System and method for displaying engine fault conditions in a vehicle

• US 7,298,249 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Issued: 11/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Golub, Tomislav Ivo, Avery, Richard M. Jr., Super, Leopold
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US10/996,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 340/439, 340/438, 340/461, 340/815.41, 340/815.4, 345/30
• US Class Current: 340/439
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/228 Warning displays
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/222 relating to the failure of sensors or parameter detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/085 using electronic data carriers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A method for displaying engine fault conditions in a vehicle. The method includes monitoring at least one sensor, determining when at least one fault condition has occurred, and masking indication of the at least one fault condition from at least one fault display device in response to at least one instruction.

Claims

1. A method for displaying engine fault conditions in a vehicle, the method comprising:

monitoring at least one sensor;

determining when at least one fault condition has occurred; and

masking indication of the at least one fault condition from at least one fault display device in response to at least one instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising latching the at least one fault condition in response to another instruction such that the fault is held active until the occurrence of a predetermined event.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising holding the latched fault condition active until the fault is manually cleared.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fault display device is a visual indicator disposed within an operator compartment of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fault display device is a visual indicator disposed within an engine compartment of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fault display device is an alpha-numeric display disposed within an operator compartment of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one fault display device is a calibration tool.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising activating a first display device within an operator compartment of the vehicle in response to at least one first display device instruction, and activating a second display device within an engine compartment of the vehicle in response to at least one second display device instruction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of masking the indication of the at least one fault condition further comprises masking the at least one fault condition from at least one of a list of active fault conditions transmitted to a display device and a list of inactive fault conditions transmitted to a display device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the masking is enabled and disabled using a calibration tool.

11. A system for displaying engine fault conditions in a vehicle, the system comprising:

at least one fault display device; and

a controller electrically coupled to the at least one fault display device and having a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store at least one instruction such that indication of at least one fault condition is masked from the at least one fault display device in response to the at least one instruction.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein a second instruction latches the at least one fault condition active across a plurality of engine ignition cycles.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one fault display device is a visual indicator disposed within an operator compartment of the vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one fault display device is a visual indicator disposed within an engine compartment of the vehicle.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one fault display device is an alpha-numeric display disposed within an operator compartment of the vehicle.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one fault display device is a calibration tool.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a first display device disposed within an operator compartment of the vehicle, a second display device disposed within an engine compartment of the vehicle, wherein the first display device is activated in response to a first device instruction and the second display device is activated in response to a second device instruction.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the indication of the at least one fault condition is masked in response to the at least one instruction from at least one of a list of active fault conditions transmitted to the at least one display device, and a list of inactive fault conditions transmitted to the at least one display device.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising an enable/disable instruction, wherein the enable/disable instruction is set and reset in the controller memory to activate and deactivate, respectively, the masking of the at least one fault condition.

20. A method for displaying engine fault conditions in a vehicle, the method comprising:

mounting a first fault display device within an operator compartment of a vehicle and a second fault display device within an engine compartment of a vehicle;

monitoring at least one sensor using a controller having a memory configured to store at least one instruction;

determining when at least one fault condition has occurred;

masking indication of the at least one fault condition from at least one of the first fault display device and the second fault display device in response to the at least one instruction; and

latching the fault condition such that the fault condition is held active across a plurality of engine ignition cycles in response to a second instruction.