Car Gadgets | Car GPS

Summary

 – Car GPS: its history

 – How a car GPS works

 – The different models of GPS for car

 – Car GPS: price and specificities

Not so long ago, the only efficient way to get from point A to point B by car was to plot your route on a road map and follow the directions religiously. Nowadays, it is still nice to go on the road on vacation with maps, but it is also much faster to equip yourself with a car gadget: the GPS. It is a technology that has become almost indispensable in our daily lives.

Car GPS: its history

Initially, the concept of GPS was designed for military purposes. Indeed, a program was started by the U.S. Army in the 1960s to locate any point on earth precisely, to the nearest meter, using satellites (more than thirty today) orbiting the earth.

In the 1990s, this system was extended to the civilian sector, voluntarily losing its precision (within 10 meters). Today, in addition to the automotive industry, where it is widely used, GPS covers all civil fields (aviation, marine navigation, road transport, agriculture, leisure…).

Operating principle of GPS for cars

In any location, 5 to 6 satellites are accessible by the GPS signal. These satellites, whose precise position is known, allow calculation of the distance of the point from each of them and precisely determine the longitude and latitude coordinates of this point. This is how the earth coverage of satellites achieves the geolocation of a point in real-time.

Very quickly, the GPS was adopted in cars, reproducing on a virtual map the position of the vehicle. It allows to guide visually and orally, with the help of a vocal function, and after having entered the final destination, the driver.

The functions of the GPS are multiple:

 – navigation, which allows following a route, informs the driver of the direction to follow; it offers several route options (the shortest in km, the fastest, by the freeway with or without toll, the most economical …), with vias (intermediate stops);

 – the calculation of the necessary time and the arrival time is constantly recalculated, taking into account the traffic in real-time.

 – the display of the vehicle’s speed, with alerts when the speed limit is exceeded, and the indication of “dangerous points” of fixed speed controls (radars).

 – interactivity with community alerts, where each user informs the other users of a danger zone (accident, work, broken down vehicle, road conditions, etc.).

 – directory of all tourist places, hotels, restaurants, gas stations, or any other business.

 – Its screen, from 3 to 7 inches, can integrate the backup camera function.

The different models of GPS for car

You can consider different options for the purchase of a GPS:

The original equipment

When you buy a vehicle, the “navigation” option is always possible. Its advantage is its integration and visibility, while the disadvantage is its expensive updates and its lack of evolution, which can make it obsolete after a few years.

The adaptable model

The adaptable mode is plugged into the cigarette lighter. It is fixed by support vented to the windshield or stapled to the dashboard; its interest is to be removable, placed in the best place and interchangeable.

Smartphone applications

For those who want a basic GPS, these applications are loaded on the smartphone, fixed by support; their significant advantages are not to cause additional cost and to limit the equipment connected to the vehicle.

Car GPS: price and specificities