This application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-171546 filed on Jul. 30, 2010, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an engine revolution meter for a vehicle.
Vehicles have been progressively electronized, and a sensor and a meter display actuator (e.g., a motor and a graphic circuit) have been sophisticated so that a meter display response speed (i.e., responsivity) can be improved. There is a concern that a pointer needle of an engine revolution meter wiggles due to an improved meter display response speed so that a meter display can flicker. JP-6-242134 discloses a technique for reducing a small motion of the pointing needle during an engine idle condition.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of vehicles equipped with a stop-idle feature that turns an engine OFF when a vehicle is stopped, for example, at a traffic light. In such a vehicle, the engine frequently switches between an idling condition and an OFF condition. Accordingly, the pointing needle of the engine revolution meter frequently moves between an engine idling RPM value and zero. The movement of the pointing needle between the engine idling RPM value and zero is relatively large. A driver may feel uncomfortable with such a large and frequent movement of the pointing needle of the engine revolution meter.
JP-6-242134 fails to disclose how to control the movement of the pointing needle when the engine switches between the idling condition and the OFF condition.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an engine revolution meter for displaying a change in an engine revolution number comfortably to a driver.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an engine revolution meter for displaying an engine revolution number display value includes an obtaining device, a calculating device, and a determining device. The obtaining device obtains an engine revolution number measurement value corresponding to a measured revolution number of an engine of a vehicle. The calculating device calculates the display value based on the measurement value. The determining device determines whether the measurement value is greater or less than a reference value. When the determining device determines that the measurement value is less than the reference value, the calculating device calculates the display value in such a manner that the display value changes at a first rate different from a second rate at which the measurement value changes.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more apparent from the following description and drawings in which like reference numerals depict like elements. In the drawings:
An engine revolution meter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to
The control unit 10 has a controller 11, a display driver 12 connected to the controller 11, a local area network (LAN) interface (IF) 14 connected to an in-vehicle LAN 40, and an input interface (IF) 15 connected to a sensor unit 30. The controller 11 can perform data communication through the LAN/IF 14 with on-board devices connected to the in-vehicle LAN 40.
The controller 11 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11a, a read only memory (ROM) 11b, and a random access memory (RAM) 11c. The ROM 11a stores control program performed by the CPU 11a. The CPU 11a, the ROM 11b, and the RAM 11c are connected together through a bus line 11d. Thus, data is transmitted among the CPU 11a, the ROM 11b, and the RAM 11c so that the controller 11 can serve as a microcomputer.
The display driver 12 drives and controls the display 20.
The input/IF 15 receives an engine RPM signal from an engine revolution sensor 31 incorporated in the sensor unit 30 and outputs the an engine RPM signal to the controller 11. For example, the input/IF 15 can include a voltage converter or a waveform shaper for converting the an engine RPM signal into a signal form that can be processed by the controller 11.
The display 20 is located on an instrument panel solely or together with another meter or display apparatus. The display 20 includes at least one of a mechanical meter 201 and a digital meter 21.
The mechanical meter 201 includes a dial 202 and a needle 203.
The dial 202 is made of a translucent thin plate. Numbers (or characters) 205 and corresponding markings 206 are printed on the outer edge of the front side of the dial 202 and arranged at approximately regular intervals in a circumferential direction of the dial 202. The numbers 205 and markings 206 indicate an engine revolution number, for example, in units of revolutions per minute (RPM). A non-translucent, colored layer 204 is formed on the dial 202 in such a manner that the numbers 205 and markings 206 are not covered with the colored layer 204.
The number 205 and the corresponding marking 206 are illuminated from the back side of the dial 202 by a common light source (not shown), such as a light-emitting diode (LED), located at a position corresponding to the number 205 and the marking 206. Each light source is controlled and illuminated by a light source driver (not shown) incorporated in the display driver 12. For example, the light source driver PWM-controls the brightness of the light source according to a command from the controller 11. Alternatively, the number 205 and the corresponding marking 206 can be illuminated by separate light sources.
