Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-17
2001-07-10
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S034000, C340S459000, C340S461000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259981
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to a monitoring system for detecting and displaying certain system malfunctions/faults associated with a particular vehicle or marine vessel and, more particularly, to a caution/warning system which is operable when the monitoring system is being operated in a night-time viewing mode.
BACKGROUND ART
In a variety of engine-powered vehicles including ground vehicles, aircraft and marine vessels, monitoring and diagnostic systems are typically employed to detect the presence of various undesirable operating conditions such as overheating or overspeeding the engine, low or high oil pressure, low or high fuel pressure, high oil temperature and the like. These monitoring and diagnostic systems also typically include instruments, gauges, indicators, or other caution/warning devices which are used to warn the operator of such conditions. These instruments, gauges or other devices are typically connected to various sensors, switches and other control apparatus for monitoring and/or controlling various systems and conditions associated with the particular vehicle or vessel via a wiring harness, one or more electronic control systems, and/or a communications data link. Depending upon the particular monitoring and/or diagnostic system associated with a particular vehicle or vessel, vital vehicle/vessel functions are monitored and various levels of sensed parameters are displayed on various gauges and/or other indicator displays. When a malfunction or fault, or an impending malfunction or fault, is detected, such malfunction/fault or a corresponding condition indicative of such malfunction/fault is brought to the attention of the operator by any one of a plurality of visual warning mechanisms such as by illuminating a warning light or caution panel, by flashing an indicator light, or by flashing a particular gauge. These visual mechanisms are more than adequate when operating in a day-time viewing mode.
Today, many of the present monitoring and diagnostic systems include multi-colored LCD or CRT screens wherein operation of a particular system outside normal operating limits will be displayed in accordance with a particular color code. For example, many gauges will include a green area for indicating the normal operating range of a particular system parameter, a yellow area for indicating a caution zone, and a red area for indicating a warning zone. In a multi-colored LCD or CRT monitoring system, operation of a particular vehicle function outside of normal limits may trigger or illuminate a yellow display when the particular parameter system or gauge is operating in a caution zone, and such monitoring system may trigger or illuminate a red display when the particular system parameter or gauge is operating in a warning zone. Other colors are likewise utilized in association with such monitoring/warning systems to catch the attention of the operator during normal day-light hours.
The brightness and intensity associated with the known LCD/CRT screens, or other monitoring/warning systems incorporated into motor vehicles, aircraft, and marine vessels is predicated upon day-time usage and, as a result, such illumination is normally too bright to maintain normal night-time vision during night-time operations. Visual references and depth perception change with night operations. Distances and rates of closure are more difficult to judge and visual references are more limited. Refraction and reflection of gauge and screen lighting off of the windshield, glare shield, canopy or other viewing medium may induce false indications as to objects observed and their relative position and distance from the vehicle or vessel. Such glare also detracts from the operator's night-time viewing and scanning capability and inhibits night vision. This decrease in visual effectiveness at night is minimized by reducing the brightness and intensity of any instrumentation and other operator lighting to provide minimum screen glare or reflection yet still allow adequate gauge and/or other instrument reading and interpretation.
As a result, most known monitoring/warning systems will include some mechanism for either manually or automatically dimming the system. For example, some systems include a night-time viewing mode switch or dimming switch so that the brightness and intensity of the caution and warning panel, or the operator interface display screen, can be adequately dimmed to such a level that the illumination of such system will not interfere with night-time vision. In addition, often times the night-time viewing mode of any particular caution/warning system will effectively eliminate the multi-colored caution/warning displays associated with such system as most night-time operating modes will utilize a monochrome red background for all viewing displays. As a result, due to the dimness of the display screen and elimination and/or reduction of the colored caution/warning displays, illuminated malfunction or fault conditions during night-time operations may be easily ignored due to the low light illumination of such displays when such systems are operating in a night-time viewing mode.
It is therefore desirable to provide a warning system which will catch the eye of the operator when a system malfunction, fault or abnormality is illuminated while the monitoring system is operating in a night-time viewing mode.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provide apparatus and methods for indicating various levels of sensed parameters, warning conditions, and/or fault conditions on a particular vehicle or marine vessel having an instrument/gauge panel or some other vehicle/vessel system performance display means. Such a system will include a plurality of sensors coupled to an electronic controller in a particular manner such that sensor signals inputted to the controller will be indicative of the level of the sensed parameter and such sensed parameters will be displayed to the operator via an operator interface display screen which may display a plurality of gauges, and/or a plurality of caution/warning indicators, and/or other system or performance indicators. If a sensed system parameter is outside of its normal operating limits, a caution/warning or abnormal/fault condition will be visually displayed in some manner to the operator on the operator interface display screen.
In one aspect of the present invention, when the monitoring/warning system is being operated in a night-time viewing mode, and a caution/warning or fault condition is displayed on the operator interface display screen, if the operator of the particular vehicle/vessel does not see or ignores the warning/fault condition for a predetermined period of time, an electronic controller associated with the operator interface display screen is programmed to output a signal to the operator interface display screen, or to some other caution/warning indicator means, to increase the brightness and intensity of such screen or other caution/warning indicator means so as to catch the attention of the operator. This increase in the overall brightness of the operator interface display screen or other indicator means serves as an additional warning to the operator that a malfunction/fault condition exists and that operator intervention is required. Once some type of predetermined operator intervention is recognized by the electronic controller, the brightness or intensity of the operator interface display screen or other caution/warning indicator means will be returned to its normal night-time viewing mode. Recognition of some type of operator intervention with respect to a displayed caution/warning condition can include taking appropriate corrective action based upon the malfunction/fault condition, or such recognition may include merely activating a switch, or touching a touch sensitive LCD screen to acknowledge that the displayed caution/warning condition has been observed.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4497
Beaulieu Yonel
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
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