CN105818687B

CN105818687B - Integrated display system

Info

Publication number: CN105818687B
Application number: CN201610024380.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 阿吉·阿姆博蒂·托马斯
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2015-01-23
Filing date: 2016-01-14
Publication date: 2021-06-04
Anticipated expiration: 2036-01-14
Also published as: CN105818687A

Abstract

An integrated display system and related methods are described. In one embodiment, an effective gear and engine speed of the vehicle are determined. Depending on the active gear and engine speed, a set of display elements may be selectively activated to represent a character corresponding to the active gear. Further, at least one of the selectively activated display elements is illuminated with a color that is related to the RPM value.

Description

Integrated display system

Background

Vehicles have become a fundamental requirement for both private and commercial use. The tremendous increase in the number of vehicles has raised issues related to environmental protection, fuel economy, and safety of additional features that may appeal to consumers or prospective purchasers without compromising vehicle performance or limiting innovation. Various technologies and devices for efficient fuel consumption are developed to provide more efficient vehicles. Despite such developments, improper handling may still result in inefficient operation of the vehicle. Inefficient operation of the vehicle may lead to increased fuel consumption and therefore uncontrolled and unaccounted for pollution. For example, driving a vehicle at a speed higher than the optimal engine speed (measured in revolutions per minute or RPM) may result in improper fuel utilization. Furthermore, operating such a vehicle at a lower RPM may unnecessarily stress the engine of the vehicle, which may affect its operation and durability in the long term.

As will be appreciated, such a situation may typically arise when a transmission gear of a vehicle is upshifted or downshifted at an inappropriate point in time. For example, the operator of the vehicle may typically shift gears when the RPM is slightly above or below an optimum range of RPM. An estimate of the point in time when to shift gears is typically obtained empirically. Therefore, an operator who operates the vehicle for a long period of time is likely to shift gears at an appropriate point in time compared to an operator who lacks such experience. Less experienced operators may be inclined to shift gears in an untimely manner. This may unnecessarily lead to an increase in fuel consumption and also to unnecessary stress on the vehicle engine.

It should also be noted that estimating the point in time when to shift gears is typically done on a subjective basis. The estimates of such points in time may also differ from operator to operator. This may also be the case: during the course of operation, the operator may not know the appropriate gear. Furthermore, operators with otherwise considerable experience may also experience problems with proper timing as to when to shift gears, when to begin operating a new vehicle.

Various systems have been developed to indicate the current or active gear. In addition to indicating gear, other information may be transmitted, such as engine speed (i.e., RPM value), engine temperature, mileage, and estimated fuel consumption. Such indications regarding different parameters may be provided on the dashboard. An example of such a system is provided in U.S. patent publication No. 2013/0225362a1 (the' 362 application). The' 362 application provides a representation of a cluster through fig. 8. The combination meter of the' 362 application provides a speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, thermometer, odometer, and a set of indicator lights. The indicator light provides a prompt to the operator or driver of the motor vehicle to initiate a gear shift operation at the appropriate time. In this way, the gear can be changed at an appropriate point in time. Such problems may plague even experienced drivers who may inadvertently fail to recall the active gear. Such a situation may arise in situations where the driver is tired. Furthermore, in the case of motor vehicles tuned for higher performance, the driver may not have the proper idea of when to upshift from gear. As a result, the motor vehicle may experience an engine stall. In some cases, it may also affect the function of the transmission.

While mechanisms such as those described in the' 362 application provide an indication as to when to shift gears, it may not be able to indicate gear. Furthermore, such a mechanism may also not be able to relate the gear and the engine speed in a clear and concise manner. In such a case, the operator of the vehicle may have to refer to the tachometer alone if the RPM value is determined. Such reference of the tachometer will have to be fast during the course of operation. In such a case, the operator may not be able to determine whether the RPM of the engine of the vehicle is in the optimal range. When referring to a tachometer, the operator of the vehicle may not notice the shift indicator and thus may not be able to shift at the correct point in time. Referencing different indicators for determining different parameters may unnecessarily distract the operator, thereby increasing the likelihood of an accident.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to an integrated display system for providing an indication for changing a current gear and engine speed value during a vehicle operating process. This concept is further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine or limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one embodiment, the control module may obtain an indication or value corresponding to an active gear of the vehicle and a value that depicts engine speed (depicted in RPM). Once the valid gear and RPM values are determined, the control module may selectively activate a set of display elements to represent a character corresponding to the valid gear. Further, for the selectively activated display elements depicting an active gear, the control module may further control the display elements such that at least one of the selectively activated display elements is illuminated with a color that is related to the value of the RPM.

