Operation information display for industrial vehicle

• US 7,482,914 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Issued: 01/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Forklift Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Inoue, Kiyoshi, Kishimoto, Takayuki, Takamura, Toru, Wagatsuma, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg; George A
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US11/396,547
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238325A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 340/461
• US Class Current: 340/461
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles

Abstract

A steering angle of steered wheels and a vehicle speed of a fork-lift truck are respectively detected by sensors (4, 5). A CPU (1) compares the vehicle speed with a predetermined speed (S2), and causes a meter (6) to display the steering angle when the vehicle speed is lower than the predetermined speed (S4, S14), and causes the meter (6) to display the vehicle speed when the vehicle speed not lower than the predetermined speed (S3, S13). As a result, the space for the display device can be reduced without affecting the operation efficiency of the fork-lift truck.

Claims

1. A vehicle information display device for use with an industrial vehicle having a steered wheel, comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect a vehicle speed;

a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle of the steered wheel;

a meter which can selectively display the vehicle speed and the steering angle of the steered wheel; and

a programmable controller programmed to;

cause the meter to display the steering angle of the steered wheel when the vehicle speed is lower than a predetermined reference vehicle speed while the vehicle is running; and

cause the meter to display the vehicle speed when the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined reference vehicle speed.

2. The vehicle information display device as defined in claim 1, wherein the predetermined reference vehicle speed corresponds to a vehicle speed below which monitoring of the steering angle of the steered wheel is required to predict which path the vehicle will take.

3. The vehicle information display device as defined in claim 2, wherein the industrial vehicle is a fork-lift truck and a vehicle speed region which is lower than the predetermined reference vehicle speed includes a vehicle speed at which the fork-lift is about to stop after starting and a vehicle speed at which the fork-lift truck is switching between forward running and reverse running.

4. The vehicle information display device as defined in claim 3, wherein the fork-lift truck is of a rear-wheel-steering type.

7. The vehicle information display device as defined in claim 1, wherein the predetermined reference vehicle speed is set to be 3 km/hr.

8. The vehicle information display device as defined in claim 1, wherein the industrial vehicle comprises at least two steered wheels.

5. A vehicle information display device for use with an industrial vehicle having a steered wheel, comprising:

means for detecting a vehicle speed;

means for detecting a steering angle of the steered wheel;

meter means for selectively displaying the vehicle speed and the steering angle of the steered wheel;

means for causing the meter means to display the steering angle of the steered wheel when the vehicle speed is lower than a predetermined reference vehicle speed while the vehicle is running; and

means for causing the meter means to display the vehicle speed when the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined reference vehicle speed.

6. A vehicle information display method for an industrial vehicle having a steered wheel and a meter which can selectively display a vehicle speed and a steering angle of the steered wheel, the method comprising:

detecting the vehicle speed;

detecting the steering angle of the steered wheel;

causing the meter to display the steering angle of the steered wheel when the vehicle speed is lower than a predetermined reference vehicle speed while the vehicle is running; and

causing the meter to display the vehicle speed when the vehicle speed is not lower than the predetermined reference vehicle speed.