The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 22, 1988
Filed:
Dec. 22, 1986
Richard N Ames, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Layton Balliet, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Richard V Ballou, Lake Worth, FL (US);
Stanley M Belyeu, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Joseph A Boscove, Highland Beach, FL (US);
Akram Bou-Ghannam, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Peter Langer, Coral Springs, FL (US);
Andrew B McNeill, Deerfield Beach, FL (US);
Gerald U Merckel, Delray Beach, FL (US);
Robert V Miller, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Thomas K Pate, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Nicholas J Schwartz, San Francisco, CA (US);
Frederick T Slater, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Stanford A Strickland, Boca Raton, FL (US);
William C Troop, Boca Raton, FL (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
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.