(19) German
`Patent and Trademark Office
`
`(12)
`
`Patent Document
`
`(10) DE 199 01 808 B4 07/07/2011
`
`(21) Application number: 199 01 808.1
`(22) Date of Application: 01/19/1999
`(43) Publication date
`of the unexamined document: 07/20/2000
`
`(45) Publication date
`of the issued patent: 07/07/2011
`
`G086
`(51) Int. CI.:
`B60K 31/18 (2006.01)
`B60Q9/OO (2006.01)
`
`1/0967 (2006.01)
`
`According to § 59 Patent Law, an appeal against the patent can be lodged within three months after
`the publication of the issued patent. The appeal must be explained and justified in writing. Within the
`appeal period, an appeal fee of 200 Euros must be paid (§ 6 Patent Costs Law in conjunction with the
`Appendix to § 2 Para 1 Patent Costs Law).
`
`
`(73) Patent Owner:
`Volkswagen AG, 38440, Wolfsburg, DE
`
`(56) Patents examined to evaluate the patentability:
`
`DE
`
`44 14 657
`
`A1
`
`(72) Inventor:
`Werner, Michael, 38106, Braunschweig, DE
`
`A1
`43 25 721
`DE
`A1
`43 04 094
`DE
`A1
`36 19 824
`DE
`U1
`297 03 902
`DE
`Bl
`0 351 274
`EP
`A1
`07 89 344
`EP
`
`
`(54) Title: Display device for displaying the speed of a vehicle
`
`(57) Main claim: A display device for displaying
`the speed of a vehicle with which the current
`travel speed that is used to derive the
`permissible speed limit based on existing speed
`restrictions via a receiving device (6) from a
`received data signal (10), where the received
`data signal (10) is converted in a signal
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`converter (11) into data format suitable for a
`
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`subsequent processor (7), and the processor (7)
`1;
`displays the respective permissible speed limit
`2x
`'
`.N
`at a speedometer display (1) that exhibits a
`is, a;
`scale (2) via display control (9), characterized in L
`Ki:
`that the scale range of the speedometer display
`(1) is displayed in its entirety up to the W
`respective speed limit and in that the
`remaining scale range is switched dark or is
`
`)
`
`displayed in a reduced optical presentation.
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`DARREN L DEJONG
`NOTARY PUBLIC - STATE OF ILLINOIS
`
`
`
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 1
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 1
`
`

`

`DE 199 01 808 B4 07/07/2011
`
`Description
`
`The invention relates to a display device for displaying the speed of a vehicle according to the main
`subject of patent claim 1. Such a display device is known from DE 36 19 824 A1.
`
`DE 36 19 824 A1 describes a system for displaying the currently valid speed limit or the speed limit that
`is safe according to the environmental conditions for road vehicles that exhibits an image sensor that is
`attached to the vehicle, where the image data of the image sensor are processed by an information
`processing device. The latter determines from the image data a highest permissible speed value by
`using background knowledge and displays this value together with the current speed on a display
`instrument. A warning signal is emitted when the displayed speed limit is exceeded.
`Display devices for vehicles that comprise displays for operating conditions of the vehicle in addition to
`the current travel speed are generally known. The speedometer of such a display device can include a
`scale on which certain speed ranges are highlighted in color in order to point to typical speed limits in
`communities, for example.
`
`Known from EP 0 351 274 Bl is a device for determining and displaying the recommended speed limit
`of a vehicle as a function of measured internal functional parameters of a motor vehicle. The scale
`range of the speedometer display exhibits light emitting diodes distributed evenly across the display
`device and lighting up up to the recommended speed limit and thus highlighting optically the lower
`section of the scale range and which are switched off above the recommended speed limit and thus do
`not optically highlight the upper section of the scale range.
`
`Known from DE 43 04 094 A1 is a device for transferring traffic-relevant data to a motor vehicle that
`provides for the transfer of the respective permissible speed limit in a coded fashion. A device located
`on the inside of the vehicle receives the signal that contains the respective speed limit in a coded
`fashion such that the permissible speed limit can be displayed on a display in the vehicle. To transfer
`the signal that contains the respective speed limit, antennas are provided in the road bed and are
`supplied from a permanently operating transmitter, whose transmitted signal contains the respective
`permissible speed limit in a coded fashion. The permissible speed limit is displayed in the vehicle in
`digital form.
`
`Known from DE 297 03 902 U1 is an analog speed measuring device with an additional display that
`allows additional markings in the form of scale lines highlighted in color in the area of a speedometer
`scale. An additional red scale line is provided for the respective current permissible speed limit. In this
`case, the permissible speed limit can be specified in combination with a position determining system, a
`data base, or via vehicle-external transmission devices.
`
`DE 43 25 721 A1 discloses a display device for vehicles with a presentation for the motor vehicle speed
`exhibiting a means of display for the representation of the speed difference between the motor
`vehicle's actual speed and the recommended speed relevant to the vehicle. The recommended speed
`can be oriented on an object located in front. A circular segment is lighted, which in its position is
`determined by a pointer that indicates the current speed of the vehicle and a line whose position
`marks the speed of the object located in front. A circular arc consisting of individual LEDs can be
`selected in place of the lighted circular segment.
`
`It is the objective of the invention to create a display device for displaying the speed of a vehicle that
`allows for an additional optical display of the respective permissible speed limit by taking into account
`locally existing speed restrictions and the current travel speed.
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 2
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 2
`
`