A root of the needle 203 is attached to a rotating shaft (not shown) of a motor 203m. For example, the motor 203m can be a step motor. The display driver 12 calculates the rotation amount and direction of the motor 203m based on the present position of the motor 203m and an engine RPM display value received from the controller 11. Then, the display driver 12 drives the motor 203m so that the motor 203m can rotate by the calculated rotation amount in the calculated rotation direction. For example, the present position of the motor 203m can be measured from an origin point corresponding to the marking 206 with the number 205 of “0”.
The front side of the needle 203 is translucent. A light source 203c, such as a LED, is located near the root of the needle 203 and emits light in a direction toward the tip of the needle 203 so that the needle 203 can be illuminated. A cover 203b is attached to the root of the needle 203 to cover the light source 203c. Thus, the light source 203c is hidden from user's view.
As described above, the number 205, the marking 206, and the needle 203 on the dial 202 of the mechanical meter 201 are illuminated by separate light sources. Alternatively, a lamp 207 can be placed in a lower position on the front side of the dial 202 to illuminate the entire mechanical meter 201.
The digital meter 21 has a display area 22 for displaying a bar graph constructed with multiple segments 22a arranged in one direction. Each segment 22a has an approximately rectangular light-emitting surface. A number and/or marking can be displayed along with the corresponding segment 22a in the display area 22.
Each segment 22a is formed with a light source such as a LED or a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) and controlled by a segment driver incorporated in the display driver 12. Specifically, the display driver 12 illuminates the segments 22a based on the engine RPM display value received from the controller 11 so that the bar graph indicative of the engine RPM display value can be displayed on the display area 22.
In an example shown in
The display 20 can be configured as a graphic meter using an organic electroluminescence (EL), a dot-matrix liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, or the like.
As mentioned previously, the sensor unit 30 includes the engine revolution sensor 31. The engine revolution sensor 31 measures the engine RPM and outputs the engine RPM signal indicative of the engine RPM measurement value. The engine RPM signal is inputted through the input/IF 15 to the controller 11 so that the controller 11 can obtain the engine RPM measurement value. Thus, the input/IF 15 can serve as an engine revolution number obtaining device. It is noted that when the engine RPM signal is an analog signal, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 13 can be interposed between the input/IF 15 and the controller 11, as shown in
Alternatively, engine RPM information associated with the engine RPM measurement value can be inputted from the on-board device connected to the in-vehicle LAN 40 to the controller 11 through the LAN/IF 14 so that the controller 11 can obtain the engine RPM measurement value. In such an approach, wiring between the control unit 10 and the sensor unit 30 can become unnecessary. In this case, the LAN/IF 14 can serve as an engine revolution number obtaining device.
An engine switch 35 shown in
The control process starts at S11, where the controller 11 obtains the engine RPM measurement value. Specifically, at S11, the engine RPM signal outputted from the engine revolution sensor 31 is converted by the A/D converter 13 into engine RPM data, and the controller 11 obtains the engine RPM measurement value based on the engine RPM data. Alternatively, at S11, the controller 11 can receive engine RPM information through the LAN/IF 14 from the on-board device connected to the in-vehicle LAN 40 and obtain the engine RPM measurement value based on the engine RPM information.
Then, the control process proceeds to S12, where the controller 11 compares the engine RPM measurement value, obtained at S11, with a predetermined reference value prestored in the ROM 11b. For example, the reference value can be an engine idle RPM, an engine RPM during charging of a battery of a hybrid vehicle, or an upper limit (e.g., 2000 rpm) of an engine RPM range a user usually uses.
If the engine RPM measurement value is greater than the reference value corresponding to No at S12, the control process proceeds to S20. At S20, the controller 11 displays the display 20 as usual. Specifically, at S20, the controller 11 calculates the engine RPM display value without any processing on the engine RPM measurement value and outputs the engine RPM display value (i.e., the engine RPM measurement value) to the display driver 12. Thus, the display 20 displays the exact engine RPM measurement value.
In contrast, if the engine RPM measurement value is equal to or less than the reference value corresponding to YES at S12, the control process proceeds to S13. At S13, the controller 11 determines, based on the engine RPM measurement value, whether the engine is in a stopped condition. For example, when the engine RPM measurement value less than a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 100 rpm) is kept for a predetermined period, the controller 11 can determine that the engine is in the stopped condition.
