ANALYSIS SYSTEM FOR MOBILE EQUIPMENT

• US 3,639,731 A
• Filed: 12/04/1969
• Issued: 02/01/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jon J. Mcneill
• Original Assignee: Jon J. Mcneill
• Inventors: McNeill, Jon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US04/882,206
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 340/146.3K,27,32,47,66,139,416,224 246/2,167,169,192 235/150.2
• US Class Current: 701/32.9
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/041 using reflecting tags

Abstract

An analysis and indicating equipment for mobile equipment such as locomotives or the like providing visual indications of equipment conditions and including exterior indication for scanning and remote readout at distant locations.

Claims

1. An analysis system for mobile equipment comprising a computing unit mounted upon a vehicle, test connections between said computing unit and selected points in circuitry of the vehicle for applying circuit voltages to said Unit during vehicle travel, said computing unit producing electrical signals representing the condition of complex vehicle characteristics calculated from said circuit voltages, and a display unit disposed on said vehicle and directed exteriorly thereof, said display unit including a plurality of separate movable elements with each element having at least two surfaces of different colors, said display unit further including operating means connected to said computing unit for actuation by electrical signals therefrom and engaging separate elements of said display for movement of the elements to display different colored surfaces thereof as an external display of the condition of said complex vehicle characteristics.

2. An analysis system for mobile equipment comprising a computing unit mounted upon a vehicle, test connections between said computing unit and selected points in circuitry of the vehicle for applying circuit voltages to said unit during vehicle travel, visual indicating means connected to said computing unit for receiving signals therefrom and indicating the condition of complex vehicle characteristics, a display unit disposed on said vehicle and directed exteriorly thereof, said unit including a plurality of separate indicators individually operated by signals from said computing unit for displaying indications of the condition of complex vehicle characteristics exteriorly of said vehicle during movement of the vehicle, scanning means disposed without said vehicle to view said display means, readout means disposed remotely from said scanning means, and means transmitting the output of said scanning means to said readout means for remotely indicating complex vehicle characteristics of the moving vehicle.

3. An analysis system for mobile equipment comprising visual display means having a plurality of indicators and mounted upon a vehicle to direct said indicators exteriorly thereof, computing means connected to predetermined points of a vehicle for receiving signals representing simple vehicle conditions and producing output signals that are a function of combinations of input signals as representations of the condition of complex characteristics of the moving vehicle, means connecting said computed output signals to said display means for selectively actuating separate indicators thereof, reading means disposed adjacent a path of the vehicle for reading said display means and producing signals corresponding to indicator conditions, and readout means connected to receive signals from said reading means and producing a record of the condition of complex characteristics of the moving vehicle.