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Mercedes-Benz COMAND

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COMAND (Cockpit Management and Data system) is an in-car communications and entertainment system found on Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

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107-575: COMAND features a dedicated flat display screen. It includes software features such as a GPS navigation system, address book, telephone, and radio. Various devices such as CD/DVD changers, sound system , TV receiver and the Linguatronic voice control system can be installed as additional options. The first generations of COMAND used the D2B optical network standard whereas later models are based on MOST . COMAND systems provide integration between

214-472: A Harman Kardon Logic7 stereo sound system with 14 speakers and a 600W 13-channel DSP amplifier can be optionally installed and controlled via COMAND. Where a factory fitted rear seat entertainment package is installed, this can use the NTG3 digital TV tuner and the surround sound system for playing out its audio over the speakers instead of headphones. As with previous models, Linguatronic voice command and control

321-527: A SD card reader in addition to the DVD drive. An optional DVD changer can replace the single drive. The Mercedes-Benz option code is 512 for the single drive unit and 527 for the unit with the optional DVD changer. Like NTG4 models, it supports the Media Interface. The unit also stores the navigation maps on an internal HDD which have some extra space for mp3 files. In late 2011, Mercedes starting fitting

428-453: A cassette drive , a built-in CD drive for the navigation map discs, an FM/AM radio tuner, a 4-channel amplifier and external connectors to other systems. The European models used Tele Atlas map discs (CD). Towards the end of 1999, the system was upgraded to use the improved DX type navigation discs. COMAND 2.5 uses a D2B optical bus for connection to the external CD changer, the telephone system,

535-408: A moving map display , or recorded or used by some other system, such as a vehicle guidance system. Although usually not formed explicitly in the receiver processing, the conceptual time differences of arrival (TDOAs) define the measurement geometry. Each TDOA corresponds to a hyperboloid of revolution (see Multilateration ). The line connecting the two satellites involved (and its extensions) forms

642-579: A 2 DIN height), but with the cassette drive removed. These units were introduced on the W210 E-Class as rectangular units, and later introduced in a more rounded form on the W203 and R230 models, among other models. From S-Class model year 2003, COMAND 2.5 was replaced by a widescreen version of COMAND 2.0 known as COMAND 2.0 MOPF. Note that COMAND 2.5, COMAND 2.0 and COMAND 2.0 MOPF are collectively referred to as "COMAND 2" systems, despite these being

749-592: A DVD disc (although updates are installed from an update DVD). In addition to operating the audio, video, navigation and telecommunication systems, the NTG3 COMAND also controls a host of other features, such as the multi-contour and drive-dynamic seats, the HVAC system, the rear window shade, the vehicle locking, alarm and immobiliser, interior and exterior lighting functions, the optional ambient lighting feature, easy entry/exit settings, etc. The NTG3 system comes with

856-705: A deliberate error introduced into the GPS data that military receivers could correct for. As civilian GPS usage grew, there was increasing pressure to remove this error. The SA system was temporarily disabled during the Gulf War , as a shortage of military GPS units meant that many US soldiers were using civilian GPS units sent from home. In the 1990s, Differential GPS systems from the US Coast Guard , Federal Aviation Administration , and similar agencies in other countries began to broadcast local GPS corrections, reducing

963-450: A directive making GPS freely available for civilian use, once it was sufficiently developed, as a common good. The first Block II satellite was launched on February 14, 1989, and the 24th satellite was launched in 1994. The GPS program cost at this point, not including the cost of the user equipment but including the costs of the satellite launches, has been estimated at US$ 5 billion (equivalent to $ 10 billion in 2023). Initially,

1070-517: A full complement of 24 satellites in 2027. The GPS project was launched in the United States in 1973 to overcome the limitations of previous navigation systems, combining ideas from several predecessors, including classified engineering design studies from the 1960s. The U.S. Department of Defense developed the system, which originally used 24 satellites, for use by the United States military, and became fully operational in 1993. Civilian use

1177-402: A functional rear spoiler to provide downforce at high speeds. The Sportcoupé was seven inches (178 mm) shorter overall than the sedan, while sharing the same wheelbase length. Initial SportCoupé engine configurations included the C 180 (129 PS), C 220 (143 PS), C 200 Kompressor, and C 230 Kompressor. In 2003, Mercedes-Benz added the C 180 Kompressor, the C 200 CGI, and C 30 CDI AMG. In 2005

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1284-459: A hard disk and has a card reader for MP3 music. Amongst other implementation differences are the fact that in the W204 version the screen electrically folds in and out whereas in other incarnations it is fixed. The Mercedes SLS has COMAND NTG4 too. Unlike the NTG3 system, NTG4 did not support 7 character UK postcodes when first released (only 5 character postcodes), but some NTG4 units (e.g. those in

1391-457: A keypad, whereas NTG5*2 / NTG5.5 does not. COMAND NTG5*1 has support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto NTG5*2 is fitted in S, CL, C, GLC, AMG-GTS, X-Class and the new generation Vito. NTG5*1 is fitted to facelift A, B, CLA, GLA, W207-E, W212-E, CLS, GLE and GLS vehicles. NTG5*5 was fitted to the new W213-E class and is replacing NTG5*2 as vehicles are face-lifted. The NTG 5.0 plays the following file formats: Audio: Video: The COMAND name

