oxide or gold are vapor-deposited with a transparency of 70 to 80%.

Claims

Expectations

1. Method for acquiring navigation data in vehicles from a road map, on which a transparent film can be placed, which is provided with a conductive layer, by means of which by switching measuring voltages in the X and Y direction of the film by potential tapping with a stylus a position is entered into a navigation device according to patent application P 34 28 847.3, characterized in that the film (13) interacts with a second, also transparent film (14) with a conductive layer (16) by the two films (13, 14) with their conductive layers (15, 1β) facing each other and placed one on top of the other with a spacer (17) at a small distance, so that when the stylus (25) is placed on the upper film (14) the conductive layers (15, 16) the two foils (13, 14) are brought into electrical contact at the location (A) under the stylus (25).

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacer (17) is printed in a grid of about 5 mm on one of the two foils (13, 14).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the conductive layers (15, 16) of the two foils (13, 14) by the spacer (17) are held at a distance of about 0.3 mm from each other.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that both films (13, 14) are provided in their input area with a continuous conductive layer (15, 16), each having two low-resistance conductor tracks (29 , 30) can be connected to a switchable measuring voltage (Uo), that the low-resistance conductor tracks (29 or 30) of one film (13 or 14) are rotated by 90 degrees to those of the other film (14 or 13) and that when the measuring voltage (Uo) is applied to one of the foils (13, 14), the voltage potential (Ux, Uy) is tapped off at the point (A) of the conductive layer contacted by the stylus (25) of the conductive layer.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that both films (13a, 14a) are each provided with a longitudinal or transverse to the road map (12) resistance track (35, 36), of which a plurality in parallel extending conductor tracks (34) branches off at right angles that the resistance tracks (35, 36) of the two foils (13a, 14a)

Twisted 90 degrees to each other and connected at their ends with a low resistance to a switchable measuring voltage (Uo) and that when the measuring voltage (Uo) is applied to one of the foils (13a or 14a), the other foil (14a or 13a) is used as the coordinate value (x, y) the voltage potential of the resistance track (35 or 36) is tapped with high impedance, which leads the conductor path (34a) starting from the resistance path (35, 36), which is contacted by the stylus with a conductor path (34b) of the other film (13a).

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that the conductor tracks (34) from a vapor-deposited layer on the foils (13a, 14a) and then etched with a homogeneous layer or foil resistance as a resistance path (35, 36) each laterally outside the input surface the foils (13a, 14a) are contacted like a comb.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the X and Y coordinate values continuously by cyclical switching of the measuring voltage (Uo) and the to enter a distance by appropriate guidance of the stylus (25) placed on the road map (12) Potential tapping (Ux, Uy) between the two foils (13, 13a, 14 and 14a) can be detected.