On-vehicle information processing unit

• US 6,725,458 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Shimotani, Mitsuo, Uekawa, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, LeChi
• Application Number:
  US09/734,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 709/321, 719/321
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication

Abstract

An on-vehicle information processing unit includes a central processing unit; a first device connected to the central processing unit; a device-dependent driver for driving only the first device; an operating-system-standard (OS-standard) driver enabling an application to drive devices different from the first device; a device-dependent application using the first device through the device-dependent driver; and an OS-dependent application for using the first device through the OS-standard driver. The central processing unit can include a switch for enabling the OS-dependent application only when using an Internet function, and for operating the device-dependent application in a normal mode.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle information processing unit comprising:

a central processing unit;

a first device connected to said central processing unit;

a device-dependent driver for driving only said first device;

an operating-system-standard (OS-standard) driver enabling an application to drive devices different from said first device;

a device-dependent application using said first device through said device-dependent device;

an operating-system-dependent (OS-dependent) application using said first device through said OS-standard driver, and

driver switching means for switching between said device-dependent driver and said OS-standard driver, wherein said device-dependent application controls said driver switching means by carrying out inter-program communication with said OS-dependent application.

2. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 1, wherein said central processing unit comprises switching means for enabling said OS-dependent application only when using an Internet function, and for operating said device-dependent application in a normal mode.

3. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 2, further comprising a device driver switching module for enabling said device-dependent driver in response to a request of said device-dependent application, and for enabling said OS-dependent driver in response to a request of said OS-dependent application.

4. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 1, further comprising a device driver switching module for enabling said device-dependent driver in response to a request of said device-dependent application, and for enabling said OS-dependent driver in response to a request of said OS-dependent application.

5. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 4, wherein said device driver switching module enables one of said device-dependent drives and OS-dependent driver in response to operation of a manual switch.

6. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 4, wherein said central processing unit further comprises a program managing module for controlling execution of said device-dependent application and said OS-dependent application, and said device driver switching module switches said device drivers in response to a request of said program managing module.

7. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 1, wherein said first device is a display device having multi-display layers, and displays an image associated with said device-dependent application on an upper layer, and an image associated with said OS-dependent application on a lower layer.

8. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 7, wherein said first device simultaneously displays images associated with both said device-dependent application and said OS-dependent application by limiting at least one of display areas of said upper display layer and said lower display layer.

9. The on-vehicle information processing unit according to claim 1, wherein said OS-dependent application operates on a virtual machine.