Screen transition control system and work vehicle

Abstract

To provide a simple control technique which can accurately recognize a display screen displayed through using a plurality of screen transitions on a display panel.SOLUTION: A screen transition control system comprises: an operation signal processing part 54 which generates operation data based on a specified operation of an operation tool 8a; a display panel 8B which displays as a selection screen an information display screen selected from a screen group consisting of a plurality of information display screens; a screen management part 81 which provides a screen identifier management part 56 with a screen identifier assigned to the selection screen; and a display command generating part 58 which generates a display command including display information based on the screen identifier acquired from the screen identifier management part 56 and the operation data. The screen management part 81 provides the display panel with a display signal to display the information display screen decided based on the display command.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a screen transition control system for sequentially displaying information of a work vehicle, and a work vehicle equipped with such a screen transition control system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an information display device for a work vehicle, which has a transition display mode for displaying on a display a display screen sequentially selected by a first operation from a plurality of display screens such as an hour meter display screen, a trip meter display screen, and a fuel consumption meter display screen, and an information change mode for making it possible to change setting information of the display screen selected by a second operation.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the information of the work vehicle is diverse, the display screens to be displayed on the display panel are also diverse, and the number of such display screens increases. In addition, the work vehicle has a plurality of work vehicle operation modes (for example, an eco mode, a standard mode, etc.) that are in the upper priority (hierarchical upper level) of control, and the processing performed through the display screen may differ depending on the set work vehicle operation mode. The control unit that controls the display screen needs to accurately know which display screen is being displayed on the display panel in which work vehicle operation mode. If the control unit that controls the display screen does not accurately recognize the currently displayed display screen, there will be a problem that an operation performed on the display screen will result in a result contrary to the operator's intention.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, there is a demand for a simple control technique that can accurately identify the display screens displayed on a display panel using multiple screen transitions.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A screen transition control system for sequentially displaying information of a work vehicle according to the present invention includes an operation signal processing unit that generates operation data based on a specific operation of an operating tool, a display panel that displays the information display screen selected from a group of screens including a plurality of information display screens as a selection screen, a screen management unit that gives a screen identifier assigned to the selection screen to a screen identifier management unit, and a display command generation unit that generates a display command including display information from the screen identifier acquired from the screen identifier management unit and the operation data. The screen management unit gives a display signal for displaying the information display screen determined based on the display command to the display panel.

[0007] According to this configuration, a screen identifier for identifying the information display screen is assigned to the information display screen serving as the selection screen. When a specific operation is performed on the selection screen, the display command generation unit receives the operation data and the screen identifier. The display command generation unit performs processing executed using the specific operation as a trigger, for example, generation processing of a display command for displaying the next information display screen, data processing based on the content of the selection screen, etc., based on the received operation data and screen identifier. By managing the screen identifier, even if the information display screen group is hierarchically configured, the display screen displayed on the display panel, that is, the selection screen on which the specific operation is performed, is accurately recognized.

[0008] The information display screen group includes a plurality of similar information display screens with the same display purpose. Therefore, by grouping similar information display screens and giving a common screen identifier (group identifier), the control load for screen identification is reduced. From this, in the present invention, it is also proposed that the information display screens constituting the screen group are divided into a plurality of groups according to display purpose, and a common screen identifier is assigned to the information display screens belonging to each group.

[0009] In many work vehicles, control priority levels such as an eco mode, a standard mode, a reinforced mode, and an easy mode are set. In such work vehicles, when information display screen groups are hierarchically grouped, the control configuration becomes clear, and the advantage is obtained that the display control also becomes clear. Therefore, in the present invention, it is proposed that the group includes a priority group composed of a plurality of priority screens prioritized at startup, and the work vehicle operation mode of the work vehicle is determined by the priority screen selected as the selection screen.

[0010] In the transition from the selection screen to the next information display screen, when a plurality of transition destinations (branches) are set for the selection screen, it is necessary to distinguish the specific operations performed on the selection screen in a plurality of forms. Therefore, in the present invention, the specific operations performed on the same selection screen include a first specific operation and a second specific operation, and the selection screen shown on the display panel through the first specific operation and the selection screen shown on the display panel through the second specific operation are different from each other. Of course, if there are three or more transition destinations, the specific operations will include a third specific operation... in addition to the first specific operation and the second specific operation.

