Multiplexed electrical wiring system for a truck including driver interface and power switching
First Claim
1. A land vehicle electrical system including a battery, battery charging means for energizing the battery, controller means which may assume a number of controller states for regulating the flow of electricity to driven devices, sensor means for monitoring various parameters of operation of the land vehicle and land vehicle components, input means for affecting the controller state and for regulating the flow of electricity to driven devices, and display means for providing information concerning the operation of the land vehicle and land vehicle components, said controller means including a cab controller, a chassis controller and controller memory distributed between said cab controller and said chassis controller, said cab controller including a cab memory, a cab microprocessor to which chassis functions are assigned, cab sensor input means for sensing signals from said sensor means, cab output means for affecting driven devices in accordance with the cab controller state, and cab communication means for receiving and transmitting digital signals, said chassis controller including a chassis memory, a chassis microprocessor to which chassis functions are assigned, chassis sensor input means for sensing signals from said sensor means, chassis output means for affecting driven devices in accordance with the chassis controller state, and chassis communication means for receiving and transmitting digital signals, said chassis controller having substantially identical components as said cab controller;
- a controller bus coupled between said respective communication means of said cab controller and said chassis controller for exchanging digital data among said system components, said sensor means selectively including analog, switched digital sensors selectively coupled to the respective sensor input means of said cab controller and said chassis controller, said driven devices being operatively connected to the output means of said cab controller, said output means of said chassis controller, and to said input means of said controller means.
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Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
The land vehicle electrical system comprises a cab controller including a microprocessor system and a chassis controller including a microprocessor system. The microprocessor systems have a multiplexed coupling therebetween and each system includes a microprocessor substantially identical to the microprocessor in the other system with the hardware in each system being substantially identical and with each microprocessor having slightly different software. The microprocessor utilized in the chassis controller has analog inputs for direct connection to sensors. A public data link and a private data link are provided between the microprocessors for additional and backup communication between them. Smart switches are coupled to one or both of the microprocessors and each switch includes means for indicating its status, open circuit or closed circuit, to a microprocessor and the microprocessor includes means for reading the status of the switch and for controlling the status of the switch. The microprocessor also have a diagnostic routine for diagnostic capability or fault isolation. Furthermore, the cab controller includes a visual display having touch actuated switch function areas on the screen of the visual display which switch function areas can be actuated to call up different menus and different control panels.
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Citations
56 Claims
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1. A land vehicle electrical system including a battery, battery charging means for energizing the battery, controller means which may assume a number of controller states for regulating the flow of electricity to driven devices, sensor means for monitoring various parameters of operation of the land vehicle and land vehicle components, input means for affecting the controller state and for regulating the flow of electricity to driven devices, and display means for providing information concerning the operation of the land vehicle and land vehicle components, said controller means including a cab controller, a chassis controller and controller memory distributed between said cab controller and said chassis controller, said cab controller including a cab memory, a cab microprocessor to which chassis functions are assigned, cab sensor input means for sensing signals from said sensor means, cab output means for affecting driven devices in accordance with the cab controller state, and cab communication means for receiving and transmitting digital signals, said chassis controller including a chassis memory, a chassis microprocessor to which chassis functions are assigned, chassis sensor input means for sensing signals from said sensor means, chassis output means for affecting driven devices in accordance with the chassis controller state, and chassis communication means for receiving and transmitting digital signals, said chassis controller having substantially identical components as said cab controller;
- a controller bus coupled between said respective communication means of said cab controller and said chassis controller for exchanging digital data among said system components, said sensor means selectively including analog, switched digital sensors selectively coupled to the respective sensor input means of said cab controller and said chassis controller, said driven devices being operatively connected to the output means of said cab controller, said output means of said chassis controller, and to said input means of said controller means.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An electrical system controller for a land vehicle comprising:
- a controller microprocessor operatively connected to other controller elements;
a controller memory operatively connected to said controller microprocessor;
controller sensor input means operatively connected to said controller microprocessor;
a plurality of controller device drivers, each of which has an on state and an off state operatively connected to said controller microprocessor for receiving logic level signals from said controller microprocessor and altering the device driver state between on and off in response to the logic level signals;
controller input means operatively connected to said controller microprocessor;
analog sensor means connected to said controller sensor input means for providing analog information concerning a sensed quantity;
digital sensor means connected to said controller sensor input means for providing a state status signal conveying the occurrence of a sensed state;
a plurality of driven devices connected to at least one of said controller device drivers; and
display means operationally connected to said controller microprocessor for providing information concerning the operation of the land vehicle and land vehicle components. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
- a controller microprocessor operatively connected to other controller elements;
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50. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising a cab controller and a chassis controller each comprising substantially the same microprocessor and a multiplexing system coupling said controller together.
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51. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising a controller including a microprocessor having analog inputs and sensors coupled directly into said analog inputs.
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52. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising a controller including a microprocessor having analog inputs and smart switches connected to said analog inputs and having means for communicating to said microprocessor the status of said switch, open circuit and close circuit, and said microprocessor having means for controlling the status of said switches.
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53. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising a cab controller including a microprocessor system, a chassis controller including a microprocessor system, and a public serial data link and a private data link conforming to industrial standards.
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54. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising a cab controller including a microprocessor system comprising a microprocessor, a visual display coupled to said microprocessor and said visual display having touch sensitive switch function areas on the display and means actuated by touching various switch function areas for calling up different menus and different control panels on the visual display.
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55. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising cab controller including a microprocessor system, said microprocessor system including means for effecting a diagnostic evaluation of various instruments and sensors coupled directly or indirectly to said cab controller and indicating to the cab controller if an instrument or sensor is nonfunctioning.
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56. In a land vehicle electrical system the improvement comprising cab controller including a microprocessor system, said microprocessor system including means for effecting a diagnostic evaluation of various instruments and sensors coupled directly or indirectly to said cab controller and indicating to the cab controller if an instrument or sensor is out of range.
Specification