Audio 50 APS navigation mode, function - GF82.61-P-2009GZ

MODEL 164 except CODE (494) USA version except CODE (498) Japan version with CODE (525) MB Audio 50 APS radio up to Model Year 2008 

Block diagram shown on model 164.1 without voice control system (VCS [SBS]), code 813 

The navigation system is intended to support the driver in finding the correct route and increase the driving safety in unfamiliar areas.

The primary navigation system functions include:

• Position determination
• Route planning
• Route calculation
• Destination-oriented navigation
• Visual driving instructions according to map illustrations
• Acoustic driving instructions

All the systems required for navigation, except GPS antenna (A2/93a6) are contained in the radio and navigation unit.

The GPS antenna integrated in the roof antenna module receives the GPS signals from the satellites and transmits these to the radio and navigation unit.

The important data specific to the vehicle such as:

• the wheel pulse signal,
• the steering angle and
• the backup signal

are however fed digitally to the radio and navigation unit over the Controller Area Network bus class B (interior compartment) (CAN-B) bus.

Function requirements 

• Startup 

The radio and navigation unit is activated by means of circuit 15R. After the navigation CD has been loaded into the disk drive slot of the radio and navigation unit, the navigation unit compares the software version which is already installed with the software existing on the CD. If the CD contains a current software, this is loaded by the navigation unit.

Simultaneously, the GPS receiver is initialized in the background. These procedures can require up to approx. 15 min.

After successful initialization of the GPS receiver, the navigation unit begins with automatic calibration while driving.

It is no longer necessary to enter the tire parameters or perform a calibration drive. After driving approx. one kilometer with a number of turns, the navigation unit is automatically calibrated. After successful startup, the navigation system in the vehicle is activated over circuit 30. The navigation CD can then be removed or remain in the drive. However, the navigation CD is read in each time the system is started up.

• Switching off navigation 

  When the radio and navigation unit is switched off (ignition OFF), the navigation unit stores important data such as the last position, direction, etc. in its memory in order to eliminate a new initialization process.

  After starting the radio and navigation unit, it is only necessary for the navigation unit to load the operating system, receive the missing GPS data and compare the data with the current network of streets or roads. This procedure can require several minutes before the first driving instructions are given.

Basic navigation 

• Position determination 

  As soon as the system starts up, the navigation unit compares the GPS data supplied by the GPS antenna with the stored data for vehicle position and direction, as well as with the map data. The position of the vehicle is then determined with an accuracy of approx. 10 m by this procedure.

  If the vehicle position is requested via the radio and operating unit, the position is shown on the display.

Destination address entry for route calculation 

The following information can be used for entering the address:

• Town name
• Road
• Intersection
• Street number (depending on availability of data)
• Town centers
• Local areas with a road index (depending on data availability)
• Postal code

Entries using an intelligent speller (letter and digit field) are supported by the system. Depending on the process of the entry, only those characters are made available that can be entered next. Unique names can be completed automatically, where possible.

The limitation of the selection possibilities for characters also includes special symbols. Direct entry of a number is possible for the street number. Depending on the degree of digitization, however, the number or the corresponding range of street numbers is selected.

When entering town centers without their own district boundaries, the main town is also provided as information.

• Route calculation 

  The route calculation starts after the input or call up of a destination and an acoustic information is output: "The route is calculated". In addition, during ongoing route calculation an animated CD/DVD symbol is displayed.

  The route between the instantaneous vehicle position and the destination is calculated in the navigation processor.

  The calculation models

  • Fastest route
  • short route and
  • dynamic route can be selected.

  In addition, "Avoid options" can also be selected by the user and taken into consideration in calculating the route. These options include avoiding items such as ferries, tunnels and toll roads.

  The route calculation can also be influenced by the input of a so-called VIA point and/or an intermediate destination/intermediate stop.

  After the calculation has been successfully completed, the CD/DVD symbol disappears and the route is displayed on the map.

  After the route has been calculated, the navigation CD can be removed from the drive slot. This allows an audio CD to be played during navigation. In this case, pictograms are used for display on the instrument cluster.

