Vehicle infotainment system

• US 10,120,760 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2015
• Issued: 11/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Braun, Holger, Weber, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US15/326,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20170206139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 701 36
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/00 Supplying electric power to auxiliary equipment of vehicles circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/023 for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/033 characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1438 Restarting or rejuvenating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/7807 System on chip, i.e. computer system on a single chip; System in package, i.e. computer system on one or more chips in a single package
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle infotainment system, comprising a system-on-chip with a restart monitoring device. In this arrangement, the restart monitoring device is designed to determine a number of restarts of the system-on-chip and to deactivate the system-on-chip or to switch it in an idle mode when the number of restarts of the system-on-chip exceeds a predetermined threshold value. In this manner, the restart monitoring device can prevent a discharge of the battery of the vehicle by a faulty loop of restarts.

Claims

1. A vehicle infotainment system having:

a single-chip system having a restart monitoring device;

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to determine a number of restarts by the single-chip system; and

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to deactivate the single-chip system or to transfer it to an idle mode when the number of restarts by the single-chip system exceeds a prescribed threshold value;

the single-chip system further having;

a plurality of computer cores having a first portion of the computer cores and a second portion of the computer cores;

wherein the plurality of computer cores are operable by means of a power supply;

wherein the second portion of the computer cores is configured to identify a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores and, on identification of a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores, to disconnect the power supply for the first portion of the computer cores.

2. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of restarts is a number of restarts per unit time.

3. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of restarts is an absolute number;

and

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to reset the number of restarts when the single-chip system is successfully started up.

4. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to limit a wakeup function of the single-chip system when the number of restarts exceeds the prescribed threshold value.

5. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 4, the single-chip system having:

an interface for receiving a wakeup signal;

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to prevent the single-chip system from waking up when a wakeup signal is received via the interface when the number of restarts exceeds the prescribed threshold value.

6. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 5, the single-chip system further having:

a startup memory unit that stores a program code executed for a startup process of the single-chip system;

a semipermanent memory unit;

wherein the restart monitoring device is implemented in the startup memory unit;

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to store the determined number of restarts in the semipermanent memory unit;

a plurality of computer cores having a first portion of the computer cores and a second portion of the computer cores;

wherein the plurality of computer cores are operable by means of a power supply; and

wherein the second portion of the computer cores is configured to identify a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores and, on identification of a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores, to disconnect the power supply for the first portion of the computer cores.

7. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 6, the single-chip system further having:

a memory unit embodied as a NAND memory.

8. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the number of restarts is a number of restarts per unit time.

9. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the number of restarts is an absolute number;

and

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to reset the number of restarts when the single-chip system is successfully started up.

10. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 1, the single-chip system further having:

a startup memory unit that stores a program code executed for a startup process of the single-chip system;

a semipermanent memory unit;

wherein the restart monitoring device is implemented in the startup memory unit; and

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to store the determined number of restarts in the semipermanent memory unit.

11. The vehicle infotainment system as claimed in claim 1, the single-chip system further having:

a memory unit embodied as a NAND memory.

12. A motor vehicle having a vehicle infotainment system, the vehicle infotainment system comprising:

a single-chip system having a restart monitoring device;

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to determine a number of restarts by the single-chip system; and

wherein the restart monitoring device is configured to deactivate the single-chip system or to transfer it to an idle mode when the number of restarts by the single-chip system exceeds a prescribed threshold value;

the single-chip system further having;

a plurality of computer cores having a first portion of the computer cores and a second portion of the computer cores;

wherein the plurality of computer cores are operable by means of a power supply;

wherein the second portion of the computer cores is configured to identify a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores and, on identification of a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores, to disconnect the power supply for the first portion of the computer cores.

13. A method for preventing battery discharge by a vehicle infotainment system having a single-chip system having a plurality of computer cores having a first portion of the computer cores and a second portion of the computer cores, wherein the plurality of computer cores are operable by means of a power supply, the method involving:

determination of a number of restarts by the single-chip system by a restart monitoring device of the single-chip system; and

deactivation, or transfer to an idle mode, of the single-chip system by the restart monitoring device when the determined number of restarts exceeds a prescribed threshold value; and

identification, by the second portion of the computer cores, of a cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores and, on identification of the cyclic malfunction in the first portion of the computer cores, disconnection of the power supply for the first portion of the computer cores.