1498-468: A large, high resolution 8" TFT 16:9 widescreen colour COMAND display mounted higher and more directly into the driver's line of sight and with a separate, large rotary controller mounted on the centre console in between the front seats. This system was the first COMAND to support DAB radio on the MOST bus. NTG3 uses an in-dash DVD (and CD) changer and CompactFlash reader for MP3 music. A digital TV tuner and

1605-429: A liaison. The U.S. Department of Defense is required by law to "maintain a Standard Positioning Service (as defined in the federal radio navigation plan and the standard positioning service signal specification) that will be available on a continuous, worldwide basis" and "develop measures to prevent hostile use of GPS and its augmentations without unduly disrupting or degrading civilian uses". USA-203 from Block IIR-M

1712-563: A manageable level to permit accurate navigation. During Labor Day weekend in 1973, a meeting of about twelve military officers at the Pentagon discussed the creation of a Defense Navigation Satellite System (DNSS) . It was at this meeting that the real synthesis that became GPS was created. Later that year, the DNSS program was named Navstar. Navstar is often erroneously considered an acronym for "NAVigation System using Timing And Ranging" but

1819-461: A minimum, four satellites must be in view of the receiver for it to compute four unknown quantities (three position coordinates and the deviation of its own clock from satellite time). Each GPS satellite continually broadcasts a signal ( carrier wave with modulation ) that includes: Conceptually, the receiver measures the TOAs (according to its own clock) of four satellite signals. From the TOAs and

1926-567: A more fluent system. Supported file formats are: This is the last version to use the COMAND name and was introduced in the 2013/2014 S class, the 2014 GLA and the C-class. It includes Mercedes Online Radio which is broadcast from Europe 24/7. The maps zoom in/out more smoothly and are enriched with graphics and functions. The core of the system is an Intel Atom processor. There are three generations of NTG5, NTG5*1, NTG5*2 and NTG5.5. NTG5*1 has

2033-431: A receiver start-up situation. Most receivers have a track algorithm , sometimes called a tracker , that combines sets of satellite measurements collected at different times—in effect, taking advantage of the fact that successive receiver positions are usually close to each other. After a set of measurements are processed, the tracker predicts the receiver location corresponding to the next set of satellite measurements. When

2140-514: A three-door hatchback coupe , based on the regular W203 C-Class range. North American sales began in 2001 for the 2002 model year. Whereas the C-Class sedan and wagon had the traditional Mercedes horizontal bar grille with the hood ornament, the SportCoupé had a star-grille front end giving it a sportier look. [1] The Sportcoupé also had a fastback roofline, an optional panoramic sunroof, and

2247-575: A total of 230,000 SportCoupé were built in the Bremen factory and in Brazil. As of 20 September 2006, over two million C-Class vehicles (including sedan, station wagon and SportCoupé) had been sold since March 2000, with 1.4 million sedans since May 2000, 330,000 wagons since spring 2001, and 283,000 of SportCoupé since spring 2001. Over 30 percent of total sales occurred in Germany, and over 20 percent in

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2354-464: Is available as an option too. The main controller for NTG3 is a large rotary dial with haptic feedback, although there are also buttons for quick access to commonly used functions and even a "favourite" button that can be assigned a function of choice. In addition, buttons on the steering wheel give access to various COMAND functions too and the large screen in the instrument cluster can display various COMAND related settings and information in addition to

2461-464: Is no longer in use and has been replaced by MBUX in many Mercedes-Benz vehicles. A second-generation system, called "My MBUX", is being introduced to the new W223 series S-Class . OMD produced a mobile phone commercial for the MBUX feature. Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System ( GPS ), originally Navstar GPS , is a satellite-based radio navigation system owned by

2568-538: Is not possible to upgrade NTG3 based vehicles to NTG3.5. The NTG4 system is a reduced cost version of NTG3 technology. It was first introduced when the W204 C-Class launched in 2007 and features a 7" screen, much smaller than the higher resolution, bigger 8" screen on the flagship W221 . It is the first version of COMAND that supports the Mercedes Media Interface. Like NTG3, it stores maps on

2675-424: Is one of two AMG models to feature different structure than its base Mercedes platform, the other being the W204 C 63 with its custom elongated engine bay. The C 55 was the first AMG C-Class to feature quad exhaust outlets and an external differential cooler. The Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time seen on List of Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times for the C 55 AMG is 8:22 compared to 8:37 for the C 32 AMG mainly due to

2782-527: Is owned and operated by the United States government as a national resource. The Department of Defense is the steward of GPS. The Interagency GPS Executive Board (IGEB) oversaw GPS policy matters from 1996 to 2004. After that, the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Executive Committee was established by presidential directive in 2004 to advise and coordinate federal departments and agencies on matters concerning

2889-611: Is rated at 102 PS (75 kW; 101 hp) and torque is rated at 235 N⋅m (173 lbf⋅ft) at 1,800 rpm ***Performance may vary in vehicles designated as "flexible fuel" or flex-fuel. Based on premium fuel. Performance may vary with fuel octane rating as specified in Operator's Manual. Please see 2007 Operator's Manual C-Class Please see 2005 Operator's Manual C-Class Please see 2004 Operator's Manual C-Class Please see 2003 Operator's Manual C-Class Mercedes-Benz began offering their flexible fuel (flex-fuel) option in

