Patent ID: 6971181

Claim:
An aftermarket digital display compass accessory for mounting on an existing rear view mirror of a vehicle, in which the vehicle has a windshield having an inside surface, the rear view mirror is disposed adjacent the inside surface of the windshield, and the rear view mirror has a back side, which is oriented toward the windshield, and a front side, including the mirror surface, which is oriented toward a driver of the vehicle, comprising: a direction sensor module that is attached directly to the inside of the vehicle windshield and generates signals corresponding to a direction that it is facing; an electronic housing that is attached directly to the back side of the rear view mirror, on the back side of the rear view mirror; a digital display portion that is attached directly to the front side of the rear view mirror, on the front side of the rear view mirror; a flexible transmission cord extending from the directional sensor module to the electronic housing, and transmitting the signals from the direction sensor module; the electronic housing containing a battery providing a power source and electronics for converting the signals received from the transmission cord to drive a digital display representative of the direction sensed by the direction sensor module; and a flexible cable extending from the back side of the mirror to the front side of the mirror and providing electronic communication from the electronic housing to the digital display.