Drawings

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle environment incorporating an integrated display system according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an integrated display system according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

3A-3B are schematic diagrams of a display panel providing an integrated indication for changing a current gear and engine speed value according to an embodiment of the present subject matter; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a display panel of an integrated display system for providing an indication to change a current gear and engine speed value, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

Detailed Description

As described above, shifting gears at appropriate points in time helps to improve fuel efficiency, desirable vehicle performance, and durability of the vehicle when the vehicle is operated. At inappropriate points in time, i.e. when the engine speed is too low or too high, shifting may cause excessive stress on the different systems of the vehicle. Examples of such systems include, but are not limited to, transmission systems and engines of vehicles.

Furthermore, the point in time when a shift is correctly estimated to be completed is on a specific basis or at best subjective, based on criteria such as operator experience. The habit of when to shift gears may also vary from operator to operator. Conventional systems that provide gear shift indication may not be able to properly correlate gear to engine speed (as indicated by the RPM value). Such systems also fail to provide an indication of gear, shift, or RPM values in a single consolidated view. It has been observed that without such a system, the way in which the vehicle can be operated may be affected and, in some cases, also cause safety-related problems.

To this end, an integrated display system for providing an indication for changing the current gear and engine speed values is described. In accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter, an integrated display system includes a display panel and a control module. The control module is for controlling operation of a display panel for providing an indication to change a current gear and engine speed value. The display panel is composed of a matrix of display elements. Each display element of the display panel is independently operable. In one embodiment, the display panel may be implemented as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) based display screen. In the current embodiment, the panel may be logically divided into a plurality of regions, where each region is a display element. In another embodiment, the display panel may be implemented as a matrix of LEDs, where each LED is a display element.

In operation, the control module may obtain an indication or value corresponding to the vehicle's active gear, and a value that depicts engine speed (depicted in RPM). Once the valid gear and RPM values are determined, the control module may selectively activate a set of display elements to represent a character corresponding to the valid gear. The characters may be numeric or alphanumeric characters according to the active gear. Additionally, for the selectively activated display elements depicting an active gear, the control module may further control the display elements such that at least one of the selectively activated display elements is illuminated with a color that is related to the value of the RPM. For example, if the RPM value is within a predefined range that is considered optimal, the control module may illuminate the display element with green. The control module may further illuminate the display element with yellow as the RPM value changes from the optimal range. In case the RPM exceeds a predefined limit, the control unit may illuminate the display element with red.

In one embodiment, the association of color to RPM value may vary based on different driving patterns. Examples of the driving mode include a normal mode, a sport mode, an economy mode, and a terrain driving mode. The normal mode may correspond to driving conditions prevalent during city driving. In such a case, the RPM value and the association with the different color indications may be based on the RPM value that would occur when driving under normal or urban conditions.

In the case of the sport mode, vehicle driving may often involve relying on higher RPM values. In such a mode, RPM values that are normally considered high for city driving conditions may be considered normal when the vehicle is being operated in a sport mode. Thus, when the vehicle is being operated in the sport mode, for higher RPM values, the display element may be activated using only green (thereby indicating a normal RPM condition for the sport mode). In a similar manner, the correlation between different modes and such different RPM values as deemed optimal may be implemented in any vehicle. Thus, the shift indication will also be delayed or facilitated depending on the type of mode selected. For example, a shift indication for the sport mode is likely to be later (i.e., occur at a higher RPM value) when considered relative to a shift indication that would be generated when the vehicle is being operated in the normal mode or the economy mode.

