Vehicle computer system with transparent display

• US 10,000,121 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Fitch, Timothy R., Oberpriller, Mark Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Sweeney, Brian P
• Application Number:
  US14/992,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20160121723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/195 Blocking or enabling display functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/02 responsive to conditions relating to the driver
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/29 Instruments characterised by the way in which information is handled, e.g. showing information on plural displays or prioritising information according to driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/15 Fork lift trucks, Industrial trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/24 Electrical devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/00 Traffic control systems for road vehicles arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00 ; automatic vehicle control B62D

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle computer system. The vehicle computer system gathers data from a safety sensor to determine whether the proper safety conditions are present for the vehicle operator to interact with the vehicle computer system. A safety controller receives safety condition data gathered from the safety sensor and instructs the display manager to disable the display of information to the vehicle operator during unsafe operating conditions. The vehicle computer system advantageously employs a transparent display screen to provide greater field of vision of the vehicle operator than could be provided by a traditional display screen.

Claims

1. A vehicle computer system comprising:

a sensor;

a computer, wherein the computer instructs a display to stop or start the display of information and/or display only certain types of information on the display device based on data received from the sensor; and

a mounting bracket for removably mounting the computer to a vehicle.

2. The vehicle computer system of claim 1 comprising a global positioning satellite receiver device.

3. The vehicle computer system of claim 1 wherein the sensor is a global positioning satellite receiver device.

4. The vehicle computer system of claim 1 comprising a network interface.

5. The vehicle computer system of claim 1 comprising an application program.

6. The vehicle computer system of claim 5 wherein the application program is adapted to implement an augmented reality environment.

7. A system, comprising:

a vehicle;

a sensor;

a computer, wherein the computer instructs a display to stop or start the display of information and/or display only certain types of information on the display device based on data received from the sensor; and

a mounting bracket for removably mounting the computer to the vehicle.

8. The system of claim 7 comprising a global positioning satellite receiver device.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the sensor is a global positioning satellite receiver device.

10. The system of claim 7 comprising a network interface.

11. The system of claim 7 comprising an application program.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the application program is adapted to implement an augmented reality environment.

13. The system of claim 7 wherein the vehicle comprises a forklift.

14. The system of claim 7 wherein the vehicle comprises a crane.

15. The system of claim 7 wherein the vehicle comprises an automobile.

16. The system of claim 7 wherein the vehicle comprises a mass-transit vehicle.

17. A vehicle computer system comprising:

a sensor;

a global positioning satellite receiver device; and

a computer, wherein the computer;

instructs a display to stop or start the display of information and/or display only certain types of information on the display device based on data received from the sensor; and

instructs the display to display information from the global positioning satellite receiver device.

18. The vehicle computer system of claim 17 comprising a mounting bracket for removably mounting the computer to a vehicle.

19. The vehicle computer system of claim 17 comprising a network interface.

20. The vehicle computer system of claim 17 wherein the computer is fixedly or removably mounted to an automobile.