Multiple message selective telltale display

• US 5,510,776 A
• Filed: 10/25/1993
• Issued: 04/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Delco Electronics Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Borrego, Diego A., Murphy, Morgan D., Skiver, Steven G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US08/140,949
• Time in Patent Office: 911 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.17, 340/815.45, 340/815.54, 340/815.65, 340/825.51, 340/815.74, 340/815.81, 340/309.4, 345/4, 345/5, 345/6, 345/32, 353/13, 353/14, 382/35
• US Class Current: 340/517
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/14 lighting through the surface to be illuminated
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/16 Circuits; Control arrangements

Abstract

A plurality of optical projectors focus telltale messages, one at a time, onto a vehicle instrument panel display area. In one embodiment a logic circuit assigns priority to the messages and displays only the message of higher priority when more than one message is prompted. The projection lamps are high intensity LEDs arranged in parallel but having diodes in series with lower priority lamps to hold them off when a higher priority lamp is energized. A constant current source regulates the LED current. In another embodiment two message lamps are controlled by a logic circuit such that when both are prompted for display an oscillator causes the messages to be displayed alternately, but when either message alone is prompted, its lamp will be energized continuously.

Claims

1. In an instrument panel having a display area sufficient to display only one telltale message at a time, apparatus for selectively showing any one of a plurality of telltale messages on the display area comprising:

a plurality of optical projectors each for projecting a message onto the display area;

each optical projector comprising a message image transparency, a lamp for illuminating the transparency, and optics for projecting a message onto the display area, each lamp being assigned a priority with respect each other lamp;

control means for prompting message display, wherein more than one message at a time may be prompted, the control means being coupled to each lamp to selectively apply energizing voltage to each lamp in accordance with messages being prompted; and

a logic circuit coupled to the lamps and responsive to the control means for selectively energizing the lamps for displaying prompted messages one at a time, wherein the logic circuit includes at least one diode connected in series with a first lamp for preventing current low through the first lamp when energizing voltage is simultaneously applied to the first lamp and to a second lamp, and the assigned priority of the first lamp is less than or equal to the assigned priority of the second lamp.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the logic circuit includes means operative when both lamps are prompted to periodically disable energization of the second lamp, whereby the first lamp is periodically energized out of phase with the second lamp.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the lamps are LEDs.

4. In an instrument panel having a display area sufficient to display only one telltale message at a time, apparatus for selectively showing any one of a plurality of telltale messages on the display area comprising:

a plurality of optical projectors each for projecting a message onto the display area;

each optical projector comprising a message image transparency, a lamp for illuminating the transparency, and optics for projecting a message onto the display area, wherein the lamps are assigned an order of priority;

control means for prompting message display, wherein more than one message at a time may be prompted and the control means is coupled to a high voltage side of each lamp to selectively apply energizing voltage to each lamp; and

a logic circuit coupled to the lamps and responsive to the control means for selectively energizing the lamps for displaying prompted messages one at a time, the logic circuit comprising means for coupling a low voltage side of a highest priority lamp to ground and a diode in series with a low voltage side of a lower priority lamp and coupled to the low voltage side of the highest priority lamp, whereby the diode is nonconductive to prevent energization of the lower priority lamp when the highest priority lamp is energized.

5. In an instrument panel having a display area sufficient to display only one telltale message at a time, apparatus for selectively showing any one of a plurality of telltale messages on the display area comprising:

a plurality of optical projectors each for projecting a message onto the display area;

each optical projector comprising a message image transparency, a lamp for illuminating the transparency, and optics for projecting a message onto the display area, wherein the lamps are assigned an order of priority;

control means for prompting message display, wherein more than one message at a time may be prompted and the control means is coupled to a high voltage side of each lamp to selectively apply energizing voltage to each lamp; and

a logic circuit coupled to the lamps and responsive to the control means for selectively energizing the lamps for displaying prompted messages one at a time, the logic circuit comprising diode means serially connected at a low voltage side of lamps other than the highest priority lamp for preventing conduction in lamps of lower priority than any energized lamp.

6. In an instrument panel having a display area sufficient to display only one telltale message at a time, apparatus for selectively showing any one of a plurality of telltale messages on the display area comprising:

a plurality of optical projectors each for projecting a message onto the display area;

each optical projector comprising a message image transparency, a lamp for illuminating the transparency, and optics for projecting a message onto the display area, wherein the lamps are assigned an order of priority;

a constant current source to regulate lamp current;

control means for prompting message display, wherein more than one message at a time may be prompted; and

a logic circuit coupled to the lamps and responsive to the control means for selectively energizing the lamps for displaying prompted messages one at a time, wherein the lamps are connected in parallel paths between the control means and the current source, each path including a lamp and one or more diodes in series with the respective lamp other than the highest priority lamp with the number of diodes increasing for decreasing priority, so that the conduction of any lamp above lowest priority prevents conduction through the diodes of lower priority lamps.