Patent Publication Number: US-2019179588-A1

Title: Mobile terminal display options for vehicle telltales

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/127,504, filed on Sep. 11, 2018 and entitled “ALTERNATIVE DISPLAY OPTIONS FOR VEHICLE TELLTALES,” the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     The &#39;504 application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/571,572 filed on Oct. 12, 2017 and entitled “ALTERNATIVE DISPLAY OPTIONS FOR VEHICLE TELLTALES,” the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     I. Field of the Disclosure 
     The technology of the disclosure relates generally to displays in vehicles. 
     II. Background 
     Current generations of automobiles rely heavily on computers and sensors to evaluate the general “health” and operation of the automobile. While sensors and gauges have existed in automobiles for many years allowing operators to know fuel levels, speed, engine temperature, battery level, and the like, the days of analog gauges are fading, and now such information is digitized and presented to an operator through a display. The display may be a simple backlit image or a video capable display or some combination of the two. Sensors may register faults or conditions and store data related to such faults or conditions in a memory device. Concurrently, information related to the fault or condition may be presented to the operator through the use of a telltale. Typically such telltales are provided on a display in the dashboard, where the display is in line with the steering wheel so that an operator may readily perceive the telltale. The operator may act on the telltale after recognizing the condition. In some instances, the memory device may be accessed through a diagnostic device to receive further information about the condition which triggered the telltale. 
     Currently, telltales have a failsafe operation profile. That is, the sensors are made as robust as possible to operate in any reasonably expected environmental or driving conditions, and the communication links are protected from such as well. Despite these precautions, failures do occur. Such failures may be as simple as a blown fuse, a burnt out light bulb, or the like. However, such failures may also be related to the communication link, the display, the sensor, or other point of failure. Currently, when such a failure occurs, the operator may be unaware of the failure, and more importantly, may be unaware of any condition which would otherwise be reported through such a failed telltale. The parent disclosure introduced the concept of using alternate displays to provide telltales to operators, but there remains room to explore various ways that mobile terminals may be used to provide telltales to operators. Accordingly, there may be opportunities to improve the ability to present telltales to operators. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Aspects disclosed in the detailed description include mobile terminal display options for vehicle telltales. In an exemplary aspect, a fault condition in a telltale is detected, and the telltale is presented through a secondary display system in the vehicle, where the secondary display system is a mobile terminal within the vehicle. The mobile terminal may be wirelessly connected to a vehicle control system or may be connected through a wire-based connector. By presenting the telltale on a mobile terminal display, the operator remains informed of sensor conditions in the automobile and may take remedial action to fix the fault condition as well as any conditions which trigger a telltale. 
     In this regard in one aspect, a method for controlling displays in a vehicle is disclosed. The method includes sending data from a first controller to a cluster display embedded control unit (ECU) of a vehicle for display on a cluster display within the cluster display ECU. The method also includes detecting a fault associated with the cluster display ECU of the vehicle or a communication path from the first controller to the cluster display ECU. The method also includes sending, from the first controller, cluster display information including at least one telltale to a secondary display on a mobile terminal in the vehicle. 
     In another aspect, an ECU is disclosed. The ECU includes a vehicle network interface configured to be coupled to a vehicle network. The ECU also includes a first cable interface configured to be coupled to a first cable. The ECU also includes a wireless connectivity module. The ECU also includes a control system including a system on a chip (SoC). The control system is configured to detect a fault in a cluster display ECU through the first cable. The control system is also configured to route cluster display information including a telltale to a mobile terminal through the wireless connectivity module. 
     In another aspect, an ECU is disclosed. The ECU includes a vehicle network interface configured to be coupled to a vehicle network. The ECU also includes a first cable interface configured to be coupled to a first cable. The ECU also includes a modem. The ECU also includes a control system including a system on a chip (SoC). The control system is configured to detect a fault in a cluster display ECU through the first cable. The control system is also configured to route cluster display information including a telltale to a mobile terminal through the modem. 
