Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-28
2003-09-09
Sax, Steven (Department: 2174)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06618059
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field
The present invention relates to a divers' information display device. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a technology preferable for a display device which is an integral part of an information processing apparatus and on which a time instant indication and various diving-related indications are mutually changed and selectively displayed.
BACKGROUND ART
Wristwatches having an added ability relevant to diving and intended for divers have been locally available in the past. This sort of wristwatch may have an information processing unit incorporated therein. The information processing unit is formed with a microprocessor (MPU) for determining a diving situation, estimating the physical condition of a wearer, and instructing the wearer then diving. The wristwatch may be referred to as a dive computer or divers' computer.
Some divers' information processing apparatuses referred to as the dive computers perform arithmetic operations to calculate the conditions for decompression performed during diving. The calculating procedure is described in, for example, “Dive Computers: A consumer's Guide to History, Theory, and Performance” (Watersport Publishing Inc., 1991) written by Ken Loyst et al. Writings concerning the theory of decompression include “Decompression: Decompression Sickness” (Springer, Berlin, 1984). Either writing implies that an inert gas (nitrogen) permeating a living body during diving causes decompression sickness. From the viewpoint of minimizing the occurrence of decompression, the latter writing has proposed on page
14
thereof a calculating procedure based on a formula (1) below.
Pigt(
t
E
)=Pigt(
t
0
)+{PIig−Pigt(
t
0
)}×{1−exp[−
kt
E
]} (1)
where Pigt(t
E
) denotes the partial pressure of an intracorporeal inert gas in a time interval t
E
, Pigt(t
0
) denotes the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas in a time interval t
0
, PIig denotes the partial pressure of an inert gas in breath, and k denotes an experimentally determined constant.
The formula (1) is concerned with intake and discharge of an inert gas into and from a diver's body. According to the formula (1), when the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas, Pigt(t), is smaller than the partial pressure PIig, the inert gas is taken into the diver's body and the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas increases. When the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas, Pigt(t), is larger than the partial pressure PIig, the inert gas is discharged from the diver's body and the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas therefore decreases.
When the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas becomes equal to or larger than a certain pressure, a diver must ascend (decompress) slowly so as to minimize the occurrence of diver's paralysis. At this time, the diver must manage an ascending speed or an ascending time until he/she rises to the surface of the water. Therefore, many information processing devices having the ability to estimate the partial pressure of a wearer's intracorporeal inert gas and the ability to manage ascending so as to minimize the occurrence of diver's paralysis have been proposed as the dive computer.
A facility for indicating an alarm so as to minimize the occurrence of diver's paralysis and a facility for estimating the partial pressure of an wearer's intracorporeal insert gas and indicating the partial pressure as physical information must be implemented without failure to avoid the dangers of diving. With a dive computer to be worn on a diver's body, for example, a wristwatch-like dive computer, the area assigned to the display is limited. There is, therefore, difficulty in displaying all information at one time without impairment of discernment. For this reason, many conventional dive computers are designed to switch between a time mode, a plan mode, a surface mode, a log mode, and a dive mode depending on a situation or through manipulation performed by a wearer. In the time mode, a current year/month/day indication and a current time instant indication are displayed. In the plan mode, future diving is scheduled. In the surface mode, the partial pressure of an inert gases accumulated in a diver's body due to past dives is indicated. In the log mode, the results of past dives are reproduced. In the dive mode, the physical condition such as the partial pressure of an intracorporeal inert gas is indicated during diving.
FIG.
8
(
a
) and FIG.
8
(
b
) illustratively show switching of modes of display permitted by a conventional wristwatch-like dive computer. In an example shown in FIG.
8
(
a
), an external manipulation member is manipulated repeatedly in order to successively switch between the plan mode, surface mode, and log mode. Moreover, indications are switched merely between the surface mode and dive mode. In an example shown in FIG.
8
(
b
), the surface mode, plan mode, and log mode are switched between one another. Similarly to the example shown in FIG.
8
(
a
), indications are switched merely between the surface mode and dive mode. As indicated with a dotted line in the drawings, the time mode is normally unified with the surface mode or automatically switched to the surface mode or vice versa. For example, when the partial pressure of an intracorporeal inert gas is normal, the time mode is set automatically. When the partial pressure of an intracorporeal inert gas is higher than a normal pressure because of past dives, the surface mode is set automatically.
In the conventional dive computer, after diving is started, if ascending and diving are repeated, the dive computer also repeats the transition between the dive mode and the surface mode. When a diver ascends during diving, the diver may want to plan a subsequent diving schedule. In general, the partial pressure of an intracorporeal inert gas and the time required until the partial pressure of the intracorporeal inert gas returns to an equilibrium value are often indicated in the surface mode. In addition, a current time instant and a calendar may be indicated. However, a facility for indicating a diving depth (or a depth-of-water rank to be described later) and a diving enabled time (or a non-decompression diving enabled time to be described later) that are indicated in the plan mode is invalid in the surface mode. For planning s subsequent diving schedule on the surface of the water, the external manipulation member must be manipulated in order to change the surface mode to the plan mode temporarily. After planning is completed, the surface mode must be restored before diving is restarted.
Moreover, for making the most of the. foregoing dive computer offering numerous modes and having numerous facility, the contents of the display modes and facilities must be fully understood. Moreover, the complex way of manipulating the external manipulation member must be learned in order to utilize the display modes and facilities. The way of manipulation becomes complex as the facilities become complex. This poses a problem in that a user must incur a large load. In particular, when it is necessary to change a plurality of display modes as shown in
FIG. 8
, the small external manipulation member of the small wristwatch-like body must be manipulated many times. If a user forgets the manner of manipulation even partly, the user cannot make the most of the facilities of the dive computer.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention attempts to solve the foregoing problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a divers' information display device for a dive computer or the like. Herein, the present invention is intended to improve the manner of switching between a plurality of display modes or a plurality of facilities so as to thus improve the display feature of the display device, and to provide a configuration permitting easy switching of indications. More part
Sax Steven
Seiko Epson Corporation
Watson Mark P.
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