Plug-compatible interface between cars and their human and/or computer drivers
AssigneeA Truly Electric Car Company
InventorsEdward Gordon Durney, Benjamin L. Ipson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plug-compatible interface between a car and its human and/or computer driver makes both car and driver a “black box”, or abstraction, to the other. The two black boxes can then be developed and built independently before being integrated together only at the final stage. Designers on both the car and driver sides of the interface need design only to the interface and need not worry about how things are done on the other side of it. When cars and computer drivers are built to interact over a plug-compatible interface, any computer driver works with any car. If a computer driver becomes outdated, it can be updated or replaced much more quickly and cheaply than replacing the entire car.
Claims6
A system for a human or computer driver, or both, to control a car where the system includes:
- at least one driver interface device that sends driving commands from the human or computer driver, or both, and
- at least one car interface device that receives the driving commands and causes the car to implement those commands,
- where each of the interface devices is plug compatible.
An interface between a car and a driver of the car that allows the driver to control the car by issuing driving commands that include at least speed and direction commands, where the interface:
- specifies the physical connection between the car and driver over which the driving commands can be sent,
- specifies the format and content of the driving commands in analog or digital form, and
- allows both the driver and the car to appear as a “black box” abstraction to the other that hides the details of how functions are carried out within the abstraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.