Indicator and method of indicating trouble

• US 4,977,389 A
• Filed: 07/06/1988
• Issued: 12/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Shiraishi, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US07/217,045
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52 R, 340/52 F, 340/525, 340/286, 340/459, 340/461, 340/462
• US Class Current: 340/461
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 11/00 Arrangement of monitoring devices for devices provided for in groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

An automotive vehicle includes a plurality of indicators for indicating operating states of components of a system. A method of inducating fault or no-fault condition of the components derived from different possible causes, comprises causing the indicators to be placed into one of two different indicating statuses, to indicate by the combination statuses of the indicators the conditions of the components.

Claims

1. In an automotive vehicle having a plurality of indicator lights each having on and off indicating statuses for indicating operating states of a predetermined system installed in the automotive vehicle, a method of indicating fault conditions in a plurality of different components installed in the automotive vehicle utilizing the plurality of indicators of the predetermined system, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a predetermined identifying number to each of the components,

providing condition signals representing the operating states of the components,

producing coded signals from the condition signals representing a fault or a no-fault condition of each of the components according to the code used for generating the coded signals, and

supplying said coded signals to the plurality of indicator lights to actuate the plurality of indicator lights in combination according to the code such that the on and off statuses of the indicator lights indicate in a coded form the number of a component in a fault or a no-fault condition.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein a first plurality of indicators, when actuated in combination according to the code, represents the status of a second larger plurality of components.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of supplying said coded signals to a plurality of indicators causes a number of a component in a fault condition to be displayed in coded form and, when a plurality of components are in a fault condition,

supplying said coded signals to the plurality of indicators to cause the numbers of the components in fault condition to be alternately displayed in coded form.

4. For an automotive vehicle having a plurality of indicator lights each having on and off indicating statuses for indicating operating states of a predetermined system installed in the automotive vehicle, a method of indicating a fault or a no-fault condition of each of predetermined components utilizing the plurality of indicator lights of the predetermined system, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a predetermined identifying number to each of the predetermined components,

providing condition signals representing the operating states of the components,

producing coded signals from the condition signals representing a fault or a no-fault condition of each of the components according to a binary code used for generating the coded signals,

supplying said coded signals to actuate the indicator lights in combination according to the binary code such that the on and off statuses of the indicator lights indicate in a coded form the number of components in a fault or a no-fault condition.

5. A method of indicating fault conditions in a plurality of different components comprising the steps of:

assigning a predetermined identifying number to each of the components,

providing condition signals representing the operating states of the components,

producing coded signals from the condition signals representing a fault or a no-fault condition of each of the components according to the code used for generating the coded signals, and

supplying said coded signals to actuate a second smaller plurality of indicators to produce a single row of indicators having on and off statuses and cause the number of a component in a fault or no-fault condition to be displayed in coded form by the indicators and, when a plurality of components are in a fault condition,

supplying said coded signals to actuate the second smaller plurality of indicators to cause the numbers of the components in fault condition to be alternately displayed in coded form.

6. In an automotive vehicle having a plurality of indicator lights each having on and off indicating statuses, the plurality of indicator lights assuming on indicating statuses for indicating different operating states of a predetermined system, respectively, which predetermined system is installed in the automotive vehicle, a method of indicating which one of a plurality of predetermined components installed in the automotive vehicle is in a fault condition, comprising the step of utilizing said plurality of indicator lights as a display by actuating said plurality of indicator lights in on and off manner to show one of different combinations of on and off statuses which identify said plurality of predetermined components, respectively, thereby showing which one of said plurality of predetermined components is in the fault condition.

7. In an automotive vehicle having a plurality of indicator lights each having on and off indicating statuses, the plurality of indicator lights assuming on indicating statuses for indicating different operating states of a predetermined system, respectively, which predetermined system is installed in the automotive vehicle, a method of indicating which one of a plurality of predetermined components installed in the automotive vehicle is in a fault condition, comprising the steps of:

assigning predetermined identifying combinations of on and off statuses of the indicator lights to the plurality of predetermined components, respectively;

detecting which one of said plurality of predetermined components is in the fault condition;

utilizing said plurality of indicating lights as a display by actuating said plurality of indicator lights in one of said plurality of predetermined identifying combinations in response to the result of said detecting step, thereby showing which one of the predetermined components is in the fault condition.