If the controller 11 determines that the engine is in the stopped condition corresponding to YES at step S13, the control process proceeds to S18. At S18, the controller 11 determines whether the engine start command signal is received from the engine switch 35. If the controller 11 does not receive the engine start command signal from the engine switch 35 corresponding to NO at S18, the control process proceeds to S20. In contrast, if the controller 11 receives the engine start command signal from the engine switch 35 corresponding to YES at S18, the control process proceeds to S19. At S19, the controller 11 performs a display value calculation process for calculating the engine RPM display value by correcting the engine RPM measurement value. The calculation process is discussed in detail later.
In contrast, if the controller 11 determines that the engine is not in the stopped condition corresponding to NO at step S13, the control process proceeds to S14. At S14, the controller 11 determines whether the engine stop command signal is received from the engine switch 35. If the controller 11 receives the engine stop command signal from the engine switch 35 corresponding to YES at S14, the control process proceeds to S19. In contrast, if the controller 11 does not receive the engine stop command signal from the engine switch 35 corresponding to NO at S14, the control process proceeds to S15.
At S15, the controller 11 determines whether there is a change in the engine RPM measurement value. For example, when a difference between the present engine RPM measurement value and the next previous RPM measurement value exceeds 5 rpm, the controller 11 can determine that there is the change in the engine RPM measurement value. If the controller 11 determines that there is the change in the engine RPM measurement value corresponding to YES at S15, the control process proceeds to S19. In contrast, if the controller 11 determines that there is no change in the engine RPM measurement value corresponding to NO at S15, the control process ends so that the present display condition can be continued.
Next, the calculation process performed at S19 in the flow chart of
If the controller 11 determines that the calculation timing arrives corresponding to YES at S31, the calculation process proceeds to S32. At S32, the controller 11 calculates the rate of the change in the engine RPM measurement value. For example, the controller 11 can calculate the engine RPM measurement value change rate by dividing the difference between the present engine RPM measurement value and the next previous RPM measurement value by a time interval at which the calculation process is performed. Alternatively, the previous engine RPM measurement values can be stored as historical data in the RAM 11c, and the engine RPM measurement value change rate can be calculated based on the historical data.
Then, the calculation process proceeds to S33, where the controller 11 calculates the rate of the change in the engine RPM display value based on the engine RPM measurement value change rate, which is calculated at S32. Specifically, the controller 11 calculates the engine RPM display value change rate in such a manner that the engine RPM display value change rate becomes less than the engine RPM measurement value change rate. If the next previous engine RPM display value change rate remains less than the engine RPM measurement value change rate, the next previous engine RPM display value change rate can be used as the engine RPM display value change rate.
Then, the calculation process proceeds to S34, where the controller 11 calculates the engine RPM display value based on the engine RPM display value change rate, which is calculated at S33, and the next previous engine RPM display value, which is stored in the RAM 11c. Then, the calculation process proceeds to S35, where the controller 11 outputs the engine RPM display value, which is calculated at S34, to the display driver 12 so that the display driver 12 can drive the display 20 based on the engine RPM display value. Then, the calculation process ends.
Below, relationships between the engine RPM measurement value and the engine RPM display value in the control process are described. Firstly, a relationship between the engine RPM measurement value and the engine RPM display value observed when the engine RPM measurement value below a reference value NE1 changes is described with reference to
As shown in
It is noted that a user may want to know as soon as possible when the engine starts. To satisfy such a user demand, as shown in
In the examples shown in
Secondary, a relationship between the engine RPM measurement value and the engine RPM display value observed when the engine is stopped is described with reference to
In the example shown in
Alternatively, as shown in
Thirdly, a relationship between the engine RPM measurement value and the engine RPM display value when the engine is started is described with reference to
Alternatively, as shown in
In the above examples shown in
When the calculation process shown in
Likewise, at least one of the brightness and color of the display area 22 can be changed between when the calculation process is performed and when the calculation process is not performed.
Likewise, when the display 20 is configured as a graphic meter, at least one of the brightness, color, and contrast can be changed between when the calculation process is performed and when the calculation process is not performed.
(Modifications)
The embodiment described above can be modified in various ways. For example, in the case of
Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2010-171546 | Jul 2010 | JP | national |