Abstract: A commercial trailer camera interface for providing an apparatus and method for connecting video cameras and data buses from a trailer to the tow vehicle. The trailer camera interface generally includes a nose box, which affixes to the front of the trailer, a tail box which affixes inside the rear of the tow vehicle, and an umbilical cable which connects the nose box to the tail box. The nose box encodes the video signals, for example as differential signals, for transmission over the umbilical cable and the tail box decodes the received encoded signals to recover the video signals. The nose box and the tail box may each include a plurality of video camera connectors. The tail box may include a video handler to display or record or stream the video signals.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, in one example, is a device for aggregating networks and serving data from those networks to computers for integrating information from various systems in a vehicle, processing that information, and presenting it to consumers of information in a suitable format. The device for aggregating networks, in another example, is specific to a vehicle and serving data from those networks to computers. The device, in one example, generally includes three main pieces: a motherboard containing the electronics embodying the vehicle computer system; software which implements the instructions for the electronics enabling the functionality disclosed herein; and, a case to protect the motherboard and provide a method of mounting the devices.

Abstract: A vehicle interface system comprises a vehicle interface processor, a processor data interconnect system, a vehicle communications bus electrical connection system, vehicle interface software, and an application data collection process running on the application processor using spare cycles not used by the application primary process. The application data collection process communicates with the vehicle interface software using the processor data interconnect system.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, in one example, is a device for aggregating networks in a vehicle and serving data, including video data, from those networks to a computer for integrating information from various systems in a vehicle, processing that information, and presenting the information to a user in a suitable format. The device for aggregating networks, in another example, is specific to a vehicle and serving data, including video data, from those networks to computers.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, in one example, is a device for aggregating networks and serving data from those networks to computers for integrating information from various systems in a vehicle, processing that information, and presenting it to consumers of information in a suitable format. The device for aggregating networks, in another example, is specific to a vehicle and serving data from those networks to computers. The device, in one example, generally includes three main pieces: a motherboard containing the electronics embodying the vehicle computer system; software which implements the instructions for the electronics enabling the functionality disclosed herein; and, a case to protect the motherboard and provide a method of mounting the devices.

Abstract: A commercial trailer camera interface for providing an apparatus and method for connecting video cameras and data buses from a trailer to the tow vehicle. The trailer camera interface generally includes a nose box, which affixes to the front of the trailer, a tail box which affixes inside the rear of the tow vehicle, and an umbilical cable which connects the nose box to the tail box. The nose box encodes the video signals, for example as differential signals, for transmission over the umbilical cable and the tail box decodes the received encoded signals to recover the video signals. The nose box and the tail box may each include a plurality of video camera connectors. The tail box may include a video handler to display or record or stream the video signals.

Abstract: A vehicle interface system comprises a vehicle interface processor, a processor data interconnect system, a vehicle communications bus electrical connection system, vehicle interface software, and an application data collection process running on the application processor using spare cycles not used by the application primary process. The application data collection process communicates with the vehicle interface software using the processor data interconnect system.

Abstract: The present application discloses a system and method for accessing vehicle communications bus information outside the bandwidth of a limited CPU without missing critical information. The system and method for accessing vehicle communications bus information outside the bandwidth of a limited CPU generally includes a vehicle interface processor, that processor's interconnect to an application processor and the vehicle interface. The vehicle interface software that vehicle interface processor has running on it and the vehicle interface processor's connection to the vehicle may also be included.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, in one example, is a device for aggregating networks in a vehicle and serving data, including video data, from those networks to a computer for integrating information from various systems in a vehicle, processing that information, and presenting the information to a user in a suitable format. The device for aggregating networks, in another example, is specific to a vehicle and serving data, including video data, from those networks to computers.

Abstract: Disclosed herein, in one example, is a device for aggregating networks in a vehicle and serving data, including video data, from those networks to a computer for integrating information from various systems in a vehicle, processing that information, and presenting the information to a user in a suitable format. The device for aggregating networks, in another example, is specific to a vehicle and serving data, including video data, from those networks to computers.

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has an audio entertainment system implemented in a logic unit and audio digital signal processor (DSP) independent from the host CPU. The audio entertainment system employs a set of ping/pong buffers and direct memory access (DMA) circuits to transfer data between different audio devices. Audio data is exchanged using a mapping overlay technique, in which the DMA circuits for two audio devices read and write to the same memory buffer. The computer system provides an audio manager API (application program interface) to enable applications running on the computer to control the various audio sources without knowing the hardware and implementation details of the underlying sound system. Different audio devices and their drivers control different functionality of the audio system, such as equalization, volume controls and surround sound decoding. The audio manager API transfers calls made by the applications to the appropriate device driver(s).

