On-vehicle data processing and display system responsive to a vehicle mode of operation

• US 5,781,872 A
• Filed: 06/02/1995
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Unisia Jecs Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Tomita, Kazuyuki, Ohki, Hisatomo, Konishi, Masanori, Kubota, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US08/448,447
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.03, 364/424.04, 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/423.098, 364/424.034, 340/438, 340/458, 340/459, 340/461, 340/462, 701/1, 701/26, 701/36
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/002 giving both analog and numerical indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/02 Indicating value of two or more variables simultaneously

Abstract

An on-vehicle data processing system is provided which can cause the vehicle information to be displayed on a display device 10. The on-vehicle data processing system has a mode setting unit 32 for setting the running and stop modes and a data processing unit 34 for computing the mode images. The data processing unit 34 computes the running mode images representing the running states of the vehicle in real time while in the running mode and the stop mode images representing the details of the vehicle information while in the stop mode. Thus, the running mode images, more easily viewed by the driver, can be displayed on the display device in the running mode while the stop mode images, preferentially displaying the contents of the vehicle information, can be displayed on the display device in the stop mode.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle data processing system that processes data while an engine is running based on a present-speed of a vehicle detected by a detector, comprising:

mode setting means responsive to the present speed of the vehicle for selecting and setting one of running and stop modes, the stop mode being active while the engine is running;

display data processing means for computing running mode images indicating running states of the vehicle when the running mode is selected and set and for computing stop mode images indicating various vehicle information when the stop mode is selected and set; and

an on-vehicle display device for displaying the running or stop mode image computed by said display data processing means.

2. An on-vehicle data processing system as defined in claim 1, further comprising control means for selecting any one of items for a running or stop mode image, wherein said display data processing means computes the running or stop mode image representing a selected item.

3. An on-vehicle data processing system as defined in claim 2 wherein said control means is operative to set a warning value relative to at least one of the running and stop mode images and wherein said display data processing means is operative to output a warning signal when a level of selected item set by the warning value reaches the warning value.

4. An on-vehicle data processing system as defined in claim 1 wherein said display data processing means is operative to display larger characters in the running mode images and smaller characters in the stop mode images.

5. An on-vehicle data processing system that processes data while an engine is running based on a present-speed of a vehicle detected by a detector, comprising:

mode setting means responsive to the present speed of the vehicle for selecting and setting one of running and stop modes;

display data processing means for computing running mode images indicating running states of the vehicle when the running mode is selected and set and for computing stop mode images indicating various vehicle information when the stop mode is selected and set;

an on-vehicle display device for displaying the running or stop mode image computed by said display data processing means;

control means for selecting any one of items for a running or stop mode image, wherein said display data processing means computes the running or stop mode image represented a selected item; and

memory means for storing history of data of an item selected for the running mode image as a data history, said control means being capable of selecting the data history as an item for the stop mode image, said display data processing means being operative to read said data history from said memory means and to compute the stop mode image for a graphical display when data history item is selected in the stop mode, wherein in the running mode, data of selected item are displayed in real time and in the stop mode, the data history is displayed in a graph to indicate variations of the data.

6. An on-vehicle data processing system that processes data while an engine is running based on a present-speed of a vehicle detected by a detector, comprising:

mode setting means responsive to the present speed of the vehicle for selecting and setting one of running and stop modes;

display data processing means for computing running mode images indicating running states of the vehicle when the running mode is selected and set and for computing stop mode images indicating various vehicle information when the stop mode is selected and set; and

an on-vehicle display device for displaying the running or stop mode images computed by said display data processing means, wherein said mode setting means sets a first reference speed at which the running mode is switched to the stop mode and sets a second reference speed at which the stop mode is switched to the running mode, and wherein the first reference speed is lower than the second reference speed.

7. An on-vehicle data processing system that processes data while an engine is running based on a present-speed of a vehicle detected by a detector, comprising:

mode setting means responsive to the present speed of the vehicle for selecting and setting one of running and stop modes;

display data processing means for computing running mode images indicating running states of the vehicle when the running mode is selected and set and for computing stop mode images indicating various vehicle information when the stop mode is selected and set;

an on-vehicle display device for displaying the running or stop mode image computed by said display data processing means; and

said display data processing means is operative to compute images for daytime with the foreground being brighter than the background and to compute images for night with the foreground being darker than the background.

8. An on-vehicle data displaying system that processes data while an engine is running, comprising:

sensing means for sensing one of a running state and a stop state of a vehicle, the stop state being active while the engine is running;

computation means for computing on-vehicle data which corresponds to one of the running state and the stop state of the vehicle based on a current state of the vehicle sensed by said sensing means; and

on-vehicle data display means for displaying the on-vehicle data computed by said computation means, wherein said on-vehicle data display means displays running mode images when said sensing means senses the running state and displays stop mode images when said sensing means senses the stop state.

9. The on-vehicle data displaying system as defined in claim 8, wherein said on-vehicle data display means is mounted on a vehicle dashboard and displays one of a television broadcast, a navigation system and on-vehicle data.

10. The on-vehicle data displaying system as defined in claim 9, wherein said on-vehicle data display means is mounted separately from an instrument panel.

11. The on-vehicle data displaying system as defined in claim 9, further comprising display data processing means for selecting from one of daytime mode and nighttime mode and processing the on-vehicle data for display in accordance with the selected mode.

12. An on-vehicle data processing system, comprising:

on-vehicle data display means;

means for sensing a driving speed of a vehicle,

wherein said on-vehicle data display means displays on-vehicle data of a first information type when said driving speed is greater than a predetermined driving speed and displays on-vehicle data of a second information type when said driving speed is less than said predetermined driving speed while an engine is running, and

wherein the first information type is displayed using elements larger than said second information type.

13. An on-vehicle data processing system, comprising:

on-vehicle data display means;

means for sensing a driving speed of a vehicle,

wherein said on-vehicle data display means displays on-vehicle data of a first information type when said driving speed is greater than a predetermined driving speed and displays on-vehicle data of a second information type when said driving speed is less than said predetermined driving speed while an engine is running, and

wherein the first information type content is less than the second information type content.

14. An on-vehicle display device for displaying one of a television broadcast, a navigation system and output from an on-vehicle data computation device, the on-vehicle data computation device comprising:

means for sensing a driving speed of a vehicle,

wherein said on-vehicle display device displays on-vehicle data of a first information type when said driving speed is above a predetermined driving speed and displays on-vehicle data of a second information type when said driving speed is below said predetermined driving speed while an engine is running, and

wherein the first information type is displayed using elements larger than the second information type.

15. An on-vehicle display device for displaying one of a television broadcast, a navigation system and output from an on-vehicle data computation device, the on-vehicle data computation device comprising:

means for sensing a driving speed of a vehicle,

wherein said on-vehicle display device displays on-vehicle data of a first information type when said driving speed is above a predetermined driving speed and displays on-vehicle data of a second information type when said driving speed is below said predetermined driving speed while an engine is running, and

wherein the first information type content is less than the second information type content.

16. An on-vehicle data processing system that processes data while an engine is running based on at present-speed of a vehicle detected by a detector, comprising:

mode setting means responsive to the present speed of the vehicle for selecting and setting one of running and stop modes, the stop mode being active while the engine is running;

display data processing means for computing running mode images indicating running states of the vehicle when the running mode is selected and set and for computing stop mode images indicating various vehicle information when the stop mode is selected and set;

an on-vehicle display device for displaying the running or stop mode image computed by said display data processing means, wherein the mode setting means provides a hysteresis characteristic to change between the running and the stop modes.