`

`The solution of this objective is obtained by the features stated in claim 1. A display device located in
`the vehicle receives a data signal that is converted to a signal format suitable for a subsequent
`processer using a signal converter. The data signal contains information that specifies an admissible
`speed limit and that is recognized by the processor and is displayed on a speedometer display. The
`scale range ofthe speedometer display is displayed fully up to the respective permissible speed limit.
`The remaining area of the scale is switched dark or is displayed in a reduced optical presentation.
`
`The data signal may be a video signal of a camera attached to the vehicle. If the video signal contains
`irrTage components that concern a traffic sign with a speed restriction, the information is recognized by
`the processor and the speed limited to be displayed is derived from it.
`
`The display device that operates together with a camera has the advantage that no external system is
`required for displaying the permissible speed limit. Fundamentally, even already existing vehicles can
`be retrofitted with such a video system, thus making it universally useable.
`
`Image patterns for different traffic signs related to speed restrictions can be stored in a data memory
`such that a processor can recognize speed limits relatively easily and dependably by data comparison
`between the received data and the stored image patterns.
`
`The data signal received by the display device in the vehicle can also be a signal of a global positioning
`system, which is commonly known by its abbreviation GPS. For this purpose, the data signal ofthe GPS
`additionally contains information about the locally present speed restrictions, which can then be
`displayed optically in a suitable manner on the speedometer scale of the display device.
`
`The speedometer display can also have a scale with segmented backlighting or with other means for
`optical highlighting. In this manner, a speed range of a backlit speedometer display that borders the
`permissible speed limit can be highlighted through stronger backlighting, whereby the highlighted area
`can also exhibit a different color than the remaining scale regions. Backlighting of the speedometer
`display can also be done such that only the scale region up to the maximum permissible speed limit is
`made visible.
`
`An advantageous development of the invention provides that a ring—shaped display element runs along
`the scale of the speedometer display, which is divided into numerous ring elements that can be
`highlighted optically. The ring segments can be controlled individually such that certain speed ranges
`or speed limits can be highlighted in an optically more pronounced fashion by flashing or by different
`colors.
`
`The speedometer display can also highlight the permissible speed limit optically in that the area
`covered by the speedometer needle lights green up to the permissible speed limit, while a red
`identification occurs above the permissible speed limit. The color highlighting of the scale regions to
`and from the permissible speed limit can be done also by backlighting in different colors. The
`permissible speed range can be identified also by light emitting diodes lit in green color, while the
`region above the permissible speed limit is highlighted by red light emitting diodes. The light emitting
`diodes can be arranged in 10 km/h or 20 km/h intervals.
`
`Highlighting of the permissible speed limit in the different embodiments can be done such that
`
`regardless of the current travel speed the permissible speed limit and the speed region located above
`are highlighted optically different. It can also be provided that only the region of the scale up to the
`speedometer exhibits a particular optical highlight such that the optical marking changes from red to
`' green only when the permissible speed limit is exceeded.
`I
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 3
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 3
`
`

