Abstract: A gear availability indicator for multi-gear transmissions of motor vehicles capable of generating output signals for operation of a display, including a display having at least: a first section displaying a range of acceptable engine speeds; and a second section displaying at least one gear symbol representative of at least one gear ratio value, the displayed range of acceptable engine speeds and the at least one displayed gear symbol being moveable relative to one another; and means for selectively masking at least one of the first section and the second section.

Abstract: A gear availability indicator for multi-gear transmissions of motor vehicles includes a signal processing unit for receiving input signals representative of vehicle speed and engine speed. The signal processing unit can determine a gear ratio value representative of the relationship between vehicle speed and engine speed for each gear in the vehicle transmission and can generate output signals for operation of a display. The display includes a first section displaying a range of acceptable engine speeds and a second section displaying gear symbols representative of gear ratio values. The displayed range of acceptable engine speeds and the displayed gear symbols are relatively moveable. The mutual alignment of the displayed range of acceptable engine speeds and one or more of the displayed gear symbols indicates that one or more gears represented by the one or more gear symbols are available for engagement in the transmission.