In another embodiment, depending on the value of RPM, selected rows of display elements may also be activated to provide a prompt for changing the active gear depending on the RPM value. For example, if the RPM value is high while the vehicle is in first gear, the display element may provide an indication to the operator of the vehicle to upshift to a higher gear. In the same way, if the vehicle is driven in a gear higher than the optimal gear (i.e. the RPM value is low), the display element may provide an indication to the user to downshift to a lower gear so that the vehicle is operated in the optimal operating range.

The integrated system provided herein allows for the communication of a valid or current gear to an operator by activating one or more display elements to form numeric characters. Furthermore, one or more display elements may be further illuminated with a particular color depending on the value of the engine speed. Based on the values of the current gear and engine speed, one or more display elements may be further controlled to provide an indication prompting the operator to shift through an upshift or downshift.

The above examples may be implemented in one or more processing or other logic based devices. Such a device may be integrated in a vehicle or may be implemented as a stand-alone device. Such a standalone device may then interact with the vehicle for controlling and operating the integrated display system.

The above-mentioned embodiments are further described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the description and drawings relate to exemplary embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the present subject matter. It will also be appreciated that various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the subject matter, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.

FIG. 1 provides a block diagram depicting an environment 100 including an integrated display system 102. The environment 100 may be a vehicle in which the integrated display system 102 is included. In the environment 100, an integrated display system 102 communicates with a plurality of sensors 104-1, 2. The sensors 104 may be provided for sensing and monitoring a plurality of vehicle related parameters. For example, the sensors 104 may be connected to the transmission system and the engine of the vehicle to determine gear and engine speed, respectively.

The integrated display system 102 communicates with the sensors 104 through a data communication interface 106. The data communication interface 106 (hereinafter referred to as interface 106) provides a mechanism for acquiring data from each sensor 104 and communicating such data to the integrated display system 102. The interface 106 may include a plurality of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices (referred to as I/O devices), storage devices, network devices, and the like, for communicatively associating the sensors 104 with the integrated display system 102. The interface 106 facilitates communication between the sensors 104 and the integrated display system 102. The integrated display system 102 may further include a display panel 108 connected to the control module 110.

The integrated display system 102 may be implemented as a logic-based system. In one embodiment, the integrated display system 102 may further include processing logic for processing data acquired by the sensors 104. The processing may be based on logic programmed into the control module 110 or by circuitry implemented as part of the control module 110.

The integrated display system 102 may be implemented as a system integrated in a vehicle. Integration may be affected when manufacturing the vehicle. In one embodiment, the integrated display system 102 may be implemented as part of a console in the dashboard of a vehicle.

As previously mentioned, the integrated display system 102 may further include a display panel 108, the display panel 107 in communication with the control module 110 accordingly. The display panel 108 may further include a plurality of display elements. Each display element may be arranged as a rectangular matrix. Each display element may be independently controllable by the control module 110.

The display panel 108 may be implemented as an array of LCD or LED based elements. In another embodiment, the display panel 108 may be logically divided into smaller sections, where each section serves as a display element. In such a case, the operation of each portion of the display panel 108 will be controlled by the control module 110.

In operation, the sensor 104 may be used to determine at least the current or active gear in which the vehicle is placed. In addition to gear, the sensor 104 may also be used to determine the engine speed of the vehicle. As will be appreciated, engine speed corresponds to the rate at which the crankshaft of the engine of the vehicle rotates. Typically, engine speed is measured in revolutions per minute (or RPM).

Once the gear and engine speed values are obtained, these values are transmitted to the integrated display system 102 via the interface 106. Upon receiving values corresponding to the gear and RPM, the control module 110 may further determine the manner in which to control the display panel 108. For example, for controlling the display panel 108, the control module 110 may determine which display elements in the display panel 108 must be activated. Activation of the display element may be determined based on gear and RPM. In the current embodiment, the control module 110 may determine which display elements in the display panel 108 depict characters representing the current or active gear.

In addition, the control module 110 may also control the illumination color of the activated display elements. In the current embodiment, the illumination color may be based on a measured RPM value for the display element being activated, as measured by sensor 104. Depending on the value of the measured RPM, the control module 110 may control the activated display elements to be illuminated with different colors. For example, for an RPM value deemed most appropriate for a given gear, the activated display element may be illuminated green. In the event that the RPM value is not optimal, the control module 110 may illuminate the activated display element with yellow before red to indicate an undesirable operating condition.

