Device for displaying a plurality of detectable variable quantities

• US 8,314,693 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental GmbH
• Inventors: Cieler, Stephan, Meier-Arendt, Guido, Lübbert, Katrin, Solterbeck, Carmen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): MA, KAM WAN
• Application Number:
  US12/713,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20110050408A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 340/464, 340/456, 340/441, 340/461, 340/439, 340/438, 340/425.5, 340/457, 340/459
• US Class Current: 340/464
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/213 Virtual instruments

Abstract

A device for displaying a plurality of detectable variable quantities of a motor vehicle that are in a ratio to one another, each quantity represented by a band, and the bands being arranged relative to one another such that they form a variable geometric figure. The bands have a variable length depending on the deviation from an optimum ratio of the quantities to one another, and intersect in an intersection area.

Claims

1. A display device configured to display a plurality of detectable variable quantities of a motor vehicle that are in a ratio to one another, the display comprising:

a first band configured to display a first value of a first variable, the first band having a variable length; and

a second band configured to display a second value of a second variable, the second band having a variable length,

the first and second bands arranged relative to one another to intersect in an intersection area to form a variable geometric figure,

wherein the lengths of the first and second bands are based at least in part on a deviation from an optimum ratio of the first value of the first variable to the second value of the second variable and

the variable quantities are selected from the group consisting of instantaneous driving speed, instantaneous engine speed, instantaneous speed of a transmission, and instantaneous fuel consumption.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands have a least length given an optimum ratio of the variable quantities to one another.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands have a greatest length given an optimum ratio of the variable quantities to one another.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands intersect at respective middle portions of the first and second bands.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second bands have a rectangular contour.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second bands have an elliptical contour.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands are of different color.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 7, wherein one of the color and a color intensity of the first and second bands varies based at least in part on respective lengths of the first and second bands.

9. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands are produced by an optoelectronic display.

10. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands are light bands.

11. The display device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a further display configured to display at least one of a time and kilometers traveled in a driving mode based on one of an optimum and a non-optimum ratio of the values of the first and second bands to one another.

12. The display device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one of the time or the kilometers traveled are represented by a bar graph.

13. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the at least one of the time and the kilometers traveled are represented by numerical values.

14. The display device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first and second bands are produced by an optoelectronic display.

15. The display device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first and second bands are light bands.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second bands are arranged to extend substantially perpendicular to each other.