Graphical display of timing advance data

• US 5,034,893 A
• Filed: 04/10/1989
• Issued: 07/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Envirotest Corp. (Opus Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Clean Air Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Fisher, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/335,623
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 364/431.01, 364/431.03, 364/431.04, 364/551.01, 364/424.03, 340/439, 340/461, 340/462, 73/117.3
• US Class Current: 701/99
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 17/08 using a cathode-ray oscilloscope F02P17/06 takes precedence

Abstract

Vehicle parameters are sensed at each of a plurality of engine speeds and are used to calculate different type vehicle performance signals, which are displayed together in a rectangular coordinate system having an engine speed axis and axes perpendicular thereto, one for each different type of vehicle performance signal, each performance signal being displayed in alphanumeric characters and connected with line segments, to identify the type of performance signal.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing a display of vehicle performance information, comprising:

sensor means, for providing sensed signals indicative of the actual values of one or more vehicle parameters at each of a plurality of vehicle engine speeds;

signal processing means, having memory means for storing data, including data comprising one or more algorithmic subroutines, each said subroutine corresponding to a selected vehicle performance criterion, said processing means being responsive to said sensed signals to utilize each said subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, a performance value corresponding to a related one of said selected vehicle performance criteria; and

display means, responsive to said calculated performance values, for providing a rectangular coordinate system display format having the value of each said calculated performance value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to a first rectangular axis scaled in units of engine speed, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to a second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated performance value, said display means comprising means for displaying each said discrete point as an alphanumeric character chosen to identify said plotted point with a corresponding one of said selected vehicle performance indicia.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein said display means comprises means for displaying each said discrete point of a corresponding one of said selected vehicle performance criteria as being connected together with a line, each said line having different visual characteristics from each other said line so as to differentiate between said selected vehicle performance criteria, whereby each said line results inn a displayed waveform illustrating the trend of the values of the corresponding ones of said calculated performance values over said plurality of vehicle engine speeds.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of said selected vehicle performance criteria is engine cylinder dwell, said subroutines including a subroutine corresponding to engine cylinder dwell, said processing means utilizing said dwell subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, an engine cylinder dwell value.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said memory means comprises means for storing said calculated dwell values, said stored subroutines including a subroutine corresponding to average dwell, said processing means utilizing said average dwell subroutine with the most recent ones of said stored dwell values to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, a value indicative of average dwell, said rectangular coordinate system display format having each said calculated average dwell values plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to said engine speed axis, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to said second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated average dwell value.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one of said selected vehicle performance criteria is engine intake manifold vacuum, said stored subroutines including a subroutine corresponding to intake manifold vacuum, said processing means utilizing said vacuum subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals-to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, an intake manifold vacuum value, said rectangular coordinate system display format having each said calculated vacuum value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to said engine speed axis, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to said second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated vacuum value.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said display means comprises means for displaying each said alphanumeric character of a corresponding one of said selected vehicle performance criteria as being connected together with a line, each said line having different visual characteristics from each other said line so as to differentiate between said selected vehicle performance criteria, whereby each said line results in a displayed waveform illustrating the trend of the corresponding ones of said calculated performance values over said plurality of vehicle engine speeds.

2. Apparatus for providing a display of vehicle performance information, comprising:

sensor means, for providing sensed signals indicative of the actual values of one or more vehicle parameters at each of a plurality of vehicle engine speeds;

signal processing means, having memory means for storing data including data comprising one or more algorithmic subroutines, each said subroutine corresponding to a selected vehicle performance criterion, said processing means being responsive to said sensed signals to utilize each said subroutine with a related one or moore of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, a performance value corresponding to a related one of said selected vehicle performance criteria; and

display means, responsive to said calculated performance values, for providing a rectangular coordinate system display format having the value of each said calculated performance value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to a first rectangular axis scaled in units of engine speed, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to a second rectangular value axis scaled in units of said calculated performance value signal, wherein said display means comprises means for displaying said second rectangular axis as having said scaled units of each of said calculated performance values arranged in related columns, each said column corresponding to a related one of said selected vehicle performance criteria.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one of said selected vehicle performance criteria is engine timing, said stored subroutines including a subroutine corresponding to engine timing, said processing means utilizing said timing subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, an engine timing value, said rectangular coordinate system display format having each said calculated timing value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to said engine speed axis, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to said second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated timing value.

9. Apparatus for providing a display of vehicle performance information, comprising:

sensor means, for providing sensed signals indicative of the actual values of one or more vehicle parameters at each of a plurality of vehicle engine speeds;

signal processing means having memory means for storing data, including data comprising one or more algorithmic subroutines, each said subroutine corresponding to one of a plurality of selected vehicle performance criteria including engine cylinder dwell, average engine cylinder dwell, engine timing, and intake manifold vacuum, said processing means being responsive to said sensed signals to utilize each said subroutine with a related one or more of said subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, a performance value corresponding to a related one of said vehicle performance criteria, said processing means utilizing said engine cylinder dwell subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, an engine cylinder dwell value, said memory means comprising means for storing said calculated dwelll values, said processing means utilizing said average dwell subroutine with the most recent ones of said stored dwell values to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, a value indicative of average dwell, said processing means utilizing said timing subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, at each said vehicle engine speed, an engine timing value, said processing means utilizing said vacuum subroutine with a related one or more of said sensed signals to calculate, et each said vehicle engine speed, an intake manifold vacuum value, said calculated vehicle performance values including said calculated timing, vacuum and average dwell values; and

display means, responsive to said calculated vehicle performance values, for providing a rectangular coordinate system display format having each calculated vehicle performance values plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to a first rectangular axis scaled in units of engine speed, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to a second rectangular axis scaled in units of the corresponding one of said calculated vehicle performance values, said rectangular coordinate system display format having each said calculated average dwell value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to said engine speed axis, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to said second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated average dwelll value, said rectangular coordinate system display format having each said calculated timing value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to said engine speed axis, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect too said second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated timing value, said rectangular coordinate system display format having each said calculated vacuum value plotted as a discrete point at a first coordinate value measured with respect to said engine speed axis, and at a second coordinate value measured with respect to said second rectangular axis scaled in units of said calculated vacuum value, said display means comprising means for displaying said second rectangular axis as having said scaled units of each of said calculated performance values arranged in related columns, each said column corresponding to a related one of said selected vehicle performance criteria, said display means comprising means for displaying each said discrete point as an alphanumeric character chosen to identify said plotted point with the corresponding one of said selected vehicle performance criteria, said display means comprising means for displaying each said alphanumeric character of a corresponding one of said selected vehicle performance criteria as being connected together with a line, each said line having different visual characteristics from each other said line so as to differentiate between said selected vehicle performance criteria, whereby each said line results in a displayed waveform illustrating the trend of the corresponding ones of said calculated performance values over said plurality of vehicle engine speeds.