2996-808: Is unhealthy For a more complete list, see List of GPS satellites On February 10, 1993, the National Aeronautic Association selected the GPS Team as winners of the 1992 Robert J. Collier Trophy , the US's most prestigious aviation award. This team combines researchers from the Naval Research Laboratory, the U.S. Air Force, the Aerospace Corporation , Rockwell International Corporation, and IBM Federal Systems Company. The citation honors them "for

3103-639: The OM642 V6 engines were introduced later in the year. In North America, the changes took effect for the 2006 model year. The C230, C280, C350 replaced the C240 and C320, the new-generation six-cylinder engines developed substantially more power than the older versions, by as much as 24 percent, whilst also increasing fuel economy and reducing CO 2 emissions. The C230, C280 and C350 developed 150 kW (204 PS), 170 kW (231 PS) and 200 kW (272 PS) respectively. The three-valve twin spark design

3210-503: The Doppler effect , they could pinpoint where the satellite was along its orbit. The Director of the APL gave them access to their UNIVAC I computer to perform the heavy calculations required. Early the next year, Frank McClure, the deputy director of the APL, asked Guier and Weiffenbach to investigate the inverse problem: pinpointing the user's location, given the satellite's. (At the time,

3317-594: The United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31 . It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It does not require the user to transmit any data, and operates independently of any telephone or Internet reception, though these technologies can enhance

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3424-643: The W204 series C-Class. The refresh reworked the rear and front along with some other refinements and new details (Mercedes claimed around 1,100 components), including a steering system borrowed from the SLK-Class and a revised suspension. Out of the sheetmetal of the CLC-Class, only the doors, roof and quarter panels were carried over from the C-Class Sportcoupé. The interior is still largely similar to

3531-504: The navigation equations gives the position of the receiver along with the difference between the time kept by the receiver's on-board clock and the true time-of-day, thereby eliminating the need for a more precise and possibly impractical receiver based clock. Applications for GPS such as time transfer , traffic signal timing, and synchronization of cell phone base stations , make use of this cheap and highly accurate timing. Some GPS applications use this time for display, or, other than for

3638-685: The "feel of an authentic Mercedes-Benz, which is more than I’d say about the A-Class and B-Class front-wheel-drive hatchbacks". Due to the age of the W203 platform which "exudes a level of float and wallow" not found in the W204 C-Class, the CLC received mixed reviews against sportier rivals such as the BMW 1 Series coupé (a successful replacement of the 3 Series hatchback ). In 2009 the CLC 160 BlueEFFICIENCY

3745-538: The 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) time has dropped to 4.7 seconds. Unlike the less-powerful V6s in the rest of the Mercedes-Benz lineup, the C 55 AMG continued to use the five-speed automatic with AMG Speedshift. The C 55 shares its longer engine bay and front end design with the CLK 55 AMG to accommodate the larger 5.4-litre V8 engine. The front of the car had to be extended by about 80 millimetres. The C 55 AMG

3852-418: The 2003 model year, a new family of supercharged four cylinder engines, dubbed M271 , debuted for the entire C-Class range. All of them used the same 1.8-litre engine, with different designations according to horsepower levels, including a version powered by natural gas . The C 230 Kompressor variant sported 141 kW (189 hp). The newer 1.8-litre was less powerful but smoother and more efficient than

3959-484: The C 160 Kompressor was made available. There was also the C 32 AMG with 260 kW (354 PS) and 450 N⋅m (332 lb⋅ft) which was available only by special order from AMG STUDIO for the 2003 model year, making the C 32 AMG SportCoupé much rarer than its saloon and wagon counterparts. ) The C 230 SportCoupé was powered by a 2.3-litre supercharged, four-cylinder motor (M111) with output of 143 kW (192 hp) and 281 N⋅m (207 lb⋅ft) of torque, which

4066-409: The C 32, it was available in all three body styles, but this diesel model did not reach sales expectations and was retired in 2004. The car's exterior resembled that of the C 32 AMG. To this day, it is the only diesel AMG ever offered, except for the pre merger AMG modified MB100 van, which used AMG tuned OM616 and OM617 engines. Along with the mid-generation refresh of the C-Class in 2005, the C 32 AMG

4173-526: The C 320 Sedan, C 320 Sport Sedan, C 320 wagon, and C320 Sport Coupe from 2003 until 2005. Mercedes-Benz offered the flexible fuel (flex-fuel) option in the C 240 Sedan and Wagon in 2005 only. Mercedes-Benz later offered the flexible fuel (flex-fuel) option to the 2007 C 230 Sport Sedan. After the performance of the AMG models in the previous generation, Mercedes-Benz attempted to increase sales among high-end buyers by introducing two different AMG versions of

