SmartDeviceLink

SmartDeviceLink
(originally *AppLink*)
SmartDeviceLink; (originally AppLink)
Developer	Open-Source / Livio / Luxoft
Stable release	4.12.0 / 29 July 2020; 6 years ago
Platform	POSIX
Available in	English
Type	Telematics
License	BSD-3
Website	smartdevicelink.com

SmartDeviceLink consists of two distinct software elements: a core automotive piece which wraps in-vehicle services and integrates to the in-vehicle HMI, and a mobile proxy, which executes APIs to access and use services on the automotive head unit.

It is a project intended to standardize and wrap the many in-vehicle interfaces which may exist in the automotive context. The end goal is to provide an expandable software framework to both mobile application developers and automotive head unit creators for the creation of brought-in applications that appear integrated onto a head unit.

Features

In-vehicle core

The in-vehicle core has some of the following features:

Manages the physical discovery and logical transport connection to a mobile device application
Can support white-labeled, multi-function but single application use cases, as well as single app, single function use cases
Provides a consistent interface for applications to understand the capabilities of an in-vehicle head unit
Manages and maintains the state of connected mobile applications and notifies applications of appropriate state changes
Wraps in-vehicle services such as buttons, displays, voice, menu systems, audio controls and other common vehicle inputs and outputs to a common messaging format and API
Is expandable to allow for specific OEM or head unit manufacturer APIs or messaging
Creates a template- and meta-based UI that creates consistent developer experiences regardless of the actual HMI representation

Mobile proxy components

The mobile proxy components support some of the following:

Provides a common, abstracted interface to the in-car entertainment system to integrate to SmartDeviceLink-enabled mobile applications
Is available for Android and iPhone applications
Supports TCP, Bluetooth and Apple-specific protocol implementations for transport, and can be expanded to include other transports
Simplifies transport discovery, connection, and protocol use
Is expandable to allow for specific-OEM or head unit manufacturer APIs or messaging

Operation

Smart device and car connect via standard protocols such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Application makes requests to the vehicle and the vehicle responds (Remote Procedure Calls). Application appears to be running inside the vehicle, but all business logic is contained on mobile device.
User interacts with the vehicle, and it notifies application of any system or user events
Application reacts by sending requests to modify application behavior or appearance in the vehicle.

References

↑ [multiple developers] (29 July 2020). "smartdevicelink/sdl_java_suite - Release v4.12.0". GitHub. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
↑ Brynlee Mitchell (23 November 2022). "What is Mobile Proxy?". Grid Panel. Retrieved 11 December 2022.

Tim Stevens: Ford races to create standard for connected cars, CNET, 26 November 2013

External links

GENIVI Alliance, now called COVESA (Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance): SmartDeviceLink
Horak, Andrej (5 January 2017). "Sygic Car Navigation Partners with Ford Motor Company as the First Navigation App". Sygic. Retrieved 2 October 2020.

[1] [multiple developers] (29 July 2020). "smartdevicelink/sdl_java_suite - Release v4.12.0". GitHub. Retrieved 2 October 2020.

[2] Brynlee Mitchell (23 November 2022). "What is Mobile Proxy?". Grid Panel. Retrieved 11 December 2022.