Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-03
2004-10-12
Black, Thomas G. (Department: 3663)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle diagnosis or maintenance indication
C701S031000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06804590
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention belongs to a technical field of vehicle-installed electronic devices and, more specifically, to a technical field of electric power feeding in vehicle-installed electronic devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, it has been popularized to install various electronic devices, such as audio devices, video devices and navigation devices, in vehicles. Normally, these electronic devices are each operated by receiving power feeding from a battery provided in a vehicle.
In general, when the power feeding is carried out from the battery to such a vehicle-installed electronic device, the electric power is supplied based on power supply lines of two systems comprised of: an accessory (ACC) power supply in which the electric power is supplied from the battery via a key switch provided in the vehicle; and a backup power supply in which the electric power is constantly supplied from the battery, i.e. not linking to the key switch. The ACC power supply is constituted along with a starter switch for starting an engine and, when an ignition switch or an accessory (ACC) switch turns to ON state, it feeds the electric power to the vehicle-installed electronic device. A schematic structure relating to the power supplies for such a vehicular electronic device is shown in FIG.
9
.
An electronic device
10
shown in
FIG. 9
is provided with: an ACC power supply monitor section
11
which is connected to an ACC power supply line
3
connected to a battery
1
via a key switch
2
and monitors a state in which the electric power is fed to the ACC power supply line
3
(hereinafter referred to as “energized state”); a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”)
15
and a flash memory
16
each connectable to a backup power supply line
4
connected to the battery
1
; and a main memory
17
connected to the backup power supply line
4
. The CPU
15
and the flash memory
16
are connected to the backup power supply line
4
via control switches
12
and
13
, respectively, which are controlled by the ACC power supply monitor section
11
.
The ACC power supply monitor section
11
is connected to the backup power supply line
4
and also mutually connected to the CPU
15
, and detects the presence/absence of energization in the ACC power supply line
3
, thereby to output a result of the detection to the CPU
15
.
Specifically, when the energized state of the ACC power supply line
3
is detected, the ACC power supply monitor section
11
turns on the control switches
12
and
13
to connect the backup power supply line
4
to the CPU
15
and the flash memory
16
for energization thereof.
On the other hand, when the ACC power supply monitor section
11
detects a state in which the electric power is not fed to the ACC power supply line
3
(hereinafter referred to as “interrupted state”), it outputs a result of the detection to the CPU
15
when the interrupted state is detected.
After notifying the CPU
15
of the detection of the interrupted state, the ACC power supply monitor section
11
is notified from the CPU
15
that data about operations (hereinafter referred to as “operation data”) has been stored in the main memory
17
(hereinafter referred to as “OFF processing”), which will be described later. When the execution of the OFF processing is notified, the ACC power supply monitor section
11
controls the respective control switches
12
and
13
to be turned off, thereby to interrupt the power feeding to the CPU
15
and the flash memory
16
.
The CPU
15
controls the flash memory
16
and the main memory
17
based on the presence/absence of energization in the ACC power supply line
3
.
Specifically, when the electric power is first fed to the vehicle-installed electronic device
10
after it has been disposed, the CPU
15
controls the flash memory
16
to output operation data such as initial data and operation programs stored therein to the main memory
17
. After the operation data has been outputted to the main memory
17
, i.e. once the power feeding has been started, even if the power feeding through the ACC power supply line
3
is interrupted, the operation data can be held in the main memory
17
which is constantly supplied with the electric power through the backup power supply line
4
. The CPU
15
executes reading of operation data stored in the main memory
17
and writing of operation data into the main memory
17
, and further executes a control of respective sections (not shown) which perform navigation and AV operations.
Further, when the power feeding through the ACC power supply line
3
is interrupted, i.e. upon notification of the interrupted state of the ACC power supply line
3
from the ACC power supply monitor section
11
, the CPU
15
executes the OFF processing to write the operation data into the main memory
17
. After completion of the OFF processing, the CPU
15
notifies the ACC power supply monitor section
11
that the OFF processing has been finished.
The flash memory
16
is comprised of a nonvolatile memory and allows reading and writing of data at low speed. The flash memory
16
stores initial operation data and, upon the first feeding of the electric power, outputs the initial operation data to the main memory
17
.
The main memory
17
allows reading and writing of data such as the operation data at high speed. Irrespective of whether the electronic device
10
is operated or not, i.e. even if the power feeding to the ACC power supply monitor section
11
through the ACC power supply line
3
is interrupted, the electric power is constantly supplied to the main memory
17
through the backup power supply line
4
.
The power interruption processing of the conventional electronic device
10
having the foregoing structure will be explained hereinbelow.
First, when the ACC power supply monitor section
11
detects the interrupted state of the ACC power supply line
3
due to switching-off, engine stop or the like, this detection result is notified to the CPU
15
.
Then, the CPU
15
performs the OFF processing to store the operation data into the main memory
17
and, after completion of the OFF processing, notifies the ACC power supply monitor section
11
that the OFF processing has been executed.
Finally, after the notification of the completion of the OFF processing to the ACC power supply monitor section
11
, the ACC power supply monitor section
11
controls the respective control switches
12
and
13
to be turned off, thereby to interrupt the power feeding to the CPU
15
and the flash memory
16
.
As described above, according to the conventional electronic device
10
, even if the power feeding through the ACC power supply line
3
is interrupted, i.e. even if the operation of the electronic device
10
is stopped, the operation data of the electronic device
10
is not deleted so that the operation data at the time of the interruption of the power feeding can be protected. Thus, when the ACC power supply line
3
is energized thereafter to start operations of the respective sections, the electronic device
10
can be restored to the operation state before the interruption of the power feeding.
However, in these days when environment is seriously considered worldwide to advance energy saving, there has been a problem that the conventional vehicle-installed electronic device consumes energy wastefully.
Specifically, in case of the conventional vehicle-installed electronic device, even if the power feeding to the respective sections such as the CPU is interrupted during an engine being stopped, the backup power supply line is constantly connected to the main memory to keep the power feeding for holding the operation data, thus the power feeding to the vehicle-installed electronic device is not interrupted completely.
For solving such a problem, it may be proposed to unify the power supply lines for power feeding to the vehicle-installed electronic device so as to completely interrupt the power feeding during the engine bei
Oda Tamami
Sato Tsuyoshi
Watanabe Tomo
Black Thomas G.
Mancho Ronnie
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Pioneer Corporation
LandOfFree
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