Instrument cluster for vehicle

• US 9,815,372 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Sangroc, Lim, Taehyun, Jung, Sooyeun, Yoon, Jaeseon, Kim, Moonsun
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Drew J
• Application Number:
  US15/118,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20170166058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/214 Variable gauge scales, e.g. scale enlargement to adapt to maximum driving speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/215 characterised by the combination of multiple visual outputs, e.g. combined instruments with analogue meters and additional displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/50 Instruments characterised by their means of attachment to or integration in the vehicle B60K35/231 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/28 Structurally-combined illuminating devices

Abstract

An instrument system for a vehicle includes a sensor unit configured to detect a state of a vehicle and to output a state value indicating the state of the vehicle; an output device configured to visually display the state value; and a control unit configured to detect a degree of change in the state value and to adjust, based on the degree of the change in the state value, an interval by which the output device displays the state value.

Claims

1. An instrument cluster for vehicles, comprising:

a sensor unit configured to sense a state of a vehicle and to output state values indicating the state of the vehicle;

an output device configured to visually display the state values; and

a controller configured to;

detect a change degree indicating changes in the state values; and

based on the change degree in the state values, adjust a frequency of displaying adjusted state values that are displayed by the output device at times other than points of time at which the output device receives the state values.

2. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to store a frequency table comprising indications of the frequencies of displaying the adjusted state values for a designated time based on the change degree in the state values.

3. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive a plurality of state values from the sensor unit by predetermined time intervals; and

detect a difference between a currently received state value and a recently received state value.

4. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 3, wherein, in the frequency table, the difference between the currently received state value and the recently received state value matches the frequency of display of the adjusted state values through the output device.

5. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 2, wherein, when the controller receives two state values from the sensor unit, the controller divides time between points of time at which the two state values are received based on the frequency table.

6. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

divide time between the most adjacent two points of time at which the state values are received into a plurality of time sections, based on the change degree in the state values; and

determine a plurality of points of output time to output the adjusted state values through the output device.

7. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to detect adjusted state values displayed by the output device at the points of output time.

8. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 5, wherein the memory stores rate tables in which adjustment rates to adjust the state values are regulated, in order to acquire the adjusted state values displayed at the points of output time.

9. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 7, wherein the controller determines whether or not time between the points of time at which the two state values are received is divided into a plurality of time sections at different intervals, based on the change degree in the state values.

10. The instrument cluster for vehicles according to claim 1, wherein the state value are one of speed values of the vehicle, RPMs of an engine or a motor of the vehicle, and charged/discharged values of a vehicle battery.

11. A method of controlling an instrument cluster for vehicles, comprising:

receiving state values indicating the state of a vehicle;

detecting a change degree indicating changes in the state values; and

based on the change degree in the state values, determine a frequency of displaying adjusted state values that are displayed at times other than points of time at which the state values are received.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, detecting the change degree in the state values comprises detecting a difference between a currently received state value and a recently received state value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, in determining the frequency of display of the adjusted state values, the frequency of display of the adjusted state values matching the difference between the currently received state value and the recently received state value is detected from a frequency table in which the frequency of displaying the adjusted state values through an output device is set based on the change degree in the state values.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising dividing time between points of time at which two state values are received into the same number of time sections as the frequency.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, in division of time between the points of time at which the two state values are received into the same number of time sections as the frequency, a plurality of points of output time to output the adjusted state values is determined by dividing the time between the points of time at which the two state values are received into a plurality of time sections at different intervals.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising detecting adjusted state values displayed at points of output time other than the points of time at which the state values are received, out of the points of output time.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, in detection of the adjusted state values, the adjusted state value is determined by adjusting the state value at the adjustment rate, as the point of output time becomes distant from the point of time at which the state value is received.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, in detection of the adjusted state values, whether or not the adjustment rate is differentially applied to the respective points of output time is determined based on the frequency.

19. The method according to claim 15, further comprising displaying the adjusted state values through the output device at the points of output time.