Methods and systems for displaying vehicle data parameter graphs in different display orientations

• US 9,933,915 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snap-On Incorporated
• Inventors: Covington, Joshua, Reynald, April
• Primary Examiner(s): Xiao, Ke
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shin, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/531,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20160124609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 345649, 345650, 345659, 345440, 3454401, 3454402, 701 291
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/02 Details or accessories of testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/00 Testing of vehicles testing fluid tightness G01M3/00; testing elastic properties of bodies or chassis, e.g. torsion-testing, G01M5/00; testing alignment of vehicle headlight devices G01M11/06; testing of engines G01M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2205/02 using a vehicle scan tool
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/0825 using optical means

Abstract

Methods and system pertaining to displaying vehicle data parameters (VDP) are described. A vehicle service tool (VST) with a display can receive vehicle data messages or signals from a vehicle to receive the VDP. Some of the VDP can be associated with a PID. The VST can display VDP thresholds and indicators when a received VDP has breached a VDP threshold. The VST can determine being changed from a landscape orientation to a portrait orientation or vice versa and responsively change the presentation of VDP graphs displayed by the display. The display can receive various inputs such as a drag-and-drop or pinch-and-expand input to alternatively change the presentation of the VDP graphs being displayed. Changing a VDP presentation of graphs can include resizing or repositioning one or more VDP graph windows including a VDP graph.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by at least one processor, a display is operating in a first display orientation,

wherein the first display orientation is associated with the display displaying multiple vehicle data parameter (VDP) graphs using a first VDP graph configuration,

wherein the first VDP graph configuration indicates a first quantity of VDP graph windows to be displayed, and

wherein the first VDP graph configuration includes at least one large VDP graph window and at least two small VDP graph windows;

displaying, by the display, the first quantity of VDP graphs using the first VDP graph configuration while the display is positioned in the first display orientation;

determining, by the at least one processor, the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to operating in a second display orientation that is different than the first display orientation,

wherein the second display orientation is associated with the display displaying at least one VDP graph using a second VDP graph configuration different than the first VDP graph configuration,

wherein the second VDP graph configuration indicates a second quantity of VDP graph windows to be displayed, and wherein the first quantity differs from the second quantity,

wherein the second VDP graph configuration includes at least one large VDP graph window and at least two small VDP graph windows, and

wherein, in response to determining the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to the second display orientation, the display changes from displaying a first VDP graph using a first large VDP graph window of the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration to displaying the first VDP graph using a first small VDP graph window of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration, and the display changes from displaying a second VDP graph using a first small VDP graph window of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration to displaying the second VDP graph using a first large VDP graph window of the at least one large VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration; and

displaying, by the display, the second quantity of VDP graphs using the second VDP graph configuration while the display is operating in the second display orientation,

wherein the first display orientation comprises one of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation, and the second display orientation comprises the other one of the landscape orientation and the portrait orientation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the second quantity of VDP graphs using the second VDP graph configuration includes displaying multiple VDP graphs.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein a first dimension of the display is longer than a second dimension of the display,

wherein the first dimension is perpendicular to the second dimension,

wherein the first display orientation includes the first dimension being horizontal,

wherein the second display orientation includes the second dimension being horizontal,

wherein the first VDP graph configuration includes the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration positioned on left sides or right sides of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration, and

wherein the second VDP graph configuration includes the at least one large VDP graph window of the second VDP graph configuration positioned above or below the at least two small VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an input to scroll a portion of the display at which the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration are displayed; and

scrolling, by the display in response to the at least one processor receiving the input to scroll, the portion of the display at which the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration are displayed.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein scrolling the portion of the display at which the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration are displayed includes displaying at least one small VDP graph not displayed in any of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration at a time the scrolling is initiated and removing at least one small VDP graph displayed in one of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration at the time the scrolling is initiated.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an input to scroll a portion of the display at which the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration is displayed; and

scrolling, by the display in response to the at least one processor receiving the input to scroll, the portion of the display at which the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration is displayed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein scrolling the portion of the display at which the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration is displayed includes displaying at least one large VDP graph not displayed in any of the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration at a time the scrolling is initiated and removing at least one large VDP graph displayed in one of the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration at the time the scrolling is initiated.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the second quantity of VDP graphs using the second VDP graph configuration while the display is operating in the second display orientation includes displaying a single VDP graph covering an area of the display covered by the first set of multiple VDP graphs using the first VDP graph configuration while the display is positioned in the first display orientation.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the display, a VDP selector while the display is displaying the first quantity of VDP graphs using the first VDP graph configuration, and

selecting, by use of the VDP selector, a different VDP; and

displaying, by the display, the different VDP selected by use of the VDP selector.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the display comprises a touch screen display.

11. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable program instructions executable by the processor; and

a display,

wherein the computer-readable program instructions are executable by the at least one processor to;

(i) determine the display is operating in a first display orientation,

wherein the first display orientation is associated with the display displaying multiple vehicle data parameters (VDP) graphs using a first VDP graph configuration,

wherein the first VDP graph configuration indicates a first quantity of VDP graph windows to be displayed, and

wherein the first VDP graph configuration includes at least one large VDP graph window and at least two small VDP graph windows;

(ii) display, by the display, the first quantity of VDP graphs using the first VDP graph configuration while the display is positioned in the first display orientation,

(iii) determine the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to operating in a second display orientation that is different than the first display orientation,

wherein the second display orientation is associated with the display displaying at least one VDP graph using a second VDP graph configuration different than the first VDP graph configuration,

wherein the second VDP graph configuration indicates a second quantity of VDP graph windows to be displayed, and wherein the first quantity differs from the second quantity,

wherein the second VDP graph configuration includes at least one large VDP graph window and at least two small VDP graph windows, and

wherein, in response to determining the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to the second display orientation, the display changes from displaying a first VDP graph using a first large VDP graph window of the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration to displaying the first VDP graph using a first small VDP graph window of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration, and the display changes from displaying a second VDP graph using a first small VDP graph window of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration to displaying the second VDP graph using a first large VDP graph window of the at least one large VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration; and

(iv) display, by the display, the second quantity of VDP graph using the second VDP graph configuration while the display is operating in the second display orientation,

wherein the first display orientation comprises one of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation, and the second display orientation comprises the other one of the landscape orientation and the portrait orientation.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a data link connector (DLC) connector communicatively connectable to a DLC in a vehicle to receive the multiple vehicle data parameters.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

an orientation detector to provide the at least one processor with a signal the at least one processor uses to determine the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to operating in a second display orientation.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the orientation detector includes at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

15. The system of claim 11,

wherein the computer-readable medium stores display orientation data indicating at least one of a screen display resolution, a pixel density, or physical dimensions of the display, and

wherein the at least one processor uses the display orientation data to select the second VDP graph configuration for displaying while the display is operating in the second display orientation.

16. The system of claim 11,

wherein the display comprises a display of a smart phone,

wherein the display displaying the second quantity of VDP graphs using the second VDP graph configuration includes the display displaying a single VDP graph in the landscape orientation.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions, that when executed by at least one processor, cause a set of functions to be performed, the set of functions comprising:

determining, by the at least one processor, a display is operating in a first display orientation,

wherein the first display orientation is associated with the display displaying multiple vehicle data parameter (VDP) graphs using a first VDP graph configuration,

wherein the first VDP graph configuration indicates a first quantity of VDP graph windows to be displayed, and

wherein the first VDP graph configuration includes at least one large VDP graph window and at least two small VDP graph windows;

displaying, by the display, the first quantity of VDP graphs using the first VDP graph configuration while the display is positioned in the first display orientation;

determining, by the at least one processor, the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to operating in a second display orientation that is different than the first display orientation,

wherein the second display orientation is associated with the display displaying at least one VDP graph using a second VDP graph configuration different than the first VDP graph configuration,

wherein the second VDP graph configuration indicates a second quantity of VDP graph windows to be displayed, and wherein the first quantity differs from the second quantity,

wherein the second VDP graph configuration includes at least one large VDP graph window and at least two small VDP graph windows, and

wherein, in response to determining the display changing from operating in the first display orientation to the second display orientation, the display changes from displaying a first VDP graph using a first large VDP graph window of the at least one large VDP graph window of the first VDP graph configuration to displaying the first VDP graph using a first small VDP graph window of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration, and the display changes from displaying a second VDP graph using a first small VDP graph window of the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration to displaying the second VDP graph using a first large VDP graph window of the at least one large VDP graph windows of the second VDP graph configuration; and

displaying, by the display, the second quantity of VDP graph using the second VDP graph configuration while the display is operating in the second display orientation,

wherein the first display orientation comprises one of a landscape orientation and a portrait orientation, and the second display orientation comprises the other one of the landscape orientation and the portrait orientation.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the set of functions further comprises:

receiving, by the at least one processor, an input to scroll a portion of the display at which at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration are displayed; and

scrolling, by the display in response to the at least one processor receiving the input to scroll, the portion of the display at which the at least two small VDP graph windows of the first VDP graph configuration are displayed.