[0011] As a specific embodiment of the specific operation, in the present invention, it is proposed that the operating tool is a single push switch, and the first specific operation and the second specific operation are distinguished according to the push operation time. In this embodiment, since a plurality of specific operations are realized by using only a single push switch, the advantages of simple operation and low cost are obtained.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a control unit connected to various sensor groups and various device groups is provided with the screen identifier management unit and the display command generation unit, and an operation data panel connected to the control unit so as to be capable of data exchange is provided with the display panel and the screen management unit. In this configuration, since the core elements of the screen display control are constructed on the control unit side, the amount of data between the control unit and the operation data panel is small, and simple communication control can be adopted. Further, since the display command generation unit is constructed in a control unit provided with a vehicle control system such as a travel control, an advantage that the cooperation between the display command generation unit and the vehicle control system becomes easy is also obtained.

[0013] The subject matter of the present invention includes not only the above-described screen transition control system but also a work vehicle equipped with such a screen transition control system, and such a work vehicle can enjoy various advantages of the above-described screen transition control system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, "front" means forward with respect to the longitudinal direction (travel direction) of the vehicle body, and "rear" means rearward with respect to the longitudinal direction (travel direction) of the vehicle body. Also, the left-right direction or the lateral direction means the transverse direction (vehicle width direction) of the vehicle body that is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. "Up" or "down" is the positional relationship in the vertical direction (perpendicular direction) of the vehicle body and indicates the relationship at ground height. In the figures, "front" is indicated by "F", "rear" by "B", "left" by "L", "right" by "R", "up" by "U", and "down" by "D".

[0016] Next, one embodiment of the work vehicle according to the present invention will be described. Here, the work vehicle is an electric lawn mower (hereinafter simply referred to as the work vehicle). As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, this work vehicle includes a pair of left and right front wheels 11 supported at the front portion of the vehicle body 1, a pair of left and right rear wheels 12 as drive wheel units supported at the rear portion of the vehicle body 1, and a lawn mowing device 3 as a work device supported between the front wheels 11 and the rear wheels 12 at the lower portion of the vehicle body 1. A device storage portion 60 for storing a battery 6 and the like is provided between the left and right rear wheels 12. Further, a driver's seat 13, a rollover protective structure frame 14, and the like are provided on the vehicle body 1.

[0017] The vehicle body 1 includes a frame 10 composed of left and right longitudinal beams extending in the front-rear direction and cross beams connecting these longitudinal beams. The lower end of the rollover protective structure frame 14 is connected to the frame 10.

[0018] The front wheels 11 are caster type wheels, and the rear wheels 12 are drive wheels. Inside each of the rear wheels 12, a left traveling motor 41 and a right traveling motor 42 are arranged as traveling electric motors. The power of the left traveling motor 41 and the right traveling motor 42 is transmitted to the rear wheels 12 via a speed reduction mechanism 16. Each rear wheel 12 is independently driven.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, fenders 8 are arranged on the right and left sides of the driver's seat 13. On both sides of the driver's seat 13, a left shift lever 17a and a right shift lever 17b as vehicle speed setting tools for setting a desired vehicle speed are arranged. When the right shift lever 17b is operated to the neutral position, the right traveling motor 42 stops. When the right shift lever 17b is operated to the forward side, the right traveling motor 42 rotates to the forward side, and when the right shift lever 17b is operated to the reverse side, the right traveling motor 42 rotates to the reverse side. Similarly, when the left shift lever 17a is operated to the neutral position, the forward side, and the reverse side, the left traveling motor 41 performs the same operation as the above-described right traveling motor 42. That is, by operating the right shift lever 17b and the left shift lever 17a, the right and left rear wheels 12 are driven independently of each other to the forward side or the reverse side, and the vehicle body 1 moves forward or backward, turns right or turns left.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, a lawn mowing device 3, which is an example of a working device, includes a mower deck 30 and a mowing blade 31 rotatably supported around a vertical axis inside the mower deck 30. The mowing blade 31 is a rotary blade and is rotationally driven by a mower motor 43, which is a working electric motor. The mower deck 30 is suspended from the frame 10 by a link mechanism 34 so as to be vertically movable.

[0021] FIG. 3 shows the power system and control system of the work vehicle. The mower motor 43 is provided on the rear wall of the mower deck 30. The mower motor 43 rotates a rotary shaft 32 to which the mowing blade 31 is attached via a belt transmission mechanism 33. A left traveling motor 41 is provided to rotate the left rear wheel 12, and a right traveling motor 42 is provided to rotate the right rear wheel 12.

