Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-24
2004-09-07
Swarthout, Brent A. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
C340S425500, C340S438000, C340S461000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06788196
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device provided in a driver's room of a vehicle such as a construction machine to display the conditions of respective parts of the vehicle and an abnormality such as a failure generated in the vehicle and more particularly to a display controller for the display device for controlling the contents of the display of the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a display device for displaying the state of a construction machine such as cooling water and an abnormality such as a failure including the deterioration of oil pressure of an engine is provided in the driver's room of the construction machine. This display device is called a monitor panel.
The display screens of a conventional monitor panel are illustrated in FIGS.
1
(
a
),
1
(
b
) and
1
(
c
).
FIGS.
1
(
a
),
1
(
b
) and
1
(
c
) show monitor screens
11
,
12
and
13
for monitoring and displaying the operating states of a construction machine.
On the monitor panel, prescribed positions (i.e., graphic buttons) of the monitor display screens
11
,
12
, and
13
are touched so that the states of the display screens can be shifted to other states.
Specifically, when an engine key is switched on to turn on power, the display screen of the monitor panel is shifted to a monitor display screen (or simply “monitor display”) shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) via an initial screen.
The states of respective parts such as the amount of remaining fuel of an engine of the construction machine, the temperature of hydraulic oil of a working machine, the temperature of coolant of the engine, the oil pressure of the engine, etc. are detected by sensors provided in the respective parts of the construction machine. A signal detected by each sensor is inputted to the monitor panel. Then, on the monitor panel, the current state of the construction machine is displayed on the monitor display screen on the basis of the signals detected by the sensors.
As shown in FIG.
1
(
a
), on the monitor display screen
11
are provided a display part
11
a
for displaying the amount of currently remaining fuel, a display part
11
b
for displaying the current temperature of the hydraulic oil of the working machine, a display part
11
c
for displaying the current temperature of the coolant of the engine, a display part
11
d
for displaying the current oil pressure of the engine, etc. An operator visually recognizes the display parts
11
a
to
11
d
of the monitor display screen
11
so that the operator can recognize the conditions of the respective parts of the construction machine.
When a button
11
e
on the monitor display screen
11
is operated, the monitor display screen
11
is shifted to a next monitor display screen
12
shown in FIG.
1
(
b
). Further, when a button
12
e
on the monitor display screen
12
is operated, the monitor display screen
12
is shifted to a next monitor display screen
13
shown in FIG.
1
(
c
). Further, when a button
13
e
on the monitor display screen
13
is operated, the monitor display screen
13
is returned to the first monitor screen
11
shown in FIG.
1
(
a
). If the same operations are carried out after that, the same transitions will be repeated. As described above, the monitor display screens are sequentially and cyclically shifted from
11
and
12
to
13
, so that all the states of the construction machine can be recognized.
When the detected value of each sensor provided in each part of the construction machine reaches an abnormal value, an error code corresponding to the abnormality is generated in a controller in the vehicle and the display screen of the monitor panel is automatically shifted to a trouble display screen (or simply “trouble display”) for displaying a trouble such as a failure from the monitor display screen shown in FIGS.
1
(
a
),
1
(
b
), and
1
(
c
).
For instance, when a trouble or problem such as a failure is generated in a pump controller during the display of the monitor display screen
11
shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) on the monitor panel, the monitor display screen
11
is shifted to a trouble display screen
21
shown in FIG.
2
(
a
). In the trouble display screen
21
, a trouble showing the contents of “Problem pump controller” is displayed. The operator visually recognizes the trouble display of the trouble display screen
21
so that the operator can recognize the trouble generated in the construction machine.
The monitor display screen
11
shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) and the trouble display screen
21
shown in FIG.
2
(
a
) are alternately displayed at prescribed intervals, for example, at intervals of 5 seconds. Thus, while the operator recognizes the contents of the trouble generated in the construction machine, he can continuously perform the operation of the construction machine.
In the construction machine, a plurality of problems or troubles may be possibly generated at the same time. For instance, three kinds of troubles may be generated. If three kinds of troubles (called them a first trouble, a second trouble and a third trouble, hereinafter) are generated while the monitor display screen
11
shown in FIG.
1
(
a
) is displayed on the monitor panel, the monitor display screen
11
, the first trouble display screen
21
on which the first trouble is displayed, a second trouble display screen
22
on which the second trouble is displayed and a third trouble display screen
23
on which the third trouble is displayed will be cyclically displayed as shown in FIG.
4
. In other words, the monitor display screen
11
, the first trouble display screen
21
, the second trouble display screen
22
and the third trouble display screen
23
are displayed at intervals of, for instance, 5 seconds.
As described above, when a trouble is generated in the construction machine, the monitor display screen
11
and the trouble display screen
21
are alternately displayed, or the monitor display screen
11
and the trouble display screens
21
,
22
and
23
are cyclically displayed. Therefore, the operator needs to recognize the contents of the display of the trouble display screen
21
in a short time (for instance, 5 seconds) Accordingly, the operator cannot sufficiently recognize the contents of the display of the trouble display screen
21
.
Further, the operator may, sometimes, have a desire to completely recognize not the trouble display screen
11
, but the monitor display screen
11
. Still further, the operator may have a desire to sufficiently recognize not the display screen which is currently displayed, but a display screen which will be displayed or the display screen which has been already displayed.
Still further, even when a trouble is generated, the operator of the construction machine needs to continuously operate and manipulate the construction machine by paying his attention to the trouble.
However, since the monitor screen
11
and the trouble display screen
21
are alternately displayed, or the monitor display screen
11
, and the trouble display screens
21
,
22
and
23
are cyclically displayed, the operator can, undesirably, continuously and visually recognize the contents of the display of the monitor display screen
11
only for a short time (for instance, 5 seconds). Further, when a plurality of trouble display screens are displayed, the monitor display screen
11
cannot be visually recognized for a long time when the trouble display screens
21
,
22
and
23
are displayed. Therefore, the state of the construction machine cannot be completely grasped so that there exists a fear that a trouble may arise in operating and manipulating the construction machine.
Further, when the plural monitor display screens are sequentially displayed, the operator may have, sometimes a desire to return the display screen to a specific monitor display screen to completely recognize the operating state of the vehicle which he specially wants to know.
Still further, the operator may have, sometimes, a desire to return the display screen not to t
Komatsu Ltd.
Swarthout Brent A.
Varndell & Varndell PLLC
LandOfFree
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