Method for representing automotive device functionality and software services to applications using JavaBeans

• US 6,236,909 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1998
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Graham, Stephen Glen, Colson, James Campbell
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCHO, RONNIE M
• Application Number:
  US09/221,890
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/35, 701/36, 701/34, 123/357, 123/501, 717/1, 707/103, 705/9, 709/203
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/24 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable code with which a computing platform for automobiles can be constructed using software components. In particular, device functionality and platform software functionality available to computer applications are represented as JavaBeans in the Java computer programming language. Applications can be written to run on an automotive computing platform to access the device functionality using JavaBeans components. In this manner, software can be optimized for particular automotive applications or particular environments of devices and/or software, while still providing applications that are usable in a wide variety of automobile computing platforms and device configurations.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for creating a Java component for use in an automotive computing platform, said automotive computing platform executing an application program, the method comprising:

identifying an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit utilizing a software driver designed particularly for said electronic control unit to permit said electronic control unit to communicate with the automotive computing platform; and

creating a bytecode based component which is a software interface between the application program and the software driver designed for the electronic control unit, wherein the bytecode based component is for use in the automotive computing platform, wherein said component does not directly interface with said electronic control unit, and further wherein said electronic control unit does not communicate directly with the automotive computing platform.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is a fuel gauge sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is a mobile phone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bytecode based component is a Java component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the Java component is a JavaBean.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the automotive computing platform is located in an automobile and includes a registry used to locate Java components and further comprising:

registering the Java component with the registry in the automotive computing platform, wherein said application program may access the electronic control unit using the Java component.

7. An automotive computing system executing an application program for use in an automobile comprising:

a plurality of devices, each of said plurality of devices utilizing a different software driver designed particularly for said each of said plurality of devices to permit communication with the automotive computing system, wherein the application program does not directly interface with any of said plurality of devices or the software drivers designed particularly for any of said plurality of devices;

a plurality of JavaBeans, wherein each JavaBean within the plurality of JavaBeans is associated with a device within the plurality of devices and represents a functionality of the device and wherein access to the functionality of the device is provided through the JavaBean, said JavaBean being a software interface between the application program and the software driver designed particular for the device associated with the JavaBean, wherein the JavaBean does not interface directly with the device; and

an access mechanism, wherein the access mechanism receives a request from said application to access a device within the plurality of devices and returns a JavaBean associated with the device to the application.

8. The automotive computing system of claim 7, wherein the request is a request for a function, the access mechanism identifies a JavaBean associated with a device providing the function and returns the JavaBean associated with the device providing the function.

9. The automotive computing system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of JavaBeans and the access mechanism are located within a computing platform.

10. The automotive computing system of claim 9, wherein the computing platform is connected to the plurality of devices by at least one bus.

11. The automotive computing system of claim 7 further comprising:

a software service;

a JavaBean associated with the software service, wherein access to the software service is provided through the JavaBean; and

wherein the access mechanism receives a request from said application program to access a software service and returns a JavaBean associated with the device.

12. The automotive computing system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of JavaBeans are registered with the access mechanism.

13. The automotive computing system of claim 12, wherein a new JavaBean may be added to the plurality of JavaBeans by registering the new JavaBean through the access mechanism.

14. A vehicle comprising:

a plurality of devices;

a data processing system executing an application program, wherein the data processing system is connected to the plurality of devices, and further wherein each of the plurality of devices utilizes a software driver designed particularly for said each of the plurality of devices to communicate with said data processing system;

a plurality of Java applications located within the data processing system, wherein each Java application within the plurality of Java applications is associated with a device within the plurality of devices and represents a functionality of the device, and wherein each Java application is a software interface between the software driver designed for the device associated with each Java application and the application program, and wherein the application program gains access to the functionality of the device through the Java application, wherein the application program does not directly interface with either the device or the software driver designed for the device, and the Java application does not directly interface with the device; and

a registry mechanism located within the data processing system, wherein the registry mechanism provides said application program to access the plurality of Java applications.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the registry mechanism, in response to a query for a function from said application program determines if a java application within the plurality of Java applications matching the query is present and returns a reference to the Java application in response to the Java application matching the query.

16. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the plurality of Java applications are a plurality of JavaBeans.

17. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein a device within the plurality of devices is a fuel gauge.

18. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the device within the plurality of devices is a function diagnostic console located in the vehicle.

19. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the plurality of Java applications is a first plurality of Java applications and wherein a plurality of software services are located within the automobile and further comprising:

a second plurality of Java applications located within the data processing system, wherein each Java application within the second plurality of Java applications is associated with a software service within the plurality of software services and wherein access to the software service is provided through the Java application,

wherein the registry mechanism provides an application to access to the second plurality of Java applications.

20. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

21. A data processing system for creating a JavaBean component for use in an automotive computing platform, said automotive computing platform executing an application program, the data processing system comprising:

identifying means for identifying an electronic control unit, said electronic control unit utilizing a software driver designed particularly for said electronic control unit to permit said electronic control unit to communicate with said automotive computing platform; and

creating means for creating a Java component which is a software interface between the application program and the software driver designed for the electronic control unit, wherein the Java component is for use in the automotive computing platform, wherein said Java component does not directly interface with said electronic control unit, and further wherein said electronic control unit does not communicate directly with the automotive computing platform.

22. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the electronic control unit is a fuel gauge sensor.

23. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the electronic control unit is a mobile phone.

24. The data processing system of claim 21, wherein the Java component is a JavaBean.

25. A computer readable medium including instructions for creating a Java component for use in an automotive computing platform, said automotive computing platform executing an application program, the computer readable medium comprising:

first instructions for identifying an electronic control unit, said electronic control unit utilizing a software driver designed particularly for said electronic control unit; and

second instructions for creating a Java component which is a software interface between the application program and the software driver designed for the electronic control unit, wherein the Java component is for use in the automotive computing platform, wherein said component does not directly interface with said electronic control unit, and further wherein said electronic control unit does not communicate directly with the automotive computing platform.