Patent ID: 6367022
Filing Date: 2002-04-02
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A method of powering a vehicle information, communication, and entertainment system which provides mobile operation of information, communication, and entertainment devices in a vehicle, said vehicle having a vehicle powered state and a vehicle unpowered state, said method comprising the steps of:operating a power management chipset mounted on a main motherboard to control power to a main application microprocessor and a random access memory mounted on said main motherboard; supplying a plurality of regulated voltages from a power controller and regulator to said power management chipset; switching on and off said regulated voltages under control of a reduced power microprocessor in response to a user control and whether said vehicle is in said vehicle powered state or said vehicle unpowered state; periodically transmitting a status message from said main application microprocessor to said reduced power microprocessor during normal full-powered operation of said main application microprocessor; establishing a predetermined time period in said reduced power microprocessor during which a status message is expected to be received from said main application microprocessor; and sending a reset signal from said reduced power microprocessor to said main application microprocessor if said status message is not received during said predetermined time period.