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has an audio entertainment system implemented in a logic unit and audio digital signal processor (DSP) independent from the host CPU. The audio entertainment system employs a set of ping/pong buffers and direct memory access (DMA) circuits to transfer data between different audio devices. Audio data is exchanged using a mapping overlay technique, in which the DMA circuits for two audio devices read and write to the same memory buffer. The computer system provides an audio manager API (application program interface) to enable applications running on the computer to control the various audio sources without knowing the hardware and implementation details of the underlying sound system. Different audio devices and their drivers control different functionality of the audio system, such as equalization, volume controls and surround sound decoding. The audio manager API transfers calls made by the applications to the appropriate device driver(s).

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has an audio entertainment system implemented in a logic unit and audio digital signal processor (DSP) independent from the host CPU. The audio entertainment system employs a set of ping/pong buffers and direct memory access (DMA) circuits to transfer data between different audio devices. Audio data is exchanged using a mapping overlay technique, in which the DMA circuits for two audio devices read and write to the same memory buffer. The computer system provides an audio manager API (application program interface) to enable applications running on the computer to control the various audio sources without knowing the hardware and implementation details of the underlying sound system. Different audio devices and their drivers control different functionality of the audio system, such as equalization, volume controls and surround sound decoding. The audio manager API transfers calls made by the applications to the appropriate device driver(s).

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has an audio entertainment system implemented in a logic unit and audio digital signal processor (DSP) independent from the host CPU. The audio entertainment system employs a set of ping/pong buffers and direct memory access (DMA) circuits to transfer data between different audio devices. Audio data is exchanged using a mapping overlay technique, in which the DMA circuits for two audio devices read and write to the same memory buffer. The computer system provides an audio manager API (application program interface) to enable applications running on the computer to control the various audio sources without knowing the hardware and implementation details of the underlying sound system. Different audio devices and their drivers control different functionality of the audio system, such as equalization, volume controls and surround sound decoding. The audio manager API transfers calls made by the applications to the appropriate device driver(s).

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has an audio entertainment system implemented in a logic unit and audio digital signal processor (DSP) independent from the host CPU. The audio entertainment system employs a set of ping/pong buffers and direct memory access (DMA) circuits to transfer data between different audio devices. Audio data is exchanged using a mapping overlay technique, in which the DMA circuits for two audio devices read and write to the same memory buffer. The computer system provides an audio manager API (application program interface) to enable applications running on the computer to control the various audio sources without knowing the hardware and implementation details of the underlying sound system. Different audio devices and their drivers control different functionality of the audio system, such as equalization, volume controls and surround sound decoding. The audio manager API transfers calls made by the applications to the appropriate device driver(s).

Abstract: A computer system includes a Flash or other nonvolatile memory. A program(s) to coordinate data transfers is loaded into a volatile system memory to transfer data from an external device to the Flash memory. The data transferred from the external device to the Flash memory can be transferred to a previously unused portion of the Flash memory, or alternatively can overwrite a previously used portion of the Flash memory. According to one aspect of the invention, the data is transferred from the external device to the volatile system memory and then from the volatile system memory to the Flash memory, allowing additional verification steps to help insure that the data is transferred intact. According to another aspect of the invention, data is copied from the external device to the Flash memory on a portion by portion basis, leaving a set of critical portions to be transferred last.

Abstract: Computer system reliability is improved using various techniques to monitor objects (e.g., processes, threads, DLLs, etc.) executing on the system. Such techniques include active techniques, in which information is continually communicated from the object to the monitor, and passive techniques, in which the object does not need to repeatedly provide information to the monitor. The monitor determines when an object in the computer system has failed, and initiates appropriate recovery action when such a failure is detected.

Abstract: A hardware-implemented interrupt handler external to a processor handles interrupts destined for the processor. The interrupt handler has a programmable prioritized interrupt array with programmable registers that identify priority levels and handling processes for handling one or more interrupts. The interrupt handler also has an interrupt scanning state machine that scans the prioritized interrupt following receipt of an interrupt to extract the priority level and handling process associated with the interrupt. The interrupt handler is designed to handle interrupts in significantly less time than software implementations, thereby making the handler favorable for real time systems.

Abstract: An application-to-component communication helper facilities communication between applications running an in-vehicle computer to an in-vehicle component. Each vehicle part has a corresponding object, and each object exposes a pre-defined Device Communication Application Programming Interface (DCAPI). Some objects are built-in, meaning that they are defined to some degree by the operating system, and rely on the operating system for at least parts of their functionality. Other objects are add-on objects, meaning that they are provided apart from the operating system, for subsequent installation and use in conjunction with the operating system. The operating system provides a “device helper” that allows add-on components to participate and utilize access management and notification features provided by the operating system. The device helper exposes its method for use by corresponding device-com methods of component objects.

Abstract: A vehicle computer system has a housing sized to be mounted in a vehicle dashboard or other appropriate location. A computer is mounted within the housing and executes an open platform, multi-tasking operating system. The computer runs multiple applications on the operating system, including both vehicle-related applications (e.g., vehicle security application, vehicle diagnostics application, communications application, etc.) and non-vehicle-related applications (e.g., entertainment application, word processing, etc.). The applications may be supplied by the vehicle manufacturer and/or by the vehicle user.