24 - Friday, October 20, 1989 - North Shore News

AUT Om oT!

YE

James Sond-type navigation
system now a reality in cars

“ACCELERATING THROUGH the picturesque
Alps in his Aston Martin, James Bond casually
flips a toggle switch on the console. A panel slides
upwards revealing a tiny six-inch TV screen
displaying an illuminated road map. A flashing
light near the centre of the map pinpoints the
position of the Rolls Royce ahead of him. The
tiny homing device that Bond placed in the trunk
of Goldfinger’s car was working perfectly...”

This scene from the movie
‘Goldfinger’ was mere fan-
tasy 25 years ago. Today, it
is not only a possibility, it is
a reality. Advances in com-
puter and video technology
have made in-car navigation
systems a workable, if ex-
pensive, proposition.

There is a slight twist
though. Today’s navigation
systems are meant to keep
track of your own car, not
your adversary’s.

Nissan Motor Company in
Japan has developed a
system called Drive Guide
that uses computerized map
projections and a direction
finder to keep track of the
driver's car anywhere it
goes.

Like James Bond’s
system, a six-inch TV screen
is positioned on the lower
console area of the
dashboard.

The driver inputs his des-
tination by pressing a se-
quence of buttons, some of
them on the screen itself. A
map of the destinaticn area
is displayed first, then the

screen reverts to a map of
the current area, with the
car’s position indicated by a
red triangle.

As the car moves, the map
gradually shifts on the screen
to show the area where the

Greg Wilson

this kind of computer graph-
ics system work requires
immense amounts of data
storage, quick access to in-
formation, and _ reliability.
All of this is provided by a
relatively new CD-ROM
technology. A _ read-only
compact disc is permanently
instailed in the system stor-
ing al! the information need-
ed to display highly-detailed
maps of each particular
area.

The Drive Guide computer
makes use of an NEC V-50
16-bit microprocessor to co-
ordinate map data and

car is at the moment. The
map also indicates the direc-
tion at the press of a button.

The driver can choose a
map that always remains in a
traditional ‘north at the top’
position, or ‘direction-up’
orientation. Maps of dif-
ferent scales are available at
the touch of a button.

The technology to make

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displays, assisted by an Intel
8087 microprocessor for
high speed calculation of the
data on the CD.

Yet another NEC V-50
16-bit microprocessor is used
to coordinate speed, direc-
tion and on-screen map
matching through signals it
receives from a magnetic di-
rection finder, and sensors

3 Year-60,000 km bumper to

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Stk. 490054

e erent wheel

7,988"

* Net of all programs — Prices include freight &

on each of the car’s wheels.

The Earth’s magnetic
North Pole cannot be used
as the only source for
determining direction due to
magnetic fluctuations ana
interference from buildings.

So each wheel of the car is
equipped with a sensor
which updates the car’s loca-
tion every two metres, or at
least once every second.

Nissan’s in-car navigation
systern has other uses too. It
provides drivers with ad-
vance notice of freeway in-
terchanges, ferry routes, and
locations and features of
hotels, marinas, and stores.

Otker practical benefits
that spring to mind are help
for drivers who have trouble
with directions, a source of
information for RVers and
travelling sales people, and
help for those travelling at
night.

Combined with traffic
congestion information, this
system could conceivably
help drivers avoid traffic
jams.

The true test of in-car
navigation systems will be
their practical use in every-
day driving. Will it turn out
to be another expensive toy,
like General Motor’s ill-
fated CRT information
screen?

Or will it encourage peo-
ple to go where they've never
gone before, confident that
they can always find their
way out again?

