Network system for onboard equipment

• US 7,095,367 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2002
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Original Assignee: Furuno Electric Co, Ltd
• Inventors: Fujikawa, Takumi, Kaida, Hidetoshi, Nagano, Hiroshi, Yamaguchi, Takeshi, Nishida, Masaru, Kondo, Motoji, Yoshida, Yoshinari, Nakai, Ryoichi, Kawamoto, Takumi, Matsui, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, ISAM A
• Application Number:
  US10/128,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 342/37, 342/46, 342 70- 72, 342/90, 342/176, 342/357.01, 342/357.04, 342/357.06, 342/357.09, 342/357.1, 701/24, 701/200, 701/207, 701/211, 701/213
• US Class Current: 342/176
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/043 Synchronising the display device with the scanning of the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/06 Cathode-ray tube displays or other two dimensional or three-dimensional displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/068 with data-rate converters preceding the display, e.g. flicker free display, constant brightness display G01S7/298 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/295 Means for transforming co-ordinates or for evaluating data, e.g. using computers

Abstract

An onboard equipment network system comprises a radar core device, a GPS core device, an echo sounder core device and a sonar core device and display devices which are connected to a network through a hub. Each core device includes a detecting section or a positioning section, as well as a control section, a power supply section and a data transmitter for transmitting detecting signals or positioning signals, while each display device includes a command section for transmitting command data to the individual core devices for setting their operating conditions and a display section for displaying image data received from the individual core devices. The command data is transmitted using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) while the image data is transmitted using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

Claims

1. An onboard equipment network system comprising:

at least one core device including a detecting section for detecting targets within a specific detecting range by transmitting and receiving detecting signals and generating detection data or a positioning section for fixing the position of a vehicle by receiving positioning signals from position-fixing satellites; and

at least one display device including a display section for displaying the detection data or positioning data generated by said core device from the detecting signals received from the targets or from the positioning signals received from the satellites and a command section for setting operating conditions of said core device;

wherein said core device and said display device are connected to each other by a network and said core device and said display device exchanges the detecting signals or the positioning signals in addition to command data through the network; and

wherein said core device includes a control section for controlling communications and power supply through the network and a power supply section having a main power supply unit for feeding electric power to the detecting section or to the positioning section and a standby power supply unit for feeding electric power to the control section, and wherein the command data transmitted from said display device to said core device contains a power supply control command and said core device turns on and off the main power supply unit upon receipt of the power supply control command from said display device.

2. An onboard equipment network system comprising:

at least one core device including a detecting section for detecting targets within a specific detecting range by transmitting and receiving detecting signals and generating detection data or a positioning section for fixing the position of a vehicle by receiving positioning signals from position-fixing satellites; and

at least one display device including a display section for displaying the detection data or positioning data generated by said core device from the detecting signals received from the targets or from the positioning signals received from the satellites and a command section for setting operating conditions of said core device;

wherein said core device and said display device are connected to each other by a network and said core device and said display device exchanges the detecting signals or the positioning signals in addition to command data through the network; and

a control section for controlling communications and power supply through the network and a power supply section having a main power supply unit for feeding electric power to the detecting section or to the positioning section; and

a standby power supply unit for feeding electric power to the control section; and

wherein the control section turns on the main power supply unit when said core device receives operation command data from all the display devices indicating that they are in operation, and the control section turns off the main power supply unit when said core device does not receive the operation command data from all the display devices for a specified period of time.

3. An onboard equipment network system comprising:

at least one core device including a detecting section for detecting targets within a specific detecting range by transmitting and receiving detecting signals and generating detection data or a positioning section for fixing the position of a vehicle by receiving positioning signals from position-fixing satellites; and

at least one display device including a display section for displaying the detection data or positioning data generated by said core device from the detecting signals received from the targets or from the positioning signals received from the satellites and a command section for setting operating conditions of said core device;

wherein said core device and said display device are connected to each other by a network and said core device and said display device exchanges the detecting signals or the positioning signals in addition to command data through the network; and

a control section for controlling communications and power supply through the network; and

a power supply section having a main power supply unit for feeding electric power to the detecting section or to the positioning section and a standby power supply unit for feeding electric power to the control section; and

wherein the control section turns on the main power supply unit when said core device receives operation command data from at least one display device indicating that it is in operation, and the control section turns off the main power supply unit when said core device does not receive the operation command data from any of the display devices for a specific period of time.

4. An onboard equipment network system comprising:

at least one core device including a detecting section for detecting targets within a specific detecting range by transmitting and receiving detecting signals and generating detection data or a positioning section for fixing the position of a vehicle by receiving positioning signals from position-fixing satellites; and

at least one display device including a display section for displaying the detection data or positioning data generated by said core device from the detecting signals received from the targets or from the positioning signals received from the satellites and a command section for setting operating conditions of said core device;

wherein said core device and said display device are connected to each other by a network and said core device and said display device exchanges the detecting signals or the positioning signals in addition to command data through the network; and

a control section for controlling communications and power supply through the network, the control section having a data transmitter for periodically transmitting data to the individual display devices; and

a power supply section having a main power supply unit for feeding electric power to the detecting section or to the positioning section and a standby power supply unit for feeding electric power to the control section; and

wherein the control section turns on the main power supply unit when a response signal is received from any of the display devices, and the control section turns off the main power supply unit when the response signal is not received for a specific period of time.