# US 9,751,476 B2 · Vehicle computing module > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,751,476 B2 - Document ID: US9751476B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/806,244 - Filed: 2015-07-22 - Published: 2015-11-12 - Granted: 2017-09-05 - Earliest claimed: 2009-06-09 - Assignees: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH - Applicants: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH - Inventors: Guenther Kraft; Thomas Erforth - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9751476B2 ## CPC - B60R 16/0231: {Circuits relating to the driving or the functioning of the vehicle (monitoring tyres B60C23/00; indicating overspeed B60K31/00; for dash boards B60K37/00, B60Q3/10; for indicating emergencies B60Q1/52; brake control systems B60T; registering or indicating the working of vehicles G07C5/00; measuring distance G01C, e.g. combinations of speed and distance G01C23/00; engine indicators G01L; measuring speed or acceleration G01P)} - G06F 13/4068: {Electrical coupling} - G06F 13/409: {Mechanical coupling (back panels H05K7/1438)} - H05K 5/0026: {provided with connectors and printed circuit boards [PCB], e.g. automotive electronic control units} - H05K 5/026: {having standardized interfaces (flash memory cards G06K19/077)} - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract A vehicle computing system includes a vehicle computing module mounted on a main system board. The module includes a computing module circuit board with computing components mounted thereon including a central processing unit and a main memory. An edge connector connects the computing module circuit board to an edge connector socket on the main system board. A plurality of computing function interfaces are connected to the edge connector, and include a configuration interface connected to the central processing unit and, via the edge connector, to a controller on the main system board. The controller configures the central processing unit for operation in the vehicle computing system by enabling specification of the computing function interfaces during a vehicle computing module configuration. The computing function interfaces are configured during the vehicle computing module configuration to process data received by the vehicle computing module via the computing function interfaces. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle computing module configured for connection to a main system board of a vehicle computing system, comprising: a circuit board with conducting paths, computing components mounted to the circuit board and including at least a central processing unit and a main memory, an edge connector provided at an edge of the circuit board and adapted to connect the circuit board to an edge connector socket of said main system board, and a plurality of computing function interfaces provided by said edge connector for interfacing the computing module, wherein the vehicle computing module is adapted to be operated in a vehicle as a main computing unit of said vehicle computing system and to perform the processing of data for said vehicle computing system, the data being received by the vehicle computing module via said computing function interfaces, wherein said computing function interfaces comprise a Debug and Boot Port interface. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module of claim 1, wherein said computing function interfaces are configured to be adapted by a controller of the main system board. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The vehicle computing module of claim 2, wherein said computing function interfaces are configured to be adapted by the controller of the main system board depending on the type of the central processing unit of the vehicle computing module. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein said computing function interfaces comprise at least one of a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express interface, a Universal Serial Bus interface, a Serial Advanced Technology Attachment interface, a Secure Digital Input Output interface, a Low-voltage differential signaling interface, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter interface and a power supply control interface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein the Debug and Boot Port interface provided by the edge connector is directly connected to a corresponding interface provided by said central processing unit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according claim 1, wherein the Debug and Boot Port interface uses at least four pins of said edge connector. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein the Debug and Boot Port interface is configured to support different types of the central processing unit without changing an assignment of pins of the edge connector. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein said computing components and said circuit board are adapted to enable the operation of the computing module within a temperature range of about 40 to 70° C., preferably between about −40 and 85° C. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle computing module comprises a module cover adapted to be connected to a housing of the computing system, and wherein at least some of said computing components are coupled to said module cover via a thermal bridge, so that the module cover acts as a heat spreader for the computing components coupled thereto. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein the computing components which have a thermal power loss above a predetermined threshold value are provided with a heat bridge adapted to be coupled to a housing of said vehicle computing system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein each of said computing components is adapted to have a thermal power loss of less than about 7 watts in operation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein said edge connector comprises connections for at least two different operating voltages, with a first of said operating voltages lying in a range between about 2.5 and 3.5 V, and a second of said operating voltages lying in a range between about 4.5 and 5.5 V. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle computing module according to claim 1, wherein the computing components further comprise a northbridge and a southbridge or a combined north/southbridge, a clock generator, and a voltage converter, wherein the northbridge and the southbridge can be combined in a single chip solution. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A vehicle computing system, comprising a main system board having computing function interfaces towards components of the vehicle and an edge connector socket adapted to receive an edge connector, and the vehicle computing module according to claim 1 and configured to connect to the main system board by means of said edge connector. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The vehicle computing system according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle computing system is a vehicle-specific system adapted to the particular type of vehicle to which it is to be mounted, and wherein the vehicle computing module is a standardized vehicle computing module adapted to be used with a plurality of different vehicle computing systems adapted to different types of vehicles. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The vehicle computing system according to claim 14, wherein the main system board comprises controller for controlling the startup of the vehicle computing module via the Debug and Boot Port interface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The vehicle computing system of claim 16, wherein the controller is selected from one of a field-programmable gate array, an application-specific integrated circuit or a microcontroller. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The vehicle computing system according to claim 14, wherein the edge connector socket is formed so that the main system board and the circuit board of the vehicle computing module have a distance in a range between about 2 and 9 mm, preferably between about 6 and 8 mm. ### Claim 19 (depends on 14) The vehicle computing system according to claim 14, wherein the vehicle computing system is selected from a group comprising a vehicle infotainment system, a vehicle multimedia system, a vehicle navigation system, a vehicle control system, and an integrated vehicle computing system combining two or more of these systems. ### Claim 20 (depends on 14) The vehicle computing system according to claim 14, wherein the computing function interfaces of the main system board towards the vehicle comprise at least one of a controller area network interface, a local interconnect network interface and a Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) interface, the main system board being configured to transport data received on one of these computing function interfaces to the vehicle computing module for processing.