[0022] Power is supplied from the inverter 4 to the left traveling motor 41, the right traveling motor 42, and the mower motor 43. The inverter 4 includes a traveling motor inverter 4A that supplies power to the left traveling motor 41 and the right traveling motor 42, and a mower motor inverter 4B that supplies power to the mower motor 43. The inverter 4 is driven and controlled based on a control signal from the control unit 5. The inverter 4 is connected to the battery 6 as a power source. Note that the traveling motor inverter 4A includes an inverter for the left traveling motor 41 and an inverter for the right traveling motor 42.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4, the fender 8 is provided with an operation panel 8A and a display panel 8B that constitute an operation meter panel. Various notification lamps and a liquid crystal display 80 are arranged on the display panel 8B, and notification lamp groups for notifying various vehicle states are arranged on the left and right sides of the liquid crystal display 80. The liquid crystal display 80 can selectively display various information. On the operation panel 8A, an operation device group such as switches and dials for operating the operating devices mounted on the work vehicle is arranged. This operation device group includes an operating tool 8a for selecting the display information displayed on the liquid crystal display 80 and for selecting the operation mode of the work vehicle.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 5 includes, as control function parts related to the present invention, a vehicle body control unit 50, a traveling control unit 52, a mower control unit 53, an operation signal processing unit 54, a screen identifier management unit 56, a data processing unit 57, and the like.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the operation data panel is connected to the control unit 5 via a data communication line such as an in-vehicle LAN. The operation data panel includes the operation panel 8A including the liquid crystal display 80 described above, hardware such as the display panel 8B, and a screen management unit 81 constituted by an electronic circuit or program software or both. The display panel 8B (substantially the liquid crystal display 80) displays the information display screen selected from a group of screens composed of a plurality of information display screens to be described in detail later as a selection screen. Each information display screen constituting the information display screen group is divided into a plurality of groups according to the display purpose, and a common screen identifier is assigned to the information display screens belonging to each group. In the screen transition process, the screen management unit 81 gives the screen identifier assigned to the selection screen to the screen identifier management unit 56.

[0026] The vehicle body control unit 50 has a function of controlling in-vehicle devices based on the vehicle state. Device sensor groups 9A for detecting various states of the work vehicle and various operation device groups 9B mounted on the work vehicle are connected to the input / output processing unit 51 included in the vehicle body control unit 50. The input / output processing unit 51 performs necessary conversion processing on the received detection signal and sends this signal to the control function unit that requires it.

[0027] Based on signals from associated control function units, the travel control unit 52 generates a motor control signal and drives the left travel motor 41 and the right travel motor 42 independently by driving the inverter 4A for the travel motor. The mower control unit 53 also generates a motor control signal based on signals from associated control function units and drives the mower motor 43 by driving the inverter 4B for the mower motor.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 6, the operation signal processing unit 54 receives an operation signal (for example, a specific operation signal indicating a specific operation) from an operation tool 8a that operates the display information on the display panel 8B, and an operation signal (for example, a special operation signal indicating a special operation) from other operation devices (not shown), generates operation data based on the operation signal, and gives the operation data to the control function unit that requires it.

[0029] The data processing unit 57 that processes various data in the control unit 5 also functions as a display control unit and includes a display command generation unit 58. The display command generation unit 58 generates a display command including display information from the screen identifier acquired from the screen identifier management unit 56 via the vehicle body control unit 50 and the operation data acquired from the operation signal processing unit 54. The generated display command is sent to the screen management unit 81. The screen management unit 81 generates a display signal for displaying the information display screen determined based on the sent display command and gives it to the display panel 8B. As a result, a new selection screen is displayed on the display panel 8B.

[0030] The control unit 5 appropriately operates the input / output processing unit 51, the operation signal processing unit 54, the screen identifier management unit 56, and the display command generation unit 58 to manage the screen transition process on the display panel 8B. In this screen transition process, the transition of the screen displayed on the display panel 8B (liquid crystal display 80) is shown in FIG. 8.

[0031] In this embodiment, the operating tool 8a is composed of a push switch, and its specific operation is distinguished into a first specific operation (long press operation) and a second specific operation (short press operation) according to the push operation time. Different specific operation signals are generated by the long press operation and the short press operation. In the following description, these are simply referred to as "long press" and "short press". Also, in the transition diagram of FIG. 7, the arrow indicating the transition by "long press" is shown by a thick line, and the arrow indicating the transition by "short press" is shown by a dotted line.

