Display unit of work machine and work machine mounted with the display unit

• US 9,026,317 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Furukawa, Jiro, Tajima, Kentarou
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, John R
• Assistant Examiner(s): McPherson, James M
• Application Number:
  US13/817,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20140058635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.21, 180/65, 180/265, 180/65.27, 180/65.31
• US Class Current: 701/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/267 Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 9/00 Measuring volume flow relative to another variable, e.g. of liquid fuel for an engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

A multimonitor (display unit) is mounted in a mobile construction machine including an undercarriage and working equipment each driven by an engine, the multimonitor receiving a data of instant fuel consumption from a controller for controlling a fuel quantity to be supplied to the engine. The multimonitor includes a display including a single eco gauge (fuel-consumption indicator) for displaying fuel consumption in a street mode in which an undercarriage is operated and fuel consumption in a work mode in which working equipment is operated, a 100%-gauge fuel-consumption calculator that calculates a full-scale fuel consumption value in a full scale of the eco gauge based on target fuel consumption in the respective modes, and a gauge-display-value calculator that calculates a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to the 100% fuel consumption calculated by the 100%-gauge fuel-consumption value calculator.

Claims

1. A work machine display unit mounted in a mobile work machine comprising an undercarriage and working equipment that are each driven by an engine, the display unit receiving data of instant fuel consumption from an engine controller that controls a fuel quantity to be supplied to the engine, the display unit comprising:

a single fuel-consumption indicator that, based on the mobile work machine being in a street mode in which the undercarriage is operated, displays fuel consumption in the street mode, and based on the mobile work machine being in a work mode in which the working equipment is operated, displays fuel consumption in the work mode, the single fuel-consumption indicator being configured to display the street mode and work mode fuel consumptions in a bar format that includes a single target fuel-consumption line;

a full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator that calculates a fuel consumption value corresponding to a full scale of the single fuel-consumption indicator using a scale conversion coefficient for converting one of the target consumption in the street mode and the target consumption in the work mode into the other of the target consumption in the street mode and the target consumption in the work mode; and

a gauge-display-value calculator that calculates a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to the fuel consumption at the full scale calculated by the full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator,

wherein the fuel consumption in the street mode and the fuel consumption in the work mode are displayed on the single fuel-consumption indicator in the bar format based on the ratio, and

wherein a position of the single target fuel-consumption line that is displayed on the single fuel-consumption indicator is calculated using the scale conversion coefficient, such that the position of the single target fuel-consumption line corresponding to the target consumption in the street mode is equal to the position of the single target fuel-consumption line corresponding to the target consumption in the work mode.

2. The work machine display unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a scale-conversion-coefficient setting table in which the scale conversion coefficient is set.

3. The work machine display unit according to claim 2, wherein

the mobile work machine comprises a mode determining section that determines whether an operation mode of the mobile work machine is the street mode or the work mode

the mode determining section determines that the mobile work machine is in the street mode and sends information that the mobile work machine is in the street mode to the display unit, when it is determined that:

(1) a swing position detector that is provided in the mobile work machine and detects a position of an upper swing body of the mobile work machine in a swing direction detects that the upper swing body is at a predetermined position;

(2) a working equipment lock unit that is provided in the mobile work machine and locks an operation of the working equipment of the mobile work machine outputs an operation signal for locking the working equipment; and

(3) a suspension cylinder lock unit that is provided to the mobile work machine and frees an operation of a suspension cylinder of the undercarriage of the mobile work machine outputs an operation signal for freeing the suspension cylinder, and

when the full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator of the display unit receives the information indicating that the mobile work machine is in the street mode, the full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator reads out a scale conversion coefficient corresponding to the street mode from the scale conversion coefficient setting table and calculates the fuel consumption value at the full scale.

7. The work machine display unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a scale selector that selects the scale conversion coefficient, wherein

the scale conversion coefficient is determined in advance for each of the street mode and the work mode.