In another embodiment, the display panel 108 may be further provided with an indication scale. The indicating scale provides one or more measurement indicia, wherein each measurement indicia corresponds to an RPM value. Further, each indicia corresponds to a row of display elements in the display panel 108. In the present case, a row of display elements of the display panel 108 is determined according to the value of the measured RPM. Once determined, the control module 110 may illuminate only the display elements in the area below the determined row. For display elements in the area above the determined row, the control module 110 may illuminate it with any color other than red, green, or yellow.

In another embodiment, the control module 110 may further depict a prompt indicating to the operator based on the measured RPM value. For example, the control module 110 may provide an indication prompting the operator to change the active gear by downshifting or upshifting from the active gear. The indication may be depicted by one or more display elements that have been activated.

The description provided above may be implemented in a vehicle. The integrated display system 102 may be integrated into such a vehicle at the time of manufacture. The vehicle may be a commercial vehicle or a private vehicle having a manual transmission or an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). The vehicle may be based on a gasoline-powered or diesel-powered engine without departing from the scope of the present subject matter. Further, the integrated display system 102 may be a process-based system communicatively connected with the interface 106 through a wired or wireless interface. Examples of the wired interface include interfaces such as an on-board diagnostics (OBD) based interface, an ALDL (Assembly Line Diagnostic Link) based interface, and an EOBD (european on-board diagnostics) interface. On the other hand, examples of wirelessly implemented interfaces include bluetooth, infrared, and the like.

FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary integrated display system 102 implemented as a process-based device. Continuing with the current embodiment, the integrated display system 102 may further include a processing unit 202, an interface 204, and a memory 206. Processor 202 may also be implemented as a signal processor, a state machine, logic circuitry, and/or any other device or component that manipulates signals based on operational instructions. The integrated display system 102 may further include a display panel 108 in communication with the processing unit 202.

The interface 204 may include a plurality of interfaces, such as interfaces for data input and output devices (referred to as I/O devices), storage devices, network devices, and the like, for communicatively associating the integrated display system 102 with the interface 106 (not shown in fig. 2). The memory 206 may store one or more computer-readable or programmable instructions that may be retrieved and executed to control the display panel 108 for providing an integrated gear indication, a prompt to shift from a valid gear, and depicting whether the RPM is within an optimal range. In the integrated display system 102, the memory 206 may include any non-transitory computer-readable medium, including, for example, volatile memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory such as electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, and the like, as well as safeguards from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to protect integrity from intentional tampering/manipulation by a user or third party authority/vendor of a predefined optimal range.

The integrated display system 102 may further include a module 208 and data 210. The module 208 may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (e.g., programmable instructions) to implement one or more functions of the module 208. In one example, the modules 208 include the control module 110 and other modules 212 for estimating the price of the used vehicle. The control module 110 may be implemented as any of the modules 208 or may also be implemented as part of the processing unit 202. Data 210 may include RPM data 214, gear data 216, maps 218, and other data 220.

The operation of the integrated display system 102 is described in conjunction with fig. 3A and 3B. Fig. 3A depicts an exemplary display panel 108 according to embodiments of the present subject matter. As shown in fig. 3A, the display panel 108 is composed of a plurality of display elements 302. Each display element 302 may be in separate communication with the control module 110, allowing each display element 302 to be independently controllable. In the example shown, the display panel 108 is comprised of a 3 × 7 matrix of display elements 302. To render a character, a combination of multiple display elements on the display panel 108 may be activated. In the current example, the display panel 108 represents a neutral position depicted by the numeric character "0". To delineate the character "0," the display element 302 that outlines the display panel 108 may be activated. Activation of any one or more of the display elements 302 is effected by the control module 110. To activate the display elements 302, the control module 110 may provide an activation signal to the appropriate display element 302. In this manner, other display elements 302 may also be activated to represent other numeric characters for the corresponding gear.

In one embodiment, information regarding which display elements 302 to activate in order to depict the desired characters may be provided in the map 218. For example, each display element 302 may be identified by a unique Identifier (ID). The map 218 may map the desired character (the character to be displayed on the display panel 108) with a unique ID indicating the display element 302 that is activated when the desired character is rendered.

