Vehicle-mounted multimedia device

• US 7,231,642 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 06/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Shimotani, Mitsuo, Yoshida, Minoru, Sato, Fumitaka, Araki, Shinichiro, Uekawa, Akio, Asai, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAO, DIEM K
• Application Number:
  US10/275,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154319A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,276 Days
• Field of Search: 726/23, 719310-332, 701/1, 701/2, 701 23- 28, 701200-216
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements

Abstract

An on-vehicle multimedia device to be operated by software 16 including an application module group 18 having a plurality of application modules 19 that realizes their respective different functions and an application control module 17 for controlling each of the application modules 19, characterized by the device comprising external hardware which inputs and outputs data to be processed by the software.

Claims

1. An on-vehicle multimedia device to be operated by software, comprising:

an application module group having a plurality of application modules that realizes their respective different functions,

an application control module for controlling each of the application modules, and

external hardware which inputs and outputs data to be processed by the software; and

a library group constituted of a plurality of libraries, each of which realizes a plurality of functions common to the application control module and all of the application modules, wherein the application control module and each of the application modules read from the library group, wherein said library group has an interface which is common to all libraries,

wherein an external input/output control module includes an external input/output library for controlling data input from and output to the external hardware, wherein each of the application modules includes;

a drawing library for performing drawing on the external hardware; and

an external input/output library for controlling data input from and output to the external hardware,

wherein each of the application control module and the application module operate in parallel and also in a protected separate process space.

2. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application module group includes, as one of the application modules, an external input/output control module for inputting data from and outputting data to the external hardware.

3. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module analyzes data from the external hardware, and then delivers the data to an application module or an application control module corresponding to the result of the analysis.

4. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module controls starting and ending of each application module.

5. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, further comprising a voice recognition portion for analyzing audio data input into the external hardware.

6. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, further comprising a text speaking portion which analyzes text data from the application module to read the analyzed text data aloud by the external hardware.

7. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes a state transition detecting portion for detecting state transition of the application module, and when receiving data used for the application module, the application control module detects a command acceptable state of the application module using the state transition detecting portion and then delivers the data.

8. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes:

a state transition detecting portion for detecting state transition of the application module;

a command interpreting portion for interpreting input data; and

a command converting portion that converts the data which has been interpreted by the command interpreting portion into data used for the corresponding application module before transmitting the converted data.

9. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module judges whether or not the application module is started, and starts the application module before delivering data.

10. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes:

a communication interface portion for communicating with the application control module or each application module;

an application control module application portion in which a function of the application control module is realized; and

an application module application portion that makes the application modules execute respective individual functions,

wherein said application control module and the application module include, in common, a common communication interface portion for mutual communication.

11. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module reads an application module, which is a target of read command data, into a main memory.

12. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module deletes an application module, which is a target of delete command data, from the main memory.

13. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 12, wherein said application module saves an internal state and data of the application module before they are deleted by the application control module.

14. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, further comprising an application replacing portion for reading an application module as a target of read command data into the main memory, or for deleting an application module as a target of delete command data from the main memory.

15. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application module group includes, as one of the application modules, a library group constituted of a plurality of libraries, each of which realizes a plurality of functions common to the application control module and all of the application modules.

16. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 15, wherein, in the library group, the same library is simultaneously accessed by a plurality of application modules using the same steps.

17. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes a drawing right control portion having functions of, when receiving drawing command data from the application control module or the application module, judging whether or not drawing is possible, and if it is judged that drawing is possible, then performing the drawing on the external hardware.

18. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes an audio output right control portion having functions of, when receiving audio output command data from the application control module or the application module, judging whether or not audio output is possible, and if it is judged that audio output is possible, then outputting audio from the external hardware.

19. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes:

a state transition detecting portion having functions of, when receiving drawing right request data from the application control module or the application module, judging whether or not the application control module or the application module can perform drawing, and if it is judged that drawing is possible, issuing drawing possible notification data to the application control module or the application module; and

a drawing library for performing drawing on the external hardware according to the drawing command data from the application control module or the application module which has received the drawing possible notification data.

20. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes:

a state transition detecting portion having functions of, when receiving audio output right request data from the application control module or the application module, judging whether or not the application control module or the application module can output audio, and if it is judged that audio output is possible, issuing audio output possible notification data to the application control module or the application module; and

an audio output library for outputting audio from the external hardware according to audio output command data from the application control module or the application module which has received the audio output possible notification data.

21. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, further comprising a drawing library having functions of, when receiving drawing command data from the application control module or the application module, judging whether or not drawing is possible, and if it is judged that drawing is possible, performing drawing on the external hardware.

22. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, further comprising an audio output library having functions of, when receiving audio output command data from the application control module or the application module, judging whether or not audio output is possible, and if it is judged that audio output is possible, outputting audio from the external hardware.

23. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application control module includes:

a drawing control portion for performing drawing on the external hardware; and

a screen data portion for storing screen data required for the drawing.

24. The on-vehicle multimedia device according to claim 1, wherein said application module includes:

a drawing control portion for performing drawing on the external hardware; and

a screen data portion for storing screen data required for the drawing.