User Configured Display System For Motor Vehicle

• US 20090184812A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OPUS IVS Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Drew Technologies Incorporated (Opus Group AB)
• Inventors: Herron, Brian, Drew, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,254 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/55 Remote control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/589 Wireless data transfers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/22 Display screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/85 Arrangements for transferring vehicle- or driver-related data

Abstract

The present invention is directed toward a data acquisition and display system for vehicles that connects to the vehicle'"'"'s on-board computer(s) via a data link connector (DLC). The system includes a display module suitable for permanent or temporary attachment within the interior of a vehicle. The display module preferably includes a full color monitor that also functions as a touch screen for inputting commands to the computer within the display module. The computer includes a suitable processor, operating system, software and tangible data storage media to allow multiple user configurable graphics. The display module collects information from the vehicle via multiple busses and senders through the data link connector and displays the information on the screen of the display module in a user configured graphics format. The software is constructed and arranged to allow user configuration of the displayed graphics by clicking or touching the graphics image.

Claims

1. A method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:

providing a data acquisition and display system;

connecting said data acquisition display system to a motor vehicle via a data link connector extending between a vehicle connection port and at least one on-board computer positioned within said motor vehicle for bi-directional electrical communication of data relating to said motor vehicle;

providing a display monitor with a touch sensitive screen display for display of information representative of said motor vehicle data in the form of a gauge skin, said data acquisition and display system having a configuration mode for selecting gauge skin properties according to various modifying options;

touching a gauge skin displayed upon said screen display to toggle said data acquisition and display system into said configuration mode;

configuring said gauge skin by selecting the desired properties for said gauge skin;

saving said configuration to a memory means in electrical connection with said data acquisition and display system;

recalling said configured gauge skin for display on said display monitor, said configured gauge skin representative of said motor vehicle data.

2. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 1 wherein said data acquisition and display system includes at least one peripheral input port in electrical communication with said display computer for electrical communication with at least one peripheral device.

3. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 2 wherein said steps include selecting the source of the data from the group consisting of on-board computers and peripheral devices for display on said gauge skin.

4. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 1 wherein one of said properties includes selection of an on-board computer monitored parameter.

5. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 1 wherein one of said properties includes selection of the type of gauge displayed.

6. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 5 wherein the type of gauge displayed is selected from the group consisting of analog gauge, digital gauge, slider bar, graph and dashboard.

7. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 6 wherein one of said properties includes establishing the high and low limits of the gauge displayed.

8. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 7 wherein one of said properties includes establishing the number of divisions displayed between said high and said low limits of the gauge displayed.

9. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 7 wherein one of said properties includes establishing warnings associated with said high and said low limits of the gauge displayed.

10. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 7 wherein said warnings associated with said high and said low limits are selected from the group consisting of color changes and audible signals.

11. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 6 wherein one of said properties includes establishing the unit of measure of the gauge displayed.

12. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 6 wherein one of said properties includes establishing the colors and graphic designs utilized the gauge displayed.

13. The method of displaying data representative of data received from an on-board computer of a motor vehicle of claim 6 wherein one of said properties includes establishing the unit of measure of the gauge displayed.

14. A data acquisition and display system for displaying operator configurable information within a motor vehicle comprising:

a display module constructed and arranged to be secured within the interior of said motor vehicle, said display module including a display computer and a display monitor in electrical communication with each other, said display module including at least one vehicle connection port in electrical connection with said display computer, a data link connector extending between said vehicle connection port and at least one on-board computer positioned within said motor vehicle for bi-directional electrical communication of data relating to said motor vehicle, said display computer including software constructed and arranged for configuration of graphics representative of parameters monitored by said at least one on-board computer of said motor vehicle on said display monitor.

15. The data acquisition and display system of claim 14 wherein said display computer is switched to a configuration mode by clicking upon graphics displayed upon said display monitor.

16. The data acquisition and display system of claim 15 wherein said configurable graphics are selected from the group consisting of gauge type, graphs, fonts, needles, buttons, program generated objects and backgrounds.

17. The data acquisition and display system of claim 14 wherein said display computer is constructed and arranged to automatically change said graphics based on ambient light conditions within the motor vehicle.

18. The data acquisition and display system of claim 14 wherein said display computer is constructed and arranged to automatically change said graphics based on signals received from said on-board computer.

19. The data acquisition and display system of claim 15 wherein display computer is constructed and arranged to automatically change said graphics or emit an audio sound based on signals received from said on-board computer, said signals representing vehicle operating parameters outside of operator configured limits.

20. A data acquisition and display system for displaying operator configurable information within a motor vehicle comprising:

a display module constructed and arranged to be secured within the interior of said motor vehicle, said display module including a display computer and a display monitor in electrical communication with each other, said display module including at least one vehicle connection port in electrical connection with said display computer, a data link connector extending between said vehicle connection port and at least one on-board computer positioned within said motor vehicle for bi-directional electrical communication of data relating to said motor vehicle, said display computer including software constructed and arranged for configuration of said display computer regarding the delivery of instructions to said display monitor for display of a configured visual image relating to data received from said on-board computer on said display monitor.