In operation, the integrated display system 102 may receive vehicle parameter data from the sensors 104. For example, the integrated display system 102 may receive values from the sensors 104 indicative of the current gear and engine speed values. Upon receiving the values of gear and engine speed, the control module 110 stores them in the RPM data 214 and gear data 216, respectively. Once the value of the current gear is determined, the control module 110 analyzes the map 218. When analyzed, based on the values of the gears provided in the map, the control module 110 determines the respective unique IDs of the display elements 302 provided in the map 218. Thus, the control module 110 may determine which display elements 302 of the display panel 108 are to be activated.

Subsequently, the control module 110 may activate one or more display elements 302 to depict the characters corresponding to the gear. To activate, the control module 110 may send one or more control signals to underlying circuitry (not shown) of the display panel 108. Based on the control signal, the desired display element 302 may be activated.

In another embodiment, the display panel 108 may be further provided with an indication scale 304 adjacent to the display panel 108. In one embodiment, the instructional scale 304 may be provided by printed indicia, or may be provided by an additional column of display elements. The index scale 304 provides measurement indicia for discrete values of engine speed. In the current embodiment, the measurement flag provides a range of RPM values in the upward direction starting at 750-. It should be noted that the current range of RPM values is merely indicative and should not be construed as limiting. The RPM value range may vary from vehicle to vehicle. For example, for a vehicle running on a diesel engine, the RPM value will be in a shorter range, such as 750-.

Each measurement mark on the index scale 304 corresponds to at least one row of display elements 302. That is, the range of RPM values corresponds to at least one row of display elements 302. In one embodiment, the control module 110 may determine a row of display elements on the display panel 108 corresponding to the measurement indicia indicating the scale 304 corresponding to the measured RPM data 214. Once the row of display elements 302 is determined, the control module 110 may selectively control the illumination color of activated display elements 302 that are below the determined row of display elements 302. In such a case, a portion of the display panel 108 will be displayed illuminated to a certain level (i.e., up to the row of display elements 302 corresponding to the measurement indicia that most closely matches the measured RPM value). The illuminated portion of the display panel 108 beside the indicated scale 304 will provide an estimate of the RPM value when viewed by the operator of the vehicle.

Continuing with the present example, in another embodiment, the control module 110 may also control the illumination color of the display element 302 based on the measured RPM data 214. For example, for a high RPM value for a given gear, the activated display element 302 may be illuminated with a red color indicating that the vehicle engine is operating within an undesirable RPM range. Similarly, for an optimal RPM value for a given gear, the control module 110 may illuminate the display element 302 with a green color indicating that the vehicle engine is operating within an optimal or desirable RPM range. Although the present description has been described using only limited colors, other colors may be used to indicate other types of operating conditions without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the association of colors to RPM values may differ based on different driving patterns, which may be stored in RPM data 214. Examples of the driving mode include a normal mode, a sport mode, an economy mode, and a terrain driving mode. The normal mode may correspond to driving conditions prevalent during city driving. In such a case, the RPM value and the association with the different color indications may be based on the RPM value that would occur when driving under normal or urban conditions.

In the case of the sport mode, vehicle driving may often involve relying on higher RPM values. In such a mode, the RPM value, which is generally considered high for city driving conditions, may be considered normal when the vehicle is being operated in a sport mode. Thus, when the vehicle is being operated in the sport mode, for higher RPM values, the display element may be activated using only green (thereby indicating a normal RPM condition for the sport mode). Thus, the shift indication will also be delayed or facilitated depending on the type of mode selected.

In another embodiment, the display element 302 may also provide gear-related indications that prompt the operator to shift from the current or active gear. It should be noted that during operation, a shift may typically be required when the RPM value of the engine is outside or below the optimal RPM range of the vehicle engine. In the present case, the optimal range may be stored in the other data 220. The control module 110 may compare the RPM data 214 to an optimal range. Upon determining that the RPM value exceeds the optimal range, the control module 110 may further provide a gear-related indication prompting the operator to upshift via one or more display elements 302. An exemplary gear-related indication is depicted in fig. 3A by an upward arrow, as provided by indication 306. In a similar manner, if the control module 110 determines that the RPM value will be greater than the optimal range, the control module 110 may provide an indication to downshift from the current gear via the display element 302. In one embodiment, the indication of a downshift may be depicted by an arrow with a downward shape.

