Patent Publication Number: US-2011072123-A1

Title: Auto-meter system with controller area network bus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an auto-meter system, and more particularly, to an auto-meter system with a controller area network bus. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A conventional auto-meter utilizes a spindle force generated from a magnet and an iron cover and a non-magnetic conductor, such as aluminum and copper, to be a pointer rotator. A meter can be composed of the pointer rotator, a rotary spring, an integrator, and a rotary gear so that eddy currents of the pointer rotator and magnetic field of the magnet act with each other for driving the pointer rotator to rotate a pointer. Information shown by the pointer, a light emitting diode, and a digital screen of the conventional auto-meter are analyzed from a voltage signal or a resistance signal of a common sensor. When a vehicle drives on a rugged road, the conventional auto-meter is affected by external vibration easily and shakes irregularly. In addition, resolution of an induced circuit is limited to magnetic flux of the magnet, so that resolution of the conventional auto-meter can not be increased. 
     Recently, system units of the vehicle utilize electronic devices gradually. The main difficulty of the vehicle is that the conventional auto-meter, warning lamps, and instrument panels can not transmit signals accurately in a surrounding with interferences generated by large numbers of electronic components. In addition, assembly for cables of sensors on the vehicle, accuracy of transmitting the signals, and system service are complicated than before, so the conventional auto-meter is unable to be compatible with new generation electronic system. 
     The conventional auto-meter includes a drawback that the rotator is induced by the magnetic flux so as to rotate the pointer. Therefore, the external vibration of the vehicle affects the pointer, so that rotary accuracy of the pointer is limited to values of the magnetic flux, which is disadvantageous to control and adjust the pointer. In addition, the magnetic flux is controlled by analog control method and can not be applied on a digital electronic system. Due to resolution of the signals, the conventional auto-meter can not be compatible with the vehicle having a controller area network system, so that the conventional auto-meter can not receive and analyze the signals, which means the conventional auto-meter can not process signals. Therefore, the conventional auto-meter is unable to be compatible with the other electronic devices, and functions of the conventional auto-meter are limited to an initial setting and can not be applied on the other kinds of vehicles. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an auto-meter system with a controller area network bus for solving above drawbacks. 
     According to the claimed invention, an auto-meter system includes a controller area network bus (CAN-Bus) for transmitting a CAN-Bus signal, a first controller area network module coupled to the CAN-Bus for receiving the CAN-Bus signal transmitted from the CAN-Bus and for transforming the CAN-Bus signal into a message signal, an instrument panel, and a processor coupled to the first controller area network module and the instrument panel for receiving the message signal and for controlling the instrument panel to show information corresponding to the message signal. 
     According to the claimed invention, the auto-meter system utilizes the CAN-Bus to transmit a signal so as to decrease assembly cables inside the electronic modules. The auto-meter system can be flexibly compatible with many kinds of electronic control device for increasing the efficiency of signal transmission and data processing. 
     These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of an auto-meter system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of an instrument panel according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of a third display region according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description and claims of the present invention uses certain words to indicate specific components. It is to be understood that other names may be utilized to indicate the same components within the similar scope. The detailed description and claims of the present invention does not differentiate the components from its names instead of its functions. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “couple,” “coupled” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect electrically connecting. Therefore, the description of a first device coupled to a second device herein may contain the situations that the first device can be connected to the second device directly or one or more additional devices and methods are between the first device and the second device. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a diagram of an auto-meter system  10  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The auto-meter system  10  includes a controller area network bus (CAN-Bus)  101  for transmitting at least one CAN-Bus signal, and a first controller area network (CAN) module  103  coupled to the CAN-Bus  101  for receiving the CAN-Bus signal transmitted from the CAN-Bus  101  and for transforming the CAN-Bus signal into a corresponding message signal. The CAN-Bus module  103  can be electrically connected to the CAN-Bus  101  in a wire transmission manner or in a wireless transmission manner. The auto-meter system  10  further includes an instrument panel  105  and a processor  107  coupled to the first CAN-Bus module  103  and the instrument panel  105  for receiving the message signal and for controlling the instrument panel  105  to show information corresponding to the message signal. The auto-meter system  10  further includes at least one signal slot  109  and at least one sensor  111 . The signal slot  109  and the sensor  111  are coupled to a system circuit  113 , respectively. The sensor  111  can be an electronic sensor for sensing temperature, pressure, operation of car doors, and so on. The signal slot  109  is for receiving a signal generated by the sensor  111  and for transmitting the signal of the sensor  111  to the processor  107  via the system circuit  113 . For example, the sensor  111  can sense whether the car door is close and transmit the corresponding signal to the signal slot  109  via the system circuit  113 , and the signal slot  109  transmits the signal to the processor  107 . 
