Prince Corporation

Colin R Smidstra

Brian S Honeck

An electronic vehicle accessory includes a non-volatile memory, and a controller coupled to the non-volatile memory and to a speed sensor of the vehicle for receiving speed data representing the vehicle's current speed. The controller determines when the vehicle's current speed falls below a predetermined threshold and stores variable data in the non-volatile memory when the vehicle's speed is below the predetermined threshold. The electronic vehicle accessory may be an instrument panel, an electronic compass, and/or a mini-trip computer, which may be housed in an overhead housing. By storing variable data in the non-volatile memory as a function of the vehicle's speed, the present invention ensures that the most up-to-date data is stored in the non-volatile memory before the vehicle's ignition is turned off while eliminating excessive stores that shorten the lifetime of the non-volatile memory. Further, by storing data as a function of vehicle speed, the connection to a battery powerline may be eliminated and the manufacturing and installation costs may be significantly reduced. Additionally, excessive battery drain resulting from the electronic accessory being locked in a failure mode may be prevented.

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Hudsonville, MI, United States of America

Colin R Smidstra