AutoGraL: a Java']Java 2D graphics library for configurable automotive dashboards

Electronics and Information Technology are playing a role of growing importance in the automotive market. also for the integration of in-car information systems with the external world. The consequent increasing range of services provided to drivers and passengers requires the study and development of human-machine interfaces able to manage multimedia streams according to criteria of safety and simplicity of use. We have implemented a library of Java components that faithfully reproduce the typically analog look of current instrument clusters, introducing runtime configurability and a limited degree of interactivity on the user's part. Components hav:e been designed to support integration into more complex multimedia systems. The paper presents the issues we tackled in the design and development of mission-critical software and the related solutions. We show the structure and the functionality of the library and the performance analysis of a sample program. proposing a system architecture and discussing problems related to the in-car deployment of Java dashboard applications. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.