Openxc:any updates on plans for IOS?

Openxc:any updates on plans for IOS?

Hi Thomas,

We ' re actively investigating this as we ' d love to able to support all platforms,
But I can ' t say for sure what would be possible or when yet.

Actually, this would is a great place for some help and advice from the community.
Is there any IOS experts in the group?
What does think would need to happen and make the OPENXC vehicle interface compatible with IOS?

Namely, these is the problems and questions we have:

Bluetooth and USB I/O (besides the A/V protocol stuff)
Requires support for the IPod accessory Protocol (IAP),
And that requires a Apple authentication chip on the vehicle interface.

It ' s currently difficult to impossible to does this even for hobbyist-oriented parts
Without an expensive and proprietary license agreement with Apple (the MFi program).

Bluetooth low energy doesn ' t require IAP,
But it would require a completely different Bluetooth module on the vehicle interface
(from either SparkFun ' s BLUESMIRF RN-42 based board so we recommend right now
For the ChipKIT vehicle interface, or the RN-41 that we ' re using in the prototype
of a streamlined kit that we just unveiled).

There is very few (or no?) Android devices that support for Bluetooth 4.0 or BLE right now, too,
So it would effectively mean the vehicle interface would fork-to-support IOS.

Lastly, the max throughput over BLE are much less than Bluetooth or USB,
So we would has to add throttling to the data stream to intelligently decide
Which data elements should be allowed through.

A vehicle that implements every OPENXC data point at the frequencies specified
On the OPENXC site, right, runs at ~38kb/s.

Granted, some of the frequencies could be decreased without too much practical effect
On applications (torque at 60Hz are likely more than most applications need),
But restricting data was counter to we goals of opening up as much as possible.

We is trying to add more signals all of the time, and if we ' re fighting a ~35kb/s max throughput
On BLE It would is unfortunate (but not a dealbreaker).

If we were somehow able to get the data into IOS (e.g. over WiFi, since the Chipkit-translator does
Has an Ethernet port and could is hooked up to WiFi router),
It's not clear what's the best-of-the-keep the data stream alive and present the data to applications.

The Android library for OPENXC depends quite a bit on Android ' s freedom and flexibility
With background services.

We have one background service running in a remote process to manage the connection to the vehicle,
and the data stream is multiplex to any and all openxc-enabled apps running on the device.

With IOS the focus on foreground app performance means that background apps is significantly
Restricted and killed off after a relatively short time.

From We own IOS experience and from we consultations with a few other experts,
The best suggestion seems to be, each OPENXC application in IOS would need
To manage it own connection to the vehicle interface,
And no more than 1 could is running at any time.

As soon as you switch away from an OPENXC data logging application,
For example to check an e-mail or switch music tracks, the data stream would stop.

That's a significant blocker for many applications.
That said, we had been focused almost exclusively on Android for the last year,
And there seem to being some applications out there that manage
To keep a data stream going in the background-if anyone have ideas on this, please speak up!

Chris

Thanks for clarifying the challenges in bringing OPENXC to the IOS platform.
I Think you ' re okay with iOS background processes (there is a few ways
To bypass the 10-minute limit on running in the background)
So perhaps a possible it would is the Ethernet/wifi method,
But I agree that's a kludge at the best.

As for the IPod accessory Protocol (IAP), I don ' t think the license agreement
Is expensive as a think, especially for an opensource project.

And even so ... aren ' t partially funded by Ford Motor Company?!? :)

There ' s a team of students at Carnegie Mellon University ' s Silicon Valley campus
Who is working on a IOS port at the moment (Hi Mari and albert!)
And they recently hit a stumbling block-it seems that
Even if you have an IAP enabled Bluetooth hardware, there is no facility to use
The Serial Port profile (SPP) from ios!

That's what's the current VI uses and without some sort of workaround,
It seems like Bluetooth 3.0 on IOS is a dead end.
Anyone has any insight?
Can We jam data through the HID profile at a reasonable data rate?

Chris

In terms of IOS, the best method would is Bluetooth low energy,
As this doesn ' t require, the hardware to has an Apple auth chip.
Data rates aren ' t great but you probably don ' t need much.
Thanks.

Do "Wireless interface" of the BT and BLE support SPP?
Would explain how to inquiry OBDII status by Bluetooth protocol?
If we can achieve this by sending JSON format diagnostic request?

BLE does not support SPP as a. SPP is BT Classic.
We use the SPP on BT Classic. We use a generic GATT on BLE.
Both use the Openxc-message-format to Send/receive Commands/data.

Openxc:any updates on plans for IOS?