[0032] The information display screen groups shown in Fig. 7 are classified into Group A, Group B, and Group C. For the information display screens belonging to Group A, the screen identifier: "A" is assigned; for the information display screens belonging to Group B, the screen identifier: "B" is assigned; and for the information display screens belonging to Group C, the screen identifier: "C" is assigned. Of course, individual screen identifiers may be assigned to all the information display screens. In that case, it is preferable that screen identifiers such as "A001" and "B003" be assigned so that the groups can also be identified. In this embodiment, since Group A is the priority group, the information display screens belonging to Group A are the information display screens at the upper hierarchy level. Therefore, the transition is made from the information display screens belonging to Group A to the lower-level information display screens (Group B and Group C).

[0033] When the work vehicle is powered on, the initial screen: FS is displayed, and from the initial screen: FS, the transition is made to the information display screen of the work vehicle operation mode set as the priority screen. In the example of Fig. 8, the information display screen group for setting the work vehicle operation mode includes the screen: MS1 which is the eco mode screen, the screen: MS2 which is the standard screen, and the screen: MS3 which is the enhanced screen. The screen: MS1, the screen MS2, and the screen MS3 are cyclically selected by "short pressing".

[0034] From the information display screens belonging to Group A, the transition is made to the screen: ME1 which is the leading screen of the information display screens belonging to Group B by "long pressing". The screen: ME1 is a selected information display screen in which "Active Error List" is selected from a plurality of items, "Active Error List", "Language in Use", and "Battery Status". Therefore, on the screen: ME1, the item "Active Error List" is highlighted.

[0035] When "short pressed" on Screen: ME1, it transitions to Screen: ME2. Screen: ME2 is a selection information display screen where the item "Language in Use" is selected. Therefore, on Screen: ME2, the item "Language in Use" is highlighted. When "short pressed" on Screen: ME2, it transitions to Screen: ME3. Screen: ME3 is a selection information display screen where the item "Battery Status" is selected. Therefore, on Screen: ME3, the item "Battery Status" is highlighted. When "short pressed" on Screen: ME3, it transitions to Screen: ME4. Screen: ME4 is a return screen where "Home" is highlighted, and when "short pressed" on ME4, it transitions to Screen: ME1.

[0036] When "long pressed" on Screen: ME1, it transitions to Screen: AE1 that displays information on the item "Active Error List". On Screen: ME1, a summary description of the item "Active Error List" is shown. When "short pressed" on Screen: AE1, it transitions to Screen: AE2. On Screen: AE2, a detailed description of the item "Active Error List" is shown. When "short pressed" on Screen: AE2, it transitions to Screen: AE1. When "long pressed" on Screen: AE1 and Screen: AE2, it transitions to Screen: ME1.

[0037] When "long pressed" on Screen: ME2, it transitions to Screen: LA1 that displays information on the item "Language in Use". On Screen: LA1, "English" is selected for the item "Language in Use" and "English" is highlighted (circled). When "short pressed" on Screen: LA1, it transitions to Screen: LA2. On Screen: LA2, "French" is selected for the item "Language in Use" and "French" is highlighted (circled). When "short pressed" on Screen: LA2, it transitions to Screen: LA3. On Screen: LA3, "German" is selected for the item "Language in Use" and "German" is highlighted (circled). When "short pressed" on Screen: LA3, it transitions to Screen: LA1. When "long pressed" on Screen: LA1, Screen: LA2, and Screen: LA3, it transitions to Screen: ME2.

[0038] Screen: When "long pressed" on ME3, the process of displaying the information of the item "Battery Status" is performed. In this process, since time is required for data reading, during that time, Screen: BC1 indicating "Loading" is displayed, and when the data reading is completed, Screen: BC2 is displayed. On Screen: BC2, the temperature of Battery 6 is graphically displayed as the "Battery Status". When "long pressed" on Screen: BC2, it transitions to Screen: ME3. Instead of the temperature of Battery 6, the charge capacity of Battery 6 may be displayed, or they may be sequentially displayed.

[0039] In this embodiment, Screens: ME1 ··· ME4 belong to Group A. Further, Screens: ME1 ··· ME4, Screens: AE1 and AE2, and Screens: LA1 ··· LA3 belong to Group B. Since Screens: BC1 and BC2 involve data reading processes, they belong to Group C which is distinguished from Group B.

[0040] Figure 8 further shows a maintenance mode. This maintenance mode is made possible by a special operation signal generated by a special operation using a special operation tool, that is, a hidden command hidden from the general user, on each screen belonging to Group A, Group B, and Group C.

