Pit road display

This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/064,662, filed Mar. 19, 2008.

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to instruments or gauges for Ls in vehicles, and in particular to instruments or gauges that provide feedback detectable by the peripheral vision of a driver when vehicle operating parameters, such as engine speed, temperature, pressure, and voltage, are in a critical range. The instruments or gauges of the invention are especially suitable for use in racing vehicles that meet standards of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), although they may also be used in other types of racing and non-racing vehicles.

The instruments or gauges of the invention may include one or more of the following types of instruments or gauges and/or features:

• • a. A tachometer that not only includes a primary numeric display, but also a secondary display made up of a plurality of discrete lights of different colors, the colors indicating whether the engine speed of a vehicle is within a relatively narrow range of engine speeds acceptable for the roadway leading from a race track to service areas, known as “pit road,” the high and low limits of the range being adjustable to meet pit road requirements at different tracks;
  • b. An instrument or gauge having a background that illuminates to indicate critical sensor readings;
  • c. An instrument or gauge having improved handling of sensor abnormalities to prevent false readings;
  • d. A non-linear analog gauge for a motor vehicle, such as an oil pressure, temperature, or voltage gauge, having a higher resolution in a particular range of interest, and a lower resolution outside that range;
  • e. A boost pressure gauge that facilitates entry of gear information for use in traction control; and
  • f. A teach and learn feature enabling synchronization of gauges, such as fuel sensors, speedometers, and tachometers, to different sensor inputs.

2. Description of Related Art

The present invention is especially suitable for use in racing vehicles that meet standards of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Vehicles that comply with the standards set by NASCAR are modified production automobiles that have been stripped of non-essential devices and instruments in order to reduce the weight of the vehicles, and to make room for specialized safety equipment and devices necessary to operation of the vehicle at very high speeds. The nature of NASCAR racing, and in particular the high speeds and close proximity at which the vehicles are driven, requires the driver to devote maximum attention to the track and other vehicles, since any lapse in attention can have catastrophic consequences.