Electric motor vehicle having a display device

• US 8,686,848 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Grundmann, Holmer-Geert, Schreiner, Otmar, Lttringhaus, Hannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/335,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20120161956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 831 Days
• Field of Search: 340/455, 340/825.72, 340/953, 340/479, 340/468, 340/431, 340/531, 340/439, 340/438, 340901-902, 340/988, 340/933, 340/942
• US Class Current: 340/455
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 13/00 Component parts of indicators for measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/005 Indication of measured value by colour change
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/06 Luminous indications projected on a common screen
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/371 with remote indication, e.g. on external chargers

Abstract

An electric motor vehicle with an electric drive motor, an accumulator for storing electrical energy, an optical display device having a plurality of individually actuable lighting segments, and a display control device. To acquire important vehicle information easily and reliably by the display device, the lighting segments are arranged in such a way that they form an at least two-dimensional lighting segment field and irradiate light upward in the vertical direction. The display control device actuates the lighting segments of the lighting segment field such that the lighting segment field outputs a nondigital accumulator charge state information item and/or a nondigital vehicle operating state information item.

Claims

1. An electric motor vehicle comprising:

an electric drive motor;

an accumulator for storing electrical energy to operate the electric drive motor;

an optical display device having a plurality of individually actuatable lighting segments, the plural lighting segments arranged so as to form an at least two-dimensional lighting segment field and irradiate light in a vertical upward direction; and

a display control device that actuates the lighting segments of the lighting segment field such that the lighting segment field outputs at least a nondigital accumulator charge state information item,

wherein the display control device actuates the lighting segments such that the lighting segment field changes in a manner representative of an ongoing charging process of the accumulator as the accumulator charge state information item, the changes having a direct relationship with an instantaneous charge state of the accumulator.

2. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting segment field is arranged as a matrix.

3. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lighting segment field is arranged on a dashboard of the electric motor vehicle.

4. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting segment field is arranged on a dashboard of the electric motor vehicle.

5. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a dome-shaped lighting segment field cover that engages over the lighting segment field and through which light from the plural lighting segments can pass.

6. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plural lighting segments of the lighting segment field are formed by respective lighting units, wherein the lighting units are configured to light up in different colors.

7. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter unit coupled to the display control device; and

a mobile display device that displays at least one of the accumulator charge state information item and a vehicle operating state information item, wherein the transmitter unit is designed to wirelessly couple the display device.

8. The electric motor vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lighting segment field outputs a nondigital vehicle operating state information item, wherein the display control device actuates the lighting segments such that the lighting segment field displays a selection of a longitudinal direction of travel for the electric motor vehicle as the vehicle operating state information item.