Stk. #95076
@ 4 door

® Cloth buckets
@ Manual trans @ Rack & pinion steering ® Exterior decor
®4cyI/15 litre @ Power brakes
e Cloth seats

package
® Automatic

=

2

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326 AUTOMOTIVE
ee ey en cent
Car buyers are waiting to read

your ad — 986-6222.
327 CARS

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80's & newer Cars & Trucks
49 CHEV 2 dr Torpedo back.
$600 obo. 985-4301.
51 CHEV 2 dr hardtop - $1200
obo. 51 CHEV 4 dr sedan - $500
obo, 985-4301.
84 WHITE T-Bird, 63,000 orig mi,
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66 BARRACUDA 272 V8, 55,000
miles, exc cond, 1 owner, USA
car - $4200 obo. 985-4301.
68 EL CAMINO, growing family
must sell. Ali new, all muscle, sbit
with TLC, receipts avail. Driving
is ioving? $7,500, 980-8309,
69 CAMARO SS. No susi, air
cond, orig. $4700 obo. 987-0691.
89 MERCURY Marauder X100,
429:4V engine, 74,000 mi, auto.
69 MUSTANG 302, no rust, new
paint, garage kept, low mi. Great
shape. Asking $5950. 922-5868
70 PONTIAC LeMans, 1 owner,
exc cond, $1100 obo. 988-5098
71 CHEV Impala convertible 350.
$1,200 obo. Must sell. 985-5897.
72 DODGE Dart. 2 dr, new brakes,
new exhaust, rebuilt eng. Good
cond. $1000 obo. 388-5955
72 MUSTANG, red, am/im cass,
funs great, $500 firm. 980-2433.
74 FIREBIRD 400, new muffler,
Stereo. 600 obo. 980-5707.
75 BUICK Le Sabre, auto, “pis, pib,
alr, cruise, 80,000 miles. $1250.
984-4417 after 6)
76 CAMARO, standard 6 cyl. 4
owner. $1,000. 985-8368.

76 CUTLASS SALON, 2 dr hit, ph,
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76 SODGE Dart, siant 6, auto,
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76 FORD LTD. $250

983-3247

76 PLYMOUTH siw. guns well.
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78 PONTIAC Grand Pai Good
7@ SPORTABOUT, new auto &
77 DODGE Aspen, $700 obo. Call,
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@ Rear wiper washer

® All season radials

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7? PLYMOUTH Fury. pis, pid,
65,000 mi. $750 obo. 984-7037.

7? VOLARE station wagor, ols,

8

$1709 ob0. 966-2002
78 CHRYSLER LeBaron siw,
leatner bucket seats, piw, plb, pis
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rust. $1600 obo. 989-5502.

78 CUTLASS Supreme 2 dr, & cyl,
vinyl top, pfsun-roof, pis, pb,
89,000 kms. $2500, 922-7258.

78 HORIZON 4 spd, good

runs well, $950 cbo. 926-4661

78 PINTO, 90,000km, good runn-
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Se
CON'T ON NEXT PAGE
ee eel

"88 NISSAN MICRA
2 door, 5 spd., radio

Asking 6,900

°87 VW CABRIOLET
Auto trans, o/steering,
heated front seats,
leatherette seats,
Metallic red.

Oniy 15,900

87 VW GOLF G.T.
2 door, 5 spd. trans.,
siroof, cassette, white,
sport wheels

Asking £13,750
87 VW GOLF 4 BR.
GL

Auto trans, p/steering,
sunroof, met grey

Asking *13,750

87 VW VANAGON
7 PASS. BUS
Auto trans, s/roof, 2 tone
blue. Balance of factory

warranty

Only £18,900

°87 HYUNDAI PONY
HIBACK CX
4 door auto, 27,000 km.,
AMIFM cassette. White in
colour.

Only *5,375

87 VW 2 DR. SEDAN
FOX

4 spd., trans, met silver

Only 56,750
‘84 SPORTY Gi!
JETTA

4 door, sfroof, 5 spd.,
sport seats, cassette,
sport wheels

Only *7,450

'84 TOYOTA
CAMRY

2 Door, auto,

a/conditioning

Asking *10,900

°81 MGB MIDGET
CONVERTIBLE
Green, low kms

Asking *8,500

°77 PORSCHE 924
S/roof, red in colour

As is §5,500

DOZENS OF GOOD USED
SPOR’ AND