• Journey on the calculated route 

  The actual position is compared cyclically in the navigation processor with the predicted position. The input parameters include the data from the yaw rate sensor (GYRO), integrated in the radio and operating unit and the route data coming from the vehicle. If the vehicle travels along the precalculated route, then all necessary information is given to the driver visually on the display and partly acoustically via the speakers.

  This information includes:

  • Aim
  • Calculated arrival time and journey time
  • Route mode (fast route, short route, dynamic route)
  • Route list
  • Traffic information (TMC) (for ECE only)

  This function terminates upon reaching the destination.

• Leaving the calculated route 

  If the vehicle is no longer moving on the precalculated route, the route is recalculated.

  If the re-calculated values are plausible, the modified route is displayed:

  • If the vehicle is on a road, which is present in digital form, however, for which no supplementary information is available such as one-way street, highway, etc., the display "OFF ROAD" appears.
  • If the vehicle is located outside of the digitized map area, the display "OFF MAP" appears.

POI (Points of Interest) 

POIs can be selected according to the following criteria:

• Position surroundings
• Surrounding area of last destination
• Surrounding area of any central location (other location)
• National destinations

The search radius for POIs in a category is usually approx. 20 km, but certain categories, e.g. airports, have a search radius covering the entire country.

• The following POI categories are defined  (availability depending on degree of digitization and national version):
  • Fair ground
  • Highway exit
  • Highway intersection
  • Highway service
  • Rest area
  • Car rental
  • Railroad station
  • Bank
  • Bowling center
  • Bus station
  • Shopping center
  • Ferry
  • Airport
  • Golf course
  • Border crossing
  • Hotel
  • Cinema
  • Hospital
  • MB authorized workshop
  • Museum
  • Nightlife
  • Public facility
  • Parking space
  • Police
  • Post
  • Highway rest stop
  • Restaurant
  • Sight
  • Other destinations
  • Sports facilities
  • Club airfield
  • Sports area
  • Gas station
  • Theater
  • Underground garage
  • Tourist Information
  • Wine-growing estate

Destination memory 

Entered destinations can be stored manually in an address book.

A maximum of 200 entries can be stored.

Last destinations 

In the navigation main menu, the user is able to access a list of the last destinations and memory points. Memory points are points which are passed along a route.

At the start of navigation, the destination address is stored automatically in the "Last destinations" memory. The memory can accommodate up to fifty entries. If the memory is full, the entries are deleted automatically as per the "first-come-first-delete" principle. In other words, the fiftieth entry is deleted first. Manual deletion of entries by the user is also possible.

Voice output 

• The following languages are available: 
  • German
  • British English
  • French
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Dutch
• Voice outputs are given for: 
  • Turning recommendations
  • Numbered roads, limited to highways and federal highways in Europe
• A special instruction for areas is given with: 
  • Destination in area not open to traffic
  • Destination area with restricted driveability
  • Route via ferry
  • Route via toll road
• Further announcements: 
  • Start of route calculation
  • Destination, intermediate destination reached
  • General: Route influenced due to traffic reports

Route calculation 

• Route criteria and options 

  The following criteria are available for route calculation:

  • Shortest route
  • Fastest route
  • Dynamic route, corresponds to the fast route taking into account radio traffic service reports

  These criteria can be restricted by means of the following options:

  • Avoid highway
  • Avoid toll roads
  • Ferry, avoid car embarkation
  • Avoid tunnel conveyed visually

  Route calculation is accomplished using the option set to the greatest possible extent.

  If observance of the options is not possible, the options set are ignored for the sections in question.

  The set criteria and options can be displayed and changed at any time.

  If an Avoid option cannot be fulfilled by the system, the driver is informed.

• Route planning 

  The navigation system differentiates between main destinations and stopovers on a journey.

  The primary destinations must be arrived at exactly in each case, before route planning can be accomplished to the next destination. If, in contrast, a main destination is entered along with an intermediate destination, then the navigation system divides the route into two parts and guides the user to the intermediate destination (or a stopover) and then automatically to the required main destination.

  VIA destinations are treated by the navigation system as "soft" destinations along the actual route. In other words, VIA destinations also influence the route calculation to the actual main destination and are not treated as a second route.

• Remaining driving time and remaining driving distance 

  The distance from the vehicle position to the next destination and the estimated driving time are given.