As noted, the present subject matter provides an integrated view of the current gear, an estimate of the engine RPM value, and an indication of whether to upshift or downshift from the current gear. Thus, the operator is in a position to quickly view the RPM value and the current gear. It is also known from the display panel 108 of the integrated display system 102 if a gear shift is required.

Fig. 3B provides an exemplary illustration depicting the various characters and corresponding gear positions depicted by display panels 108-1, 2. As shown, the display panel 108-1 depicts the character "0", indicating when the vehicle is in a neutral position. As depicted, display panel 108-1 also provides a gear-related prompt indicating to the operator that the gear should be changed to first gear. The first gear is represented by display panel 108-2 depicting the character "1". During vehicle operation, when the engine throttle is applied, the engine speed will increase. This will result in an increased number of rows of activated display elements of the display panel (see display panels 108-3 and 108-4). As engine speed increases beyond the optimal range, display panel 108-4 provides gear-related cues to indicate a need to shift from first gear.

When the operator shifts the vehicle to second gear, one or more display elements may be activated to depict the character "2" representing second gear. When the RPM value is low, a gear-related indication (display panel 108-5) may be provided prompting the operator to downshift. If the operator chooses to throttle up, the RPM value will increase, which will be indicated as shown in display panel 108-6. If the operator downshifts, the gear will again be indicated by the character '1', as shown in display panel 108-4. For higher gears, the entire procedure would be similarly implemented, as depicted by display panels 108-7 through 108-16.

During the course of vehicle operation, the gear may be changed by the operator as desired. Accordingly, the display panel 108 will provide an estimate of the current gear, the RPM value, and a gear-related indication prompting the operator to shift by upshifting or downshifting from the current gear, if desired. These may be indicated in the manner as exemplified by display panel 108-R when the vehicle is placed in a reverse gear position. In the event of an increase in RPM (due to an increase in engine throttle), different rows of display elements may be activated with different colored indications. It should also be noted that the illustration provided in fig. 3B is merely an example embodiment and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 for operating an integrated display system to provide an indication of changing a current gear, an engine speed value, and whether to shift, according to an embodiment of the present subject matter. The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the blocks of the described method can be combined in any order to implement the foregoing method, or an alternate method. Further, the method 400 may be implemented by a processing resource or computing device by any suitable hardware, non-transitory machine-readable instructions, or combination thereof.

It will also be appreciated that the method 400 may be performed by a programmed computing device, such as the integrated display system 102 depicted in fig. 1-3. Further, the method 400 may be performed based on instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, as will be readily understood. The non-transitory computer readable medium may include, for example, digital memory, magnetic storage media (e.g., one or more magnetic disks and tape), hard disk drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. Although the method 400 is described below with reference to the integrated display system 102 as described above, other suitable systems for execution of these methods may also be utilized. Furthermore, embodiments of the methods are not limited to such examples.

At block 402, a valid gear is determined. For example, the active gear may be determined by one or more sensors 104. Once determined, the value of the gear is transmitted to the integrated display system 102. In one embodiment, the current gear is communicated via interface 106. The value of the gear is stored as gear data 216 in the integrated display system 102.

At block 404, engine speed is determined. As will be appreciated, engine speed is measured by determining the number of revolutions of the crankshaft of the vehicle engine in one minute and is expressed in RPM. In one embodiment, engine speed is measured by sensor 104. The engine RPM value may then be communicated to the integrated display system 102 via the interface 106. The RPM value may be stored as RPM data 214.

At block 406, a set of display elements of the display panel is selectively activated to represent a character corresponding to the active gear. For example, control module 110 may determine a combination of display elements, such as display element 302, that are activated to depict characters corresponding to the active gear. In one embodiment, the display elements 302 that are activated may be determined based on the mapping 218 stored in the integrated display system 102. Map 218 may specify a unique ID for each gear that is activated to represent the display element 302 of the gear.