4280-530: The C-Class SportCoupé and given the internal designation CL203 (see below). The US model, labeled C 230 Kompressor, became available for the 2002 model year with the M111.981 engine, a 2.3 -litre supercharged inline-four making 145 kW (194 hp) at 5500 rpm and 280 N⋅m (210 lb⋅ft) at 2500–4800 rpm. The third body variant, a station wagon codenamed S203 arrived in 2001. Then in 2002 for

4387-524: The Earth's center) and the offset of the receiver clock relative to the GPS time are computed simultaneously, using the navigation equations to process the TOFs. The receiver's Earth-centered solution location is usually converted to latitude , longitude and height relative to an ellipsoidal Earth model. The height may then be further converted to height relative to the geoid , which is essentially mean sea level. These coordinates may be displayed, such as on

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4494-664: The GPS and related systems. The executive committee is chaired jointly by the Deputy Secretaries of Defense and Transportation. Its membership includes equivalent-level officials from the Departments of State, Commerce, and Homeland Security, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and NASA . Components of the executive office of the president participate as observers to the executive committee, and the FCC chairman participates as

4601-668: The GPS service, including new signals for civil use and increased accuracy and integrity for all users, all the while maintaining compatibility with existing GPS equipment. Modernization of the satellite system has been an ongoing initiative by the U.S. Department of Defense through a series of satellite acquisitions to meet the growing needs of the military, civilians, and the commercial market. As of early 2015, high-quality Standard Positioning Service (SPS) GPS receivers provided horizontal accuracy of better than 3.5 meters (11 ft), although many factors such as receiver and antenna quality and atmospheric issues can affect this accuracy. GPS

4708-740: The Global Positioning System (GPS) its 60th Anniversary Award, nominated by IAF member, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The IAF Honors and Awards Committee recognized the uniqueness of the GPS program and the exemplary role it has played in building international collaboration for the benefit of humanity. On December 6, 2018, Gladys West was inducted into the Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in recognition of her work on an extremely accurate geodetic Earth model, which

4815-664: The MY2010 W212 and up) have a firmware upgrade available from Mercedes dealers which does add 7 character UK postcodes. NTG4 is also used in Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class (X204). Somewhat confusingly, COMAND-APS NTG2.5 was introduced after NTG4, replacing COMAND in models previously fitted with NTG1 and NTG2 systems (apart from the W209 CLK as that model was replaced by the W207 E-Class coupe. The unit has

4922-596: The MY2013 update. Initially different firmware was used in GEN1 and GEN2, but later on the firmware for GEN1 and GEN2 was merged into 1 firmware release and the colour scheme became a run-time configuration item. Again, Media Interface is supported and maps are stored on a hard disk and restricted, as with NTG3.5, by a PIN based rights management protection feature. Like NTG3/3.5 it also has a separate rotary controller (although smaller than for NTG3/3.5 based vehicles). COMAND-4.7

5029-480: The Navy TRANSIT system were too slow for the high speeds of Air Force operation. The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) continued making advances with their Timation (Time Navigation) satellites, first launched in 1967, second launched in 1969, with the third in 1974 carrying the first atomic clock into orbit and the fourth launched in 1977. Another important predecessor to GPS came from a different branch of

5136-582: The Navy was developing the submarine-launched Polaris missile, which required them to know the submarine's location.) This led them and APL to develop the TRANSIT system. In 1959, ARPA (renamed DARPA in 1972) also played a role in TRANSIT. TRANSIT was first successfully tested in 1960. It used a constellation of five satellites and could provide a navigational fix approximately once per hour. In 1967,

5243-604: The SLBM situation. In 1960, the Air Force proposed a radio-navigation system called MOSAIC (MObile System for Accurate ICBM Control) that was essentially a 3-D LORAN System. A follow-on study, Project 57, was performed in 1963 and it was "in this study that the GPS concept was born". That same year, the concept was pursued as Project 621B, which had "many of the attributes that you now see in GPS" and promised increased accuracy for U.S. Air Force bombers as well as ICBMs. Updates from

5350-524: The TOTs, the receiver forms four time of flight (TOF) values, which are (given the speed of light) approximately equivalent to receiver-satellite ranges plus time difference between the receiver and GPS satellites multiplied by speed of light, which are called pseudo-ranges. The receiver then computes its three-dimensional position and clock deviation from the four TOFs. In practice the receiver position (in three dimensional Cartesian coordinates with origin at

5457-607: The U.S. Navy developed the Timation satellite, which proved the feasibility of placing accurate clocks in space, a technology required for GPS. In the 1970s, the ground-based OMEGA navigation system, based on phase comparison of signal transmission from pairs of stations, became the first worldwide radio navigation system. Limitations of these systems drove the need for a more universal navigation solution with greater accuracy. Although there were wide needs for accurate navigation in military and civilian sectors, almost none of those

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5564-442: The U.S. Secretary of Defense, William Perry , in view of the widespread growth of differential GPS services by private industry to improve civilian accuracy. Moreover, the U.S. military was developing technologies to deny GPS service to potential adversaries on a regional basis. Selective Availability was removed from the GPS architecture beginning with GPS-III. Since its deployment, the U.S. has implemented several improvements to

5671-416: The US government announced that the next generation of GPS satellites would not include the feature at all. Advances in technology and new demands on the existing system have now led to efforts to modernize the GPS and implement the next generation of GPS Block III satellites and Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) which was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 2000. When Selective Availability

5778-512: The United States military. In 1964, the United States Army orbited its first Sequential Collation of Range ( SECOR ) satellite used for geodetic surveying. The SECOR system included three ground-based transmitters at known locations that would send signals to the satellite transponder in orbit. A fourth ground-based station, at an undetermined position, could then use those signals to fix its location precisely. The last SECOR satellite

5885-497: The United States. The last W203 C-Class sedan was produced on 14 December 2006 at the Sindelfingen plant, although US-market sedans were made as late as March 2007. The C-Class W203 was refreshed in early 2004. In North America, the refresh took effect for the 2005 model year. The interior styling was changed in all three body styles. The instrument cluster was revised to display four chrome gauges with multifunction display in

5992-626: The W203 C-Class began in mid-1994, with the final design being approved in December 1995 by the executive board. Design patents were filed on 20 April 1998 and 4 March 1999. Testing began in 1997, with development concluding in 2000. The second generation C-Class was unveiled on March 21, 2000, going on sale starting in September 2000. The sedan debuted with a range of inline-four and V6 petrol engines and inline-four and -five diesels. Most of

6099-451: The axis of the hyperboloid. The receiver is located at the point where three hyperboloids intersect. It is sometimes incorrectly said that the user location is at the intersection of three spheres. While simpler to visualize, this is the case only if the receiver has a clock synchronized with the satellite clocks (i.e., the receiver measures true ranges to the satellites rather than range differences). There are marked performance benefits to

6206-583: The basic position calculations, do not use it at all. W203 The Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W203) is the internal designation for a range of compact executive cars manufactured and marketed by DaimlerChrysler from 1999 to 2010, as the second generation of the C-Class — in sedan/saloon, three-door hatchback coupé (marketed as the SportCoupé and sub-designated CL203 ) and station wagon/estate (sub-designated S203 ) body styles. Design work on

6313-450: The car similarly as expensive as the BMW 325Ci Coupe and Audi TT both of which had better handling. The SportCoupé's liftback profile was seen as sleeker and more graceful while providing ample passenger room and storage space, compared to its closest competitor in the BMW 3 Series Compact which was derisively regarded as a truncated regular BMW 3 Series Coupé. Although the hatchback body style

6420-648: The clocks on GPS satellites, as observed by those on Earth, run 38 microseconds faster per day than those on the Earth. The design of GPS corrects for this difference; because without doing so, GPS calculated positions would accumulate errors of up to 10 kilometers per day (6 mi/d). When the Soviet Union launched its first artificial satellite ( Sputnik 1 ) in 1957, two American physicists, William Guier and George Weiffenbach, at Johns Hopkins University 's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) monitored its radio transmissions. Within hours they realized that, because of

6527-496: The distance from the satellite to the ground station. With the distance information collected from multiple ground stations, the location coordinates of any satellite at any time can be calculated with great precision. Each GPS satellite carries an accurate record of its own position and time, and broadcasts that data continuously. Based on data received from multiple GPS satellites , an end user's GPS receiver can calculate its own four-dimensional position in spacetime ; However, at

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6634-451: The distance traveled between two position measurements drops below or near the random error of position measurement. GPS units can use measurements of the Doppler shift of the signals received to compute velocity accurately. More advanced navigation systems use additional sensors like a compass or an inertial navigation system to complement GPS. GPS requires four or more satellites to be visible for accurate navigation. The solution of

6741-407: The effect of both SA degradation and atmospheric effects (that military receivers also corrected for). The U.S. military had also developed methods to perform local GPS jamming, meaning that the ability to globally degrade the system was no longer necessary. As a result, United States President Bill Clinton signed a bill ordering that Selective Availability be disabled on May 1, 2000; and, in 2007 ,

6848-596: The engines were carried over from the W202, but the C 320 was exclusive, offering 160 kW (218 PS). The diesels now featured common rail direct fuel injection and variable geometry turbochargers . Six-speed manual gearboxes were now standard for the entire range, except the C 320. There was a version of this car that was made in Korea. Mercedes-Benz debuted a coupe variant in October 2000 (launching in 2001), labelled

6955-429: The first generation COMAND systems and despite the successor being known as COMAND-APS NTG1. This new generation of COMAND systems was introduced on the model year 2002 W211 E-class and was a complete redesign. The D2B optical ring network was replaced by MOST . The Mercedes-Benz option code became 527 (although, confusingly, COMAND 2.0 MOPF was also given this option code). These new MOST based systems were given

7062-493: The first-generation SportCoupé, although it did receive the Steering wheel from the facelifted W219 and an updated optional navigation system. Some auto journalists noted that the improvements were limited in order to differentiate the CLC-Class and protect the status of the more lucrative marques in the lineup; one reviewer stated the "CLC does just about enough to introduce new customers to the world of Mercedes" and that it had

7169-407: The highest-quality signal was reserved for military use, and the signal available for civilian use was intentionally degraded, in a policy known as Selective Availability . This changed on May 1, 2000, with U.S. President Bill Clinton signing a policy directive to turn off Selective Availability to provide the same accuracy to civilians that was afforded to the military. The directive was proposed by

7276-454: The main COMAND display. The model year 2009 W221 S-Class received an upgraded version, COMAND-APS 3.5 NTG. This includes improved Bluetooth support and split view (where the passenger watches a DVD while the driver sees other COMAND functions such as the navigation map on the same display). The new NTG3.5 system also features a new rights management provision to prevent the use of copied map update discs. This rights management function means it

7383-613: The middle. Centre console revision with new radio and climate control designs were also included. A fully integrated iPod connection kit was available as was a better Bluetooth phone system made optional. For the North American market C230, the "sport" package was made standard which included AMG edition bumpers, side skirts, and a rear spoiler. The exterior had changes of different wheel designs, grills and clear lens headlights. New more aggressive front, rear bumpers and side skirting were also installed. Several all-new M272 and

7490-543: The most significant development for safe and efficient navigation and surveillance of air and spacecraft since the introduction of radio navigation 50 years ago". Two GPS developers received the National Academy of Engineering Charles Stark Draper Prize for 2003: GPS developer Roger L. Easton received the National Medal of Technology on February 13, 2006. Francis X. Kane (Col. USAF, ret.)

7597-428: The name COMAND-APS to distinguish them from the older D2B systems. The NTG1 system further distinguished itself from earlier models by having DVD based navigation instead of the CD based COMAND 2. This allowed a single disc to carry a whole region (such as Europe). NTG1 systems were also able to play MP3 CDs/DVDs. The NTG2 evolution was a cheaper and more integrated version of COMAND-APS, having all core components in

7704-528: The new COMAND-APS NTG4.5 to its W204 cars for Model Year 2012, and then to other models such as the W212 , W207 and R172 SLK. It thus became the latest generation of COMAND for its non-flagship cars (i.e. cars other than the S-Class and CL-Class ). It is also referred to as COMAND Online as it can use the mobile broadband connection on the telephone to connect to Mercedes-Benz Internet based services. It allows

7811-440: The new measurements are collected, the receiver uses a weighting scheme to combine the new measurements with the tracker prediction. In general, a tracker can (a) improve receiver position and time accuracy, (b) reject bad measurements, and (c) estimate receiver speed and direction. The disadvantage of a tracker is that changes in speed or direction can be computed only with a delay, and that derived direction becomes inaccurate when

7918-492: The new model in 2001. To match the BMW E46 M3 displacement and improve weight distribution, the C 32 AMG scaled back down to a 3.2-litre V6 engine with a twin-screw type supercharger (manufactured by IHI) to reach 260 kW (354 PS) and 450 N⋅m (332 lb⋅ft). Like its predecessors, it used a five-speed automatic, helping it to complete a 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) sprint in 5.2 seconds. The C 32 AMG

8025-487: The nuclear triad, also had requirements for a more accurate and reliable navigation system. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force were developing their own technologies in parallel to solve what was essentially the same problem. To increase the survivability of ICBMs, there was a proposal to use mobile launch platforms (comparable to the Soviet SS-24 and SS-25 ) and so the need to fix the launch position had similarity to

8132-546: The older 2.3-litre engine (143 kW (194 PS) compared to 140 kW (190 PS). For the C 240 and C 320, 4MATIC four-wheel drive versions were also offered in addition to rear-wheel drive. Along with the C-Class Estate (wagon), the SportCoupé was discontinued in Canada and the United States after the 2005 model year. The SportCoupé continued on sale in other markets until 2008. From October 2000 until 2007,

8239-430: The optional Bose surround sound system and the optional Linguatronic voice control system. The COMAND 2.5 unit was made by Bosch . COMAND 2.5 was an option on almost all models and denoted by Mercedes-Benz option code 352. The same COMAND 2.5 technology (with DX navigation maps) was later incorporated in a somewhat different form factor known as COMAND 2.0 (with "2.0" referring to the fact that this modified unit had

8346-852: The optional CD changer. This version of COMAND was used in various models such as the W203 C-Class and the W209 CLK and even the Vito/Viano. It was also fitted to the Smart Forfour . Intended for the flagship W221 S-Class and the W216 CL-Class, COMAND NTG3 is a high-end system. Unlike for most other Mercedes-Benz cars, the S-Class and CL-Class from now on have COMAND as standard, allowing even better integration and for COMAND to operate even more vehicle functions. The navigation maps are stored on an internal hard disk instead of

8453-524: The precision needed for GPS. The design of GPS is based partly on similar ground-based radio-navigation systems, such as LORAN and the Decca Navigator System , developed in the early 1940s. In 1955, Friedwardt Winterberg proposed a test of general relativity —detecting time slowing in a strong gravitational field using accurate atomic clocks placed in orbit inside artificial satellites. Special and general relativity predicted that

8560-652: The reason for the ultra-secrecy at that time. The nuclear triad consisted of the United States Navy's submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) along with United States Air Force (USAF) strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Considered vital to the nuclear deterrence posture, accurate determination of the SLBM launch position was a force multiplier . Precise navigation would enable United States ballistic missile submarines to get an accurate fix of their positions before they launched their SLBMs. The USAF, with two thirds of

