Inventors:
Richard N. Ames - Boca Raton FL
Layton Balliet - Boca Raton FL
Richard V. Ballou - Lake Worth FL
Stanley M. Belyeu - Boca Raton FL
Joseph A. Boscove - Highland Beach FL
Akram Bou-Ghannam - Boca Raton FL
Peter Langer - Coral Springs FL
Andrew B. McNeill - Deerfield Beach FL
Gerald U. Merckel - Delray Beach FL
Robert V. Miller - Boca Raton FL
Thomas K. Pate - Boca Raton FL
Nicholas J. Schwartz - San Francisco CA
Frederick T. Slater - Boca Raton FL
Stanford A. Strickland - Boca Raton FL
William C. Troop - Boca Raton FL
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY
International Classification:
G09G 100, G06F 1520
Abstract:
An advanced display system controller is described for use in automotive vehicles. The controller has electronic circuitry to allow it to be programmed to display monochrome or color graphics and text on an all-points-addressable display device such as a CRT or an Electro-Luminescent (EL) Flat panel. The display resolution and scan rates may be programmed differently depending on the display type and size. The vehicle operator controls the display system via a reconfigurable switch system (RSS), such as an Infrared Touch Panel or Mylar Touch Switch Matrix mounted over the face of the display. In addition, external discrete switches may also be attached to the controller. The controller includes a master microprocessor and a slave microprocessor with preferred partitioning of functions and communicates with other parts of the vehicle via two serial data communication links, a Random Access bus and a Poll/Response bus. The design of this controller allows the display characteristics and supported functions to be changed through reconfigurable hardware and software, allowing a broad range of applications in different model automobiles.