     The auto-meter system  10  further includes a memory module  115  coupled to the processor  107  for storing vehicle driving data. The auto-meter system  10  further includes a communication interface module  117  coupled to the processor  107  and an external processing unit  119  for receiving information transmitted from the external processing unit  119  and transmitting the information to the processor  107 . The auto-meter system  10  further includes an auxiliary power  121  electrically connected to the processor  107  for supplying electricity to the processor  107  when a main power failure has occurred. The auxiliary power  121  can be coupled to a built-in power-sensing circuit. When the built-in power-sensing circuit detects power failures, the auto-meter system  10  is under predetermined voltages, or the engine is shut off, the auxiliary power  121  can supply the electricity to the processor  107  so as to store information of mileage, working hours, and so on. 
     In addition, the instrument panel  105  of the auto-meter system  10  can include a screen  123  for displaying a graph or a numeral so as to represent the information corresponding to the message signal. The instrument panel  105  of the auto-meter system  10  can further include an indicator mechanism  125  driven by a stepping motor. The indicator mechanism  125  can utilize a pulse width modulation signal to drive the stepping motor. The indicator mechanism  125  can further utilize the processor  107  to control an input/output port to simulate the pulse width modulation signal so as to drive the stepping motor. The instrument panel  105  of the auto-meter system  10  can further include an electric induced indicator mechanism and an electromagnetic induced indicator mechanism, selectively. The instrument panel  105  of the auto-meter system  10  can further include at least one light emitting diode unit  127  for showing the information corresponding to the message signal by varying intensity of colors. The instrument panel  105  of the auto-meter system  10  can further include a back light module  129  for supplying light to the screen  123  and the indicator mechanism  125 . Method of the instrument panel  105  showing the vehicle driving data is not limited to the above-mentioned and depends on actual design. 
     The auto-meter system  10  can further include a vehicle communication protocol network  301  and a second controller area network module  303  coupled to the vehicle communication protocol network  301  and the CAN-Bus  101 . The second controller area network module  303  is for transforming a signal transmitted from the vehicle communication protocol network  301  into the CAN-Bus signal and for transmitting the CAN-Bus signal to the CAN-Bus  101 . The vehicle communication protocol network  301  can include a media oriented system transport (MOST), a X-by-Wire network, a local interconnect network (LIN), and so on. 
     The auto-meter system  10  can further include a vehicle wireless system module  305  and a third controller area network module  307  coupled to the vehicle wireless system module  305  and the CAN-Bus  101 . The third controller area network module  307  is for transforming a signal transmitted from the vehicle wireless system module  305  into the CAN-Bus signal and for transmitting the CAN-Bus signal to the CAN-Bus  101 . The vehicle wireless system module  305  can include a global position system (GPS) unit, a Zibee wireless network unit, and so on. 
     The auto-meter system  10  can further include an on board diagnostics module  309  and a fourth controller area network module  311  coupled to the on board diagnostics module  309  and the CAN-Bus  101 . The fourth controller area network module  311  is for transforming a signal transmitted from the on board diagnostics module  309  into the CAN-Bus signal and for transmitting the CAN-Bus signal to the CAN-Bus  101 . 