  The driving time results from the vehicle speed which is assigned to the sections of road which are still to be driven through.

  In addition to this, when passing through sections affected by traffic information, additional driving time is added.

• Transmitter selection for dynamic destination-oriented navigation system 

  For dynamic destination-oriented navigation, a TMC Location table (TMC = Traffic Message Channel) for the country available on the data medium is maintained. A prerequisite is that corresponding information for this country is available.

  The information as to whether Location tables are available is made available to the TMC data source, so that a station source selection can be made and the traffic messages can be filtered to provide those as close to the source as possible.

  Traffic reports relevant to the route are, for example:

  • Completely closed
  • Jam
  • Stop and go traffic
  • Heavy traffic
• Manual block 

  Manual exclusions can be indicated at a distance from the start of the traffic jam (traffic jam ahead) of up to max. 10 km.

  It is only possible to block out a portion of the route in the vicinity of the current location, not the entire route, depending on the distance to the destination.

  Similarly independent cancellation of the exclusion is also possible.

• Destination-oriented navigation 

  Driving recommendations are always output taking into consideration

  • the current vehicle speed,
  • the current road class and
  • the distance to the decision point.

  Depending on the situation driving recommendations are issued in up to three stages:

  • Advance notice, depending on the current road class
  • Approach
  • Action
• Symbolic driving recommendations 

  A pictogram may be displayed depending on the turning situation. A symbolic driving recommendation is generated for each decisive point. A distinction is made between the following situations:

  • Follow the road course ("Follow")
  • Advance notice ("Prepare")
  • Turnoff at an intersection (All roads at the intersection are specified and displayed with a direction resolution of 30°.)
  • Exiting at a slip road with a direction resolution of 90°
  • Rotary, right-hand and left-hand traffic (all exits of the traffic circle are only shown in a fully digitized area.)
  • Fork with a direction resolution of 30°
  • Route recalculation
  • Turning, right-hand and left-hand traffic
  • Destination direction for route calculation, Off-Road, Off-Map and No-Route
• Distance 

  The distance to the next turning point is indicated when the action is within the vicinity of the route search. In addition, a turnoff recommendation is displayed by a bar graph.

• Street names and signs 

  The following information is available:

  • Name of current road
  • Name of the road to turn into
  • On highways: Signposts with information on the number of the slip road, number of the road, name of the town in the main direction or federal highway

  During navigation, driving recommendations are depicted in the so-called split-screen mode.

• Dynamization 

  Dynamic mode is based on the functionality of RDS/TMC.

  The data contents are taken from the definition of TMC events. The use of TMC data can be activated or deactivated in the navigation system by the "Dynamic Route" option.

  The TMC data are taken from the following TMC sources:

  • Reception of RDS/TMC from the FM signals (radio messages)

  The audio gateway integrated into the radio and navigation unit is a two-tuner receiver. A background tuner is mainly used for receiving the TMC. It scans for continuously receivable TMC programs and stores the received TMC messages in a TMC table, which is transmitted to the navigation system.

  The navigation system checks all messages in terms of route relevance. This enables all the TMC messages from all receivable TMC sources to be taken into consideration. Multiple TMC tables can be loaded simultaneously, usually two.

  For international routes, the foreign route-relevant TMC messages can also be considered and displayed. For this reason, the messages are sorted according to country and highway.

• VIA points 

  With a VIA point, the route calculation takes place to the next destination taking a transition point into consideration.

  The VIA point is not a real destination and must not be approached directly. It is used in route guidance only as an orientation point for the route calculation.

  A VIA point is entered from the VIA menu of the radio and navigation unit, by the user selecting the desired VIA point from a VIA list.

  In each case a VIA point can be determined between the current vantage point and the next destination.

The navigation functions via the voice control system (VCS [SBS]), code 813, are described in the voice control system (VCS [SBS]) function.

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	Antenna system (ATS), function		GF82.62-P-0001GZ
	Audio 50 APS, component description		GF82.61-P-4099GZ
	Voice control system (VCS), function	with Voice Control System (VCS [SBS]) code 813	GF82.70-P-0002GZ
	Multifunction steering wheel, function		GF82.90-P-0001GZ