Patent ID: 8346186

Claim:
A system of multiple processors for an automobile, comprising: (a) multiple on-board processors that run automobile applications, at least one of which on-board processors is a processor that is embedded in the automobile; (b) a communication system that couples the multiple processors together; and (c) a dynamic configuration system operating on multiple of the on-board processors and including software resident in memory that is executable to: (i) automatically detect and incorporate new hardware devices into the system of multiple processors for communication with one or more of the multiple on-board processors, and (ii) automatically reconfigure the system of multiple processors in real-time to run at least a specified portion of one of the automobile applications normally run on a first one of the on-board processors on a second one of the on-board processors in the system of multiple processors by executing on the second one of the on-board processors the specified portion of the one of the automobile applications normally run by the first one of the on-board processors, wherein the dynamic configuration system is configured to: monitor the automobile applications operating in the multiple on-board processors; identify a high priority one of the automobile applications on the first one of the on-board processors; identify a lower priority one of the automobile applications operating on the second one of the multiple on-board processors; and reconfigure the multiple on-board processors to run the high priority one of the automobile applications on the second one of the multiple on-board processors.