Nissan announces new navigation system with advanced technology

[AK370Z]

Nissan is introducing a new navigation system that warns drivers of a variety of road hazards. The system also calculates routes faster than previous sat-navs that Nissan has made available.

The new features are part of the "intelligent transportation system" (ITS), and warn the driver about upcoming "low-visibility" intersections, speed traps, and school zones. It also uses "Navigation-linked Speed Control" which takes control of the engine and transmission should the driver approach a tollbooth or sharp curve at a high rate of speed. The feature is already available on the Nissan Eco series.

Testing on the ITS began three years ago, when Nissan started to explore ways of reducing congestion by allowing cars to communicate with infrastructure units. Japan's Universal Traffic Management Society, the corporate branch of the National Police Agency, has adopted the use of a Driving Safety Support System which sends out various alert beacons that are received and interpreted by Nissan's ITS. The ITS interprets the data and passes it along.

The new system will become available on the Nissan Fuga. The luxury car will be put on the market in Japan at the end of the year.

Originally Posted by Nissan Press

Nissan's New Navigation System Emphasizes Safer, Greener Driving

New Technologies Include Warnings at Low-Visibility Intersections, School Zone Alerts, Navigation-linked Speed Control and Faster Route Calculations

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has announced an enhanced automotive navigation system design that utilizes intelligent transportation system (ITS) infrastructure and other advanced technology to promote safer and greener driving. The new navigation system - the world's first to incorporate ITS information in a production vehicle - will debut on the next generation Nissan Fuga, which goes on sale in Japan in late 2009.

The navigation system includes four advanced features in addition to the standard navigation functions:

* Intersection/signal warning
* Elementary School-zone alerts
* Navigation-linked speed control
* Enhanced route search and calculation

The goal of the enhanced navigation system is to provide safety-related information to drivers to help prevent accidents at intersections and raise awareness for safer driving. The system also incorporates a green-driving feature already introduced on select Nissan models.

Helping Improve Safety

In October 2006, Nissan began large-scale intelligent transportation system tests of advanced vehicle-to-infrastructure communications*1 to help reduce accidents and minimize traffic congestion. Nissan's system employs an optical beacon receiver developed in the SKY project which works in sync with infrastructure. It was adopted recently by the National Police Agency and its public corporate arm, the Universal Traffic Management Society of Japan (UTMS) for their Driving Safety Support System (DSSS*2).

This fiscal year, as the government is revamping the road infrastructure, Nissan will incorporate a new feature that uses information on traffic and the status of nearby vehicles from optical beacons to warn drivers about situations that are difficult to see.

Following is a closer look at the new Nissan navigation system technology:

Safety-Related Information

Intersection and Signal Warning

Using information transmitted from the Driving Safety Support System (DSSS) on-road systems, drivers can receive audible and display warnings when approaching some low-visibility intersections. The driver can decide whether the information is necessary to act on or not, depending on driving conditions. This is the first system of its kind utilized in a production automotive navigation system.

School Zone Alerts

The new navigation system's mapping database now includes school zones. When the vehicle enters an elementary school zone and the system determines that a safety warning is appropriate, based on real-time vehicle information (speed, acceleration, braking, etc.), it provides audible and display warnings to direct driver attention. This feature is available in the new Nissan Skyline Crossover, which was released in July.

Green Driving Features

Navigation-linked Speed Control

Using navigation system information such as the sharpness of a curve or the distance to a tollgate, the system can control the vehicle's engine and transmission, optimize engine braking and reduce fuel flow to help make driving more fuel-efficient. This feature is currently in use on the Nissan Eco ("NECO") series, a line of greener cars released in Japan in April.

Faster Route Searches

Using probe data*3 traffic information from individual vehicles sent to the Carwings Center, this system supplies information for all roads (except alleys) in addition to that previously available via the Vehicle Information and Communication System (VICS). The center also collects waiting time data, for example, when turning at an intersection, from vehicles at traffic signals and delivers it to other vehicles in the area. Using this information for route calculation makes route searches more precise, moves traffic faster, reduces traffic congestion and promotes greener driving.

Probe information

*1: Experiment running in Kanagawa Prefecture since October 2006 to reduce accidents and traffic congestion using traffic environment data delivered via data communications networks. It is a joint effort of Nissan, NTT DoCoMo Inc, Panasonic Corp. and Clarion Co., Ltd. (formerly Xanavi Infomatics Corp.).
*2: The National Police Agency and its corporation Universal Traffic Management Society of Japan (UTMS) oversee the Safety Support System to reduce traffic accidents using road-car communications from the latest ITS technologies, including sensors and on-road vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
*3: Information on vehicle position, speed and the like obtained by wireless technology.

Source: Nissan announces new navigation system with advanced technology - Worldcarfans

[Florida_GATOR]

Navigation linked speed control?? that sounds like a terrible idea! no more at 120

[TX_370]

^That was the first thing I though

[spearfish25]

So it seems that the new nav system takes queues from 'beacons' mounted on or before traffic lights, dangerous intersections, school zones, etc. Unfortunately the United States will never start installing 'infrastructure' units to communicate with a navigation system unless they somehow make the state or federal government more revenue. Protecting school children or drivers without a revenue kick back has never been our roadside policy.

[Florida_GATOR]

Yea thats true, America is so far behind when it comes to this kind of technology haha...which i guess is kinda a good thing in a select few cases. FHEW!