     In another aspect, an automobile is disclosed. The automobile includes a cluster display ECU. The cluster display ECU includes a cluster display. The cluster display ECU also includes a cluster microcontroller unit (MCU). The cluster display ECU also includes a first cable input configured to receive a first cable. The automobile also includes a control system ECU including a control MCU configured to detect a fault in the cluster display ECU and route telltale information to a mobile terminal. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1A  is a front elevational view of an exemplary dashboard having a plurality of displays; 
         FIG. 1B  is a simplified top down view of a vehicle interior where the vehicle has multiple displays and may be coupled to a mobile terminal; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of a display having a plurality of exemplary telltales illuminated thereon; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the plural displays of  FIG. 1A  with associated controllers within a vehicle according to a first exemplary aspect such that each display has a dedicated controller; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the plural displays of  FIG. 1A  with an associated controller within a vehicle according to a second exemplary aspect where the displays share the associated controller; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for providing alternative display options for telltales according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a first possible alternative display option for the system of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a second possible alternative display option for the system of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a possible alternative display option for the system of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram of another alternative display option for the system of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram of a first wireless system for display of telltales on a mobile terminal where a vehicle control system uses a distinct wireless component; 
         FIG. 11  is a block diagram of an alternate wireless system for display of telltales on a mobile terminal where the vehicle control system includes a wireless component; 
         FIG. 12  is a block diagram of another alternate wireless system for display of telltales on a mobile terminal where the vehicle control system calls the mobile terminal through a cellular modem; 
         FIG. 13  is a block diagram of an alternate wireless system with a combined cluster and infotainment controller having the ability to display telltales both on an infotainment display and a mobile terminal simultaneously or sequentially; 
         FIG. 14  is a block diagram of an alternate wireless system with a combined cluster and infotainment controller where the combined controller includes a wireless component; 
         FIG. 15  is a block diagram of a wire-based system for display of telltales on a mobile terminal; 
         FIG. 16  is a flowchart showing an exemplary process for hierarchically selecting alternate displays for telltales; and 
         FIG. 17  is a simplified block diagram of a mobile terminal. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference now to the drawing figures, several exemplary aspects of the present disclosure are described. The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. 
     Aspects disclosed in the detailed description include mobile terminal display options for vehicle telltales. In an exemplary aspect, a fault condition in a telltale is detected, and the telltale is presented through a secondary display system in the vehicle, where the secondary display system is a mobile terminal within the vehicle. The mobile terminal may be wirelessly connected to a vehicle control system or may be connected through a wire-based connector. By presenting the telltale on a mobile terminal display, the operator remains informed of sensor conditions in the automobile and may take remedial action to fix the fault condition as well as any conditions which trigger a telltale. 
     The discussion from the parent disclosure is provided with reference to  FIGS. 1-9 . A discussion of particular aspects of the present disclosure and various ways the vehicle may communicate with a mobile terminal begins below with reference to  FIG. 10 . 
     As used herein, a mobile terminal may be a cellular phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a phablet, a laptop computer, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a communications device, a mobile location data unit, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a mobile phone, a portable computer, a mobile computing device, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, eyewear, etc.), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a radio, a satellite radio, a music player, a digital music player, a portable music player, a digital video player, a video player, a digital video disc (DVD) player, a portable digital video player, and the like. In relevant part, the mobile terminal needs to have the ability to receive signals and display telltales, and thus, a simplified block diagram of an exemplary mobile terminal is provided below with reference to  FIG. 17 . 
     While the present disclosure is presented with reference to an automobile, other vehicles such as boats, motorcycles, planes, and the like could benefit from the present disclosure and the particular environment is not limited to automobiles. However, for simplicity, the following discussion is provided with reference to an automobile. 
