Method of automatically adjusting a vehicle speed display according to vehicle location

A method of displaying speed information in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing in the vehicle a display device for displaying vehicle speed, said display device including means for displaying a vehicle speed scale and a pointer cooperating with said vehicle speed scale to indicate an actual vehicle speed of the vehicle;
• b) determining a current actual position of the vehicle with a positioning device located in the vehicle;
• c) locating the current actual position of the vehicle determined in step b) on a digital map;
• d) identifying a region in which the current actual position of the vehicle is located;
• e) obtaining a current speed limit for said vehicle according to a road or street in said region on which said vehicle is currently located and according to characteristics of said vehicle;
• f) emphasizing a scale mark on the vehicle speed scale in order to indicate the current speed limit on the speed scale;
• and
• g) indicating the actual vehicle speed on the vehicle speed scale by means of said pointer;
• wherein said characteristics of said vehicle comprise vehicle weight, vehicle engine size and towed trailer characteristics when said trailer is towed by said vehicle.

A method of displaying speed information in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing in the vehicle a display device for displaying vehicle speed, said display device including means for displaying a selected one of a plurality of different vehicle speed scales, means for automatically selecting one of said different speed scales for display on the display device and a painter cooperating with said selected one of said plurality of different vehicle speed scales displayed on the display device to indicate an actual vehicle speed of the vehicle;
• b) determining a current actual position of the vehicle with a positioning device located in the vehicle;
• c) locating the current actual position of the vehicte determined in stop b) on a digital map;
• d) identifying a region in which the current actual position of the vehicle is located;
• e) storing speed limit values for roads and streets of said digital map in a storage device located in the vehicle;
• f) retrieving at least one of said speed limit values from said storage device to obtain a current speed limit for said vehicle according to one of said roads or one of said streets in said region on which said vehicle is currently located and according to characteristics of said vehicle;
• g) automatically selecting said selected one of said vehicle speed scales for display of the vehicle speed so that a scale end value depends on said current speed limit;
• and
• h) indicating the actual vehicle speed on said one of said vehicle speed scales selected in step g) by means of said pointer
• wherein said characteristics of said vehicle comprise vehicle weight, vehicle engine size and towed trailer characteristics when said trailer is towed by said vehicle.

A method of displaying speed information in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) determining a current actual position of the vehicle with a positioning device;
• b) locating the current actual position of the vehicle determined in step a) on a digital map;
• c) identifying one of a plurality of governmental regions in which the current actual position on the digital map Is located, wherein physical units for vehicle speed values and speed limit values are the same within each of said governmental regions but change when traveling between at least two of said governmental regions;
• d) displaying automatically on a display device at least one of an actual current speed of the vehicle and a speed limit for at least one type of road or street in said one of said governmental regions in said physical units for the speed values used in said one of said governmental regions;
• and
• e) when at least one of said actual current speed of the vehicle and said speed limit is displayed, generating at least one of an acoustic warning signal and an optical warning signal, it said physical units for the speed values change when said vehicle travels from said one of Mid governmental regions to another at said governmectal regions.

A method of displaying speed information in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) determining a current actual position of the vehicle with a positioning device located in the vehicle;
• b) locating the current actual position of the vehicle determined in step a) on a digital map;
• c) identifying a respective one of a number of different possible governmental regions in which the current actual position of the vehicle is located, wherein physical units for vehicle speed values and speed limit values are the same within each of said governmental regions, but change when traveling between at least two of said governmental regions;
• d) providing a display device in the vehicle for displaying vehicle speed, said display device including means for displaying a selected one of a plurality of different vehicle speed scales including speed scales in said different physical units, means for automatically selecting one of said different vehicle speed scales on the display device according to said respective one of said governmental regions in which said vehicle is currently located and a pointer cooperating with a selected one of said different vehicle speed scales displayed on the display device to indicate a current actual speed of the vehicle;
• e) obtaining a current speed limit for said vehicle according to a road or street in said governmental region on which said vehicle is currently located and optionally according to characteristics of said vehicle;
• f) automatically selecting said selected one of said different speed scales for display of the vehicle speed according to said respectIve one of said governmental regions in which said vehicle is currently located with said means for automatically selecting provided in step d) and so that a scale end value depends on said current speed limit;
• g) displaying said selected one of said different speed scales on said display device;
• h) emphasizing a scale mark on said selected one of said vehicle speed scales in order to indicate the current speed limit;
• and
• i) indicating the current actual speed on said selected one of said vehicle speed scales by means of said pointer.

A method of displaying speed information in a vehicle, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing a display device in the vehicle for displaying vehicle speed, said display device including means for displaying a selected one of a plurality of different vehicle speed scales, means for automatically selecting one of said different speed scales for display on the display device and a pointer cooperating with said selected one of said plurality of different vehicle speed scales displayed on the display device to indicate an actual vehicle speed of the vehicle;
• b) determining a current actual position of the vehicle with a positioning device located in the vehicle;
• c) locating the current actual position of the vehicle determined in step b) on a digital map;
• d) identifying a region in which the current actual position of the vehicle is located;
• e) obtaining a current speed limit for said vehicle according to a road or street in said region on which said vehicle is currently located and according to characteristics of said vehicle;
• f) automatically selecting said selected one of said different speed scales according to said characteristics of said vehicle and said region in which said vehicle is located;
• g) displaying said selected one of said vehicle speed scales so that a scale end value depends on said current speed limit;
• and
• h) indicating the actual vehicle speed on said selected one of said vehicle speed scales selected in step g) by means of said pointer;
• wherein said characteristics of said vehicle comprise vehicle weight, vehicle engine size and towed trailer characteristics when said trailer is towed by said vehicle.