Mobile off-road machinery is adding more advanced features such as advanced load moment indication (LMI), automated dig routines, and GPS based excavation and grading. In addition to off-road machinery, many on-road vehicles such as transit busses and motor coaches are adding sophisticated sub-systems to support adaptive cruise control and advanced driver assistance (ADAS), hybrid and electric drives.
These new sub-systems have also added the need for more information to be made available to the operators and service technicians. The additional complexity of the sub-systems has also resulted in increased complexity of the information for these systems.
Displaying dynamic information
Parker’s PHD display family is designed to keep pace with the advanced sub-systems in mobile machinery. Modern full glass LCD screens offer both the ability to display this information in a flexible and dynamic fashion, but also allows for easy to understand messages in both graphical form and in multiple languages. An example of this is showing the speed limit to the driver through the Advanced Driver Assist System. This can be shown as a graphical image of the speed limit sign, which varies by the posted speed limit, the local language, and even the format of the sign itself. Traditional instrument clusters with dial gages and telltale indicator lights are simply not capable of showing this type of dynamic, advanced information.
In addition to the ability to show dynamic information, full glass LCD screens also offer several screen configurations and options to make sure the correct information is shown at the correct time. As the status of the machine changes during operation, the information and status relevant to the operator or driver will also change. Since LCD screens allow an almost unlimited number of screens available to the operator, the correct information can be shown to the driver or operator as needed. For example, generally, the operator doesn’t need to see temperature or fluid level warnings during general operation. However, if there is a fluid level or temperature warning, a display can automatically change screens, showing the relevant fluid level amount and the warning text to bring this to the attention of the operator.
This is also true for cranes with advanced Load Moment Indication systems as well as backhoes with auto-dig functionality. For a backhoe, in the normal operating mode, the display would function as a normal instrument cluster, showing engine RPM, temperature, fuel level, etc. However, when the operator enters the auto dig functionality, the screen needs to change to show the backhoe configuration, as well as bucket depth and slope. This information is dynamic in nature and needs the flexibility of a display screen to present this information to the operator.
Flexible, dynamic screens are also essential to service technicians to troubleshoot systems. As sub-systems become more sophisticated, technicians need the ability to see a wide variety of information as well as various descriptions and possible repair options. For electric traction drives, the service technician needs to not only see the fault codes and status relating to the batteries, but also information relating the motors and drives. Since these sub-systems all interrelate, the information shown to the technician is dynamic and would vary by various failure modes between the batteries, drives and motors. Having this flexibility on the screens is essential to supporting these new sub-systems in the field.
Safe operation is also a very important factor in today’s machinery. The ability to see around the machine is key part of overall machine safety. This has driven the demand for back-up and peripheral cameras. In order to reduce the number of screens in the cab, the ability to dynamically change the screen to show one or multiple camera views is also important.
Todays modern on and off-road equipment are implementing more sophisticated sub-systems, such as all-electric drive, auto dig, advanced LMI and ADAS systems. Full glass, mobile displays, such as Parker Hannifin’s PHD mobile displays provide the flexibility and resolution that are essential for the operation, diagnostics and support of these new, advanced sub systems.
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Article contributed by Kirk Lola, product manager, Electronic Controls Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation.
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