Multifunction electronic meter for vehicle

• US 4,356,470 A
• Filed: 09/17/1980
• Issued: 10/26/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yano, Hiroshi, Nomura, Hiroyuki, Kawasaki, Teruo, Kogawa, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Waring, Alvin H.
• Application Number:
  US06/188,108
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52 F, 340/517, 340/519, 340/521, 340/524, 340/525
• US Class Current: 340/461
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/02 Indicating value of two or more variables simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

A multifunction electronic meter for a vehicle can display selectively plural measured informations of fuel amount, cooling water temperature, oil pressure, battery voltage and the like of a vehicle on a single display section, the displayed informations being accompanied respectively with combinations of symbolmarks and surrounding frames thereof for identifying and warning those informations.

The principal information of, for instance, fuel amount is ordinarily displayed, while the remaining informations are displayed selectively as occasion demands, for instance, in response to the occurrence of an emergency. When plural emergencies are simultaneously caused, the information corresponding to the lastly caused emergency is displayed intermittently together with the symbolmark, while only the symbolmarks and the frames of the informations corresponding to the previously caused emergencies are displayed continuously. Consequently, the most requisite measured information can be ordinarily noticed by a driver, as well as the remaining informations which are noticeable as occasion demands, regardless of the desired simplicity of configuration of an instrument panel of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A multifunction electronic meter for a vehicle comprising:

an electronic indicator on a display section of which a plurality of informations derived respectively at least from a fuel amount sensor, a water temperature sensor, an oil pressure sensor and a battery are selectively displayed together with a plurality of symbolmarks provided respectively for identifying and warning said plurality of informations displayed selectively on said display section,

a display control circuit for controlling said display section such as a principal information consisting of an amount of fuel among said plurality of informations is ordinarily displayed and, when either one of said plurality of informations other than said principal information is selected, said one information is displayed, together with a respective one of said plurality of symbolmarks,

a plurality of emergency discriminators for discriminating respectively a plurality of emergencies relating respectively at least to the poor fuel amount, the too high water temperature, the too low oil pressure, and the too low battery voltage,

a switching circuit arranged so that, when either one of said plurality of emergency discriminators discriminates one of said plurality of emergencies, the information relating the discriminated emergency is displayed regardless of the contents of the display on said display section of said electronic indicator,

a self-reversion circuit arranged so that said principal information is displayed automatically reversionally when a predetermined time duration is expired after one of said plurality of informations other than said principal information is selectively displayed,

a hold switch for holding either one of said plurality of informations other than said principal information as it is displayed selectively by annulling the operation of said self-reversion circuit, and

an initially setting circuit arranged so that the information which is held by the operation of said hold switch as it is displayed selectively is switched over reversionally to said principal information when an ignition switch is closed.

2. A multifunction electronic meter for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of symbolmarks are respectively formed of combinations of displaying elements which are lighted in red or yellow and displaying elements which are lighted in green, and said display control circuit further comprises a lighting and intermitting control circuit for lighting continuously or intermittently the frame of the symbolmark corresponding to the emergency discriminated by the emergency discriminator in response to the discrimination thereof.

3. A multifunction electronic meter for a vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of symbolmarks are respectively formed of combinations of symbolizing figures or letters which are lighted in green and surrounding frames thereof which are lighted in red, and said display control circuit further comprises a lighting and intermitting control circuit for lighting continuously or intermittently the frame of the symbolmark corresponding to the emergency discriminated by the emergency discriminator in response to the discrimination thereof.

4. A multifunction electronic meter for a vehicle as claimed in claim 3, wherein said display control circuit further comprises an emergency display control circuit arranged so that, when more than two emergencies are discriminated by the emergency discriminators simultaneously, the information corresponding to the lastly discriminated emergency is preferentially displayed on said display section of said electronic indicator together with the respective symbolmark the frame of which is lighted intermittently, and, regarding the emergencies discriminated previously, only the respective symbolmarks and the frames thereof are lighted.