     As mentioned above, because the vehicle communication protocol network  301 , the vehicle wireless system module  305 , and the on board diagnostics module  309  respectively transmit the signal to the CAN-Bus  101  via the second controller area network module  303 , the third controller area network module  307 , and the fourth controller area network module  311 . Then the first CAN-Bus module  103  coupled to the CAN-Bus  101  can receive the CAN-Bus signal corresponding to the signal generated by the vehicle communication protocol network  301 , the vehicle wireless system module  305 , and the on board diagnostics module  309 , can transform the CAN-Bus signal into the corresponding message signal, and can control the instrument panel  105  to show the information corresponding to the message signal. That is to say, the instrument panel  105  can show the information generated by the vehicle communication protocol network  301 , the vehicle wireless system module  305 , and the on board diagnostics module  309  via the connection interface of the CAN-Bus  101 , so as to expand compatibility of the instrument panel  105 . The functional module connected to the CAN-Bus  101  of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned component, and all the functional modules capable of transmitting the signal via the CAN-Bus  101  are within the scope of the present invention. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2 .  FIG. 2  is a diagram of the instrument panel  105  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The instrument panel  123  includes a first display region  1231 , a second display region  1232 , and a third display region  1233 . The first display region  1231 , the second display region  1232 , and the third display region  1233  can be utilized for showing driving information of rotational speed of an engine, driving speed, and so on, vehicle information of present time, working hours of the engine, a mileage, warning signals, an air-fuel ratio, a pressure, and so on, and information of service, failure diagnosis, GPS data, and so on. The indicator mechanism  125  can be manipulated to the desired rotational speed of the engine and the driving speed, and therefore panels of a tachometer and a speedometer include corresponding graduations, respectively. The light emitting diode  127  can be a guard lamp for showing driving information of direction lights, low/high beams, a warning light of the lower fuel level, a hand-brake lights, an urgent lights, a warning light of the lower oil pressure, a battery charging indicator light, and so on. The instrument panel  105  further includes a reset button  201  coupled to the processor  107  for resetting the auto-meter system  10 . 
     The first display region  1231  and the second display region  1232  of the screen  123  can respectively include the tachometer and the speedometer for showing the driving information of the rotational speed of the engine, the driving speed, the present time, the working hours of the engine, the mileage, and so on, and the service information. Please refer to  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 3  is a diagram of the third display region  1233  according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The third display region  1233  is an integrated display region for showing a name zone  401 , a driving state zone  403 , a system state zone  405 , a commentated zone  407 , and a warning and diagnostic zone  409 . Names shown in the name zone  401  can be predetermined by the system or set by a user. The driving state zone  403  can include a fuel-warning graph  4031  and a temperature graph  4033  for showing the fuel level and the coolant temperature of the engine, respectively. The system state zone  405  can show the failure regions in the vehicle, such as unusual pressure of wheels, the overheated engine, unclosed doors, and so on. The commentated zone  407  can utilize the characters to describe the information briefly, such as a mode of the media player. The warning and diagnostic zone  409  can show a warning sign and diagnoses. In addition, the third display region  1233  further includes a plurality of buttons  411  for setting parameters of the screen  123 . 
     As mentioned above, the auto-meter system including the CAN-Bus of the present invention not only can collect the corresponding information and the service information via the CAN-Bus, but also can receive the signal of the common sensor via the CAN-Bus network and transform the signal of the common sensor into the CAN-Bus signal so as to supply the CAN-Bus signal to the other electronic device connected to the CAN-Bus. In addition, an external setting instrument can be connected to the auto-meter system of the present invention via the communication interface module, so that the user can set the parameters of the auto-meter system according to the actual demand. Thus, the auto-meter system of the present invention has a preferred compatibility. 
     Comparing to the prior art, the auto-meter system of the present invention utilizes the CAN-Bus to transmit signals, so as to simplify assembly of cables of the electronic modules of the vehicle. Each module on the CAN-Bus can transmit the signal effectively via an arbitration mechanism so as to solve problems of information exchange between the electronic modules. In addition, the auto-meter system of the present invention can set the parameters via the communication interface module and the CAN-Bus, and further can receive the signal of the common sensor and transform the signal of the common sensor into the CAN-Bus signal so as to supply the CAN-Bus signal to the other electronic systems. The auto-meter system of the present invention can be flexibly compatible with different electronic devices and can effectively increase efficiency of the signal transmission and the data processing. 
     Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention.