VEHICLE SUBSYSTEM MONITORS

• US 3,626,367 A
• Filed: 12/22/1969
• Issued: 12/07/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dewey W. Eppley, Donald W. Howard
• Original Assignee: Dewey W. Eppley, Donald W. Howard
• Inventors: Howard, Donald W., Eppley, Dewey W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Waring, Alvin H.
• Application Number:
  US04/887,016
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52,27,336,412,413,414,415 178/15,30
• US Class Current: 340/462
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/22 Devices for monitoring or checking brake systems; Signal devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 using electrical circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 66/021 using electrical detection or indication means
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

A multiple error detection system utilizing light-emitting diodes to form a character representation in response to a given error signal input.

Claims

1. A vehicle malfunction indicator system comprising:

a plurality of sensors, each of said sensors being adapted to detect a malfunction in a component of the vehicle;

a plurality of light-emitting diodes arranged in segments of a matrix, said segments being arranged to form visual character representations when different combinations of the segments are activated; and

gating means for each of said segments, each of said gating means having an output terminal connected to its corresponding segment and a plurality of inputs, each input of each gating means being connected to the output of one of said sensors, the output of each of said sensors being connected to the input of more than one of said gating means, the output of each of said sensors being connected to a different combination of gating means than the output of any other sensor;

each of said gating means activating its corresponding segment when any of the sensors connected to any of its input terminals produces an output signal.

2. The invention of claim 1:

each of said gating means being a NOR gate, whereby a positive voltage level is maintained in the output of the latter in the absence of a signal to the input of a corresponding NOR gate;

said light-emitting diodes being connected between the output of the corresponding NOR gate and a voltage source.

3. The automotive malfunction detection system, as recited in claim 1, still further comprising a fiber optic display wherein said character representations from said light-emitting diodes are visually displayed in alphabetic and numeric form.

4. A brake malfunction indication system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said sensors indicate dangerous lining wear, vacuum loss, fluid level in master cylinder, adaptive brake malfunction, parking brake '"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"'on,'"'"''"'"''"'"''"'"' split system malfunction, and self-test on start, said brake malfunction indication system further comprising:

a fiber optic display means for giving better visual effects to said letters indicated by said light-emitting diodes.