Internal combustion engine test system and computer program

• US 9,476,797 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Horiba Limited
• Original Assignee: Horiba Limited
• Inventors: Uratani, Katsumi, Misogi, Tsutomu, Yoshioka, Tetsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kirkland, III, Freddie
• Application Number:
  US14/203,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 731/147.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/10 by monitoring exhaust gases or combustion flame
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/102 by monitoring exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user

Abstract

It is intended to display a schematic diagram of substantially the whole of an internal combustion engine test system on a screen and a color, brightness, pattern or shape of a symbol representing a test device shown in the schematic diagram are changed according to a degree of operation safety of the test device, whereby a user is allowed to intuitively recognize a situation relating to the safety of the entire system at a glance.

Claims

1. An internal combustion engine test system equipped with a plurality of test devices including an exhaust gas line for sampling exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine, the system comprising:

a system status display part adapted to display a schematic diagram of the internal combustion engine test system including a plurality of symbols each representing one of the test devices and a corresponding connecting aspect thereof on a screen; and

an operating condition acquisition part adapted to acquire data indicative of operating conditions of combinations of the test devices,

wherein the system status display part is further adapted to determine that the data indicates abnormal operating conditions for a set of the test devices and, in response to the determining, change, visual aspects of the symbols representing each of the test devices of the set, without changing an entirety of the screen, to indicate a change in degree of operation safety associated with the set of the test devices.

2. The internal combustion engine test system according to claim 1, wherein the system status display part is further adapted to determined a degree of operation safety from the data and determined which of the visual aspects to change based on the change in degree of the operation safety.

3. The internal combustion engine test system according to claim 2, wherein the visual aspects include color, brightness, pattern or shape and wherein the system status display part is further adapted to change stepwise the color, brightness, pattern or shape of the symbols representing each of the test devices of the set based on the change in degree of operation safety.

4. The internal combustion engine test system according to claim 3, wherein one of the test devices of the set is a shut-off valve provided on the exhaust gas line and wherein the system status display part is further adapted to determine the degree of operation safety from a valve opening/closing status that indicates an operating condition of the shut-off valve and an operating condition of the internal combustion engine, and change the visual aspects of the symbols representing the shut-off valve and the exhaust gas line connected thereto based on the change in degree of operation safety.

5. The internal combustion engine test system according to claim 3, wherein one of the test devices of the set is a blower for suction provided at an end of the exhaust gas line and wherein the system status display part is further adapted to determine the degree of operation safety from an on/off status that indicates an operating condition of the blower and an operating condition of the internal combustion engine, and change the visual aspects of the symbols representing the blower and the exhaust gas line connected thereto based on the change in degree of operation safety.

6. The internal combustion engine test system according to claim 1, wherein the visual aspects include color, brightness, pattern or shape.

7. The internal combustion engine test system according to claim 1, wherein the system status display part is further adapted to, in response to a determination that the data indicates circumstances in which a correct measurement result cannot be obtained from particular test devices, change visual aspects of the symbols representing each of the particular test devices, without changing an entirety of the screen, to indicate an inability to obtain correct measurement results therefrom.

8. A computer program, for an internal combustion engine test system equipped with a plurality of test devices including an exhaust gas line for sampling exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine, stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that when executed by a computer causes the computer to exert functions of:

an operating condition acquisition part adapted to acquire data indicative of an operating condition of each of the test devices; and

a system status display part adapted to display on a screen a schematic diagram of the internal combustion engine test system including a symbol representing each of the test devices and a corresponding connecting aspect thereof, wherein the system status display part is further adapted to determine that the data indicates abnormal operating conditions for a set of the test devices and, in response to the determining, change visual aspects of the symbols representing each of the test devices of the set, without changing an entirety of the screen, to indicate a change in degree of operation safety associated with the set of the test devices.

9. An internal combustion engine test system equipped with a plurality of test devices including an exhaust gas line for sampling exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine and a shut-off valve provided on the exhaust gas line, the system comprising:

a system status display part adapted to display a schematic diagram of the internal combustion engine test system including a plurality of symbols each representing one of the test devices and a corresponding connecting aspect thereof on a screen; and

an operating condition acquisition part adapted to acquire data indicative of operating conditions of combinations of the test devices including a valve opening/closing status that indicates an operating condition of the shut-off valve,

wherein the system status display part is further adapted to determine that the valve opening/closing status indicates an abnormal operation condition and, in response to the determining, change visual aspects of the symbol representing the shut-off valve and the exhaust gas line connected thereto to indicate a change in degree of operation safety associated with the shut-off valve.