     In this regard,  FIG. 1A  is front elevational view of a dashboard  100  of a vehicle. The dashboard  100  includes a steering wheel  102 . An instrument cluster display  104  is provided in the dashboard  100  in line with the steering wheel  102 . The instrument cluster display  104  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, or the like, and may include one or more additional analog display components or be broken into fields where different information is provided. For example, a tachometer  106  and a speedometer  108  may be positioned on either side of an LCD display  110 . Additional displays such as a fuel gauge, an engine temperature gauge, a battery level gauge, and an oil pressure gauge or the like may be present. The dashboard  100  further includes a second display  112  that may be referred to as a console or infotainment display. The second display  112  may be an LCD, plasma display, touch screen, or the like. In normal use, the second display  112  may provide information about the radio station being played, any further information received from the radio station (e.g., artist name, song name), traffic information, navigation information, climate control information, phone call information if the vehicle is equipped with hands-free phone operations, and the like. Note that these functions may have duplicate control systems. Further, some controls may be present on the steering wheel  102 . 
     It should be appreciated that many vehicles may have other displays and/or be connected to one or more mobile terminals. In this regard, a vehicle  120  is illustrated in  FIG. 1B  with the dashboard  100  having the displays  104  and  112  therein. Additional seat back displays  122 ( 1 )- 122 (N) may be present. As illustrated, N is four (4), but may be some other number as more or fewer seats  124  include displays. In some cases, the seat back displays  122 ( 1 )- 122 (N) may be hardwired into the audiovisual entertainment system of the vehicle  120 . Alternatively, one or more of the seat back displays  122 ( 1 )- 122 (N) may be wirelessly coupled to the audiovisual entertainment system of the vehicle  120  such as through an antenna  126 . Additionally, one or more mobile terminals  128  may be brought into the vehicle  120  and may couple to the audiovisual entertainment system of the vehicle  120 . As illustrated, the coupling may be wireless through the antenna  126 , but may also be through a cable connected to a plug outlet (e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port) (not illustrated). 
     As used herein, a telltale is an indicator of a malfunction of a system within a motor vehicle by an illuminated symbol or text legend. Exemplary telltales are illustrated in the instrument cluster display  104  in  FIG. 2 . Specifically,  FIG. 2  illustrates a low tire pressure telltale  200 , a low fuel telltale  202 , an oil pressure telltale  204 , a temperature telltale  206 , a battery level telltale  208 , an electronic stability control telltale  210 , a heating/air conditioning fan telltale  212 , a bright headlight telltale  214 , a hazard light telltale  216 , and an antilock brake system telltale  218 . It should be appreciated that other telltales may also be used and the present disclosure is not limited to just those listed here. Likewise, the precise placement of a telltale in the instrument cluster display  104  is not a central tenant of the present disclosure, and different automotive manufacturers may differently arrange the number, type, and placement of telltales. 
     In normal operation, the instrument cluster display  104  is responsive to a local cluster microcontroller unit (MCU), and the second display  112  is responsive to a local infotainment system or second MCU. The local MCUs may communicate with a controller though a cable or through the vehicle network. This arrangement is illustrated with reference to  FIG. 3 . In particular, the instrument cluster display  104  may be positioned in an embedded control unit (ECU)  300 . The ECU  300  includes an MCU  302  and a serializer/deserializer  304 . Note that while illustrated as a single block, the serializer and deserializer components could be separate elements. The serializer/deserializer  304  primarily deserializes signals from a cable  306 , wherein the signals consist of pixel data, horizontal and vertical timing control, and additional information, such as cyclic redundancy check (CRC) information, which will be sent to the instrument cluster display  104 . The MCU  302  controls and monitors the components on the ECU  300 . The MCU  302  may control tasks such as power up/down sequencing of the display or monitoring the functionality and operation of other components on the ECU  300 . The MCU  302  may further be connected to a controller area network (CAN)  314  or other vehicle network. While current designs pass the pixel data/image frame in a raster scan format, the present disclosure is not so limited and telltale state information may be sent or the telltale may be sent in some other format that is processed so as to provide instructions to illuminate a telltale. The serializer/deserializer  304  may send backchannel or status information across the cable  306  to an ECU  308 . While this backchannel information is normally serialized, it is possible that the data is already formatted as a single stream of data and the serializer may be omitted. 
     The ECU  308  may include a serializer/deserializer  310  and a cluster MCU  312 . The cluster MCU  312  may sometimes be referred to as a system on a chip (SoC) or application processor (AP). The cluster MCU  312  may further communicate over the CAN  314  or other vehicle network. The serializer/deserializer  310  primarily serializes signals such as pixel data, horizontal and vertical timing control, and additional information, such as CRC information, for transmission over the cable  306  to the ECU  300 , but may receive backchannel information from the ECU  300 . Part of the backchannel information may include signals that act as a heartbeat signal that can be monitored by the cluster MCU  312  to indicate the data path to the instrument cluster display  104  is operational. Note that this data path includes the serializer/deserializer  310 , the cable  306  connecting the ECU  308  and the ECU  300 , the serializer/deserializer  304 , and the instrument cluster display  104 . 
     Note that the cable  306  may be a coaxial cable, a twisted pair, or the like and generally is configured to carry a differential signal and have sufficient bandwidth to carry video signals specifically. Note further that the CAN  314  may be a bi-directional communication bus and may sometimes be referred to herein as a vehicle network. Current CAN implementations are typically two-wire cables, but it should be appreciated that a vehicle network is not limited to such two-wire cables and the term vehicle network includes CANs, Ethernet-based networks, wireless networks, USB, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) express (PCIE), Converged Input/Output (CIO), and the like with sufficient bandwidth to handle video signals. 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 3 , the second display  112  may be housed in its own ECU  316  which may have a display MCU  318  and a serializer/deserializer  320 . The serializer/deserializer  320  primarily deserializes signals from a cable  322 , wherein the signals consist of pixel data, horizontal and vertical timing control, and additional information, such as CRC information, which will be sent to the second display  112 . The serializer/deserializer  320  may send backchannel or control information across the cable  322  to an ECU  324 . The ECU  324  may include a serializer/deserializer  326  and an infotainment SoC  328 . Note that the infotainment SoC  328  is also an MCU, although not labeled as such in the drawings. The infotainment SoC  328  may further communicate over the CAN  314 . The serializer/deserializer  326  primarily serializes signals such as pixel data, horizontal and vertical timing control, and additional information, such as CRC information, for transmission over the cable  322  to the ECU  316 , but may receive backchannel information from the ECU  316 . Part of the backchannel information may include signals that act as a heartbeat signal that can be monitored by the infotainment SoC  328  to indicate the ECU  316  is operational. Alternatively, there may be a specific heartbeat signal, which may be implemented in a variety of ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The cable  322  may be a coaxial cable, a twisted pair, or the like and generally is configured to carry a differential signal with sufficient bandwidth to convey a video signal. 
     In practice, the cluster MCU  312  receives reports from sensors about the health and operation of components of the vehicle such as tire pressure, oil pressure, fuel level, and the like. Based on these reports, the cluster MCU  312  may send the display image pixel data or other signal to the instrument cluster display  104  to update the status of one or more telltales on the instrument cluster display  104 . 
     While  FIG. 3  illustrates a system that has a separate controller for the instrument cluster display  104  and the second display  112 , there are other configurations that may exist. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a single controller may control the instrument cluster display  104  and the second display  112 . In this regard,  FIG. 4  illustrates a second arrangement where the ECU  300  and the ECU  316  both communicate with a single ECU  400  over a cable  402  and a cable  404 , respectively. The ECU  400  includes two serializer/deserializers  406  and  408  for transmitting pixel data or other communication with the ECUs  300  and  316 , respectively. The ECU  400  further includes a cluster/infotainment SoC  410 . It should be appreciated that the cluster/infotainment SoC  410  is an MCU. The cluster/infotainment SoC  410  may also be coupled to a CAN  412  or other vehicle network to receive signals from sensors and the like. 
     In normal operation, sensors associated with the vehicle monitor environmental and operational conditions and provide input to the cluster SoC  312  (or the cluster/infotainment SoC  410 ). If there is a telltale update, the cluster SoC  312  (or the cluster/infotainment SoC  410 ) sends the pixel data to be displayed to the instrument cluster display  104  or otherwise communicates with the MCU  302  to cause illumination of the telltale on the instrument cluster display  104 . However, when a fault is present in the pixel data path (or general communication path) to the ECU  300 , the instrument cluster display  104  is not updated with the correct telltale state to be observed by the driver/user. Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure recognize the fault in the path to the instrument cluster display  104  and cause the telltale status to be shown on the second display  112  or other secondary display such as the seat back displays  122 ( 1 )- 122 (N) and/or the mobile terminal  128 . In some cases the pixel stream is duplicated for the second display  112 , but it is also possible that instructions are sent which cause a telltale to appear on the second display  112 . Additionally, or alternatively, an audible telltale is provided to the operator. This process is illustrated in  FIG. 5 , where process  500  is set forth. Note that this audible alert may be provided on detection of the fault or alternatively may be provided when the telltale is routed to the second display  112 . 
     The process  500  begins with a condition being sensed (block  502 ) that triggers a telltale. For example, tire pressure may be low in one or more of the tires of the vehicle. In normal operation, the telltales are presented to the user (operator) (block  504 ). When the instrument cluster display  104  and/or the pixel data path to the instrument cluster display  104  is determined to be non-functional (e.g., as a result of the instrument cluster display  104  being non-functional, the serializer/deserializer  304  being non-functional, or the serializer/deserializer  310  being non-functional) (block  506 ), a warning, such as an audio tone, may be provided to indicate failure and cluster display information is moved to a secondary display, which may be the second display  112  (block  508 ), another display within the vehicle such as the backseat displays  122 ( 1 )- 122 (N), and/or the mobile terminal  128 . Any of the secondary displays may duplicate the instrument cluster display  104  such that the telltales are presented on this secondary display (block  510 ). In an alternate aspect, the instrument cluster display  104  may be duplicated on multiple secondary displays. Note that the detection of the non-functionality may be effectuated by loss of the heartbeat signal, detection of corruption, detection of a blown fuse, a line fault error, or other mechanism as needed or desired. 
     The presentation of the cluster data on the second display  112  is effectuated by providing or broadcasting the data that would be sent to the ECU  300  to the ECU  316  or an ECU controlling the secondary display. This broadcast may be done concurrently such that both the ECU  300  and the ECU  316  receive the data, or the initial data stream to the ECU  300  is terminated. Depending on the whether there is a single SoC controlling both displays (e.g., the cluster/infotainment SoC  410 ) or two SoCs controlling individual displays (e.g., the cluster SoC  312  and the infotainment SoC  328 ), there are different ways of sending the information to the ECU  316 .  FIGS. 6-9  illustrate a few exemplary ways. 
     In this regard,  FIG. 6  illustrates a first exemplary aspect. On detection of a fault in the pixel data path (or communication path) to the instrument cluster display  104 , the ECU  308  uses a second serializer/deserializer  600  to send information to a serializer/deserializer  320 ′. The serializer/deserializer  320 ′ is similar to the serializer/deserializer  320 , but has two inputs and acts as a multiplexor that selects between the inputs to provide the display pixel data stream or other instructions to the second display  112 . This may add a cable  602  to couple the serializer/deserializer  600  to the serializer/deserializer  320 ′. Further, the MCU  302  may send an error signal  604  to the MCU  318  so that the MCU  318  is alerted of the new data source. Likewise, the MCU  318  may send safety and/or CRC information to the ECU  308 . The ECU  308  may also inform the ECU  324  of the change through a direct communication link  606  or over the vehicle network (e.g., the CAN  314 ). The infotainment SoC  328  may confirm the change to the MCU  318  with a cluster error signal&#39; sent over a link  608 . 
     An alternate technique is to route the cluster data from the ECU  300  to the ECU  316  through a serializer/deserializer  700  and cable  702  as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . The MCU  302  may alert the MCU  318  that there is an error and that the change is forthcoming with a cluster error signal sent over a connection  704 . Likewise, safety and/or CRC information may be sent from the ECU  316  to the ECU  300 . Note that this aspect only works if the point of failure in the ECU  300  is in the instrument cluster display  104 , because the cable  306 , the serializer/deserializer  304  and the serializer/deserializer  310  still have to be operational for the ECU  300  to have the data to send to the ECU  316 . 
     While not illustrated, another possibility would be to route the cluster error signal from the cluster SoC  312  to the infotainment SoC  328  and also send the cluster data from the cluster SoC  312  to the infotainment SoC  328 , and allow the infotainment SoC  328  to send the cluster data to the ECU  316  through the cable  322 . Such an arrangement may impose an additional burden on the vehicle network or require additional serializer/deserializers to allow the coupling between the cluster SoC  312  and the infotainment SoC  328 . 
     If there is a single SoC such as the cluster/infotainment SoC  410  that serves both the ECU  300  and the ECU  316 , then the signaling is simplified as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . Once the heartbeat signal is lost or other cluster error signal is sent from the MCU  302  to the cluster/infotainment SoC  410 , the cluster/infotainment SoC  410  uses the serializer/deserializer  408  to send data to the ECU  316  for the second display  112  to present the cluster data. Again, the ECU  316  may send safety or other CRC data back to the ECU  400 . 
     As another alternative, the ECU  400  may include a serializer  900  that is capable of providing two (or more) outputs and broadcasting the data from the single serializer  900  to both the ECU  300  and the ECU  316  as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . Once the heartbeat signal is lost or other cluster error signal is sent from the MCU  302  to the cluster/infotainment SoC  410 , the cluster/infotainment SoC  410  uses the serializer  900  to send data to the ECU  316 . 
     As alluded to above, while  FIGS. 6-9  refer to a second display in the ECU  316 , the present disclosure may send the data to any of the secondary displays and may send to multiple ones of the secondary displays. 
     Likewise, the present disclosure does not need to pre-empt completely the data otherwise being provided through the secondary display. There are various ways the telltale data may be added to the content being presented on the secondary display. Such display stacking techniques are explored in co-owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/624,780, filed Jan. 31, 2018 and entitled “DRIVING MULTIPLE DISPLAYS WITH A SINGLE DISPLAY PORT,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     While the parent disclosure contemplated sending information to mobile terminals, there are myriad ways in which this data transfer may occur. Accordingly, the following discussion is provided to illustrate specific aspects. In particular,  FIG. 10  illustrates a vehicle that communicates with a mobile terminal  1000  through a wireless connectivity module  1002  and antenna  1004 . The wireless connectivity module  1002  may be a BLUETOOTH®, WIFI, 802.11ad compliant, wireless USB, or other relatively short-range module and may be distinct from the cluster SOC  312 . While illustrated as being within the ECU  308 , it is possible that the wireless connectivity module  1002  and antenna  1004  may be positioned external thereto, either in a separate ECU (not illustrated) or otherwise positioned. 
     The mobile terminal  1000  includes an antenna  1006 , a wireless connectivity module  1008 , an application processor  1010 , and a display (also labeled LCD in  FIG. 10 )  1012 . Note that the wireless connectivity module  1008  may be incorporated into the application processor  1010  (not shown). As described above, when there is a fault with the instrument cluster display  104 , the signal may be provided to the second display  112  and/or the display  1012  of the mobile terminal  1000  through the wireless connectivity module  1002 . 
     Similarly, the wireless connectivity module may be incorporated into the cluster SoC, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . In this aspect, the ECU  308  may include a cluster SoC  1100  with a wireless connectivity module  1102  therein. The wireless connectivity module  1102  communicates with the mobile terminal  1000  through an antenna  1104 , that may be in the ECU  308  or external thereto. 
     While the aspects described with reference to  FIGS. 10 and 11  rely on a direct connection between the vehicle and the mobile terminal, the present disclosure is not so limited. For example, the vehicle may call a mobile terminal through a cellular network or the like as illustrated in  FIG. 12 . The vehicle  1200  includes a cellular modem  1202  or the like that is capable of communicating through a remote base station  1204  to a mobile network such as the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)  1206 . The PLMN  1206  may operate according to any existing cellular or comparable protocol and create a data connection to the mobile terminal  1000  through the base station  1204  (or other base station (not shown)) and a modem  1208  within the mobile terminal  1000 . The modem  1208  may use an antenna  1210  or may reuse an antenna such as the antenna  1006  (not shown in  FIG. 12 ). The modem  1202  may be a modem that provides an internal phone/data connection for the vehicle  1200  and/or may be designated for use by another service such as ONSTAR, UCONNECT, or the like. 
     It should also be appreciated that aspects of the present disclosure also work where the cluster and infotainment displays are controlled by a single SoC such as illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . As with the system of  FIG. 10 , in  FIG. 13 , in a vehicle  1300 , the wireless connectivity module  1002  may be distinct from the combined cluster/infotainment SoC  410 . While illustrated within the ECU  400 , the wireless connectivity module  1002  may be separate therefrom in its own ECU (not shown). In other regards, the vehicle  1300  is similar to the system of  FIG. 10 . 
     Likewise, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 , in a vehicle  1400 , a wireless connectivity module  1402  may be incorporated into the combined cluster/infotainment SoC  1404 . In other regards, the vehicle  1400  is similar to the vehicle of  FIG. 11 . 
     While wireless implementations are specifically contemplated, the present disclosure is not so limited. Some mobile terminals may be mobile computing devices with a display but lack a wireless connectivity module (e.g., certain ebook readers, some tablets, music players, navigation devices, or the like). These devices may still be coupled to a vehicle through a wired connection such as a USB cable, USB Type-C cable, LIGHTNING cable, DISPLAYPORT cable, or the like.  FIG. 15  illustrates a vehicle  1500  that includes a wire-based outlet  1502  having a physical layer (PHY)  1504  that communicates with a PHY  1506  in a mobile terminal  1508  through a cable  1510 . The PHY  1506  may communicate with the application processor  1010  to provide the video signal to the display  1012 . Note that while illustrated as operating with a dedicated cluster MCU/SoC  312 , this arrangement may also work for a combined cluster/infotainment SoC  410 . 
     While there are myriad ways in which the telltales may be presented to a vehicle occupant and/or operator, there may be a hierarchy that dictates an order or preference for certain presentations. An exemplary process implementing such a hierarchy is provided in process  1600  illustrated in  FIG. 16 . In this regard, the process  1600  initially begins by the SoC (either the cluster MCU or the combined infotainment/cluster MCU) detecting the presence of one or more secondary displays (block  1602 ) (e.g., the second display  112 ). The SoC further detects the presence of one or more mobile terminals (block  1604 ). Normal operation proceeds until the SoC detects a fault in the primary display (block  1606 ). In an exemplary aspect, because greater control is provided over the second display  112 , the telltale is sent to the second display  112  (block  1608 ), but if there is no second display  112  or a fault is detected in the second display  112  (block  1610 ), then the SoC may send the telltale to the mobile terminal(s) (block  1612 ). 