8. The work machine display unit according to claim 1, wherein when the mobile work machine is in the street mode, the gauge-display-value calculator is configured to calculate a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to a first fuel consumption value corresponding to the full scale of the single fuel-consumption indicator, and wherein when the mobile work machine is in the work mode, the gauge-display-value calculator is configured to calculate a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to a second fuel consumption value corresponding to the full scale of the single fuel-consumption indicator, the first and second fuel consumption values being different from each other.

11. The work machine display unit according to claim 1, wherein the single fuel-consumption indicator is configured to display i) bars corresponding to actual fuel consumption that is within the target fuel consumption and ii) bars corresponding to actual fuel consumption that exceeds the target fuel consumption.

4. A mobile work machine comprising:

an engine;

an undercarriage and working equipment each driven by the engine;

a display unit; and

an engine controller that controls a fuel quantity to be supplied to the engine, wherein

the display unit comprises;

a single fuel-consumption indicator that is adapted to receive data of instant fuel consumption from the engine controller and, based on the mobile work machine being in a street mode in which the undercarriage is operated, displays fuel consumption in the street mode, and based on the mobile work machine being in a work mode in which the working equipment is operated, displays fuel consumption in the work mode, the single fuel-consumption indicator being configured to display the street mode and work mode fuel consumptions in a bar format that includes a single target fuel-consumption line;

a full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator that calculates a fuel consumption value corresponding to a full scale of the single fuel-consumption indicator using a scale conversion coefficient for converting one of the target consumption in the street mode and the target consumption in the work mode into the other of the target consumption in the street mode and the target consumption in the work mode; and

a gauge-display-value calculator that calculates a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to the fuel consumption at the full scale calculated by the full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator,

wherein the fuel consumption in the street mode and the fuel consumption in the work mode are displayed on the single fuel-consumption indicator in the bar format based on the ratio, and

wherein a position of the single target fuel-consumption line that is displayed on the single fuel-consumption indicator is calculated using the scale conversion coefficient, such that the position of the single target fuel-consumption line corresponding to the target consumption in the street mode is equal to the position of the single target fuel-consumption line corresponding to the target consumption in the work mode.

5. The mobile work machine according to claim 4, wherein:

the display unit comprises a scale-conversion-coefficient setting table in which the scale conversion coefficient is set.

6. The mobile work machine according to claim 5, wherein:

the mobile work machine comprises a mode determining section that determines whether an operation mode of the mobile work machine is the street mode or the work mode, wherein

the mode determining section determines that the mobile work machine is in the street mode and sends information that the mobile work machine is in the street mode to the display unit, when it is determined that;

(1) a swing position detector that is provided in the mobile work machine and detects a position of an upper swing body of the mobile work machine in a swing direction detects that the upper swing body is at a predetermined position;

(2) a working equipment lock unit that is provided in the mobile work machine and locks an operation of the working equipment of the mobile work machine outputs an operation signal for locking the working equipment; and

(3) a suspension cylinder lock unit that is provided to the mobile work machine and frees an operation of a suspension cylinder of the undercarriage of the mobile work machine outputs an operation signal for freeing the suspension cylinder, and

when the full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator of the display unit receives the information indicating that the mobile work machine is in the street mode, the full-scale fuel-consumption value calculator reads out a scale conversion coefficient corresponding to the street mode from the scale conversion coefficient setting table and calculates the fuel consumption value at the full scale.

9. The mobile work machine according to claim 4, further comprising:

a scale selector that selects the scale conversion coefficient, wherein

the scale conversion coefficient is determined in advance for each of the street mode and the work mode.

10. The mobile work machine according to claim 4, wherein when the mobile work machine is in the street mode, the gauge-display-value calculator is configured to calculate a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to a first fuel consumption value corresponding to the full scale of the single fuel-consumption indicator, and wherein when the mobile work machine is in the work mode, the gauge-display-value calculator is configured to calculate a ratio of the instant fuel consumption to a second fuel consumption value corresponding to the full scale of the single fuel-consumption indicator, the first and second fuel consumption values being different from each other.

12. The mobile work machine according to claim 4, wherein the single fuel-consumption indicator is configured to display i) bars corresponding to actual fuel consumption that is within the target fuel consumption and ii) bars corresponding to actual fuel consumption that exceeds the target fuel consumption.