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Single screen warning system eliminates fault lights
Page 34
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A BRAND new device aimed at reducing the number of warning lights in commercial vehicle driving cabs will be on show at Earls Court. The device, developed by Delphic Ltd of Atholl Court, 41 Atholl Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, is to be fitted to all of Duple's show exhibits. The unit displays fault warnings on a single tiny screen, thus eliminating the various flashing warning lights (one new truck announced this year has no less than 18).
The Delphic instrument has a single screen on which can be flashed up to 10 different messages about different faults. These messages have an amber or red background to indicate the order of priority and can only be cancelled by attention to the fault. An audible warning can be given as well. The device uses the probes and sensors already fitted to monitor brakes, oil, water, charge and so on. The number of messages can be extended by the use of an adjacent screen.
Duple is the first company to use the new device in the automotive field. The device uses a Ferranti monolithic chip to control the logic sequence and the whole device is no bigger than a cigarette packet. If required the device can be connected to a print-out, magnetic tape or other recording unit in order that faults may be monitored. Delphic is also working on a digital speedometer and says that the two instruments together would be able to provide all the information a driver needs to know.
Price for the single-screen device, which has a test facility, is expected to be "in the tens of s" initially. However, Delphic says that in real volume production it may in fact cost less than all the warning devices currently fitted, which could be dispensed with.