Aftermarket head unit interface and protocol converter cartridge

Abstract

An aftermarket vehicle head unit integration cartridge for use with an aftermarket head unit is provided. The aftermarket head unit preferably includes a dedicated slot for insertion of the cartridge. The cartridge preferably supports communication between a plurality of electronic components in the aftermarket head unit and a plurality of electronic components in the vehicle. The plurality of electronic components in the aftermarket head unit may include, for example, an audio processing system, a video processing system, an analog I/O and/or a digital I/O. and/or a plurality of electronic components. The plurality of electronic components in the vehicle may include an audio system, an analog I/O, a digital I/O/databus, and/or a steering wheel control unit. The cartridge may include a flashable memory for use in reconfiguring the cartridge. The cartridge may be configured to capture and condition the signals from at least one of the plurality of the vehicle-based electronic components. The conditioned signals from the vehicle-based electronic components may be conditioned for use by the aftermarket head unit.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.