Entertainment system on-board a vehicle for visualizing on a display real-time vehicle data

• US 6,871,121 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2002
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James B. Tomson
• Original Assignee: Blink Engineering Corp.
• Inventors: Tomson, James B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu, Yonel
• Application Number:
  US10/265,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20040068350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/34, 701/33
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/36 Input/output arrangements for on-board computers

Abstract

An entertainment system is provided on-board a vehicle for visualizing real-time vehicle data on a display mountable on-board the vehicle. The system has a visualization computer system for acquiring real-time data from the on-board vehicle computer representing one or more parameters of vehicle operation, and visualizing entertaining images on the display having graphics with one or more characteristics updated in real-time in accordance with such real-time data. The parameters of vehicle operation may represent those available from the vehicle computer via an On-Board Diagnostic port of the vehicle, e.g., vehicle speed, engine RPM, or air intake temperature. The graphics can represent two or three dimensional geometric object(s) or a graphical model, and the characteristics updated may represent one or more of speed of movement, shape, size, or color of such objects, or elements of the model, and as such, images of these graphics are distinctly different from typical dashboard instrumentation for operating a vehicle.

Claims

1. A system on-board a vehicle for visualizing real-time vehicle data provided by an on-board vehicle computer comprising:

means for acquiring data from the vehicle computer representing at least one parameter of vehicle operation;

a display mountable on-board said vehicle; and

means for visualizing images on said display having one or more three-dimensional graphical elements which change in one or more characteristics responsive to changes in said acquired data in which said acquiring means provides real-time updates in said data to said visualizing means.

2. The system according to claim 1 wherein said characteristics represent one or more selected from the group of speed of movement, shape, size, or color.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said three-dimensional graphical elements represents a three-dimensional object.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein said visualizing means further images on said display one or more two-dimensional graphical elements.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said images represents a model of the vehicle or a component of the vehicle, and said characteristics represent one or more elements of said model which change responsive to changes in said acquired data.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein said parameter of vehicle operation represents one of vehicle speed, engine RPM, air intake temperature, or throttle position.

7. The system according to claim 1 wherein said parameter of vehicle operation represents one of said parameters available from the vehicle computer via an on-board diagnostic port of said vehicle.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein said acquiring means comprises:

a visualization computer system for requesting said data representing said parameter of vehicle operation; and

an interface coupled to said visualization computer system and said vehicle computer for enabling said visualization computer system to request and receive said data.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the vehicle has an on-board diagnostic port, and said system further comprises a cable connecting said interface to said diagnostic port.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein the vehicle computer has a data bus and said interface in coupled to said data bus of said vehicle computer.

11. The system according to claim 8 further comprising an Electronic Control Unit coupled to said vehicle computer, and said interface is coupled to said Electronic Control Unit to request and receive said data representing said parameter of vehicle operation.

12. The system according to claim 8 wherein said visualization computer system provides said visualizing means.

13. The system according to claim 1 wherein said visualizing means further comprises:

means for defining one or more graphics representing at least said one or more three-dimensional graphical elements which change in real-time responsive to changes in said acquired data; and

means for generating images in accordance with said graphics and outputting said images to said display.

14. The system according to claim 8 wherein said visualization computer system has memory and provides said visualizing means by generating images using one or more graphical application programs stored in said memory in accordance with at least said one or more three-dimensional graphical elements, and outputting said images to said display.

15. The system according to claim 12 wherein said visualization computer system is located on-board said vehicle separate from said vehicle computer.

16. The system according to claim 1 wherein said display represents one of a color LCD screen or CRT.

17. The system according to claim 13 further comprising a user interface for enabling a user to select the graphics of said images on said display.

18. The system according to claim 1 wherein said display is mounted to the dashboard of the vehicle.

19. The system according to claim 1 wherein said display is mounted in the interior of said vehicle.

20. The system according to claim 1 wherein said display is mounted to the exterior of said vehicle.

21. The system according to claim 1 wherein said display represents a plurality of displays mounted on-board the interior or exterior of said vehicle.

