Input device for agricultural vehicle information display

• US 20060241838A1
• Filed: 04/19/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Marzani, Stefano, Mongiardo, Marcello, Rossi, Roberta
• Application Number:
  US11/406,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20060241838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor

Abstract

An agricultural vehicle is disclosed having a screen provided with an array of soft buttons and connected to a computer programmed to display on the screen menu items selectable by operation of the soft buttons. In the invention, an additional input device is provided for selecting a menu item from those displayed on the screen, the input device comprising a continuously rotatable knob which is also axially depressible to select an item from a displayed menu, rotation of the knob serving to change the menu item that is selected upon depression of the knob.

Claims

1. An agricultural vehicle having a screen provided with an array of soft buttons and connected to a computer programmed to display on the screen menu items selectable by operation of the soft buttons, wherein an additional input device is provided for selecting a menu item from those displayed on the screen, the input device comprising a continuously rotatable knob which is also axially depressible to select an item from a displayed menu, rotation of the knob serving to change the menu item that is selected upon depression of the knob.

2. An agricultural vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computer mounted on board the vehicle is programmed to display on the screen a menu of items available for selection by the user using the input device, wherein the image displayed by the computer on the screen comprises a first array of icons arranged in an arc, each icon in the first array being associated with a function relating to the operation of equipment mounted on board the vehicle, and a second array of icons lying in a ribbon adjacent the first array, each icon in the second array being associated with an item of ancillary equipment that may be coupled to the vehicle.

3. An agricultural vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is additionally provided on each menu displayed by the screen a set of icons graphically indicative of the menus that have to be displayed in sequence to arrive at the current menu.