Patent Application
20080252600
This application claims priority to Application No.: DE 10 2007 017313.1, filed 11 Apr. 2007, which is now abandoned.
The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle.
Control devices of various types have long been used to activate and control vehicle functional units. Known conventional control devices include control sticks, joysticks, control levers or rotary knobs. Such a control device is normally assigned to or used to activate or control only a single vehicle functional unit. A control device is normally not assigned to multiple functional units, since there is a risk that the vehicle operator, desirous of using the control device to control a particular functional unit, may instead control a different functional unit as a result of the current operating state of the control device, resulting in incorrect operation.
Therefore, at present a separate control device or control device is provided for each group of functional units, such that an operator basically actuates the control device which always activates a particular vehicle functional unit.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a control device can be used to control a variety of different functional units.
This and other objects are achieved by the present invention, wherein at least two different functional units may be assigned or allocated to a single control device. The control device includes display elements which display a symbol indicating the functional unit with which the control device is associated.
According to the invention, it was firstly recognized that different vehicle functional units can be controlled by one and the same control device, if display elements are provided to indicate the current vehicle functional unit to which the control device is assigned. For instance, a joystick is provided with at least one display element. This display element displays a symbol or legend which indicates to an operator that the joystick is at present controlling a particular functional unit, such as a front end loader of a tractor. If an implement such as a round baler, is coupled to the tractor, then a functional unit of the round baler could be controlled by the joystick. In this case, the display element would display a symbol or legend indicating to an operator that the joystick is at present controlling the round baler.
Therefore, with this control device, a single control device may be used to control different vehicle functional units, since different functional units may be assigned to the control device and the current function assignment may be displayed or indicated to an operator by a variable display. Incorrect operation of the control device is largely ruled out in this way. The control device may be control stick, a control lever, a joystick, a rotary knob or a multifunctional pushbutton switch.
The display element could be an illuminated symbol or an illuminated legend. In principle, a tactile symbol or tactile legend would be additionally or alternatively feasible, as used with reading equipment for the blind.
Preferrably, the display shows a symbol associated with the functional unit to which the control device is assigned. A legend may be displayed in different languages, so that the legend may be set in operator-specific manner or by the vehicle manufacturer in a country-specific language.
The display element me be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Device), a TFT (Thin film transistor) or an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element. Preferrably, the display element is an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) element. Such a light source element which may be a film such as has been used in MP3 players or in mobile phones.
If the display element comprises an OLED element, the OLED element may be arranged over a large area of the surface of the control device. Comparably, such an OLED display element could cover the surface of the control device completely or virtually completely. Also, a pushbutton or switch element may be arranged on the control device, and such an element may also be covered by part of the OLED element or may include its own OLED element. Such a joystick functions not only as a control device, but also as an information display. The display element could display in black and white, greyscale and/or color. It is preferable for the display element to display in color.
Preferably, the display element is arranged directly on the control device, and on an upper portion of a joystick. For instance, four display units could be provided on the joystick to display to the operator which function will be controlled by the joystick. In the case of a rotary knob, the display elements may be arranged stationarily on an outer region of the rotary knob at different detent positions of the rotary knob. This would display to the operator which function, symbolized by the respective display element, is currently set or activated with the rotary knob.
The display element is preferably placed on or part of a pushbutton or switch element. For instance, a display element could be placed on a pushbutton switch arranged on a joystick to activate a hydraulic function of a front end loader, such as bringing the loading shovel into a predetermined transport position. If a round baler is coupled to the vehicle, the ejector mechanism for the round bales could be activated using the same pushbutton switch, in which case a corresponding symbol would be displayed on the pushbutton switch.
The vehicle function could comprise one or more functional units of the transmission management system and/or of the vehicle lighting system and/or of the engine management system.
The functional unit could be an implement which may be detachably coupled to the vehicle, such as a front end loader, a round baler, a mower, a seed drill, a sprayer, a plough, a harrow or any other agricultural implement. The functional unit could be a hydraulic, electrical and/or pneumatic. If the vehicle is a tractor, the working function could be the lifting cylinder of a three-point hitch.
Preferably, the display is changed automatically to show an appropriate symbol or legend, such as in response to an implement being coupled to a tractor, which implement is controlled via a so-called ISO Bus pursuant to ISO standard 11783). As soon as this is displayed, the implement could also be controlled directly with the control device. However, the display element could also be manually changed with a changeover element. For example, the display and the control element could be changed between control of the vehicle lighting system and of the engine management system. As soon as the changeover element is actuated, the display element could accordingly display a symbol or a legend for the respective vehicle or working function. If an automatic or manual changeover process is provided, an audible signal could be produced, to make the vehicle operator aware of the changeover and the new control device function assignment.
A control unit could be provided to activate the display element or the display elements. Likewise, the signals generated by the control device, which are generated by operator actuation, are supplied by the control unit to the respective vehicle functional unit.
According to a preferred embodiment, the display unit is assignable with symbols and characters individually and/or in operator-specific manner. Preferably, such an assignment may be stored and called up again. Operator-specific assignment of the symbols or characters shown by the display unit may assist in setting up a working environment adapted to the operator, so increasing individual productivity. A stored configuration could be called up again automatically using a user identifier, a code, or the operator's ID card.
Preferably, no further display means is provided for operation of the control device. The control device according to the invention is thus in particular not a monitor with individual operating keys or a so-called virtual terminal.
a is a diagram showing symbols displayed by a display element associated with the embodiment of
b is a diagram showing symbols displayed by a display element associated with the embodiment of
If an implement (not shown) is then coupled to the tractor, the implement is preferably controllable via an ISO Bus (not shown), and the joystick 12 is used to control the implement. To this end, in accordance with the invention, the joystick 12 is provided in situation-dependent manner with a different function assignment, namely controlling the implement instead of the front end loader. In this case, the display elements 18 on the joystick 12 in each case display other symbols, namely symbols which are associated with the function of the implement. The display elements 18 each comprise an OLED element and are luminescent light sources with a symbolic color display.
a is a schematic representation of six different symbols 22 which could be displayed on a display element 18 if the corresponding control device 10 has a first function assignment relating to the vehicle or tractor.
While the present invention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is understood that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations which fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2007 017313.1 | Apr 2007 | DE | national |