At block 408, at least one of the set of display elements that is selectively activated may be further illuminated with a color based on the value of the engine speed. In one embodiment, the display panel 108 may be further provided with an indication scale with measurement marks. The measurement flag corresponds to the RPM value. Each measurement indicia corresponds to a row of display elements in the display panel 108. In the present example, the control module 110 may determine a row of display elements of the display panel 108 based on the value of the measured RPM. Once determined, the control module 110 may illuminate only the display elements in the area below the determined row. For example, if the RPM value exceeds or falls below a predefined range, a display element, such as display element 302, may be illuminated in red. If the RPM value is within a predefined range, the display element 302 may be illuminated with green.

The activated set of display elements may further provide gear-related prompts to the operator at block 410. The gear-related prompt may be based on the RPM value as acquired by sensor 104. For example, a shift may be required when the RPM is less than or greater than a predefined optimal range. In the current embodiment, if the control module 110 determines that the RPM value is greater than the optimal range, it may further control the display element 302 to provide a gear-related indication prompting the operator to upshift from the current or active gear. In one embodiment, gear-related cues may be indicated by indication 306. In a similar manner, upon determining that the RPM value is less than the optimal range, the control module 110 may provide a gear-related indication prompting the user to downshift from the current gear.

Although examples for the present disclosure have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed and described as examples of the invention.

Claims

1. An integrated display system for a vehicle, the integrated display system comprising:

a display panel, wherein the display panel comprises a matrix of display elements, wherein each display element is independently operable;

a control module connected to the display panel, wherein the control module is to,

receiving a value corresponding to an active gear;

receiving a value of revolutions per minute, RPM, corresponding to an engine speed of the vehicle;

controlling operation of each display element in dependence on the active gear and the engine speed, wherein to control the operation the control module is adapted to,

selectively activating a set of display elements to represent a character corresponding to the active gear, an

Further illuminating at least one of the set of display elements that is selectively activated to represent a character corresponding to the valid gear with a color that is associated with the value of the RPM; and

an indicating scale with measurement indicia, wherein each of said measurement indicia corresponds to an RPM value, each of said measurement indicia further corresponding to a row of said display elements.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein for the selectively activated set of display elements, the control module is to:

determining the row of display elements on the display panel corresponding to a printed measurement indicia, wherein the printed measurement indicia is a value for the received RPM; and is

For the selectively activated display elements in the area under the determined row of display elements, illuminating with a color determined based on a comparison of the RPM to a predefined range of RPM values.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein the integrated display system includes a predefined driving pattern associated with a plurality of RPM values.

4. The display system of claim 1, wherein each of the selectively activated display elements depicts a gear-related cue for one of: upshifting or downshifting from the active gear.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein each of the selectively activated display elements further exhibits an indication that depicts a current gear as a best gear.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein the control module is to illuminate the selectively activated display elements with red when the RPM value is less than or greater than a predefined range of RPM values for the active gear.

7. The display system of claim 4, wherein the gear-related prompt is generated based on a comparison between the RPM value and another predefined range of RPM values corresponding to a current gear.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is based on one of an n-speed manual transmission and an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT).

9. The display system of claim 1, wherein the display panel is one of an LED-based panel or an LCD-based panel.

10. A method of operating an integrated display system for a display panel of a vehicle, wherein the display panel comprises a matrix of display elements, the method comprising:

determining an effective gear;

determining a value of revolutions per minute, RPM, corresponding to an engine speed of the vehicle;

controlling operation of the display element in dependence on the active gear and the engine speed by,

For at least one of the set of display elements that is selectively activated to represent a character corresponding to the active gear, illuminating with a color that is related to the value of the RPM, wherein the value of the RPM corresponds to a measurement indicia of an indication scale of the integrated display system, and wherein each of the measurement indicia corresponds to a row of the display elements.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the method includes:

determining the row of display elements on the display panel corresponding to a measurement indicia, wherein the measurement indicia is a value related to the received RPM; and

illuminating, for the selectively activated display elements in the area under the determined row of display elements, the color associated with the value of the RPM.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the method includes illuminating the display element with red when the RPM value exceeds a predefined threshold.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the method includes illuminating the display element with green when the RPM value matches a range of optimal RPM values.