System and method for monitoring a signage system of a transit vehicle

• US 10,304,367 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Luminator Holding LP (LTG Acquisition, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Luminator Holding LP (LTG Acquisition, Inc.)
• Inventors: Safavi, Ramin, Gao, Zhicun, Zhou, Xiaoping, Taylor, Larry T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, James J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lau, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/984,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/048 Advertisement panels on sides, front or back of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0646 Modulation of illumination source brightness and image signal correlated to each other
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/10 Dealing with defective pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/145 the light originating from the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309

Abstract

A sign-monitoring system includes at least one electronic sign and a controller comprising a processor and memory. The electronic sign includes a pixel array, the pixel array including a plurality of pixels. The electronic sign further includes an embedded controller coupled to the at least one electronic sign. The embedded controller develops diagnostic information for the at least one electronic sign, the diagnostic information including information related to a number of malfunctioning pixels in the plurality of pixels. The controller is communicably coupled to the embedded controller and receives at least a portion of the diagnostic information from the embedded controller. In addition, the controller assesses the at least a portion of the diagnostic information to develop health information. The assessment involves evaluating the information related to the number of malfunctioning pixels.

Claims

1. An electronic monitoring system comprising:

a pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels;

wherein the pixel array comprises a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs), each PCB providing a sub-array of the pixel array; and

an embedded controller coupled to the pixel array operable to;

analyze the pixel array as a single matrix; and

determine a number of malfunctioning pixels in at least one of;

a row of the single matrix, wherein the row spans more than one PCB of the plurality of PCBs; and

a column of the single matrix, wherein the column spans more than one PCB of the plurality of PCBs; and

transmit diagnostic information to a controller, the diagnostic information comprising information related to the determined number.

2. The electronic monitoring system of claim 1, comprising:

a voltage-sensing device, the voltage-sensing device measuring voltage across the plurality of pixels; and

wherein the embedded controller;

issues at least one command to the voltage-sensing device selected from the group consisting of;

a command to detect short circuits in the plurality of pixels and a command to detect open circuits in the plurality of pixels; and

for each pixel in the plurality of pixels, determines the pixel to be a malfunctioning pixel responsive to a detected short circuit or a detected open circuit.

3. The electronic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the embedded controller:

analyzes diagnostic information to create a reduced set of diagnostic information; and

transmits the reduced set of diagnostic information to the controller.

4. The electronic monitoring system of claim 1, comprising a controller comprising a processor and memory communicably coupled to the embedded controller, wherein the controller:

receives at least a portion of the diagnostic information from the embedded controller; and

assesses at least a portion of the diagnostic information to develop health information, the assessment comprising evaluating the information related to the number of malfunctioning pixels.

5. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the number of malfunctioning pixels comprises a number of consecutive malfunctioning pixels;

and

wherein, responsive to the number of consecutive malfunctioning pixels exceeding a predetermined threshold, the controller determines that service of the pixel array is required, the determination of service being included as part of the health information.

6. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, wherein, responsive to the number of malfunctioning pixels exceeding a predetermined threshold, the controller determines that service of the pixel array is required, the determination of service being included as part of the health information.

7. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the pixel array is included in at least one electronic sign.

8. The electronic monitoring system of claim 7, wherein:

the at least one electronic sign comprises a plurality of electronic signs and the health information comprises overall health information for the electronic monitoring system; and

the assessment comprises aggregating health information for each of the plurality of electronic signs.

9. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the controller reports at least a portion of the health information, the report comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of:

display of at least a portion of the health information to an operator of a transit vehicle;

storage and logging of the at least a portion of the diagnostic information and the at least a portion of the health information in computer-readable storage;

transmission of the at least a portion of the health information to an external device; and

transmission of the at least a portion of the health information to a remote server.

10. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the controller generates self-diagnostic information related to features of the controller, the self-diagnostic information being selected from the group consisting of:

information related to backlighting, information related to a sound-making device, and information related to data-access errors.

11. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, comprising:

wherein the controller detects at least one communication-link problem over one or more networks in the electronic monitoring system; and

wherein information related to the detection is included as part of the health information.

12. The electronic monitoring system of claim 4, comprising:

a light sensor coupled to the pixel array, wherein the light sensor senses light and, responsive thereto, facilitates adjustment of brightness; and

wherein the controller receives information related to the brightness and verifies proper operation of the light sensor via the received information.

13. The electronic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels in the pixel array comprise a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

14. The electronic monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the embedded controller performs a test for processing integrity between the plurality of PCBs, a result of the test being included as part of the diagnostic information.

15. An electronic monitoring method, the method comprising:

providing an electronic monitoring system, the electronic monitoring system comprising a pixel array and an embedded controller, the pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels;

wherein the pixel array comprises a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs), each PCB providing a sub-array of the pixel array;

the embedded controller analyzing the pixel array as a single matrix; and

the embedded controller determining a number of malfunctioning pixels in at least one of;

a row of the single matrix, wherein the row spans more than one PCB of the plurality of PCBs; and

a column of the single matrix, wherein the column spans more than one PCB of the plurality of PCBs; and

the embedded controller transmitting diagnostic information to a controller, the diagnostic information comprising information related to the determined number.

16. The electronic monitoring method of claim 15, wherein a malfunctioning pixel comprises a pixel in the plurality of pixels at which at least one of a short circuit and an open circuit is determined to exist.

17. The electronic monitoring method of claim 15, comprising:

reducing an amount of network bandwidth necessary to transmit the diagnostic information, the reducing comprising creating a reduced set of diagnostic information relative to an overall set of diagnostic information; and

transmitting the reduced set of diagnostic information to the controller.

18. The method of claim 15, comprising a controller comprising a processor and memory communicably coupled to the embedded controller, wherein the controller:

receives at least a portion of the diagnostic information from the embedded controller; and

assesses at least a portion of the diagnostic information to develop health information, the assessment comprising evaluating the information related to the number of malfunctioning pixels.

19. The electronic monitoring method of claim 18, wherein the number of malfunctioning pixels comprises a number of consecutive malfunctioning pixels;

and

wherein, responsive to the number of consecutive malfunctioning pixels exceeding a predetermined threshold, determining, via the controller, that service of the pixel array is required, the determination of required service being included as part of the health information.

20. An electronic monitoring system comprising:

a plurality of pixel arrays, each pixel array comprising a plurality of pixels;

wherein each pixel array of the plurality of pixel arrays comprises a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs), each PCB providing a sub-array of the pixel array;

an embedded controller coupled to each pixel array of the plurality of pixel arrays, the embedded controller creating diagnostic information, wherein the creating of the diagnostic information comprises, for each pixel array of the plurality of pixel arrays;

an analysis of the pixel array as a single matrix; and

a determination of a number of malfunctioning pixels in at least one of;

a row of the single matrix, wherein the row spans more than one PCB of the plurality of PCBs; and

a column of the single matrix, wherein the column spans more than one PCB of the plurality of PCBs; and

at least one controller comprising a processor and memory communicably coupled to the plurality of pixel arrays, wherein the at least one controller requests and receives diagnostic information from the embedded controller for each of the plurality of pixel arrays.