Multi-window display controller

1. A system for displaying applications on a dashboard screen in a vehicle, the system comprising:

A computing device embedded in the vehicle, the computing device connected to the dashboard screen, a first control display, and a second control display, wherein the dashboard screen, the first control display, and the second control display are physically separate from each other;

an operating system installed on the computing device, the operating system running a controlling application, and one or more non-driving-critical applications;

wherein the controlling application is to launch the one or more non-driving-critical applications in one of a plurality of virtual display areas on the dashboard screen in response to receiving a user selection from at least one of the first control display or the second control display;

wherein each of the first control display and the second control display is a touchscreen display capable of displaying a user-touch selectable application menu for controlling the display on the virtual display areas, the first control display positioned within a driving wheel of the vehicle and the second control display positioned between a first front seat and a second front seat in the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first control display and the second control display is to control a separate virtual display area of the plurality of virtual display areas.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the dashboard screen includes a third virtual display area for displaying driving-critical applications.

4. The system of claim 2 ,

wherein the first control display includes a function for enabling and disabling a split-screen mode of the dashboard screen, and wherein when the split-screen is disabled, the whole dashboard screen is occupied either by one or more driving-critical applications when the vehicle is in non-autonomous operation or by one or more non-driving critical applications when the vehicle is not in non-autonomous operation.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first control display displays a subset of an application menu that is displayed on the second control display.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is a single integrated circuit, a device including a plurality of chips integrated onto a motherboard, or a device including a plurality of integrated circuits.

7. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the computing device further includes display hardware and an operating system having direct access to the display hardware, wherein the operating system having direct access to the display hardware operates as a first operating system, wherein the operating system running the controlling application operates as a second operating system;

wherein the first operating system is to

generate a first image,

receive a second image from the second operating system,

create a composite image by combining the first image and the second image, and

transmit the composite image to the display hardware for display on the dashboard screen.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the dashboard screen displays a first non-driving-critical application and a second non-driving-critical application in different virtual display areas on the dashboard display when the first non-driving-critical application and the second non-driving application are launched from the first control display and the second control display respectively.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the dashboard screen displays the first non-driving-critical application or the second non-driving-critical application in a same virtual display area on the dashboard display when that non-driving-critical application is launched from both the first control display and the second control display, wherein the same virtual display area represents a combined virtual display area of the different virtual display areas that are contiguous.

10. A method for displaying applications on a dashboard screen in a vehicle, the method comprising:

receiving a user selection from at least one of a first control display and a second control display,

wherein the first control display and the second control display are connected to computing device embedded in the vehicle, wherein the dashboard screen, the first control display, and the second control display are physically separate from each other;

launching, by a controlling application running in the operating system installed on the computing device, one or more non-driving-critical applications; and

displaying the one or more non-driving-critical application in one of a plurality of virtual display areas on the dashboard screen connected to the computing device;

wherein each of the first control display and the second control display is a touchscreen display capable of displaying a user-touch selectable application menu for controlling the display on the virtual display areas, the first control display positioned within a driving wheel of the vehicle and the second control display positioned between a first front seat and a second front seat in the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein each of the first control display and the second control display is to control a separate virtual display area of the plurality of virtual display areas.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first control display includes a function for enabling and disabling a split-screen mode of the dashboard screen, and wherein when the split-screen is disabled, the whole dashboard screen is occupied either by one or more driving-critical applications when the vehicle is in non-autonomous operation or by one or more non-driving critical applications when the vehicle is not in non-autonomous operation.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first control display displays a subset of an application menu that is displayed on the second control display.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the dashboard screen includes a third virtual display area for displaying driving-critical applications.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the computing device is a single integrated circuit, a device including a plurality of chips integrated onto a motherboard, or a device including a plurality of integrated circuits.

16. The method of claim 10 ,

wherein the computing device further includes display hardware and an operating system having direct access to the display hardware, wherein the operating system having direct access to the display hardware operates as a first operating system, wherein the operating system running the controlling application operates as a second operating system; and

wherein the first operating system is to

generate a first image,

receive a second image from the second operating system,

create a composite image by combining the first image and the second image, and

transmit the composite image to the display hardware for display on the dashboard screen.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the dashboard screen displays a first non-driving-critical application and a second non-driving-critical application in different virtual display areas on the dashboard display when the first non-driving-critical application and the second non-driving application are launched from the first control display and the second control display respectively.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dashboard screen displays the first non-driving-critical application or the second non-driving-critical application in a same virtual display area on the dashboard display when that non-driving-critical application is launched from both the first control display and the second control display, wherein the same virtual display area represents a combined virtual display area of the different virtual display areas that are contiguous.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations for displaying applications on a dashboard screen in a vehicle, the operations comprising:

receiving a user selection from at least one of a first control display and a second control display, wherein the first control display and the second control display are connected to computing device embedded in the vehicle,

wherein the dashboard screen, the first control display, and the second control display are physically separate from each other;

launching, by a controlling application running in the operating system installed on the computing device, one or more non-driving-critical applications; and displaying the one or more non-driving-critical application in one of a plurality of virtual display areas on the dashboard screen connected to the computing device;

wherein each of the first control display and the second control display is a touchscreen display capable of displaying a user-touch selectable application menu for controlling the display on the virtual display areas, the first control display positioned within a driving wheel of the vehicle and the second control display positioned between a first front seat and a second front seat in the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19 ,

wherein the computing device further includes display hardware and an operating system having direct access to the display hardware, wherein the operating system having direct access to the display hardware operates as a first operating system, wherein the operating system running the controlling application operates as a second operating system; and

wherein the first operating system is to

generate a first image,

receive a second image from the second operating system,

create a composite image by combining the first image and the second image, and

transmit the composite image to the display hardware for display on the dashboard screen.