22. The system according to claim 1 wherein said acquiring means acquires data from the vehicle computer representing multiple different parameters of vehicle operation, and said visualizing means visualizes images on said display having said one or more three-dimensional graphical elements which change in one or more characteristics response to changes in one or more of said multiple different parameters of said acquired data.

23. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data represents one or more parameters of vehicle operation and is provided by one or more sensors of vehicle operation located in said vehicle.

35. The system according to claim 1 wherein said images on said display provide entertainment and are distinct from dashboard instrumentation for operating said vehicle.

36. The system according to claim 9 wherein said diagnostic port is an OBD port of the vehicle which communicates by OBDII communication protocol with said interface.

37. The system according to claim 1 wherein said parameter is speed of the vehicle, said one or more three-dimensional graphical elements is at least one three-dimensional geometric object, said one or more characteristics is at least speed of rotation or motion of said three-dimensional geometric object on said display, and said three-dimensional geometric object changes in said speed of rotation or motion responsive to changes in said speed of said vehicle.

24. A method on-board a vehicle for visualizing real-time vehicle data provided by an on-board vehicle computer comprising the steps of:

acquiring data from the vehicle computer representing at least one parameter of vehicle operation;

mounting a display on-board said vehicle; and

visualizing images on said display having graphics with one or more changing three-dimensional characteristics updated in real-time in accordance with changes in said acquired data in which said acquiring step is carried out in real-time to update in said data.

25. The method according to claim 24 wherein said visualizing step further comprises the steps of:

defining one or more graphics which change in accordance with said acquired data;

generating images in accordance with said graphics; and

outputting said images to said display.

38. The method according to claim 24 wherein said vehicle has a OBD port and said acquiring step acquires said data via said OBD port utilizing OBDII communication protocol.

39. The method according to claim 24 wherein said characteristics represent one or more selected from the group of speed of movement, shape, size, or color.

26. A system on-board a vehicle for visualizing real-time vehicle data comprising:

means for acquiring data from one of more sensors in said vehicle representing at least one parameter of vehicle operation;

a display mountable on-board said vehicle; and

means for visualizing images on said display having one or more three-dimensional graphical elements which change in one or more characteristics responsive to changes in said acquired data in which said acquiring means provides real-time updates in said data to said visualizing means.

27. The system according to claim 26 wherein said vehicle has a vehicle computer system and said sensors are coupled to said vehicle computer system, and said acquiring means and visualizing means is provided by a computer system, separate from said vehicle computer system, and coupled to said vehicle computer system for acquiring data from said sensors.

28. The system according to claim 26 wherein said vehicle has a vehicle computer system separate from said sensors, and said acquiring means and visualizing means is provided by a computer system coupled to said sensors and separate from said vehicle computer system.

29. An apparatus for on-board attachment to a vehicle computer, said apparatus comprising a computer system, separate from said vehicle computer, coupled to said vehicle computer for acquiring data from the vehicle computer representing at least one parameter of vehicle operation, and producing images having graphics with at least one or more three-dimensional characteristics updated in real-time in accordance with said acquired data.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29 further comprising a display in said interior or exterior of said vehicle and coupled to said computer system for displaying said images.

31. A system on-board a vehicle for visualizing real-time vehicle data, wherein said vehicle has an on-board vehicle computer, said system comprising:

at least one display mountable on-board said vehicle; and

a computer system separate from the on-board vehicle computer having means for acquiring data representing at least one parameter of vehicle operation and means for visualizing images on said display having graphics with at least one changing three-dimensional characteristic updated in real-time in accordance with changes in said acquired data.

32. The system according to claim 31 wherein said acquiring means acquires said data from the on-board vehicle computer via a diagnostic port of the vehicle.

33. The system according to claim 31 wherein said acquiring means acquires said data from the on-board vehicle computer without utilizing a diagnostic port of the vehicle.

34. The system according to claim 31 wherein said acquiring means acquires said data from one or more sensors in the vehicle.