8667-408: The reference atomic clocks at the ground control stations; any drift of the clocks aboard the satellites from the reference time maintained on the ground stations is corrected regularly. Since the speed of radio waves ( speed of light ) is constant and independent of the satellite speed, the time delay between when the satellite transmits a signal and the ground station receives it is proportional to

8774-565: The revised suspension and extra torque. The C 55 was mainly sold as a sedan with a portion of wagons being sold in European markets. Although only offered for a brief period of time the C 55 AMG has been praised for its reliability, as the preceding C 32 AMG (W203) and the succeeding C 63 AMG (W204) were plagued by engine issues. Mercedes introduced the C-Class Sport-Coupé (codenamed "Peanut" ver. CL203) to Europe in October 2000 as

8881-434: The running of various downloadable apps (such as Facebook) in the COMAND system. It uses a 7" colour display and has a SD-Card slot. The resolution is 800*480 pixels. Initially, the graphics were brown and black, and this system became known as GEN1. The colour scheme of the display were then changed to Grey/Black/Red at the same time as the graphics in the instrument cluster changed and this is known as GEN2 and coincided with

8988-478: The single double DIN head unit instead of three separate components as had been the case with NTG1 (an audio gateway including the radio, amplifier, and MOST controller; a head unit with display; and a navigation processor) and thereby also simplifying the wiring. However, unlike NTG1 models, the NTG2 COMAND was unable to play MP3 discs. To use the navigation at the same time as listening to an audio disc requires

9095-486: The time, although at least some noted the idea of an "inexpensive Mercedes" undermined the marque's association in certain markets with expensive cars. The C 230 base trim enabled the automaker to reach a lower price point than existing models sold in North America, although it lacked standard leather seats and a CD player which were amenities typically expected of German luxury imports, and adding those options made

9202-404: The usefulness of the GPS positioning information. It provides critical positioning capabilities to military, civil, and commercial users around the world. Although the United States government created, controls, and maintains the GPS system, it is freely accessible to anyone with a GPS receiver. The GPS project was started by the U.S. Department of Defense in 1973. The first prototype spacecraft

9309-403: The user carrying a clock synchronized with the satellites. Foremost is that only three satellites are needed to compute a position solution. If it were an essential part of the GPS concept that all users needed to carry a synchronized clock, a smaller number of satellites could be deployed, but the cost and complexity of the user equipment would increase. The description above is representative of

9416-408: The various functions of the car such as multimedia, navigation and telephony. On vehicles with a Mercedes-Benz rear seat entertainment system, COMAND allows the rear seat displays to play content from the front system or from local sources like composite input. On newer Mercedes models, COMAND can control other vehicle fonctions such as the HVAC system, seat controls, and interior lighting. COMAND

9523-479: Was added to the range, and the CLC 230 was rechristened as the CLC 250. Daimler AG decided that the CLC would not continue production. Instead, the W204 C-Class received a traditionally designed coupé added to the lineup for the 2012 model year, coinciding with the facelifted W204 sedan/saloon in the fourth quarter of 2011. The 2012 C-Class Coupe is positioned directly against the BMW 3 Series Coupé (later 4 Series ). The A-Class would be redesigned to match up against

9630-579: Was allowed from the 1980s. Roger L. Easton of the Naval Research Laboratory , Ivan A. Getting of The Aerospace Corporation , and Bradford Parkinson of the Applied Physics Laboratory are credited with inventing it. The work of Gladys West on the creation of the mathematical geodetic Earth model is credited as instrumental in the development of computational techniques for detecting satellite positions with

9737-543: Was also replaced, giving way to a new 5.4-litre naturally aspirated V8-powered C 55 AMG. This was an evolution of the V8 engine found in the previous E-Class , with power raised to 270 kW (367 PS) and torque climbing to 510 N⋅m (376 lb⋅ft). The C 55 AMG uses a V8 from the same engine family as the W202 generation C 43 AMG, the M113 . Though maximum speed is still electronically limited to 250 km/h (155 mph),

9844-420: Was concerned with the curving of the paths of radio waves ( atmospheric refraction ) traversing the ionosphere from NavSTAR satellites. After Korean Air Lines Flight 007 , a Boeing 747 carrying 269 people, was shot down by a Soviet interceptor aircraft after straying in prohibited airspace because of navigational errors, in the vicinity of Sakhalin and Moneron Islands , President Ronald Reagan issued

9951-482: Was declining in popularity among North American customers during the late 1990s, resulting in the first generation 3 Series Compact being pulled from that market in 1999 after a short sales run, Mercedes offered the SportCoupé for the 2002 model year onward alongside other W203 C-Class models. Mercedes found that the C-Class SportCoupé was a popular first Mercedes for new customers, 40% of whom reportedly return to subsequently buy more expensive models. The SportCoupé

10058-490: Was destroyed in a launch failure). The effect of the ionosphere on radio transmission was investigated in a geophysics laboratory of Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory , renamed to Air Force Geophysical Research Lab (AFGRL) in 1974. AFGRL developed the Klobuchar model for computing ionospheric corrections to GPS location. Of note is work done by Australian space scientist Elizabeth Essex-Cohen at AFGRL in 1974. She

