Field presettable electronic odometer
First Claim
1. A field presettable electronic usemeter, for an apparatus, comprising:
- usemeter means for developing a use count signal having a magnitude representative of total accumulated use of an apparatus in response to an input sensor signal provided in accordance with actual use of said apparatus and in response to a stored use count signal;
display means operatively connected to said usemeter means for providing a visual display representative of the magnitude of said use count signal;
non-volatile memory means operatively connected to said usemeter means for storing, at selected times, said use count signal in a non-volatile memory and thereby providing said stored use count signal;
wherein the improvement comprises,preset means operatively connected to said non-volatile memory means for implementing a preset mode while said non-volatile memory means is operatively connected to said usemeter means, in response to the occurrence of predetermined conditions, for adjusting the magnitude of the use count signal stored in said non-volatile memory means in accordance with received control signals unrelated to actual use of said apparatus such that the magnitude of said stored use count signal is unrelated to the total accumulated use of said apparatus as determined by said usemeter means prior to said implementation of said preset mode.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A microprocessor is utilized to store a total accumulated driven mileage (odometer) signal in a non-volatile random access memory (RAM). Trip mileage manual pushbuttons are coupled to the microprocessor and enable the calculation and display of elapsed driven mileage (trip mileage), and a units pushbutton converts the displayed total accumulated driven mileage and/or the elapsed trip mileage from a miles to a kilometer visual display. The microprocessor effectively retrieves non-volatile stored odometer signals, loads them into a microprocessor volatile memory, increments the volatile memory mileage signal in accordance with signals from an actual mileage sensor and provides a visual mileage display on an odometer display. The magnitude of the odometer signal stored in the non-volatile memory can be preset to a predetermined mileage after the non-volatile memory is coupled to the microprocessor. This presetting can only be implemented a maximum of three times and only if a non-volatile, non-presettable actual mileage memory indicates the vehicle has been driven less than ten miles. In response to a substantial adjustment of the non-volatile stored odometer signal, an overflow flag is non-volatilely stored and the odometer display provides a visual indication that this adjustment has occurred whenever the odometer display provides a visual indication corresponding to the total accumulated mileage. The presetting of the odometer signal in the non-volatile RAM is accomplished through utilization of the trip and units manual controls, and the vehicle ignition switch.
36 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A field presettable electronic usemeter, for an apparatus, comprising:
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usemeter means for developing a use count signal having a magnitude representative of total accumulated use of an apparatus in response to an input sensor signal provided in accordance with actual use of said apparatus and in response to a stored use count signal; display means operatively connected to said usemeter means for providing a visual display representative of the magnitude of said use count signal; non-volatile memory means operatively connected to said usemeter means for storing, at selected times, said use count signal in a non-volatile memory and thereby providing said stored use count signal;
wherein the improvement comprises,preset means operatively connected to said non-volatile memory means for implementing a preset mode while said non-volatile memory means is operatively connected to said usemeter means, in response to the occurrence of predetermined conditions, for adjusting the magnitude of the use count signal stored in said non-volatile memory means in accordance with received control signals unrelated to actual use of said apparatus such that the magnitude of said stored use count signal is unrelated to the total accumulated use of said apparatus as determined by said usemeter means prior to said implementation of said preset mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A vehicle presettable electronic odometer, comprising:
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odometer means for developing an odometer count signal having a magnitude representative of the total accumulated driven mileage in response to an input sensor signal provided in accordance with actual vehicle travel and in response to a stored odometer count signal; display means operatively connected to said odometer means for providing a visual display representative of the magnitude of said odometer count signal; non-volatile memory means operatively connected to said odometer means for storing, at selected times, said odometer count signal in a non-volatile memory and thereby providing said stored odometer count signal; preset means operatively connected to said non-volatile memory means for implementing a preset mode while said non-volatile memory is operatively connected to said odometer means, in response to the occurrence of predetermined conditions, for adjusting a magnitude of the odometer count signal stored in said non-volatile memory means in accordance with received control signals unrelated to actual vehicle travel such that the magnitude of said stored odometer signal is unrelated to the total accumulated driven mileage of said vehicle as measured by said odometer means prior to said implementation of said preset mode, and trip mileage means operatively connected to said display means and including a trip display manual control for selectively causing said display means to display actual elapsed vehicle mileage traveled since last actuation of a trip reset manual control, said preset means including means for implementing/terminating said preset mode in response to at least selected actuation of one of said trip manual controls. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification