EARLY REAR VIEW CAMERA VIDEO DISPLAY IN A MULTIPROCESSOR ARCHITECTURE

• US 20170015246A1
• Filed: 04/02/2014
• Published: 01/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: HONGHALLI DEVARAJU, Anil Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 10,604,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/26 to the rear of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/207 using multi-purpose displays, e.g. camera image and navigation or video on same display
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/8046 for replacing a rear-view mirror system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40234 Local Interconnect Network LIN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40273 the transportation system being a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

An infotainment assembly for a vehicle has a vehicle communication controller and a multimedia controller with an interchip communication bus and a serial bus connection, a message processing unit and a remote messaging interface having a one-way protocol. The multimedia controller comprises a display connection for a display device, a message receiver, and a computer readable memory with an operating system having multiple boot phases, wherein graphics drivers of the operating system for controlling the display device are loaded in a later boot phase of the operating system. A video driver retrieves video signals, generates video images and transmits the video images to a display device during an earlier boot phase of the operating system.

Claims

1. An infotainment assembly for a car, comprising

a vehicle communication controller, the vehicle communication controller comprising

a bus connection for connecting a serial bus,

a message processing unit, and

a remote messaging interface for sending messages using a one-way protocol, and

a multimedia controller that is connected to the vehicle communication controller via an interchip communication bus, the multimedia controller comprising

a display connection for connecting a display,

a message receiver for receiving messages of the one-way protocol,

a computer readable memory with an operating system, the operating system comprising multiple boot phases,

a video driver for displaying rear view camera images, and

an early business logic which is operative to cause the video driver to start a rear view camera video,

wherein the operating system is configured to load the early business logic during an earlier boot phase of the operating system and to load the video driver in a later boot phase of the operating system, the earlier boot phase preceding the later boot phase.

4. The infotainment assembly according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia controller comprises

a rear view camera application/business logic for calling the video driver in the later boot phase, and

a handover unit which is operative to receive a message which indicates that the rear view camera application is ready and to discontinue communication between the early business logic and the video driver and to establish communication between the rear view camera application and the video driver.

5. The infotainment assembly according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle communication controller comprises

a CAN application for sending CAN messages in periodic intervals, and

a CAN message mailbox unit for storing messages of the CAN application and for sending a feedback message indicating whether the CAN message mailbox unit is full,

wherein the CAN application is operative to retry sending a message if it receives a feedback message indication that the CAN message mailbox is full.

6. The infotainment assembly according to claim 1, wherein the message processing unit is operative to evaluate CAN messages and to trigger rear view camera events,

the vehicle communication controller comprising

an event messages mailbox unit for storing event messages of the message processing unit of claim 1 and for sending a feedback message indicating whether the mailbox unit is full,

wherein the rear view camera trigger business logic is operative to retry sending a message if it receives a feedback message indication that the event messages mailbox is full.

7. The infotainment assembly according to claim 6, comprising a message dispatcher for sending event messages from the vehicle communication controller to the multimedia controller via a one-way protocol, the message dispatcher unit being connected to an output of the event messages mailbox.

8. The infotainment assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a display device with a display screen, the display device being connected to the display connection of the multimedia controller.

9. The infotainment assembly according to claim 8, wherein a CAN bus of the car is connected to the bus connection of the vehicle communication controller.

16. The infotainment assembly according to claim 15, wherein the message processing unit is operative to evaluate CAN messages and to trigger rear view camera events,

the vehicle communication controller comprising

an event messages mailbox unit for storing event messages of the message processing unit of claim 1 and for sending a feedback message indicating whether the mailbox unit is full,

wherein the rear view camera trigger business logic is operative to retry sending a message if it receives a feedback message indication that the event messages mailbox is full.

17. The infotainment assembly according to claim 16, comprising a message dispatcher for sending event messages from the vehicle communication controller to the multimedia controller via a one-way protocol, the message dispatcher unit being connected to an output of the event messages mailbox.

18. The infotainment assembly according to claim 17, further comprising a display device with a display screen, the display device being connected to the display connection of the multimedia controller.

19. The infotainment assembly according to claim 18, wherein a CAN bus of the car is connected to the bus connection of the vehicle communication controller.

2. The infotainment assembly according to wherein the early business logic driver is operative to wait for a gear change event from the vehicle communication controller via the one-way protocol, to detect whether the video driver is loaded at the time when the gear change event is received, and to activate the video driver if it is loaded.

3. The infotainment assembly according to claim 2, wherein the gear change event indicates a gear change from a park position to a reverse gear position or a gear change from a neutral position to a reverse gear position.

14. The infotainment assembly according to claim 3, wherein the multimedia controller comprises

a rear view camera application/business logic for calling the video driver in the later boot phase, and

a handover unit which is operative to receive a message which indicates that the rear view camera application is ready and to discontinue communication between the early business logic and the video driver and to establish communication between the rear view camera application and the video driver.

15. The infotainment assembly according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle communication controller comprises

a CAN application for sending CAN messages in periodic intervals, and

a CAN message mailbox unit for storing messages of the CAN application and for sending a feedback message indicating whether the CAN message mailbox unit is full,

wherein the CAN application is operative to retry sending a message if it receives a feedback message indication that the CAN message mailbox is full.

10. A method for displaying video images from a rear view camera on a screen of a display device of a car infotainment system, the multimedia controller comprising an operating system with multiple boot phases, the method comprising

loading an early business logic driver in a kernel space of the operating system,

waiting for a rear view camera state event from a vehicle communication controller,

determining if a kernel mode video driver is loaded,

if the kernel mode video driver is not loaded,

updating a rear view camera state flag, and

if the kernel mode video driver is loaded,

calling a function of the kernel mode video driver for retrieving and displaying rear view camera video images.

11. A method for handing over control of a video driver from a kernel mode early business logic to a rear view camera application during a later boot phase of an operating system with multiple boot phases, the method comprising

waiting for an event indicating that a rear view camera business logic is ready,

loading a rear view camera application into a user space of the operating system,

discontinuing a communication between the video driver and the early business logic application, and

establishing a communication between the rear view camera application and the kernel space video driver.

12. A method for generating rear view camera events from CAN messages comprising

filtering the CAN messages for rear view camera messages,

generating rear view camera events from the filtered CAN messages,

storing the rear view camera events in a mailbox,

sending a feedback message if the mailbox is full, and

resending a rear view camera event upon receiving a feedback message indicating that the mailbox is full.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising sending the rear view camera events via a one-way protocol.