     In any of the aspects disclosed herein, the user may be alerted to the existence of a fault through an audible tone at fault detection, when the telltale is routed to a secondary display (e.g., a mobile terminal or the infotainment display), or the audible tone may be generated by the mobile terminal on receipt of the telltale to display. 
     In this regard,  FIG. 17  is a system-level block diagram of an exemplary mobile terminal  1700  such as a smart phone, mobile computing device tablet, or the like. The mobile terminal  1700  includes an application processor  1704  (sometimes referred to as a host) that communicates with a mass storage element  1706  through a universal flash storage (UFS) bus  1708 . The application processor  1704  may further be connected to a display  1710  through a display serial interface (DSI) bus  1712  and a camera  1714  through a camera serial interface (CSI) bus  1716 . While DSI is specifically contemplated, other display connections with associated drivers could include DISPLAYPORT, HDMI, RGB, LVDS, and the like. Similarly, while CSI is specifically contemplated, other buses and protocols could be used. Various audio elements such as a microphone  1718 , a speaker  1720 , and an audio codec  1722  may be coupled to the application processor  1704  through a serial low-power interchip multimedia bus (SLIMbus)  1724 . Additionally, the audio elements may communicate with each other through a SOUNDWIRE bus  1726 . While SLIMbus and SOUNDWIRE are specifically contemplated, other buses such as I2S or the like could be used. A modem  1728  may also be coupled to the SLIMbus  1724  and/or the SOUNDWIRE bus  1726 . The modem  1728  may further be connected to the application processor  1704  through a PCI or PCIE bus  1730  and/or a system power management interface (SPMI) bus  1732 . While PCI/PCIE are contemplated, USB or other high-speed bus could also be used to communicate with the modem  1728 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 17 , the SPMI bus  1732  may also be coupled to a local area network (LAN or WLAN) IC (LAN IC or WLAN IC)  1734 , a power management integrated circuit (PMIC)  1736 , a companion IC (sometimes referred to as a bridge chip)  1738 , and a radio frequency IC (RFIC)  1740 . It should be appreciated that separate PCI buses  1742  and  1744  may also couple the application processor  1704  to the companion IC  1738  and the WLAN IC  1734 . The application processor  1704  may further be connected to sensors  1746  through a sensor bus  1748 . The modem  1728  and the RFIC  1740  may communicate using a bus  1750 . 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 17 , the RFIC  1740  may couple to one or more RFFE elements, such as an antenna tuner  1752 , a switch  1754 , and a power amplifier  1756  through a radio frequency front end (RFFE) bus  1758 . Additionally, the RFIC  1740  may couple to an envelope tracking power supply (ETPS)  1760  through a bus  1762 , and the ETPS  1760  may communicate with the power amplifier  1756 . Collectively, the RFFE elements, including the RFIC  1740 , may be considered an RFFE system  1764 . It should be appreciated that the RFFE bus  1758  may be formed from a clock line and a data line (not illustrated). 
     Those of skill in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, instructions stored in memory or in another computer readable medium and executed by a processor or other processing device, or combinations of both. The devices described herein may be employed in any circuit, hardware component, integrated circuit (IC), or IC chip, as examples. Memory disclosed herein may be any type and size of memory and may be configured to store any type of information desired. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. How such functionality is implemented depends upon the particular application, design choices, and/or design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). 
     The aspects disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware and in instructions that are stored in hardware, and may reside, for example, in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer readable medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a remote station. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a remote station, base station, or server. 
     It is also noted that the operational steps described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The operations described may be performed in numerous different sequences other than the illustrated sequences. Furthermore, operations described in a single operational step may actually be performed in a number of different steps. Additionally, one or more operational steps discussed in the exemplary aspects may be combined. It is to be understood that the operational steps illustrated in the flowchart diagrams may be subject to numerous different modifications as will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art. Those of skill in the art will also understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. 
     The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.