[0041] When an error occurs in the work vehicle, as shown in Figure 8, the error message screen EMS is displayed on the entire liquid crystal display 80 of the display panel 8B, and a lamp (not shown) lights up. On the error message screen EMS, there are arranged an error message display area ES1 for displaying the type of error and the error handling method, an error cause location display area ES2 for displaying the location of the error cause, and an error code display area ES3 for displaying the error code. The error message screen EMS becomes non - displayed by a predetermined button operation, but can be displayed in the error confirmation mode as long as the cause of the error has not been eliminated. Also, when multiple errors occur, they can be sequentially displayed by "long pressing" or "short pressing" operations.

[0042] Since it is a safety issue to gaze at the display panel 8B during operation, it is also possible to display a warning when a screen operation is performed during operation. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when a screen operation is performed during work operation, the screen changes from the normal screen display (for example, screen: MS2) to the warning screen: MES, and a message "Please interrupt the work" is displayed. After a few seconds, it returns to the normal screen display (for example, screen: MS2).

[0043] [Other Embodiments] (1) In the above-described embodiment, an electric lawn mower is taken as the work vehicle. However, lawn mowers driven by internal combustion engines, work vehicles other than lawn mowers, such as agricultural work vehicles, civil engineering work vehicles, construction work vehicles, or multi-purpose vehicles, are also included in the work vehicle of the present invention.

[0044] (2) In the above-described embodiment, the liquid crystal display 80 is arranged on the display panel 8B. However, other display devices may be arranged. Also, projector display may be adopted.

[0045] (3) In the above-described embodiment, different specific operation signals are generated by the long-press operation and the short-press operation using the operating tool 8a. However, an operation using a plurality of operating devices may be adopted.

[0046] (4) In FIGS. 5 and 6, the arrangement of the functional blocks shown by the rectangular frames is for illustrative purposes, and each functional block can be arbitrarily integrated with other functional blocks or divided into a plurality of functional blocks.

[0047] Note that the configurations disclosed in the above-described embodiments (including other embodiments, the same hereinafter) can be applied in combination with the configurations disclosed in other embodiments as long as there is no contradiction. Also, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to this, and can be appropriately modified within the scope not departing from the object of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0048] The present invention is applicable to an information display technology using multiple screens for a work vehicle.

Explanation of Signs

[0049] 5: Control unit 8A: Operation panel (operation meter panel) 8B: Display panel (operation meter panel) 8a: Operating tool 50: Vehicle body control unit 51: Input / output processing unit 52: Travel control unit 53: Mower control unit 54: Operation signal processing unit 56: Screen identifier management unit 57: Data processing unit 58: Display command generation unit 60: Equipment storage unit 80: Liquid crystal display (operation meter panel) 81: Screen management unit (operation meter panel)

Claims

1. A screen transition control system that sequentially displays information of a work vehicle, comprising: an operation signal processing unit that generates operation data based on a specific operation of an operating tool; a display panel that displays the selected information display screen selected from a group of screens as a selection screen; a screen management unit that provides a screen identifier assigned to the selection screen to a screen identifier management unit; a display command generation unit that generates a display command including display information from the screen identifier acquired from the screen identifier management unit and the operation data; and the screen management unit provides a display signal for displaying the information display screen determined based on the display command to the display panel. A screen transition control system.

2. The information display screens constituting the screen group are divided into a plurality of groups according to display purposes, and a common screen identifier is assigned to the information display screens belonging to each group. The screen transition control system according to Claim 1.

3. The group includes a priority group consisting of a plurality of priority screens that are prioritized at startup, and the work vehicle operation mode of the work vehicle is determined by the priority screen selected as the selection screen. The screen transition control system according to Claim 2.

4. The specific operations performed on the same selection screen include a first specific operation and a second specific operation, and the selection screen shown on the display panel through the first specific operation and the selection screen shown on the display panel through the second specific operation are different from each other. The screen transition control system according to Claim 1.

5. The operating tool is a single push switch, and the first specific operation and the second specific operation are distinguished according to the push operation time. The screen transition control system according to Claim 4.

6. The control unit connected to various sensor groups and various device groups is provided with the screen identifier management unit and the display command generation unit, and the operation data panel connected to the control unit so as to be capable of data exchange is provided with the display panel and the screen management unit. The screen transition control system according to Claim 1.

7. A work vehicle equipped with the screen transition control system according to any one of Claims 1 to 6.

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