10165-703: Was discontinued, GPS was accurate to about 5 meters (16 ft). GPS receivers that use the L5 band have much higher accuracy of 30 centimeters (12 in), while those for high-end applications such as engineering and land surveying are accurate to within 2 cm ( 3 ⁄ 4  in) and can even provide sub-millimeter accuracy with long-term measurements. Consumer devices such as smartphones can be accurate to 4.9 m (16 ft) or better when used with assistive services like Wi-Fi positioning . As of July 2023 , 18 GPS satellites broadcast L5 signals, which are considered pre-operational prior to being broadcast by

10272-625: Was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame at Lackland A.F.B., San Antonio, Texas, March 2, 2010, for his role in space technology development and the engineering design concept of GPS conducted as part of Project 621B. In 1998, GPS technology was inducted into the Space Foundation Space Technology Hall of Fame . On October 4, 2011, the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) awarded

10379-436: Was installed in vehicles from June 2013 onwards, such as GLK350(2015). It now supports direct tethering of iPhones & Android phones for internet functions which was not previously possible with these devices. It also features internet radio plus slight changes to the route guidance. The differences to NTG4.5 are new Mercedes Apps; a CPU upgrade; increase from 80G to 100G SATA; better Navigator figure performance. This enabled

10486-489: Was introduced first on the S-Class and CL-Class models. Later, it became available on other Mercedes cars too. Somewhat confusingly, COMAND 2.5 (not to be confused with the much later COMAND-APS NTG2.5) actually refers to the first generation of COMAND systems, introduced on the W220 . The "2.5" label seems to refer to the fact that the main COMAND unit for this first generation had a height of 2.5 DIN . This COMAND system had

10593-626: Was launched in 1969. With these parallel developments in the 1960s, it was realized that a superior system could be developed by synthesizing the best technologies from 621B, Transit, Timation, and SECOR in a multi-service program. Satellite orbital position errors, induced by variations in the gravity field and radar refraction among others, had to be resolved. A team led by Harold L. Jury of Pan Am Aerospace Division in Florida from 1970 to 1973, used real-time data assimilation and recursive estimation to do so, reducing systematic and residual errors to

10700-453: Was launched in 1978 and the full constellation of 24 satellites became operational in 1993. After Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down when it mistakenly entered Soviet airspace, President Ronald Reagan announced that the GPS system would be made available for civilian use as of September 16, 1983; however, initially this civilian use was limited to an average accuracy of 100 meters (330 ft) by use of Selective Availability (SA),

10807-419: Was more powerful than the C 240 sedan's 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp) V6 engine, although the M111 was coarse and noisy at the high end. In 2003 the M111 was replaced with a quieter and more efficient DOHC supercharged 1.8 litre four-cylinder engine (M271). The C 230 Sport Coupe and the C 320 Sport Coupe were the two most inexpensive models in the Mercedes-Benz lineup of the United States and Canada at

10914-549: Was never considered as such by the GPS Joint Program Office (TRW may have once advocated for a different navigational system that used that acronym). With the individual satellites being associated with the name Navstar (as with the predecessors Transit and Timation), a more fully encompassing name was used to identify the constellation of Navstar satellites, Navstar-GPS . Ten " Block I " prototype satellites were launched between 1978 and 1985 (an additional unit

11021-409: Was produced as a sedan/saloon (6,695 made), station wagon (1,556 made) only for European markets, and SportCoupé (liftback) which was only offered in 2002 and 2003 by special request as an AMG STUDIO order with the production numbers unknown. Another version was the C 30 CDI AMG, using a 3.0-litre five-cylinder diesel engine, capable of 170 kW (231 PS) and 540 N⋅m (398 lb⋅ft). Like

11128-661: Was replaced by a four-valve design, now with variable valve timing . On the diesel side, Mercedes-Benz released a brand-new 3.0-litre V6. Fitted to the 320 CDI, the new diesel cut CO 2 emissions and fuel consumption over the old C270 CDI. The C220 CDI received a power increase from 105 to 110 kW (143 to 150 PS). In addition, the V6 engines also received the new seven-speed 7G-Tronic automatic transmission. C 230 w/ Flex Fuel option (2007 only) C 240 w/ Flex Fuel option (2005 only) C 320 w/ Flex Fuel option (2003-2005 only) *Electronically limited **For fleet vehicles, power

11235-530: Was seen as justification for the billions of dollars it would cost in research, development, deployment, and operation of a constellation of navigation satellites. During the Cold War arms race , the nuclear threat to the existence of the United States was the one need that did justify this cost in the view of the United States Congress. This deterrent effect is why GPS was funded. It is also

11342-526: Was spun off into its own separate line called the CLC-Class in 2008. The car was presented at the 2008 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, which took place from 27 to 31 January. The CLC was produced in Brazil at the company's plant in Juiz de Fora , close to the state border with Rio de Janeiro . Although the CLC is still based on the W203 platform, it was refreshed with an updated front and tail inspired by

11449-529: Was ultimately used to determine the orbit of the GPS constellation. On February 12, 2019, four founding members of the project were awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering with the chair of the awarding board stating: "Engineering is the foundation of civilisation; ...They've re-written, in a major way, the infrastructure of our world." The GPS satellites carry very stable atomic clocks that are synchronized with one another and with

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