Dual-Bus External Drive Control for Automotive Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automotive navigation systems face limitations in controlling and diagnosing external drives due to insufficient functionality provided by USB and MOST buses, particularly in managing standby current and providing comprehensive control and diagnostic capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A system that connects an external drive to an automotive navigation system using a combination of a primary bus (USB or MOST) for data transfer and a secondary bus (LIN, CAN, UART, SPI, or I2C) for advanced control and monitoring, enabling low standby power consumption, diagnostic functions, and firmware updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If USB or MOST bus is used for connecting external drive, then data transfer functionality is provided, but control and diagnostic functionality is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the communication interface into two separate buses: a first bus (USB or MOST) for data transfer and a second bus (I2C, SPI, or UART) for control and diagnostics. This segmentation allows each bus to be optimized for its specific function, resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity by assigning dedicated roles to each communication channel.
Solution Approach 2:
The control bus is designed with multi-functionality to handle diverse control commands, status monitoring, diagnostic operations, and firmware updates. This universal control interface resolves the functionality insufficiency while maintaining a standardized connection structure, thereby achieving versatility without proportionally increasing system complexity.
2Use of energy by stationary object
If USB or MOST bus is used for connecting external drive, then data transfer is enabled, but standby current consumption is too high
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the data bus from the control bus, the system can independently manage power states. The control bus remains active for monitoring and command reception while the data bus can be fully powered down during standby, achieving low current consumption without sacrificing control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control bus enables periodic status monitoring and on-demand wake-up commands. The external drive can remain in a low-power state with intermittent polling or event-triggered wake-up, allowing the system to maintain control capability while minimizing standby current consumption through periodic rather than continuous operation.
3Device complexity
If single bus is used for connecting external drive, then connection simplicity is maintained, but comprehensive control and monitoring is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments communication functions into two distinct buses with clear role division: data transfer and control/monitoring. This segmentation achieves comprehensive control functionality while keeping each bus relatively simple and standardized, resolving the contradiction between complexity and versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically switches between different operational modes (data transfer mode, standby mode, diagnostic mode) by utilizing the appropriate bus for each function. This dynamic utilization of the dual-bus architecture allows comprehensive control capabilities to be activated only when needed, maintaining connection simplicity during basic operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A system comprising an automotive navigation system (1); an external drive (13); a first bus (5) for connecting the external drive with the automotive navigation system; a second bus (7), which is different from the first bus (5), for connecting the external drive (13) with the automotive navigation system (1); wherein the external drive (13) is connectable to the automotive navigation sys-tem (1) via the first bus (5) and the second bus (7); wherein the automotive navigation system (1) is adapted to read data from the external drive (13) via the first bus (5); wherein the automotive navigation system is adapted to control and to monitor the external drive via the second bus (7).