`

`Below, the invention is explained in greater detail using an exemplary embodiment based on a
`drawing.
`The figures show:
`
`Fig. 1 the speedometer display of a display device according to the invention.
`Fig. 2 a block diagram of the display device with a speedometer display according to Fig. 1, and
`Fig. 3 a speedometer display with light emitting diodes.
`
`The speedometer display 1 presented in Fig. 1 is part of a display device suitable for displaying the
`travel speed and the locally permissible speed limit. For this purpose, the scale 2 of the speedometer
`display 1 is surrounded by a ring-shaped display element 3 that can be divided optically into numerous
`ring segments 4. The highlighted ring segment 4 can be highlighted by stronger backlighting or by a
`different color in order to point to a maximum permissible speed limit. In the presented exemplary
`embodiment, the highlighted ring segment may point to a speed limit of 70 km/h, for example.
`
`The highlighting of the maximum permissible speed limit can be done also in that a partial region of
`the scale 1 that corresponds to a ring segment 4 is highlighted optically. This can be done by different
`coloration and/or a flashing scale line 5.
`
`The permissible speed limit can also be displayed in that only one of the scale regions of the
`speedometer display 1 is fully presented up to the respective permissible speed limit. The remaining
`scale region, which starts at 70 km/h in the exemplary embodiment presented, can be switched dark or
`displayed in a reduced optical presentation, as is the case in Fig. 1.
`
`The block diagram of the display device presented in Fig. 2 comprises a receiving device 6, a processor
`7, a data memory 8 connected to the processor 7, a display control 9 as well as a speedometer display
`1.
`
`The receiving device 6 can be a camera for receiving an optical data signal 10 that contains information
`about local speed restrictions. In this case, the data signal 10 is a video signal with image components
`that can contain the representation of traffic signs.
`
`The received data signal 10 is converted in a data converter 11, which is part of the receiving device 6,
`into a suitable data format, which is then provided to the processor 7. In the processor 7, a
`determination can be made if a certain speed limit is contained in the data signal 10 as an image
`component by data comparison with image patterns stored in the data memory 8. If such a speed
`restriction is recognized by the data comparison, then the processor 7 activates the speedometer
`display via the display control 9 switched in line after the processor 7 such that the respective
`permissible speed limit is displayed there. The speedometer display 1 can be designed in the same
`manner as shown in Fig. 1.
`
`For the speedometer display 1 presented in Fig. 3, light emitting diodes 12 are provided at larger
`intervals of the scale, which highlight the lower speed range up to the speedometer needle 13
`optically. The light emitting diodes 12 that are located in a speed range below the permissible speed
`limit light in green. The light emitting diodes 12 that are located above a permissible speed limit, for
`example above 30 km/h light in red and in this manner signal the driver that he exceeded the
`permissible speed limit.
`
`List of Reference Characters
`
`1
`2
`
`3
`
`Speedometer display
`Scale
`
`Display element
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 4
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 4
`
`

`

`4
`5
`
`6
`7
`
`8
`9
`10
`11
`
`12
`13
`
`Ring segments
`Scale line
`
`Receiving device
`Processor
`
`Data memory
`Display control
`Data signal
`Data converter
`
`Light emitting diodes
`Speedometer needle
`
`Patent Claims
`
`A display device for displaying the speed of a vehicle with which the current travel speed that is
`1.
`used to derive the permissible speed limit based on existing speed restrictions via a receiving device (6)
`from a received data signal (10), where the received data signal (10) is converted in a signal converter
`(11) into data format suitable for a subsequent processor (7), and the processor (7) displays the
`respective permissible speed limit at a speedometer display (1) that exhibits a scale (2) via display
`control (9), characterized in that the scale range of the speedometer display (1) is displayed in its
`entirety up to the respective speed limit and in that the remaining scale range is switched dark or is
`displayed in a reduced optical presentation.
`
`A display device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the received data signal (10) is a
`2.
`video signal received by a camera, in that the image components contained in the data signal (10)
`represent traffic signs indicating the speed limit, are recognized by the processor (7) and derive from
`them the speed limit to be displayed.
`
`A display device as set forth in claim 2, characterized in that image patterns for different traffic
`3.
`signs indicating speed restrictions are stored in a data memory (8), in that the processor (7) compares
`the received data signals (10) with the image patterns of the data memory (8) and determines the
`associated speed limit in case of a respective match of image components.
`
`A display device as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the received data signal (10) is a
`4.
`signal of a global positioning system that contains a signal component that indicates the respective
`speed restriction belonging to the local coordinates of the vehicle.
`
`2 sheets of drawings follow
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 5
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 5
`
`

`

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`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 6
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 6
`
`

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`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 7
`
`Garmin International, Inc.
`
`Exhibit 1020 - 7
`
`